In one of the seating areas, more isolated than the rest yet connected to a hidden hallway beneath the stage, stood a girl with blonde hair, eerily reminiscent of one of the game’s heroines, though her aura was far more rigid. She spotted someone familiar, or rather, it was safe to say she was familiar with nearly all of the academy’s students.
Her gaze drifted toward the commotion. People were chatting with one another in excitement and enthusiasm, which left her puzzled. Her eyes then shifted to a man observing the scene, flanked by individuals who seemed far less interested in what was happening.
She then parted her lips, as her poised posture radiated authority. “Darian, explain what's happening." She said, her tone commanding that of authority.
The man, who had been observing the commotion from the side with a frown, jolted at the words, completely caught off guard. His expression turned flustered, but he didn’t let it faze him. For some reason, he instantly dropped to one knee alongside his two followers.
“Your Highness!” Darian and his followers said in unison, kneeling in submission.
Her once resolute expression softened and shifted. She sighed and replied, “Just call me President. There’s already too much discrimination between statuses.” Despite saying this, she allowed them to remain kneeling.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I’m afraid I can’t,” Darian said while still on one knee. Before the princess could respond, he lifted his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Princess, why care about lowly commoners?”
Her glare cut him off mid-sentence, her expression sharp enough to make him choke on his words. His questioning turned to dread, and he pressed his face to the floor. “I-I apologize! I’ll pay for it with my life!” His voice was loud enough that, despite being hidden to the side, it could cause a ruckus.
Her expression soured at the display. She did not want to attract more attention than she already had. She had come here with a disguising spell of high rank, but it was not suited for situations like this. Speaking with clear annoyance, she said, “Enough. From now on, when I ask a question, answer it. No questions asked.” She regarded him with a tired look. “So, what’s all this about?”
His pressed face lowered again into a one-knee kneel as he reluctantly replied, “The Third Prince… seems to have lost to the heir of Aldyvorn… and a commoner girl seems to have won a duel against a lady of high nobility examinee with promising prospects."
Her brows furrowed so deeply that disbelief seemed etched into her features at the first part, making her completely forget the latter. “The youngest got bested? By that incompetent heir of Aldyvorn, of all people?” Her tone was sharp and commanding—enough to silence a room, making the air itself feel heavy. Even Darian and his followers felt the suffocating weight of her presence. ‘What? Orion lost? Of all people…? Blessed by the lineage of the holy deity itself?’ she thought, her mind reeling.
Her authority as a princess, reinforced by her experience as the student council president, came to the surface. Her gaze was steady and unyielding, and her voice carried that of someone used to being answered without hesitation. “Tell me everything. In detail.” As she spoke, her aura spiked, rippling through the air like heat from a forge.
As they knelt before her, she looked down at them, her gaze a brilliant orange, like the surface of the sun itself nestled within. It burned, radiating heat and a suffocating pressure. Something primal stirred deep within her, as if drawn from instinct alone.
Darian couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her—he didn’t want to know, nor could he even try. It was as if his body was being forced to kneel. “Princess… your aura…” he muttered through clenched teeth, the weight pressing on him. He glanced at his followers, grunting and having a hard time even breathing. “My men… they’re struggling.”
Darian came from a well-off baron family, and magic was supposed to be his specialty. But he couldn’t use it at all, as if his magic refused to respond. At least, not in front of the person standing before him; all he could do was endure with gritted teeth.
Fortunately, it seemed their struggling and grunting had reached the ears of the person standing before them, as the princess's mind snapped back to reality.
Haah.... Haah... Haah...
Her breathing was unsteady as her hands met her face, calming her unsteady heart. “I… apologize..." Nevertheless, she continued, her voice coarse. Her brows furrowed as she added, “Explain.”
Once the pressure eased, the two followers fled the scene, leaving only the two of them. He regarded the princess with a gaze that seemed to see something both common and, at the same time, far from it. 'So… this is the trait of the Royalty Solaris,' he thought briefly but quickly dismissed it. “The prince wasn’t merely bested,” he said in a low voice. “But I’m afraid I only know the rumors that have been circulating. All I’ve heard is that...” His expression tightened as the memory surfaced. “It was a complete, one-sided defeat, Princess.”
Then, for some reason, his expression soured, his voice shifting into something sharper. “I’m sure that the Aldyvorn used foul methods… with all the rumors—”
"Speak another word and I will not tolerate it." She spoke with resoluteness, though she felt like a hypocrite and her pride stung. Regardless, it didn’t matter—it was a matter of politics, after all. 'I’ll have to look into it later,' she mused, placing her hands on her elegant chin as she heaved a sigh, fully calming her heart. Her eyes returned to their usual golden hue before she refocused her attention on the man kneeling in front of her. "Anyway, what was the second matter again?"
Then, an individual wearing a knee-length skirt, the same style worn by all the female students including the girl before him, appeared nearby with a sharp, suspicious gaze. The sudden intrusion caused them both to pause.
She was a cold, elegant beauty with well-proportioned curves, oceanic-blue hair that shimmered faintly under the light, and eyes to match. Standing tall and poised, she stepped into the hidden hall where they had been speaking, her gaze unyielding as it remained fixed on them.
Her brows furrowed as instincts told her something was amiss. More importantly, a man kneeling before a girl who was clearly not in a position to warrant such treatment, while not entirely dismissible, hinted that something more was being left beneath the surface. More importantly, this was not the first time she had experienced such a thing.
Her oceanic-blue eyes then began to glow like the waves of the sea.
She frowned slightly as her eyes shifted to the man she more or less knew, but not to the girl beside him. For some reason, the girl looked completely ordinary, someone you might see anywhere, yet she radiated nothing of the sort. More importantly, the fact that her skill detection had failed meant something... “President? Is that you?” she asked hesitantly, her monotone voice smooth and soothing to the ears.
The ordinary-looking girl she called “president” sighed, and it was as if her entire appearance began to change in real time. Her brown hair turned a golden yellow, while her figure shifted and matured, her proportions transforming to match that of a strikingly elegant woman.
She then came into the hallway where they were and gave a slight, elegant bow of her head before speaking. “I apologize if I interrupted something. Prince— ahem, President,” she said, stuttering slightly.
"Sorenya, as always. You always seem to see through my disguise," the princess scoffed, though her voice was a little casual, almost resigned.
At those words, Sorenya’s expression tightened. She spoke in a low voice, yet there was a hint of sharpness that fractured the calm, monotone air she usually carried. "No, I merely overheard your conversation... and I’m afraid my sister is the cause of one of the ruckuses," she said. She had heard it, after all; she wouldn’t be here otherwise.
The man beside them broke the stillness of their meeting. He looked like someone trapped between two lions, for in his eyes, the difference in status between the individuals before him was far too great for him to bear. So, he scrambled. "Princess... it seems my presence is not needed here, so may I have permission to leave?" he asked, his voice meek and low as he stumbled over his words.
“You may do so,” she replied.
He stood hastily, almost tripping over himself as he scrambled to leave, the sound of his footsteps fading until the room was once again silent.
Unlike earlier, when a man had been kneeling before her, both of them now stood at eye level. The change made the scene feel more balanced—more natural—but it also left the air between them heavy with unspoken words.
“...”
The blue-haired girl broke the silence. “My failure of a sister lost in a duel…” She paused, then let out a sigh and a small scoff. “She was far too ignorant for her own good."
The princess considered her words carefully. “I have witnessed your sister’s capabilities,” the president replied. “Even for one such as myself, whose expertise does not lie in magic, I can state with utmost certainty that her prowess is far from insignificant,” she said with measured analysis.
Her lips twitch slightly at the words, but she speaks with a condescending voice. “Such high praise for someone who's a complete failure…” The girl’s tone grew more serious. “President, she lost to a girl with an unknown background. A commoner, on top of that.”
“What? How could that be…?” Her brows furrowed. “What’s the name… No, rather—how could your sister lose?" She said her composure wavered...
“...I don’t understand either,” she said, though it wasn’t the complete truth, her gaze drifting toward the ground as she recalled the scene.
What she had seen was the air trembling slightly and the ground beneath her feet shaking with the force of the energy released. Her sister’s mana, which surrounded her like a protective barrier, was being pushed down, crushed slowly by an overwhelming pressure. It was like something invisible but heavy was pressing down on her.
For a moment, a cold feeling settled in her chest. 'Rather... 'I’m not even sure I could win against that commoner,' she thought, but kept the thought to herself. Then she added quietly, “It was as if the very space itself bent to her will.”
"If I’m not mistaken, that sounds like an aura… not magic?" The princess said hesitantly. She knew the person before her wouldn’t easily mistake something like this, but she couldn’t help but ask. Before she could say more, the words were cut off.
“Mm, it was unmistakably magic, Princess,” the other replied firmly—but after a moment, her confidence wavered and her tone grew awkward as she said something she wasn't supposed to.
They exchanged a brief, uncomfortable silence, eyes locking in a quiet standoff.
“...”
Finally, the princess—no, the president—broke the silence. “Ahem, why don’t we watch them together?” she suggested, her voice slightly shaky.
“...What about your disguise, President?”
“Nn, I can manage without drawing too much attention,” she said with confidence. Yet, for some reason, the girl standing before her didn’t seem as confident.
“I mean... Not to brag, President, but if I may say so—I do tend to attract attention myself.”
The princess’s brows furrowed, and for the first time, the corners of her lips curled slightly.
“Hmm? Is that so?”
The blue haired girl sighed and facepalmed.
“Please don’t tease me too much... Your Highness.”
The princess stiffened at the words, so she quickly changed the topic. “Anyway, I’ve heard that the youngest got bested,” she said, her expression turning serious afterward.
Serenya’s hardened expression deepened, more bewildered now by the news of her sister’s defeat.
“...Prince Orion lost? To whom?”
The princess appeared hesitant to reply, but she answered nonetheless.
“It seems to be the sole heir of Aldyvorn Dukedom... Cael Aldyvorn.”
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| Chapter 17 - Examination Day (2)