EP.225 The Nightmare Returns (4)
Professor Lrutia’s farewell party was on a grand scale.
There were several reasons why the farewell party had to be grand, and it wasn’t only because of the students’ respect for Professor Lrutia.
“The First Princess Lruiel and Princess Ayla are attending the farewell party,”
Rumors spread like wildfire. After some brave students dared to ask Ayla, it was confirmed to be true. Amongst the students, those from noble families showed the most dramatic reactions.
Apuria Academy is prestigious.
Even though many talented individuals enroll, not all of them come from noble heritage… but a significant number of noble offspring also study at Apuria.
‘First Princess Lruiel.’
With the disappearance of First Prince Izak, she was practically confirmed as the next ruler. However, due to the circulating rumors of her being a ‘mad dog’… the number of nobles who have had meaningful interactions with her is quite limited.
An individual like her making an appearance at the farewell party becomes a rare opportunity for students from noble families. The respect for Professor Lrutia combined with the students’ fervor to seize this special opportunity… made the scale of the farewell party excessively grand.
“This should be enough…”
“How about the food at Table A? It seems like we’re lacking a tray here…”
The entire hall was rented out.
The long table was teeming with all kinds of food. The farewell party had become grander than the usual gatherings of nobles and was full of students busily moving about.
There was just over an hour left until the start of the farewell party.
Professor Lrutia had already arrived, chatting lightly with the students. Peering at that scene, the student representative who had planned the event wiped the sweat from his brow.
‘It’s nerve-wracking that both princesses are coming, but…’
More importantly, there was an immediate issue to resolve.
“Don’t we need a stage to express our gratitude to Professor Rania? I think we do.”
This was said by Princess Ayla, who had arrived with three top students by her side.
“She’s quite sensitive about such things. If we don’t prepare something, it’ll be extremely, extremely annoying later…”
A boy shook his head. The former top student of the Battle Magic Department, Belnoa.
“I think it’s necessary. The great Professor Rania has worked hard for us. We should take this opportunity to reflect our gratitude towards our Master…”
For some reason, the emphasis on the word ‘great’ came from Lac von Grace, the current top student of the Battle Magic Department.
“I’ll help. Do you have an accounting book? I can assist with any additional budget requests or documents that need to be prepared.”
Resti Elenoa, the future master of the Ashen Tower, who had been a great help in preparing the event, chimed in.
What they all demanded was one thing.
Create a spot for Professor Rania of a ‘satisfactory’ quality in Professor Rania’s eyes. Of course, it wasn’t an unreasonable request.
‘Well, it’s not unreasonable, but…’
As the student representative, he had no clue what kind of standards would satisfy Professor Rania… he had to think hard for several days.
‘So, he entrusted it to two people he knows well…’
The representative peeked at one side of the hall. There were Belnoa and Lac still busy decorating the table.
“How about adding more meat here?”
“More meat? This should be enough, right?”
“Professor Rania likes meat. Last time she came to the North, she had a lot of meat…”
“…Really? I didn’t think she was that into meat.”
“Who doesn’t like meat? It’s better than greens. Let’s get rid of all this salad…”
“Are you crazy?”
Lac’s continuous attempts to remove the salad and Belnoa slapping the back of his head left the student representative with a complicated expression.
“Hmm…”
Did I choose the right people for this task?
While the student representative pondered, time continued to tick away. Just when the farewell party was about to begin, the much-anticipated guests walked into the hall.
“Ah, are you really sulking…?”
“I told you. This is the seventh time, Professor. You don’t need to say anything more…”
Professor Rania looked unusually sulky, and Princess Ayla was pulling her arm. Following closely behind were Resti and Chloe.
Tap.
Finally, they stepped into the hall.
The students, who had been bustling around, halted and turned towards the door. They looked at the professor standing there… and those preparing the event swallowed hard.
Rania van Trias.
What kind of person is she?
To be honest, during the first semester, the students didn’t see her as a ‘human’ like themselves.
Something feels a bit different… another kind of…
It didn’t feel like she was human at all.
It felt like looking at a near-perfect doll. A doll that couldn’t grasp the human heart. But that was solely based on the first semester.
What about entering the second semester?
Scenes resurfaced in the students’ minds of Professor Rania passionately defending the honor of the Battle Mages.
“Battle Mages, created by the great! The great Ashen Mage himself!”
That was her fervent speech during a church seminar.
“You don’t need to feel intimidated. Victory must be seized. The foundation must be proven. Our foundation is proven through victory. Everyone, have confidence…”
That was her preaching the fundamentalist doctrine with fiery eyes.
“Oh f, let go of this! I said let go! Are you not going to shoot? Go ahead, fing shoot! Who’s going to fall for that? Are you going to fall…?!”
That moment was surprisingly ugly.
Images of her igniting the audience’s faces during the duel evoked one by one in the students’ memories.
Yes.
Entering the second semester, Professor Rania had started showing her more human sides. No longer a perfect doll that couldn’t understand humans…
But a bit odd…
Their impressions began to shift.
At times, she seemed sulky; at other times, she appeared jealous. The students felt humanity in those petty emotions.
No longer a perfectly flawless doll, but a human.
Although it’s been a long-winded explanation, this ultimately meant a slightly reduced psychological distance. The students no longer saw Rania as merely a flawless being.
“P-Professor Rania.”
Since they knew,
“We’ve prepared a spot for you…”
The student representative bravely opened his mouth.
Professor Rania slowly lifted her head, looking at the student representative. As her bluish eyes met with his, he continued speaking.
“Do you like it?”
He pointed at the seat they prepared for her.
It was the table where Belnoa and Lac were still bickering. Professor Rania’s eyes widened as she looked at the table. Her lips twitched.
“Hmm…”
After a brief hesitation,
“Oh, what is all this…?”
What she uttered might seem like a dry comment at first glance.
However, the students did not miss the slight tremble in her voice.
Though she tried to maintain a poker face, they clearly saw Rania’s quivering lips.
She’s pretending she doesn’t care.
Acting as if she didn’t expect anything at all…
But she seems genuinely pleased…!
With a clench, the student representative balled his fist.
Holding back the urge to whistle, he vigorously pointed to the spot prepared for Professor Rania.
“Come on in, Professor Rania!”
—
2.
What even is all this?
From the moment she stepped into the farewell party until now, Rania had to focus all her energy on keeping her mouth shut from wanting to open wide.
Seriously, what even is all this…
The scale of the farewell party was extraordinary.
It rivaled that of most banquets she had attended. Of course, it wasn’t her first time participating in such an event.
I’ve attended a few banquets with Kyle, but…
Those types of banquets weren’t solely for her and Kyle. They were events with nobles’ unyielding gazes or people trying to sneak an extra morsel while engaging with them.
So, it was her first time.
A purely enjoyable event.
“Professor Rania.”
“… Yes, yes.”
“Your lips have been quivering since earlier. Should I get you a fan to cover your mouth?”
Ayla’s mischievous voice echoed in Rania’s ears. Rania wondered briefly if she had been like that, and upon touching her lips… she felt no tremor at all.
“It was a lie. Seems like I hit a nerve.”
“No…”
This princess again.
As Rania sighed softly, Ayla, sitting beside her, propped her chin on her hand and gazed at Rania.
“I’m glad it seems you like it.”
“… I do feel good.”
A celebratory occasion.
The fact that students decorated this spot not for anyone else but for her… It indeed felt quite touching.
Did I… go overboard?
At that moment, a thought crossed Rania’s mind.
If she had known that the students were preparing this event for her, would it have been better to postpone whatever unnecessary plans she had?
“Hmm…”
Feeling a sense of guilt, Rania let out a small groan.
“Should I cut down on the assignments…?”
Just when the nightmare began to grasp human emotions, the hall became lively once more due to the arrival of new guests.
Creek.
The door to the hall swung open, and two knights entered. One was the knight known to guard the princess, and the other was a member of the Royal Guard whom Rania had encountered a few times as they traveled in and out of Apuria.
An eyepatch-wearing one-eyed royal guard.
As he opened the door, he stepped aside and bowed his head. Following that, the guard knight spoke, announcing the identity of the visitor.
“First Princess Lruiel is here.”
Amidst the silence that fell over the hall, someone stepped past the two bowed knights and entered.
Tap tap.
With a rhythmic sound of high heels clicking.
The platinum hair shimmered almost silver. Her eyes were sharp, evident through her flowing hair. Her cold, golden eyes scanned the hall.
“Ho.”
The First Princess, Lruiel.
With a brief admiration, she looked at the student representative.
“Are you the representative who prepared the farewell party?”
“Y-Yes…”
“I recognize that face. You must be the daughter of Marquis Demetra, right? I think I recall seeing you once with Marquis Demetra.”
“I’m honored that you remember me…”
Lruiel nodded lightly.
“You’re much better than Marquis Demetra.”
“… Excuse me?”
“The future of the Demetra family seems promising. Seems like you were born with the blessings of successful offspring. Marquis Demetra has raised a splendid child.”
Should she take that as a compliment, insinuating that her father was inferior to her, or interpret it as an insult…?
Such questions crossed the student representative’s mind while Lruiel, unaffected by that reaction, continued her words.
“I’ll enjoy myself here, even if just briefly. You’ve done well.”
Regardless of how it turned out, it remained a fact that she complimented him.
Cherishing that fact as an honor, the student representative slightly bowed and stepped back… while Lruiel walked across the hall.
As all eyes were on her, she came to a stop right in front of Professor Rania.
“Long time no see, Professor.”
That was a familiar tone.
“It seems you’re quite enjoying this.”
“…Is it that obvious?”
“It is obvious. Quite a different side of you.”
Rania felt a tickle at the corner of her mouth as Lruiel giggled.
Those gazing at the scene felt their hearts race. Even if they had never faced the First Princess, many were aware of the rumors surrounding her.
The iron-willed woman living in the royal castle.
Some called her a mad dog and dragged her down; others praised her as a woman born with a king’s disposition. And the commonality in those rumors was that First Princess Lruiel is an exceedingly cold person.
‘Someone who doesn’t trust anyone recklessly, strives for perfection all alone… someone whose heart is iron and silences the voices of nobles.’
The girl who trusts no one.
Such a person truly looked as if she was genuinely enjoying herself, laughing merrily. And that too, directed towards Professor Rania.
Do they share a bond?
They seemingly didn’t seem to be on ordinary terms.
