Chapter 16

“That’s strange. Very strange.”

“What’s so strange about it?”

The Princess, who had seemingly fled the scene, tilted her head as if my remark was odd. Wondering why she was acting this way, I asked her a question, and she suddenly turned her head and grabbed both of my shoulders. It felt like she was gripping a bit too hard, but honestly, it didn’t hurt much. After all, a princess who hadn’t exercised a day in her life could hardly be strong.

“Prince Bellus. He hasn’t shown his true colors yet?”

“I have a question too, though.”

“What is it?”

“Exactly what makes you think Prince Bellus is the one pulling the strings?”

“Huh?”

Whenever Lilian went to her classes, I would handle the chores, and during my free time, I hung around the library. I also made sure to gather information around the academy, and the rumors about Prince Bellus were always similar. A model gentleman, kind to others.

Of course, thinking back to the previous incident, those rumors might not always be accurate, but it didn’t mean he was definitely some dark figure. Besides, considering that Prince Bellus was from the Duchy of Endein, where the patriarchy was particularly strong, that might just be normal there.

That said, I wasn’t completely at ease either. This was a free city closely tied to the Empire, after all. But still, for the Princess to suspect him like that was a bit excessive.

“I understand you’ve had your issues with Prince Bellus yourself, haven’t you?”

“That’s true, but that doesn’t mean I should suspect him outright.”

It was annoying considering what he did to Lilian, but since Lilian had been pushing Prince Bellus away so much lately, if he acted rashly out of carelessness… hmm. Still, isn’t that a bit too lenient? Either way, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something.

“Even if you really think Prince Bellus is a dark figure, do you honestly believe he’d reveal himself in a place like this?”

“Well, yeah. But I only wanted to collect testimonies. At the very least, Prince Bahan’s statement would be quite helpful.”

“But Prince Bahan mentioned he heard it from a senior, didn’t he?”

“Prince Bellus could’ve manipulated that senior, though.”

Do you really think that makes sense? In disbelief, I clamped my mouth shut, and perhaps sensing my thoughts, the Princess let out a sigh.

“Ugh… I know that. I was just a bit desperate.”

“Is that so?”

“Right. I apologize for making you join me for a night stroll. I should be heading in now.”

“Yes. May you also return peacefully, Your Highness.”

I bowed respectfully to the Princess, who nodded slightly before lumbering back to the dormitory. Though we were in the same dorm, we had separate entrances, so I had to head in the opposite direction. She seemed more downcast than I thought. She looked so weak walking away like that. I pondered this as I turned towards the back entrance.

As I entered very quietly, the lights suddenly flicked on. Confused, I looked around and found Lilian frowning at me. Honestly, her glare could easily be taken as a scowl, but I could tell that despite her fierce gaze, she wasn’t genuinely angry.

“You’re back? Catherine.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Come here and sit.”

I wondered if we’d have classes tomorrow as I went and sat where she indicated. Then Lilian got straight to the point.

“What on earth were you doing out at this hour?”

“I just went for a night stroll.”

“A night stroll, huh?”

Where do I even start explaining? It felt like I needed to keep my conversation with the Princess a secret, so maybe I shouldn’t mention that. If she was still the “Young Lady” I knew, I would have told her everything. But the person in front of me wasn’t the “Young Lady”—just Lilian. What’s the difference between the two? Should I approach it from an existential perspective? Or is it more about a mental distinction?

Is “Lilian” merely a vessel, or is she just a second persona created by the “Young Lady”? Realistically, the first option seems more likely. Why? Because “Lilian” knows about Earth. She operates based on knowledge from Earth.

Typically, such possession is based on knowing secrets about this world or having reported back on them. So, what secrets did Lilian witness? From her questions about the Demon King, perhaps it was related to his descent. With that thought in mind, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I’m studying the structure of the academy.”

“Catherine, you?”

“Yes. So that, should you ever need a guide, I can assist at any time.”

“Honestly, I don’t need it. You know that, right?”

“It might be something you don’t know. It’s a servant’s mindset from the Portus family to be ready for any possible situation.”

With my response, Lilian sighed. To be honest, she probably didn’t think it was genuinely unnecessary either. She just didn’t like me going out at night.

“I won’t do anything dangerous. You know my physical strength is quite limited, right?”

“Of course, but there shouldn’t be any dangerous business at the academy.”

“Yes, at most I’d just encounter some wild beasts. And I’m fine with that level.”

At my confident answer, Lilian nodded. Then she suddenly laid my body back down.

“Then it’s time to sleep.”

“Wait, now?”

“Yeah. It’s the weekend anyway. You can afford to sleep a bit more… yawn.”

Lilian, who had rolled over and hugged me tightly, chuckled and then dozed off. Suddenly finding myself in the role of her body pillow, I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. Being able to sleep in any position is one of my few talents.

And so, I slowly slipped into sleep, feeling Lilian’s warmth.

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“Smuggling has failed. What a shame.”

“Was there even anything dangerous to begin with?”

“True, it was just coloring books at best.”

“Haha, coloring books, huh? Prince Bahan is quite the peculiar one.”

In a dark room, seven masked figures sat around a round table, each wearing a different mask.

“Well, it can’t be helped. We’ll push the failure off to the next time. After all, our goal here is to reclaim our students’ freedom.”

The voices coming from the masked figures echoed with distortion, thanks to the small voice modulator attached to their masks. A secret group whose members’ gender, age, voice, and faces were completely unknown. This group was lurking underground at Apatem Academy.

“Reclaiming freedom, huh. Sigh….”

“What’s the matter? Snake.”

“I didn’t come here to engage in such trifling nonsense.”

The figure wearing the snake mask grumbled, causing the others to burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. Just reminded me of my former self from two years ago.”

“Two years ago, huh…?”

“Oh dear, does that reveal my age?”

The bear figure who spoke chuckled lightly. Though the snake figure hesitated for a moment, he soon continued.

“Anyway, next is a sort of uprising. Snake, you might just like this.”

“An uprising? What’s the reason for it?”

“There are several reasons. Honestly, I pieced together some combinations that would work no matter where I presented them, but if we’re talking about something usable right now… ah, here it is. A statement of support from the students for the abolition of exams.”

“Are you really thinking of doing that?”

“Of course not. Rabbit, care to take a look?”

“Ah, sure!”

The rabbit, true to its name, bounced over to the bear’s side. As the bear unrolled the statement, the rabbit began to read through it slowly.

“Seems it’s just delinquent students who don’t want to take exams.”

“Yeah, that’s about right. But if you add the right reasons to such topics, they can’t just be brushed off so easily. Plus, it’d make it easier to disband if things get messy.”

“Just expose the truth, I suppose?”

“Exactly.”

The bear nodded, satisfied with his point. Just then, the snake let out a sigh as he gazed around the table. Specifically, he looked closely at the figures in front of him—the cow, pig, dog, and horse. The dog figure, usually quite chatty, was unusually quiet today.

“What’s the objective of this uprising?”

At that moment, the horse figure spoke up, and the bear gave a smile that seemed to have awaited this very question.

“To dismantle the student council. And undermine the Princess’s authority… at least that’s the idea. Of course, while we’re hoping for the former, it might be best to consider that the likelihood of it happening is quite slim. For now, we should be content with gradually chipping away at her power.”

“Got it.”

“Is that all your questions?”

The bear looked around the table, but no one answered. With a smile, he nodded in understanding.

“Then let’s wrap up today’s meeting here. Rabbit, could you pass that back?”

As I waved at the rabbit still holding the plan for the uprising, it slowly turned to face me, its head making an odd sound.

“Um, there’s something a bit strange about this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Is this true?”

Curious, the bear approached the rabbit figure, reading a line before nodding.

‘Maid Catherine. Subdued two knights and matched the strength of the desert warrior Arhan. Extra precautions advised. Appears to have no interest outside of Young Lady Lilian.’

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