Chapter 57

The next day, having failed to return to the accommodation set up by the Princess, I spent the night stuck with Lilian. Just like any other morning, I expertly tidied up and woke the Young Lady. Today was finally the day we were going back from our expedition. While I stacked our belongings in preparation for the return, our dear Lilian gazed around with a dazed expression. She was still the same weak Lilian of the morning.

After some gentle coaxing and a bit of grooming, I finally managed to wash her up and comb her hair. I dressed her in casual clothes and got back to organizing the rest of our luggage. By then, Lilian had started coming to her senses and was staring at me intently.

Honestly, if looked at like that, even the thickest person would be surprised. Having completed my tasks, I slowly turned to face Lilian. Without warning, she quickly averted her gaze.

Was she embarrassed about crying yesterday? I wondered, as I stepped closer, took her hand, and pulled her to her feet. Whether she felt shy or not, it was time to board the carriage back to the Academy.

“Ah, Catherine. You’re coming along, right?”

“…Well, I came in the Princess’s carriage.”

“Huh? Who?”

Seeing Lilian’s bright smile, I was struck by a familiar sense of déjà vu. It reminded me so much of the smile she wore when she wasn’t pleased. But she wasn’t just any Young Lady. I ignored her smile and replied once more.

“The Princess.”

“…Catherine.”

Her smile vanished in an instant. It was replaced with a cold expression reminiscent of yesterday. But it wasn’t exactly the same. It felt like ‘Lilian’ was just playing the role of the Young Lady…

“You’ll take my carriage. No refusals.”

“Yes.”

Since I was planning to ride in Lilian’s carriage anyway, I readily agreed and quickly led her out. The hotel staff crowded around the exit, bowing and saying goodbye to Lilian—quite a sight to behold, but there was no time to enjoy it.

It took quite a bit of time to prepare since Lilian was terribly weak in the morning. Finally making it just in time, I offered an apologetic gesture to the Princess and boarded Lilian’s carriage.

“Oh, Lilian, you’re early? Oh, and Catherine’s with you?”

“What’s that? Yulia, you were expecting me to be late?”

Reacting to Lilian’s sharp question, Yulia smiled wider and replied.

“Yes, I thought you would be late.”

“Do I really give off that kind of vibe?”

Lilian pondered for a moment, perhaps searching for the right words.

“Well, it’s not that you’re late, but you just seem like you might be late in the mornings. You always tend to be late for first period classes.”

“That’s the professors’ fault for scheduling lectures at first period.”

Lilian replied shamelessly, making it clear she wasn’t to blame as she sat opposite Yulia. I chose to sit a bit apart from them. I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation, and also wanted to sort out the swirling thoughts in my head.

However, for just a moment, the two started inching closer to me. Please, don’t do that. Perhaps it was their ample behinds, but soon their thighs began to press against mine. I couldn’t wrap my head around why they were doing this in such a spacious carriage.

“Young Lady, could you please give me a bit of space?”

“No. I don’t want to.”

“… ”

Letting out a deep sigh at her utterly Young Lady-like response, I glanced over at Yulia. But Yulia didn’t seem inclined to move at all either, looking at me with a curious expression. Why was she looking at me like that?

“Is there something funny? Why are you looking at me like that…”

“Yeah, there is. Right, Lilian?”

“Hmm, I think I might know.”

The two of them started gazing at me with excited eyes. Regretting my decision to board the carriage, I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe if I just closed my eyes, it wouldn’t be as bad. Slowly, I began to clear my head.

First up was Charles Garington. For some reason, he hadn’t cursed me out or gotten angry when we met. He just squatted down and boarded another carriage. I had no idea what had happened, but as long as he didn’t bother me anymore, I was fine.

After clearing away the most useless thoughts, I turned my attention to Yulia. Yulia, a commoner and the only one who could handle transformation— no, now maybe the only one who could wield Divine Power. She could currently perform only basic healing, but once she properly learned Divine spells, she could be treated like a saint performing miracles, even bringing back lost limbs.

I wasn’t a fool; I knew she had feelings for me. But whether it was romantic feelings or just friendly affection was still a bit unclear. Girls often get close to each other as friends, so figuring it out was even more challenging.

Lastly, there was Lilian’s obsession. This wasn’t just a recent thing. Since she was little, the Young Lady had been fixated on me. If I were to chat with a gardener, the next day she’d have that gardener reassigned elsewhere. Strangely, she didn’t seem to mind me talking to other women, but whenever I chatted with a handsome man, she’d always furrow her brows as if really displeased.

Despite my various efforts, most just resulted in backlash. In the end, the head maid and I decided to let it slide, thinking it would improve over time.

With ‘Lilian’ inhabiting the Young Lady’s body, I thought perhaps her obsession would ease, but lately, it felt like it had intensified. Just look at her now, squeezed up against me in this vast carriage, pressing parts of her body against mine.

“Young Lady, it’s getting hot in here.”

“I’m cold. So stay close.”

“… Young Lady, I’m sweating.”

“That’s just a chill sweat.”

I let out a soft sigh at her nonchalant lie and looked at Yulia. Yulia, with a bright smile, had eyes that were not smiling at all. She grabbed my hand and started to lightly knead it, then smiled sweetly again.

Speak, please. I shot wary glances between the two of them, finally letting out another sigh.

#

“I feel absolutely lousy and miserable.”

“Your Highness, what is with such an inappropriate expression all of a sudden?”

At my sudden crude remark, the woman sitting across from the Princess raised her head. She was an intelligent-looking and beautiful woman, with hair like water and eyes the blue of a tranquil lake.

“I feel like my lover is being taken away.”

“As far as I know, Your Highness has no lover.”

I wondered if this Princess had finally lost it as the Student Council President, Elia Bronwey, looked at her. Elia Bronwey, daughter of Count Bronwey and president of Apatem Academy’s student council, is a person with the backing of countless students. That’s why even the royals can’t touch her freely within the academy.

“Not my current lover. But one I plan to have.”

“Huh? You mean there’s someone like that?”

Elia’s eyes widened in genuine surprise as Princess Chloe clicked her tongue. Was she hinting that such a person shouldn’t exist? Noticing that the Princess’s mood had slightly soured, Elia offered a gentle smile.

“It’s a good thing to acquire a partner to walk through life with. I hope you work hard at it.”

“A partner…”

What a lovely word. Sometimes, very rarely, I grow weary of this power struggle. In those moments, I daydream about exiling with Catherine to live a humble, gentle life. With a pot of stew bubbling in the kitchen, and loyal dogs and adopted children smiling happily together in a quaint country home.

But knowing it was merely a fantasy left Princess Chloe feeling a twinge of emptiness now and then. On the contrary, she often found herself lost in worries about whether Catherine would ever return her feelings—what if she didn’t? She was confident she could try over and over, but what if after a thousand tries, it still didn’t work? Or maybe she could end up building barriers to keep herself away.

“Your Highness, Your Highness?”

“Oh, um. What is it?”

“It’s about the final exams. This time, we aim to approach them a bit more judiciously.”

“… About the final exams? Does Apatem Academy’s testing really need a discerning approach?”

Apatem Academy was attended only by the upper class. Most students had their futures pegged as heirs or administrative figures of their families. Some discerning approach would quickly lose its meaning there. As the Princess questioned, Elia shook her head.

“Noblesse Oblige has been implemented far less by the nobles of late. I believe their brazen behavior stems from a lack of proper education at the academy.”

“Um.”

“Please help me. With Your Highness’s assistance, conducting the final exams with discernment would be a piece of cake.”

“You’re always overestimating me.”

The Princess offered a bitter smile, slowly beginning to absorb Elia’s plans.