Chapter 65

So, it was Saturday. I was waiting for the Princess at the clock tower in the central plaza of the Free City. It wasn’t hard to set up the meeting. The first time I suggested it, the Princess looked shocked, but then she quickly smiled and nodded.

“I didn’t expect you to propose first.”

“I just wanted to repay the kindness I received in Tarakan Free City.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After such exchanges, I relayed the time and place to the busy Princess and left her room. That was just two days ago, but the Princess readily made time. It’s kind of expected, though; she’s pretty busy. While she hasn’t entered national affairs yet, she’s a regional noble who has her own territory.

Her territory, Agraden, located in the east of the Empire, is quite a large agricultural area. Upon entering Apatem Academy, she got a steward, but she personally handled important reports, making her fairly busy even within the academy. Since she had completed nearly all her home education courses, she didn’t really need the classes at the academy; if it weren’t for that, she’d probably be buried in work.

The reason she maintains a close relationship with the Student Council but doesn’t join it is also because of this busyness. Among the royal family, she’s the only one with a territory, thanks to her significant contributions three years ago. She entered the scene early during an epidemic outbreak near the imperial capital and was awarded the estate of Agraden for her efforts.

For royalty, owning a territory grants considerable power. After receiving her territory, the Princess’s position became quite solid, assisting in the imperial succession struggle. Given that she didn’t exploit the territory’s people, she had treasures aplenty in her reports, allowing her to keep the taxes in Agraden very low, which made her quite popular.

Honestly, I think if she became Empress, this country would improve greatly. The Crown Prince Jeron, who is closest to the throne, is almost a ghost, and I’ve never even met him, so it feels odd to evaluate him. Meyer von Selvius just doesn’t seem cut out for the throne. As the second son of a concubine, he’s edged out in the succession line by Jeron but seems ready to use his political skills to bump Jeron aside.

A lady once evaluated him as the man closest to the throne: “While Jeron is close to being Crown Prince, Meyer is close to the throne.” Seeing it firsthand, it actually felt pretty fitting. The guy seemed like he had a thousand snakes wriggling in his belly.

While I was anxiously pondering the future of the Empire, the minute hand of the clock tower eventually pointed to the agreed time. However, Princess Chloe hadn’t shown up yet. What could be delaying her? She’s not the type to be late for an appointment. With that thought, I waited an additional 30 minutes.

…Seriously, did something happen? It’s inconceivable for Chloe, with her meticulous personality, to be 30 minutes late for an appointment. Unless someone kidnapped her or something. Slowly, I got to my feet. I figured I should probably go look for the Princess.

#

Karim Elpeltain’s plan was simple. First, the final exams ended, and the list of flunkers was announced. Naturally, a ton of nobles found their names on that list. For nobility, being on the flunk list was as terrifying as it gets. If your name was on it, you’d first have to attend a remedial class. After two weeks in the remedial class, you’d take the exam again, and if you passed, you could finally go home.

But what if you flunk again? You’d be stuck in remedial classes for another two weeks. Obviously, you can’t go home. If you refused and tried to leave, it’d automatically lead to expulsion, so students had no choice but to grumble and endure the remedial class. This rule applied equally to nobility, meaning everyone tried their best to avoid flunking.

Of course, the academy knew how strict the flunking system was, so they made the exams as easy as possible. Some professors even handed out the answers before the exams. It was basically an invitation to memorize the answers, but even with that help, some still ended up flunking.

Those students were sent straight to the remedial class. After spending two weeks there, no one wanted to go back; they realized just how miserable a life stuck studying all day could be.

However, this time, the flunk list had nearly a hundred names on it. Enough to surprise even the professors. The Lady Bronwey, who orchestrated this, seemed nonchalant about it. The reasoning was clear: nobles shouldn’t be dimwitted when they have the duty of Noblesse Oblige.

“But such radical reforms always cause discontent. We just need to let that discontent grow a bit.”

“Were you just making a pun on purpose?”

“…Shut up.”

With a slightly flushed face, Karim Elpeltain cursed as he opened the door to the faculty room. Unsurprisingly, his name was also on the flunk list. Karim wasn’t incapable of studying; he had intentionally gotten every question wrong to participate in this scheme. The first thing Karim did after getting this grand plan was to rally people.

“Lady Bronwey manipulated the exam results to deliberately get her political rivals on the flunk list!”

Armed with such instigation, Karim marched a hundred students toward the faculty room. Since it was the start of break, the faculty room’s defenses weren’t particularly tight. Just as Karim burst in, heading for the safe where the flunk list was kept, he was stopped.

“Not so fast.”

“…Princess Chloe. What are you doing here?”

Why on earth is the Princess here? Karim chewed his lips. Could it be the maid failed? Various questions sprang up in his mind, but he maintained a poker face as he stared at the Princess sitting atop the safe.

“Using Catherine was clever. Honestly, that made it a bit tempting.”

“…Damn it, maid. Did you fail after all?”

“But you did manage to take Catherine out of this mess, right? That was your intention.”

“I was hoping you’d take yourself out as well.”

“Well, to be honest, I was a bit tempted too. I can’t decide whether to go on a thrilling date with Catherine or get swept up in a chaotic final exam situation.”

“…Hmm.”

While she spoke playfully, the presence of the Princess here meant that Lady Bronwey was already aware of the situation. But this time was different from the last. This time, they had solid grounds. Last time was merely a petulant tantrum from students who couldn’t study, but now they clearly showed political purpose.

In fact, most of the flunkers were nobles like Karim. The noble faction generally didn’t care much for Noblesse Oblige. For them, Apatem Academy was merely a social venue. Why would they have any need to study in such a place? At least that’s what the noble faction thought.

With this level of numbers and power gathered, it would be tough for the other side to suppress them. Karim had calculated all of this. They would surely have some counterplan in place, but they didn’t currently have the power to shove them around.

“What do you want?”

“The resignation of the incompetent Student Council President.”

“Why do you say Lady Bronwey is incompetent?”

“The suddenly increased number of flunkers under her watch, right? Plus, back during the midterms, the flunkers protested. It’s the same situation now. Doesn’t it mean her testing policies don’t suit us nobles?”

“You’re quite eloquent.”

Chloe sighed and smiled, seemingly amused. To be honest, she knew that statement could carry weight. But since she had already made promises, she couldn’t back down now.

“How about we settle this with a duel?”

“Ha, am I crazy?”

As long as ‘Catherine’ was around, a duel was unthinkable. Karim knew it better than anyone. She was no ordinary weapon; she was a natural disaster. If he could drag her into this, well, no—at least he couldn’t accept any proposal for a duel without at least getting a firm assurance that she wouldn’t participate.

“…But Your Highness, where is Elia Bronwey?”

A wave of anxiety hit him when he realized that while the Princess was here, Elia was missing. It was only then that Karim noticed the oddity, and Chloe smiled sweetly in response to his suspicious gaze.