“Exactly what kind of situation is this?”
I racked my brain to figure out what was going on.
It seemed like Leo Palace might’ve played some prank on Lux…
But even if they are part of the Golden Way Zodiacs, is it really okay to prank an Imperial Princess?
Especially since her expression suggested it was a pretty serious joke.
First things first, I needed to ease this awkward atmosphere. With that thought, I waved my hand and asked:
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Ahh… I’m okay.”
Lux responded with a startled tremble, which wasn’t like her usual self. This made me break out in cold sweat.
What kind of prank did you pull, Leo Palace?!
“Uh… Is the professor alright?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes, I’m fine. No problem.”
I smiled gently as I replied. Upon hearing this, Lux let out a small sigh of relief.
From her reaction, I could tell that Leo Palace hadn’t revealed the ‘truth’ to her. Maybe they didn’t know themselves.
Whatever the case, it was fortunate that she remained unaware about the curse being transferred to me.
“First off… let’s do the thank you part. Thank you for waking me up.”
As Lux bowed politely, I felt a bittersweet sensation.
If only we could have completely removed the curse… but alas, it had deeply fused with her soul.
To fully extract it would require tampering with her very soul itself.
There was nothing to be done but to weaken it by removing a portion.
“It’s nothing. I just did what I could. Don’t worry about it.”
“But still, you’re my savior.”
“Hmm, can’t deny that one. Though…”
Perhaps it’d be better coming from above.
I slowly approached Lux and placed my hand on her head.
“You’ve worked hard, haven’t you?”
For a brief moment, it was undoubtedly hellish agony.
Even someone accustomed to pain like myself had to suppress a groan at its intensity.
Just like how I struggled to survive on the battlefield, Lux has been fighting her own private war.
“I wanted to say no… but honestly, I really wanted to die.”
Lux murmured with a trembling voice as she lowered her head.
The warmth of sunlight felt like hellfire, the breeze sharp as knives.
Even shedding tears from the pain only brought more suffering.
Breathing itself became unbearable, with no knowing when the dreadful pain would strike next.
Before I knew it, tears were streaming down Lux’s face.
Without thinking, I pulled her into an embrace.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to remove it completely… but my abilities aren’t good enough.”
“No… no, really, thank you so much…”
I could feel Lux shaking in my arms.
Holding her close, I realized just how small and fragile she was.
Such a tiny frame endured all that torment…
Whoever cursed her must be absolute trash.
After crying in my arms for quite some time, Lux pulled away and sniffled.
“… I’ve shown such an undignified side.”
“Undignified? People cry sometimes. Anyway, according to Erias-sensei, your curse has been greatly weakened. It’s like going from right before adulthood back to being a newborn?”
It’ll take even longer than before for it to return to its original size.
Which means there won’t be any issues with graduating from Minerva.
“Graduation…?”
“Yes. Even if the midterm exams were disastrous, you still need to graduate. Getting held back would be annoying, wouldn’t it?”
Generally speaking, it’s best not to postpone graduation.
Ah, as an Imperial Princess, you don’t necessarily have to graduate, right?
Still, since you’ve made it this far, there’s no harm in graduating.
While organizing my thoughts and nodding, I heard Lux muttering something.
“… If I could stay with Professor Allen, getting held back wouldn’t be so bad…”
“Huh? What was that?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’ll graduate.”
For some reason, her tone sounded unusually stiff.
Probably due to her poor condition, right?
I smiled and patted her shoulder.
“Yeah. Next time we meet will be at Minerva. If it gets too unbearable, let me know. Solving it myself would be better than taking medication.”
Since I’ve done it once already, it should go smoother next time.
Though accepting her curse will increase my burden accordingly.
Not that my body, which is barely human-level tough, would have issues with that.
“Yes. Thank you for caring.”
“Well naturally. I am a professor after all. Shouldn’t I manage my students properly?”
“… Am I really just a student?”
“Hmm? Why?”
“It’s nothing…”
For some reason, Lux’s expression darkened.
If it was due to pain, she would have said something, so it’s probably not the curse…
Just fatigue, maybe?
Seems like I should leave her alone now.
“Then see you at Minerva.”
“Yes. Please go carefully.”
Watching her weakly waving hand, I left the room.
Hmm, I’m more exhausted than expected.
Glad I decided to leave when I did.
Nodding to myself while leaving the White Rose Palace, I suddenly furrowed my brow.
The residual effects of the curse had caught up to me.
“… Tch, guess I need to head to the magic tower first.”
I originally planned to go straight to Minerva…
But seeing my involuntarily trembling hand, I figured I needed to deal with this first.
This curse is truly insidious.
Curious about the creator’s intentions…
***
“Should I have stopped her…”
Staring at the firmly closed door, Lux sighed softly.
If only she had gathered the courage in that final moment…
Briefly imagining a future with Allen, she quickly shook her head.
Excluding her status as an Imperial Princess, she had nothing remarkable to offer.
Not to mention carrying the penalty of a curse.
With formidable competitors present, she needed to become a more perfect person to stand by Allen’s side.
Having reached that conclusion, Lux lightly summoned her mana.
A pure white light bloomed from her fingertips like a flower.
“There’s no discomfort. At this level…”
Previously, due to the curse, she couldn’t freely manipulate her mana.
Attempting to move more than a certain amount would trigger excruciating pain.
However, now that the curse had been weakened thanks to Allen, Lux could utilize her full potential again.
Her mana reserves were vast enough to earn recognition from Infantry Palace.
At this point, she might even be able to reclaim her position as top student.
“… Let’s take one step forward.”
When she first entered Minerva, she had no grand ambitions.
Both the first and second princes had already graduated, so she enrolled out of habit.
She didn’t intend to build any friendships.
Seeing professors fumbling around her presence merely annoyed her.
However, after becoming friends with Amy and Ariana through Senna,
she began to enjoy school life little by little.
Her perception of it as wasted time changed.
And that enjoyment reached its peak when she met Allen.
It wasn’t just fascination with Allen himself – his lectures were extraordinary as well.
Now that the obstacle of the curse had been temporarily resolved…
She could look ahead and walk forward with Allen.
“…”
Recalling Allen’s smile, Lux felt her cheeks heat up.
An entirely new sensation.
One she couldn’t identify until now – an unknown emotion.
But now she understood.
“I… like Allen.”
She finally realized what affection meant.
“… Can I hide it?”
Based on her observations, Amy, Ariana, and even Senna all harbored feelings for Allen.
Duchess’s daughter and Holy Maiden alike.
Backgrounds that rivaled even an Imperial Princess.
Some aspects were so appealing that even she, as a woman, found them admirable.
So what did she need to improve?
“Real strength.”
Recalling a phrase from a romance novel she read out of curiosity, Lux clenched her fist lightly.
Never did she imagine she’d end up competing with those three.
But she had no intention of losing.
After all, she was still the empire’s one and only Imperial Princess.
The only regretful thing…
The memories that surfaced immediately after using [Life Magic: Time Stopping Vessel].
They must have been incredibly precious memories.
Yet now, after awakening, she couldn’t recall any of them.
Only a faint sense of longing remained.
“Let’s start with studying first.”
Lux decided to visit the library within the Imperial Palace after a long time.
Rather than dwelling on the past, she should look ahead.
Whether it’s aiming for top student at Minerva or standing beside Allen.
No matter what, she intended to give her all.
“… Hehe”
Dreaming about the future was surprisingly sweet.
Though currently a student, things would be different later.
Unable to suppress the smile that kept appearing on her face.
Her beautiful crimson eyes began to shine anew.
