Chapter 89: A Warm Glance Back
“Phew, S-Sara…”
Daisy puffed behind them, having just jogged from the training grounds. Her stamina was never top-tier; in the academy, she was always bottom of the barrel during physical education.
This was probably linked to those eternal weights she just couldn’t shake off. Being practically dragged by Sara, her cheeks were flushed, looking pitiful as a little girl in winter with fine sweat sticking her bangs to her forehead. It almost gave her an oddly adorable vibe that made one want to protect her.
“Y-You’re going too fast! Huh, you’re hurting me…”
At this point, they reached the tower where the principal’s office was located. Daisy was still clueless about why they were here, her mind in a spin, while Sara didn’t have the time to explain. It was like they were in a race against a rampaging war chariot.
They passed through clusters of students, finally stopping on a less crowded sidewalk across the tower. Daisy leaned on her knees to catch her breath. Once her breathing calmed down a bit, she looked up and asked Sara, “What are we doing here? Why chase a war chariot…?”
Without turning her head, her good roommate quietly replied, “The Empire’s National Princess.”
“…Huh?”
Daisy blinked in surprise.
The elegant, gilded palace war chariot was parked about twenty to thirty meters away from them, guarded by a dozen palace guards.
Sara pointed at the carriage, hesitating for a moment before lowering her voice. “The one sitting in that chariot could be the National Princess of the Empire.”
“……”
Two seconds later, it clicked for Daisy. Her eyes widened, “National! Princess!”
“Which means—”
“Shh!”
Sara jumped at her excitement, quickly turning around with a tense expression. Though she herself didn’t know why she was nervous, she just raised her finger to Daisy to indicate silence: “Shh, don’t shout that! Don’t say anything here…”
She paused, looking at Daisy, whose expression was a mix of surprise and confusion, and added, “I actually… I’m not really sure… I didn’t think too much about it, I just rushed to keep up… We’ll just take a quick peek, just a quick peek…”
The last part sounded more like she was talking to herself, and while she was speaking, she had already shifted her gaze back to the war chariot.
Daisy, completely clueless, followed her eyes. After a while, she probably started to figure things out and slowly covered her mouth in shock.
“Sara, how do you know this…?”
“Just a guess.”
Sara answered in a flash, but then thought for a moment, leaning in close to Daisy’s ear. “Those guards? They’re under Peter’s dad. He told me earlier on the training ground that the guards picked up a princess yesterday outside the city…”
She promptly relayed what Peter had mentioned — that morning, the guards were given orders to pick up the National Princess.
“That guy, Peter, only happened to overhear his dad talking to the head guard. I was half-believing it, but he said he saw the head guard just a while ago… you know, the one leading the war chariot squad.”
Sara spoke seriously, making Daisy stare in disbelief.
“Is… is that it?” The girl’s expression was somewhat dazed.
She couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. Even if the National Princess was really in the Royal City, what did that have to do with today’s war chariot arriving at the academy? Why did Sara insist she was inside it? Why drag her along just to see…?
“Oh no!”
Seeing Daisy’s dumbfounded questioning expression, Sara felt a flicker of anger. She realized that, based purely on Peter’s random comment, her own anxiousness did seem a bit neurotic…
But she just had to see her, or she wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight.
Of course, if she peeked in and discovered it wasn’t her, she probably wouldn’t sleep at all!
With a conflicted feeling, Sara stomped her foot and decided against explaining to Daisy any further — she suddenly felt like, tonight, no matter what, sleep wouldn’t come at all.
The two girls fell silent, standing at the sidewalk opposite the tower, braving the cold wind alongside other curious students or passersby, dumbly staring in the direction of the parked war chariot.
At that moment, there was probably no one inside the carriage.
Since the curtain wasn’t completely drawn, both Sara and Daisy could get a glimpse inside.
“Here to see Principal Melville?” Sara mumbled to herself.
“We’ll just wait right here…”
“Hey?”
Suddenly, someone they knew walked over to greet them. “Sara, Daisy? Aren’t you supposed to be home by now? Didn’t the third-year students finish classes? Why are you wandering around the academy at this time?”
The newcomers were two female students from their level, who had just moved into the dormitory next door. They seemed to come from well-off families, their noble air quite evident, but they spoke pleasantly.
“Yeah, we’re not in a rush.”
Sara glanced at them and casually replied, then followed up with a quick inquiry, “Did you see anyone in that war chariot earlier?”
“Not at all, I just came from that direction.”
One of the girls answered, glancing at her friend, “Did you see anything?”
“I did.”
Sara’s head, which was almost about to turn back, suddenly snapped back around.
“I happened to be here just now. I think it was a girl…”
“…Maybe?” Sara felt puzzled.
“I was too far, there were too many people, and with those guards around… But she was in palace attire, wearing a large fancy hat that covered her head and face. So, didn’t really get a clear look.”
The girl continued, pausing for effect. “But, it has to be from the palace… I saw a flower on that hat, it’s a design unique to the Elizabeth royal family, you know? Plus with the war chariot and guards, who else could it be?”
“…Oh.”
Sara felt her heart sink a little.
She immediately wanted to ask whether they were sure it was a girl, how old she looked, if she was petite, whether her chest was… but the words stuck in her throat. She wasn’t that close with the girl, so suddenly asking would seem odd and rude. Sara was sometimes super shy.
“What would someone from the royal family be doing here?” Daisy wondered aloud.
“Who knows?”
The girl looked at her, unconcerned. “Probably something to do with the church; after all, they still haven’t confirmed whether theology classes will be canceled next year… The palace has been sending people over quite frequently lately, likely because of that. You guys should know, there’s no need to make a big fuss.”
“Yeah, you’re right…” Daisy replied with a smile.
“Come on, let’s not linger here. Want to go grab lunch together?”
The pair casually invited Daisy and Sara for lunch, but of course, it was just pleasantries. Daisy and Sara politely declined. The two girls reminded them to be careful, mentioning the Royal City wasn’t safe lately, and that if they weren’t going home, it was best not to wander around too freely. Sara nodded absentmindedly in response.
Once those girls left, she and Daisy continued to wait.
They both felt that, no matter what, they had to see someone come out to confirm everything for themselves…
With that thought, they ended up waiting quite a while, until most of the onlookers had left. The sun broke through the clouds, pouring down from above. It was nearly noon.
“Oh no! I need to pee, I can’t hold it any longer!”
“M-Me too!”
Sara darted away from the sidewalk and headed toward a bench not far into the garden, while Daisy silently accompanied her. Both of them could no longer stand waiting and decided to head to the nearest restroom — which was inside the tower. The guards at the door weren’t exactly stopping anyone from entering.
This was the Royal Academy; no one had the authority to deny anyone entry unless there was a special situation.
So off they went.
The tower wasn’t winding but the first and second floors were quite spacious. The restroom was tucked away in a discreet corner. Although Sara and Daisy had been at the academy for almost three years, this was their first time in the tower where the principal’s office was located. It took them quite a while to find it.
However, just when they were “doing their business,” they heard a commotion outside.
Then, the sound of the war chariot’s wheels rolling away.
“They’re leaving!”
“Hurry, hurry—”
As the two rushed out again, they found the area outside the tower already devoid of the war chariot and guards.
“Where are they?” Sara stared blankly for a moment, muttering.
“They’re gone.”
Daisy’s voice was just as dull.
After a moment of trivial conversation, they stood there, watching the occasional student passing by, enveloped in silence.
Sara didn’t know what to say; maybe this was just the way of fate.
A sense of loneliness washed over her.
Deep down, they both understood that whoever was in that war chariot wasn’t the little girl they had been imagining.
Nothing that wonderful could be true.
“…Let’s go back.”
After a moment, that was all she could muster to say.
After rubbing her face vigorously, Sara looked at Daisy, then smiled, showing off her shallow dimples, “What do you want to eat for lunch?”
“I don’t know.” Daisy shook her head. “I don’t feel hungry…”
“Hmm…”
“Let’s just figure it out when we get back.”
Sara gently took Daisy’s hand, pulling her in the direction of the tower by the Cilany Lake.
“I was hoping that if it really was her, maybe your father’s issues could be resolved easily…”
“Hmm…”
“Don’t lose heart; there’s always a way out when the car is at the mountain’s base. Let’s brainstorm some more solutions.”
“Sure…”
By the time they returned to the front of their dormitory, Sara still held on to the last shred of hope, thinking if it really was her, there would be no reason not to swing by for a glance. If there wasn’t anything urgent, the war chariot might even linger here for a bit.
But it didn’t.
The front of the dormitory was deserted, as calm as always.
Sara exhaled deeply, her shoulders slumping.
Today really was…
A total mess.
“Sara.”
Daisy noticed her roommate’s disappointment and couldn’t help but offer a bit of comfort, “Tonight… let’s go see a play? The Fisherin Theatre in the south of the city is showing a revival of ‘The Brave Knight.’ You’ve been saying you wanted to see it…”
Sara chuckled softly but didn’t reply.
They entered the tower, spiraling up the staircase in silence until they reached the door marked “604.”
The dorm door was ajar, but Sara vividly remembered shutting it before she left that morning. For a moment, the first thought that popped into her head was that Sophia might have returned.
Because the only ones who could open the door to “604,” besides the dormitory manager by Cilany Lake, were her, Daisy, and Sophia. No one else could. — Sara didn’t even have the time to think deeply about this. Without more thoughts, Sophia’s smug face burst into her mind, and she quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Sophia…”
But as soon as she took a step in, she froze on the spot.
The dormitory was bright and clean, sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains.
And there stood a little girl, basking in the warmth spilling through the window, looking back at her.
