### Chapter 32: Popularity Contest?
A towering ancient castle with imposing spires and gray-white walls wrapped in vines loomed before me.
The Royal Academy, just ahead, still looked like an enchanting castle straight out of a fairy tale—perfect and splendid—unscathed by the recent disaster.
Today wasn’t a rest day; the gates of the academy were securely closed, and the number of guards stationed at the entrance was noticeably higher. I approached, pulled out my badge and the letter from Grandma Principal from my bag, and handed them over. The guards opened the gate just enough for me to slip in.
Once inside, I pinned the badge to my chest and looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky.
I could faintly see the moon’s hazy outline.
Dinner must have wrapped up by now? Grandma Principal was probably long gone… might as well head straight to the dorm.
I briskly walked along the main path toward the tower by Lake Ceylon, passing quite a few students who seemed to look back at me—both guys and gals. Some even whispered to each other, making the atmosphere feel all kinds of weird.
What are you looking at…?
I felt a bit annoyed but was pretty used to this by now. I could just keep a straight face like Victoria and pretend it didn’t bother me.
But I found myself unconsciously lowering my head and quickening my pace.
As I entered the tower, I didn’t rush upstairs but instead walked to a door on the left side of the staircase and gently knocked twice.
After a moment, I heard the loud, slightly hoarse voice of the administrator… oh, I mean, Grandma, echoing from within.
“The door’s unlocked; come on in.”
I pushed open the door.
A rotund grandma with a face full of wrinkles was sitting at a wooden table in the room. She supported her face with one hand while the other held a large leather water pouch, looking decidedly drowsy.
“Hey, Grandma, I’m back.”
I shyly walked over to greet her.
“Oh, it’s little Pepé… I thought it was someone else.”
Grandma gave me a brief glance, unscrewed the water pouch, and tilted her head to gulp down a big swig. The thick scent of alcohol practically took up residence in the tiny room.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked.
I blinked in surprise before nodding.
“Yeah.”
Looks like… Grandma really knows a lot, huh?
“Good to hear.”
She gave me a slight smile and waved me off.
“If you’re fine, just head back to the dorm. Those little girls have been worrying about you… Especially that one named Sarah—she comes running to me every day asking about you. If you don’t come back soon, I might just give her your address to save myself the trouble.”
“……”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I just offered a bitter smile.
“Go on now. Classes as usual tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I gave Grandma a curtsey and turned to leave. Just as I was opening the door, I heard her say, “Oh, by the way, it seems like more little critters in the academy are paying attention to you lately. Keep an eye out, and don’t stir up any trouble.”
…Huh?
I didn’t quite catch her meaning, but Grandma didn’t seem inclined to clarify anymore, so I headed upstairs with my unanswered questions.
“Hey, hey, look…”
“Is that…?”
“It’s her, right…? Black hair, goddess-like looks… no mistake about it!”
“That must be Miss Peilo; she’s here, she’s here!”
“It’s my first time seeing her; she’s so pretty…”
Whispers like this floated into my ears as I climbed the stairs, and I pretended not to hear them, not wanting to care.
When I got to the door of Dorm 1504, I could already hear the girls chattering like little birds inside.
“What is this…?”
“Ha! Roses… so that’s a blatant love confession, huh?”
“They didn’t even leave their name… Haha, too funny!”
“This little thing is kinda pretty, is it made of crystal?”
“Hey, hey, Sofia, what are you doing! Don’t just take stuff!”
“What’s the harm in looking? It’s all for Peilo anyway!”
What are they doing for me…?
Squeak—
I pushed the door open.
Three pairs of eyes of varying hues turned to me in a synchronized sweep as I stepped into the dorm, as if shining with bright lights.
Their gazes landed on me the moment I opened the door.
“Ah—”
“It’s little Miss Peilo!”
“You’re back!”
With three different welcoming cries, the three girls who had been gathered around the desk jumped up with excited expressions and hurriedly came toward me.
“What’s this…” I pouted, a bit disgruntled. “I’m not little… Wait, whoa!”
Before I could finish my protest, Sarah dashed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. In the next moment, I felt like I was floating with both my feet off the ground.
“Peilo, it’s so good to have you back~”
“Sarah, put me down…”
She held on so tightly that I could hardly breathe, and I waved my small hands to tug at her face.
“Ow, ow, ow—”
I pulled hard enough that her face got all squished and looked downright silly. Sarah winced, hurriedly setting me down.
“Why’d you do that all of a sudden! Seriously…”
I released her cheek and frowned.
“Hehe, it’s been a while; I missed you~”
Ugh, is it really necessary to be that cheesy?
“Peilo, you’re okay now, right?”
Sofia, standing behind her, flipped her hair and eyed me with a curious look, scanning me from head to toe.
“Fat lady… I mean, Grandma Administrator said you were sick; are you feeling better now?”
Sick?
Well, I guess I was sick…
“Yeah.” I nodded gently. “Much better.”
I thought Grandma Principal would announce my identity as a Pope Knight, but was she avoiding unnecessary trouble for me?
That worked for me…
Daisy, on the other side, smiled shyly at me. Though she said nothing, I could see she was quite happy, so I smiled back at her, wanting to say something, only to be suddenly grabbed by Sarah.
“Peilo, check this out.”
She pulled me over to the desk with no chance to resist and pointed at the messy pile of items stacked on it.
“Look, these are all for you.”
?
What’s all this for me…
I wriggled my hand free and focused on the stuff: a blazing red bouquet, delicate little crafts, a pretty hairpin, a bunch of random badges… I even spotted a pack of pastries I’d never tried before.
“What on earth is all this?”
“Um…” Sofia tapped her chin, winking at me. “Consider it a care package?”
Why does that sound like a question…?
“It’s all from the guy students.” Sarah teased.
“From me?”
Hearing that, I felt even more confused.
“Why?”
“They couldn’t see you and got anxious.” Sarah shrugged.
I frowned at her words.
“Peilo, you’re too popular with those guys.”
Sofia picked up a silver necklace from the table, playing with it in her hands while quietly explaining to me.
“A few days ago, Sarah and I went to ask Grandma Administrator about you, and somehow some nosy guy overheard us… After that, word got around that you were sick.”
She turned and walked to the vanity mirror, draping the necklace around her neck for a little model session.
“Every day we hear people talking about you, asking us about you. At first, they thought you were just sick, but then rumors spread that you were actually hurt in that disaster. Next thing we know, it’s like every day there are at least a dozen people dropping by the 1504 dorm, sending flowers and asking about your status. We’re about ready to lose our minds… Haha, I wonder who the sweet soul who sent you the necklace is…”
Sofia chuckled a bit, probably because she thought the necklace wasn’t very nice, tossed it back onto the table, then turned to look at me.
“Peilo, you aren’t really hurt, right?”
Beside her, Sarah was also staring at me, her baby-face looking dead serious.
