Nothing Ever Goes Right
"Nothing ever goes right."
A graceful woman in an elegant dress, with long red hair and eyes just as crimson, knelt down.
At a glance, it looked like a respectful greeting fit for royalty, but at the same time, the posture was exaggerated to an almost unsettling degree.
A woman with shining blonde hair and clear blue eyes looked down at her.
Out of the two imperial children who had entered the academy, she was the daughter of the first empress.
Tiara Altarion sighed at the sight before her.
"...Drop the act," Tiara said.
"Why are you suddenly doing things you never do? Besides, you already know I've renounced my claim to the throne."
"Oh my, to think this lady forgot such an important detail!" Isabella exclaimed.
"Indeed, this lady was far too inconsiderate. Then let me greet you properly once more. A pleasure to meet you, 'former' crown princess."
"If the person standing before you weren't me, your head would have rolled several times by now."
"Indeed. And it is precisely because I know it is you that this lady can afford to be so insolent, is it not?"
Even if Tiara Altarion had renounced her succession, it did not change the fact that she was the Emperor's daughter, and by extension, a member of the imperial family.
Despite this, Isabella's attitude was incredibly rude and flippant. Yet, Tiara could not bring herself to take active measures against it.
This, too, was ultimately her own karma. No matter what arguments or words she spat back, it would only amount to spitting in her own face.
"...Enough small talk. Let's get straight to the point," Tiara said.
"We should. You have taken up this lady's precious time, after all. I do hope it is worth it," Isabella replied.
"On this very day, the opening of the academy, I was prevented from seeing the one person I absolutely had to meet. And furthermore..."
Isabella reached for the tea sitting on the table before her, which was heavily mixed with sugar.
She whispered softly before taking a sip.
"...Since you mentioned it was a matter serious enough to involve the name of Rofel Teufel."
Rofel Teufel.
The son of a count from the remote countryside, possessing no particularly outstanding merits.
Why were Tiara Altarion, a member of the imperial family, and Isabella Kshatri, the daughter of the Magic Tower Lord, paying so much attention to him?
"Let me ask you one thing first," Tiara said. "How is the surveillance on the Magic Tower Lord going, the one we discussed last time?"
"It can hardly be called surveillance," Isabella replied.
"I have watched him closely, but as expected, there is nothing unusual for the time being. It is clear he is hiding something, but no evidence has surfaced to prove it."
"However, the sense of unease cannot be hidden. The link connecting those two major incidents is strangely empty..."
"On the contrary, it felt as if he was conscious of me and watching me back. Well, this lady is handling that part well enough on her own, so you need not worry. Then, on the other hand, what about the court advisor's side?"
"As expected, there are plenty of corrupt bastards," Tiara said.
"Well, most of it was just tax evasion and bribery, but Duke Axel Saan and the secret organization revolving around him operate on a completely different level of corruption."
"Oh? And what does that mean?"
"Just as we suspected, that nameless organization has colluded with the Magic Tower Lord in the past. I don't know if they are still in contact, but it's certain they are covering for each other."
"I see. Then catching them is only a matter of time?"
"Yes, but a problem has arisen. It's a matter serious enough that I had to meet you in person to discuss it."
"...Could that serious matter be..."
"Yes, exactly what you're thinking."
Tiara dropped a single sugar cube into her teacup and took a sip.
"Lately, their eyes have been turning toward Rofel."
It was bound to happen, the two women thought simultaneously.
"Haah... haah... *Achoo!*"
"Ah... My apologies, my beloved," Seraphina said.
"Perhaps making love so passionately outdoors... was a bit too reckless. Did you catch a cold from being naked outside for so long?"
"If so, I would be more than happy to take full responsibility and nurse you back to health all day at *my* estate. Ah, and as for your lover... Lilit, I shall inform her on your behalf."
"...I'll pass," I replied.
"Fufu. Is that so? My, what a disappointing answer."
I was currently riding in the Serion family carriage.
Seraphina, unable to contain her surging lust upon seeing me, had carried me off straight to her carriage.
And inside that carriage, I was stripped naked once again and forced to couple with her.
To be more precise... my body was unilaterally taken and violated.
In other words, I was raped.
Fortunately, Seraphina regained her senses at the end, so I wasn't repeatedly violated to the point of exhaustion all night like last time.
I hastily threw on my disheveled, sweat-soaked clothes as best as I could, and was now heading toward the dormitory in her carriage.
It was already a headache trying to reject her initial, persistent attempts to drag me to her estate.
Furthermore, the act we committed inside the carriage had been so intense that the wooden frame creaked loudly the entire way.
As we traveled, she kept her arm draped over my shoulder, kneading my knees and chest, until the carriage finally reached its destination.
"...This is close enough. You can let me off now," I said.
"And let me tell you in advance, don't even think about coming to find me like this tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am spending the entire day with Lilit. ...You remember the terms of our contract, right?"
"I know them all too well, my beloved," Seraphina replied.
"I will not interfere with you and your lover. You may go on dates, and you may dine together. Even if you share a bed, I will not meddle in the slightest. Yes, indeed... so long as you are *with* your lover, that is..."
Just as I was about to step out of the carriage, she suddenly snatched me back and kissed me.
Not forgetting to entwine our tongues a few times, she finally licked her lips in satisfaction and let me go.
"Until next time, my beloved."
"..."
I responded with silence and hurried toward the dormitory.
The main issue was that my clothes were in an absolute state.
Because I had struggled against her forced advances, my clothes were torn and stretched in various places, leaving far too much skin exposed.
In particular, the collar had been stretched so wide that my chest was completely bare.
To make matters worse, red lipstick marks from Seraphina were smeared all over my body, making me look incredibly indecent.
It was a blessing I could at least ride in the Serion carriage; if I had walked around outside looking like this, I would have been reported for public indecency and dragged away by the guards.
I need to get to my room, wash up, and change immediately, I thought, quickly opening the door.
Hm?
As soon as I stepped into the dormitory room, something caught my eye.
A letter with wings was floating right in front of the door.
Judging by the engraved crest and color, it was unmistakably Isabella's.
Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to find her no matter how much I searched the academy today.
Seeing that she had sent a letter like this, something must have happened.
Still, this was the first time a letter had arrived with wings.
She usually used carrier pigeons; I hadn't expected her to go out of her way to use magic.
I reached out, snatched the floating letter from the air, sat on the bed, and opened it—only to fall backward in shock.
Because Isabella's image suddenly popped out of the letter.
"Greetings, my dear! This lady missed you so terribly that I simply had to send another letter."
"I-Isabella...? Is that... you?"
"I have read your reply. Really, it was so satisfying that I hardly knew what to do with myself..."
"Good to see you too! Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you..."
"And so, unable to wait any longer, I have sent another letter like this!"
Uh... why does it feel like we aren't actually communicating?
Wait... looking closely, is this...?
"Ah, by the way, this is this lady's specialty: illusion magic. Surely you aren't mistaken and trying to talk to me, are you?"
Ah. Looking closely, I could see the distortion characteristic of illusion magic.
I thought I was finally meeting Isabella, but my expectations were instantly shattered.
Well, it was still nice to see her face again, even if it was just like this.
"Anyway, as expected, I cannot fit much content into this video letter yet..."
"There are still many areas that need improvement. With that in mind, I shall get straight to the point."
"First, wishing to see you as soon as possible, this lady has created a spell that captures your image and stores it in the letter."
"Your appearance will be recorded along with a 'click' sound shortly and sent back to me, so please strike a pose."
Huh? Wh-what?
So she means it takes a photo?
I couldn't help but be shocked.
Of course, magic-powered cameras existed in this world, but the technology to transmit those images instantly over long distances did not.
How does that even work?
No, more importantly, in my current state?!
With my clothes completely disheveled, my skin exposed, and lipstick and kiss marks all over me?
No way!
"Ah, are you perhaps in your usual untidy state in your room and need a moment to prepare?"
"If so, do not worry. Did you really think a genius like this lady wouldn't anticipate that?"
"Anticipating this, I have prepared a sixty-second grace period, so hurry and get ready."
"60, 59, 58..."
Phew, what a relief.
Sixty seconds was short, but if I hurried, I could at least change my clothes.
If I put on something loose and covering, I could hide both my bare skin and the lipstick marks.
Alright, let's grab some clothes quickly—
"47, 31, 15..."
Huh? What?
Why is the countdown suddenly speeding up?!
W-wait, I won't make it in time at this rate!
Right! What if I just block the camera?
But contrary to my hopes, no matter where I moved, Isabella's letter floated right in front of my face, tracking me.
N-no, this is bad...
If this keeps up, the photo will be taken... Ah!
As I scrambled around, my foot caught on a pile of clothes on the floor, and I tripped.
Fortunately, I landed on the bed, so I wasn't hurt, but the problem was that the countdown had less than a second left.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation."
"This letter containing your image will be transmitted to this lady immediately, so there is no need to reply separately."
"Well then, I shall eagerly look forward to the day we meet again."
The illusion of Isabella vanished from the air, and the opened letter folded itself shut.
Just as she said, the photo would be delivered to her right now.
...
I think I'm in deep trouble.