Chapter 327: A Changed Life(3)
Chapter 327: A Changed Life(3)
After my conversation with the president, we followed Lina toward the dormitory where we would be staying.
Even on the way there, no guard knights accompanied us besides Adelia and Kate. Instead, I frequently spotted personnel circling the perimeter, keeping a watchful eye.
I felt relieved that they weren't clearing a path for us like they had at the main gate, but a sudden question crossed my mind.
"Lina."
"Yes?"
When I called her name, Lina, who had been walking ahead, turned back with a curious expression. I stared at her face in silence for a moment.
I thought it every time I saw her, but Lina’s beauty was truly spectacular, much like Mari’s.
Her eyes were a calm blue, like a still lake. Her golden hair shimmered under the sunlight.
Her features possessed a blend of innocence and maturity, complemented by a straight bridge of her nose and, finally, her pink lips.
Perhaps it was due to her inherent elegance, but her charm seemed to shine even brighter today.
Is Lina really going to come to me too?
The thought flickered through my mind for a second, but it wasn't important right now. I quickly shook it off and spoke.
"This might sound like a stupid question, but don't you have any guard knights?"
"Guard knights?"
"Yeah. Even if not guards, shouldn't you at least have some attendants?"
It was something I had been wondering about for a while. Previously, she had been traveling with us, so she might not have brought guards or attendants then.
However, in a situation like this, she should at least have guards. Currently, there was no one by our side except Adelia and Kate.
As I mentioned, there were only knights circling the perimeter. While this was likely the best consideration Lina could offer knowing my personality, the question remained.
Lina blinked slowly at my question before offering an answer.
"I'm attending the Academy right now. Attendants only accompany me when I'm at the Imperial Palace; they don't follow me to school. There's a policy that we must handle our studies—which aren't official duties—on our own."
"A policy?"
"Yes. It's a creed of our Imperial family to handle things ourselves without help once we become adults. That's why I don't have attendants, though guard knights are a different story. Of course, things would be different if I returned to the Imperial Palace."
It was the first time I’d heard of it, but it made sense. Lina was definitely the type to handle things herself rather than delegating them to others.
I could tell as much from the fact that she had come to apologize in person when I announced the hiatus, rather than sending someone else.
"Isn't it inconvenient?"
"It gets a bit lonely without anyone to talk to, but I suppose that's over now. You and Mari will be in the dormitory. Oh, by the way, are you going to live in the same room as Mari?"
"She said she wants to wait until after the wedding to move in together."
"Ah... I see."
For some reason, Lina seemed disappointed. I raised an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Why do you look so disappointed? Don't tell me..."
"N-No! I'm not a pervert, you know? Do you think my mind is only filled with that kind of stuff?"
I haven't even said anything yet, woman. I looked at Lina, who was vehemently denying it, with an incredulous expression.
I had trailed off just in case, but she went ahead and self-destructed on her own.
"Ahem. Anyway, is there anything else you're curious about regarding the dormitory?"
Feeling embarrassed under my salty gaze, Lina quickly changed the subject.
I wanted to dig deeper, but since there were people listening nearby, I let it slide. Besides, I did have something I wanted to ask.
"Even if Adelia stays in the same room as me, I was wondering where Cardinal Kate will be staying."
"I will also stay in Sir Isaac's room—"
"No, you won't."
I flatly rejected Kate’s subtle request to move in. The situation was already like leaving a fish with a cat. Moving in together would be the equivalent of putting the fish directly into the cat's mouth.
When I refused her point-blank, Kate pouted. Her expression remained otherwise stoic, which made it look quite cute.
"Cardinal Kate, wouldn't it be better for you to stay at the Temple rather than the dormitory? I think that would be best," Lina suggested.
"I could do that, but not yet. We don't know when those filthy Demon Worshippers might threaten Sir Isaac. I must stay as close as possible."
Kate’s point was perfectly valid. Lina nodded, seemingly convinced.
"I understand. Then I should assign her to the room right next door..."
Lina trailed off mid-sentence. She looked deep in thought for a moment before she started glancing at us tentatively.
Just as I was starting to worry that there might not be any vacant rooms left, Lina spoke in a cautious voice.
"...On second thought, the layout isn't quite right. Cardinal Kate will be assigned to a room one door down from Isaac. Isaac needs to be in a room close to Mari."
"Which room is Mari in?"
"Room 4. And Prince Leort and I are in Room 1 and Room 2, respectively. Room 3 was originally used by Princess Hiriya, but she moved out."
"Ah. Did she go back?"
"Not permanently. She just said she was going away to recuperate because she wasn't in the best condition."
Well, she was practically a shell of her former self, so recovery was essential. Especially since she was a warrior whose body was her greatest asset, she would need intensive care.
If I moved into Room 3, Kate would naturally be placed one room away.
After listening to Lina, Kate seemed to ponder something before addressing her.
"Princess Lina."
"Yes?"
"I sense a certain sordidness in your words. Is it just my imagination?"
"..."
Kate asked with an innocent face, as if she had sensed something strange in Lina's logic. Lina couldn't answer immediately.
Honestly, it was a bit funny hearing Kate ask such a question. Having had her sexual awakening, Kate was harboring a "sly snake" of her own in a different sense.
I listened quietly to their conversation before tossing a question at Lina.
"Lina."
"Y-Yes?"
"I can bring someone else into the dormitory, right? Adelia is my exclusive maid, so she'll be staying with me."
"S-Sir Cross?"
As if she had momentarily forgotten, Lina’s head snapped toward Adelia. When their eyes met, Adelia gave a polite bow.
Lina stared at Adelia blankly for a moment before shouting as if she had just realized something.
"Ah! That's right, Sir Cross was here!"
For some reason, Lina beamed with joy at the news that I would be living with Adelia. But a moment later, she froze stiff.
She must have known I was already suspicious, and this reaction was practically confirming those suspicions.
The fact that she stopped walking altogether made it certain. When she stopped, we stopped as well.
Slowly—
Lina turned only her head to gauge my reaction. The elegant aura she usually exuded had vanished without a trace.
Only a child caught red-handed while stealing remained. I chuckled at the sight and placed a hand on her shoulder.
I could feel her flinch violently the moment my hand touched her.
"It's okay. It happens. I can understand. Everyone has different tastes."
"..."
"Is this the 'sordidness' Kate was talking about?"
Lina couldn't say a word. She probably wanted to crawl into a hole and hide if one were available.
I patted her shoulder a few times as if to say it was fine. To think the elegant Princess had such a hobby—it was a moment that reminded me Lina was human too.
"How long are you going to stand there?"
"...Please don't tell anyone else. I'm begging you."
Lina whispered, her face turning beet red in an instant. I found it quite cute how she couldn't even meet my eyes.
Fortunately, we were the only ones who had discovered her preference. Thanks to the guards, there was no one else around us.
Though I feel like quite a few people already know...
I didn't say it out loud. One must respect another's tastes.
"Princess Lina, there is no need to be so ashamed. As Lord Luminous said, it is only natural to feel sexual desire for a man like Sir Isaac. I was the same way."
"..."
"So, there is no need to suffer in silence."
Of course, Kate, being socially oblivious, had no filter. She was likely trying to comfort Lina by sharing her own experience.
Kate's words were the final nail in the coffin for the already crumbling Lina.
I immediately checked Lina's reaction. Since she was facing away, I couldn't see her expression.
However, her ears, peeking through her hair, had turned a vivid, bright red.
There goes another dark history entry.
In my mind, Lina's image of pure elegance began to fade slightly.
*
The dormitory we arrived at, guided by a now-traumatized Lina, didn't look much different from a normal dormitory at first glance.
However, that was only on the outside. Armed knights guarded the entrance, and patrols circled the area at regular intervals.
The patrols didn't just consist of knights; there were mages and well-trained military dogs as well. As expected of a place for VIPs, it boasted ironclad security.
The interior was no different. Surveillance magic was installed in the hallways, and even simple doors were equipped with security devices.
It was similar to the door locks I often saw in my previous life. While regular dormitories used keys, the VIP ones required a crystal ball.
The crystal ball acted as a sort of keycard, and I was warned not to lose it, as getting a replacement was an incredibly tedious process.
"...If you have any questions, feel free to ask anytime."
Lina, who still couldn't even meet my eyes, said those words and hurried away. Understanding her plight, I simply gave a short wave and entered the dormitory.
Before she left, she shot me a strange look, but I made an effort to ignore it. For now, the best thing I could do was give her space to compose herself.
In the meantime, I decided to check out the interior. My luggage was supposed to arrive soon, so I planned to look around until then.
"This isn't a dormitory; it's practically a villa."
"I'll say."
Just as Adelia remarked in awe, the sight before us was on a completely different level from our previous dormitory.
Marble floors were a given, and a small chandelier hung from the ceiling.
A short distance from the entrance stood a massive bed, large enough for at least three people to sleep in.
Finally, unlike the studio-style student dorms, there were many rooms. I looked around the living room and picked one of the many rooms to enter.
"There's even a training room?"
"Really?"
Surprisingly, there was a private training room equipped with various exercise machines. Unless I needed to do cardio, I wouldn't even need to go to the public training grounds.
Just looking at the equipment available, I could probably handle 90% of my workout here. While Adelia inspected the machines one by one, I looked around the other rooms.
Adelia can stay here.
There was even a room prepared for an attendant. It wasn't small by any means—it was about the size of our entire previous dormitory.
There were also rooms for office work, a laundry room, and so on. Even for a VIP dormitory, it felt like a bit much.
It really is a villa.
It wasn't just like a villa; it was a villa. It even had a kitchen, so we could handle all our meals here if we had the ingredients.
The lack of windows, which meant no view of the outside, was a drawback, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make for the sake of absolute security.
To be honest, I hadn't really felt like my treatment had changed much even after revealing my identity, but arriving at this dormitory made it hit home.
Vrrr—
"Huh?"
As I was looking around the rooms, a strange noise caught my ear. I looked toward the source, which was near the entrance.
Soon, particles of light began to gather in the empty space next to the front door. I watched the scene with wide eyes.
The particles, which had been slowly merging into one, soon took a definite shape and, surprisingly, began to materialize.
"...Is that teleportation?"
The scene unfolding before my eyes was, as anyone could tell, teleportation. The highest level of magic that effortlessly ignored the constraints of space.
Since Cecile and Gartz used it all the time, the novelty had worn off a bit, but this was a teleportation device installed in a private dormitory.
Of course, given the space, it could probably only handle small items. But even that was an incredible feat.
Just think about how much it must have cost to install just one of those. And keep in mind, this wasn't a mage personally chanting a spell; it was a permanent installation.
Slide—
I checked the items sent via teleportation. My typewriter and manuscripts were likely inside.
Sure enough, when I opened the box, very familiar items met my gaze. Along with them was a small letter.
Setting everything else aside, I checked the letter first. It seemed to have been sent from the mansion.
[To my beloved Isaac. If you are reading this letter, it means the teleportation was successful. They say each dormitory has fixed coordinates, so we can send you things whenever you need them.]
As expected, it was a letter from my mother. According to the letter, the dormitory's teleportation system had fixed coordinates, allowing for instantaneous delivery.
While sending and receiving letters used to take several days, that time would now be significantly reduced.
Just how much money did they blow on this?
I looked at the letter and then at the space where the teleportation had just occurred. I wasn't sure if I should call it typical of the Empire or not.
Still, it provided me with extreme convenience, so I planned to make good use of it.
[However, it will be difficult for you to send things back to the mansion. The mansion's coordinates haven't been properly established yet. So for the time being, please send items through Sir Balak. I don't know what kind of life you'll lead from now on, but your mother is always rooting for you. With love, Mother.]
It was a short letter, but it was filled with my mother's love. I smiled softly as I read the final part of the letter.
[P.S. Since you're still in the adjustment period, you can take your time with the Xenon Biography. I can wait.]
She said that, but she was someone who loved the Xenon Biography more than anyone. She probably meant for me to adjust quickly and get back to writing.
Of course, once the adjustment period was over, I planned to pick up my pen again. It wouldn't take long anyway.
Now, all that's left is to adjust, I guess?
Barely two days had passed since I thought that.
"...So, what did you say they did?"
"It was a student who was constantly tailing Sir Isaac. We arrested them following a report from another student."
"..."
One of the knights guarding me had brought someone in. The problem was...
"Hehe..."
"..."
That person wasn't Cherry, but Leona.
"What shall we do with her?"
"...Just leave her be."
Talk about a plot twist.