Dreams of Peace and Matching Rings
"Wow, I'm so full, but this is amazing."
Even though my stomach was stuffed, I couldn't put down my utensils in front of the lavish spread on the table. I kept digging in.
"I'm just glad you're satisfied, Theo."
Estelle watched me with a bright smile, and Iris—though not quite as enthusiastic as me—was surprisingly enjoying the food, sampling one dish after another.
"Seafood really is on another level here compared to the Ermunt Empire. Even back when I visited Wesker Viscounty, famous for its fresh catches and delicacies, it wasn't this good."
Wesker Viscounty was a coastal city renowned for its bakeries and bountiful seafood—the very hometown of Matty, my roommate who took the exam with me.
"My roommate—the one I share a room with now—is from Wesker Viscounty. He'd be heartbroken if he heard that."
"Ah, please keep it a secret, Theo."
When I teased her playfully, Iris panicked and begged me to keep quiet. It was an incredibly peaceful moment.
Of course, to enjoy this peace, I'd witnessed the insane drama unfolding behind the scenes in the Holy Empire.
"By the way, does the Holy Emperor... usually give orders like that often?"
I lowered my voice as much as possible to ask.
"Hmm, hold on a sec."
Estelle glanced around before casting a space-blocking spell. It was set so no one outside our group could hear or see us—but since we were in a restaurant, she only blocked sound to avoid alarming the owner if customers suddenly vanished.
"Whoa, what's this? That's cool."
As someone who could use magic, I immediately realized she'd deployed a spatial barrier.
"I figured we might discuss some top-secret stuff, so I made sure no one else can hear."
"Magic can even do that, huh? Makes me want to learn some for real."
"Iris couldn't use it anyway—her mana pool's too small."
"...Ah, yeah."
Iris turned her head away, clearly offended, leaving me squirming awkwardly in the middle.
"Hey, Estelle. Watch your words."
"Oops, sorry. But I don't sugarcoat the truth."
"Fine. Just answer what Theo asked earlier."
Iris was even more upset, but she knew her mana capacity was limited since childhood, so she didn't press Estelle further.
"Right, we were talking about that Holy Emperor bastard. Ugh, he's a total psycho."
Estelle sighed dramatically as we circled back to him.
"Our age gap isn't that big, but he acts like the ultimate boomer. When someone opposes him—like earlier—he pulls all sorts of tricks. One of his favorites is siccing them on me."
The Holy Emperor knew Estelle had talent not just in holy power, but in magic too. He also knew she wouldn't blindly obey him.
So he'd engineer situations like before to piss her off, let her cause a scene, then swoop in to "clean up."
"He never dirties his own hands and acts all high and mighty. Total trash."
No matter his higher status as Saintess, his constant scheming grated on her nerves.
"That's why I plan to boot him out and become both SaintessandHoly Emperor myself."
Estelle revealed her long-held ambition for the first time in front of us.
"Holy Emperor Estelle? That sounds badass."
I chuckled and gently patted her head.
"You can definitely pull it off, Estelle."
In the game's happy ending, Iris became Emperor, and Estelle became Holy Emperor. It was always that way—as long as we avoided the bad ends, her dream would come true. I was sure of it.
Unaware of my reasoning, Estelle took it as pure faith in her, falling for me even harder.
"Thanks, Theo. When I become Holy Emperor, would you... come to the Holy Empire?"
"Theo! I have a dream too...!"
As Estelle started inviting me, Iris cut in urgently, raising her voice—rare for her usually composed self. I turned to her, startled.
"Oh, Iris's dream? Becoming Emperor, right?"
"Ah, you knew."
It was obvious. What else would the crown princess dream of?
"But not just any Emperor—I want to be a wise ruler."
Iris yearned to be a benevolent sovereign, creating a world where not just royals and nobles, but everyone could be happy.
"I want an Ermunt Empire where everyone smiles—a peaceful nation even without war. So I'll make us strong. Strong enough no one can ignore us."
Empires that cherished peace the most often armed themselves fiercely to protect it.
"Of course, I want true peace with the Holy Empire too—not just on the surface."
Her eyes, fixed on Estelle, brimmed with sincerity.
"You know it too, Estelle. The peace treaty we signed entering the academy? It's superficial at best."
"Yeah, duh. Only an idiot wouldn't know."
The treaty was always a hot-button issue, and everyone in noble or royal circles knew it was fake.
"Father doesn't want peace. He's obsessed with his gains and legacy as Emperor. I hate that. Sure, wars bring gains—but losses too. Like this peace we'd all lose."
Losing this peace. Losing these casual meals and hangouts together. None of us wanted that.
"Yeah, fair. When I become Holy Emperor, I'll seek real peace too—even if it's hard without force. Force just leads to more losses, like you said, Iris."
Their views aligned perfectly.
"You two are amazing."
Watching them, my heart pounded fiercely.
Two women craving peace, aiming for the top with grand dreams.
A happy ending might not be so hard after all...!
The biggest factor was their mindsets. Being able to openly pledge peace to each other like this meant the doom ending's odds were dropping fast.
"How about you two promise it now? You're destined to be Emperor and Holy Emperor anyway. When the time comes, sign a real peace treaty."
I wasn't one to miss an opportunity like this.
"Oh, yeah? I like it."
"Me too. You can be our witness, Theo."
"Of course. I'll record it all on my phone."
I pulled out my phone and started filming as they pledged peace to each other. To the empire's people, it would inspire dreams of a war-free, peaceful future.
After recording our private—yet destined to be official—peace pact, we slipped back into peaceful downtime. I reserved packaged food for my parents and browsed souvenir shops.
"Kyaa, so pretty! Isn't this adorable? It'd look perfect on you, Theo!"
"N-no... Wouldn't it suit Estelle or Iris better?"
Every cute trinket she spotted, Estelle shoved at me, insisting it was perfect. I had to fend her off—agree to everything, and I'd end up buried in accessories.
"Oh, but this one's really pretty."
Then a ring caught my eye by chance. It had unique transparent gem shards, each differently shaped. Stunning.
"Buy three and we all wear matching ones?"
Estelle sidled up, sensing my interest.
"A friendship ring sounds nice."
"I'll take this one!"
"Hey, that's mine!"
Once decided, they both fought over the exact one I'd liked most. Sure, I had good taste, but...
"It's mine!"
"Let go...!"
Was it worth fighting over like this, girls...?
"How about similar ones instead...?"
A quick look revealed plenty of close matches. Handmade, so no perfect duplicates, but...
"This one's pretty too..."
"Then I'll get that!"
"Uh, sure, okay."
Fine... I'd just pick mine. These two—why do they always rave over my choices?