Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Shall We Go There Next Time?
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If Kiara Mondial, the heir to the Mondial Marquisate, was calling someone at the academy a "high and mighty figure," there was only one person who fit that description.
The Crown Prince.
The real deal, someone truly powerful who roamed the academy without even bothering to hide his identity.
But this was a situation I couldn't quite wrap my head around.
'Why the Crown Prince?'
He certainly seemed to be keeping an eye on me, trying to check my moves.
But I thought we'd cleared that up with our direct conversation.
At my puzzled look, Kiara gave a light smile.
"Well, the Dominica family isn't one to bend easily to others, is it?"
......Yeah, fair point.
From the outside, the Dominica family was the very incarnation of power hunger.
They were at the pinnacle of nobility, openly clashing with the imperial family on major issues.
For a family like that to back down just because of a little pressure?
Honestly, even if I were the Crown Prince, I'd be suspicious.
Wondering if they were just pretending to yield up front while plotting something behind the scenes.
Of course, as far as that went, I was completely innocent.
'What could I even do?'
Yeah, I admit the Dominica family is like that.
But that's because they have the power to back it up, right?
I'm just a member of Dominica—I don't have any real power myself.
The only people I've gotten close to since coming to the academy are Kiara, whom I was already friendly with, my fiancée Laura, and that street mage Nicholas.
Oh, and Robin too.
When I protested like that, Kiara spoke up.
"About that—Nicholas the mage doesn't seem like your average mage."
"Not an average mage?"
"I think I've seen him somewhere before."
The Crown Prince? With Nicholas?
I scowled for a moment, but then I pieced it together.
'Disguised enrollment. Unlike the Crown Prince, he came in properly disguised.'
That meant Nicholas was probably a mage from the Magic Tower.
One with deep ties to the tower's leadership, no less.
I had no idea why the Magic Tower was pulling something like that, but if the Crown Prince knew...
Seeing me buddy up with Nicholas would naturally make him suspicious of my connections to the tower.
Even though I'd never once suspected Nicholas had any ties to the Magic Tower.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, a flicker of resentment toward Nicholas bubbled up.
'Why the hell did he enroll in disguise like that?'
He didn't seem hostile toward me, given that he'd leaked info to Kiara.
I swallowed a sigh and racked my brain.
'In the end, I can't avoid the suspicion, can I?'
This was a development I really hadn't wanted.
I'd gone all out with that extreme flattery about switching sides in front of the Crown Prince, and it was all for nothing.
Of course, even if he still suspected me, it wouldn't mean immediate trouble.
The Iron-Blooded Duke would rip into the imperial family at the first chance if they touched me without solid proof.
You could tell from how the Crown Prince was operating so openly.
Real attacks from nobles were always done as discreetly as possible.
So, how should I respond to this?
'As if I have any options.'
Unfortunately, there were no countermeasures.
What could a subordinate do when the boss decided to throw their weight around?
If you're not quitting the company, you just grit your teeth and endure it while cursing inwardly.
If the Crown Prince came at me head-on, I could at least try to resist, but if he was just poking around the edges, there was nothing I could do.
And the people around me were basically just Nicholas and Robin—no one else.
"Leon, sounding pretty confident, huh? Does that mean Laura's on your side no matter what?"
"Ah."
Right. Damn it.
Laura was there too.
When I first learned about the Crown Prince's enrollment, I'd even thought he was a prime candidate for the male lead.
And this situation probably was the event that brought him and Laura together.
Did that mean I really had to just sit back?
'Why should I?'
Of course not.
I still thought the Crown Prince was a strong contender for male lead.
But I'd decided to stop worrying about that and pulling back.
And there was this thought too.
'Even if he's a top candidate, there are others, right?'
Was there any reason he had to be the male lead?
There were probably several male leads anyway.
Even if I wasn't one of them, there was no reason to let some guy I didn't like marry Laura.
So, I'd block it.
Keep the Crown Prince from approaching Laura.
With that decided, the next day I said to Laura,
"Laura, have you ever ridden a horse?"
"Pardon?"
Laura blinked her sparkling eyes at me, trying to read my intent.
I answered her question straightforwardly.
"The academy has riding grounds. Shall we go there next time?"
And at my suggestion, Laura slowly nodded.
***
I'm pretty good at horseback riding.
It's basic noble education, and mounted combat is essential for anyone aiming to be a knight.
Of course, I'm not aspiring to be a knight, but—
The person who taught me the sword was a knight.
He was an old knight from the Dominica family's Steel Roses knight order. Despite his stern looks, he was quick to laugh and lavish with praise.
He'd even throw flattery like this at me, after serving Dominica for so long.
"Hahaha! You're really good at this, Young Master! If my grandson were half as skilled, I'd have retired ages ago!"
"If you're not planning to inherit the family, why not join the Steel Roses? I guarantee you'd be the youngest captain!"
It was motivation on the level of a gym trainer!
I knew the praise was mostly empty, but it still made me puff up with pride.
The other knights must have found it cute, because they joined in the babying.
Like watching a gym rat who'd finally started showing up regularly after all the hype.
I didn't hate it, so once I got used to training, I'd even do extra practice on my own.
Remembering those days, I felt a pang of nostalgia.
'I wonder how everyone's doing.'
As long as nothing was wrong at the family estate, they were probably fine, but it had been too long since I'd seen them.
If there's a break at the academy, I should drop by the training grounds.
If those knights I knew were still around, they'd welcome the baby back.
Anyway, that's for later.
For those reasons, I'm pretty good at riding.
But that wasn't the real reason I'd suggested a riding date with Laura.
The real reason was—
'Good, plenty of people around.'
Spreading the word that "Laura and I are this close!"—laying the groundwork!
To keep the Crown Prince from making moves on her.
If he was the romance-fantasy archetype of "looks-power-obsession-total-possession male lead," he might brush it off coolly, but—
If I ingrained the image of us being close across the academy, I could wage a public opinion war if it came to that.
Flirting with someone else's fiancée was just juicy gossip fodder in high society.
But "butting into a publicly known loving engaged couple"? That was scandal material.
Even in a noble world overflowing with affairs, that level of morality still held.
What I was doing was image management for that purpose.
Laura and I had been close for a while, but that image hadn't spread outside.
Blame it on all our indoor activities.
Tea or reading happens in private spaces, so no one else sees us.
'At least the classes we take together got a little buzz.'
But the magic department kids were such individualists—they just whispered among themselves and didn't spread it.
The riding grounds, though, were full of outgoing gossip lovers, so rumors would fly there.
The only worry was whether Laura would like riding—
As I waited with a slight unease, Laura's voice rang out.
"Leonardo!"
Her voice trembled a bit, maybe because we were meeting somewhere new.
I turned toward the sound and saw Laura looking different from usual.
'Oh.'
Dressed for activity, hair tied up.
Her dresses were breathtaking, but pants suited her surprisingly well.
Especially her legs, usually hidden by skirts, now outlined perfectly by the fitted pants—
I stared blankly for a moment before snapping out of it.
"You're here."
"Sorry I'm late. It's my first time wearing something like this... Does it suit me?"
"Of course. I can't imagine anything that wouldn't suit you."
She smiled at my simple compliment and whispered a soft thank you.
I led her to the course.
Waiting there with the academy's stablehand was my horse from the family, Elcon.
Laura let out a small gasp at the sight of Elcon.
"Wow...! Horses are so big up close!"
"First time this close?"
"Yes. Back home, I never had chances to be around animals..."
She said that, then looked Elcon over with shining eyes.
Emboldened by her positive reaction, I pushed a little further.
"Want to pet him?"
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah. But go slow so you don't startle Elcon—extend your hand gently."
"This one's Elcon, right? Got it."
At my words, Laura reached out toward Elcon very slowly.
Meanwhile, I took the reins from the stablehand and stayed alert.
Elcon was generally docile, but if he didn't like something, he could be quite picky.
The family stablehands had grumbled that Elcon was meek only with me, but a tyrant to them because of his temperament.
'Please behave, Elcon.'
I stroked his mane, praying he wouldn't act up.
And then something amazing happened.
Purrrng—
As Laura's hand approached, Elcon snorted lightly as if to say "don't touch."
But after tilting his head, he stretched his neck and sniffed her hand.
Once he caught her scent, Elcon bypassed her hand entirely—
Hiiing!
And rubbed his face right into Laura's chest.
A reaction that seemed impossible for a first meeting!
Laura awkwardly stroked his nuzzling face, delighted.
"Wow...! I guess Elcon likes me too!"
Uh... it's more than that.
This guy acting cute? Is Laura secretly a druid?
I blinked in disbelief at the scene.