Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Student Date (3)
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I had a dream.
A dream of going back to my days as a knight candidate.
Wearing a white dress shirt and black suit pants.
Taking classes in the classroom with my fellow cadets.
Back then, I was burning with ambition.
As a commoner orphan, the only way for me to survive the competition was to raise my 'value.'
So during my candidate days, I volunteered for frontline deployments.
While my friends dated other girls, I studied practical skills alone late into the night.
Thanks to that, I almost never dreamed of my candidate days.
But why...
'Am I dreaming something like this now?'
The night sky had darkened.
I was staying late in the classroom alone, preparing for the written exam.
As I was about to leave the academy last as usual that day.
The door to the dark classroom creaked open.
―――.
And...
A shadowy silhouette of a woman approached me.
She was wearing the same candidate uniform as me.
But since it was a dream, a shadow fell over her face, so I couldn't tell who she was.
"Vail, why are you studying so hard?"
One of my fellow cadets asked me.
"Because... I want to get ahead."
"Get ahead? So, is there a knight order you want to join?"
"Hmm... Guarding a princess would be nice. I could live comfortably for the rest of my life protecting beautiful princesses."
I definitely couldn't see her face.
Yet, somehow, I felt like the corner of her mouth had curled up.
"Really? Then, which princess do you want to protect the most...?"
Her persistent question made me furrow my brow.
'Was there any girl among my cadets who was close enough to ask something like that...?'
I stared intently at the girl's silhouette.
Then, with her hands behind her back, she approached me with a sensual gait.
"Perhaps..."
She whispered in a seductive voice.
"Me?"
My eyes flashed as she drew closer.
At that moment.
"...!!"
I jolted awake, my whole body twitching as if struck by lightning.
"Haa..."
Since I was wearing an eyemask, the world was still dark even after waking.
But I could feel it.
That I was slumped in an office chair.
"What kind of ridiculous dream was that..."
Ever since acquiring Grand Aura, my senses felt sharper.
Maybe because of that, my dreams had started turning weird one after another.
"..."
I finally gathered my wits and lifted the eyemask slightly.
'Phew...'
Fortunately, the office was unchanged.
The candidates here for field training, Cynthia and Jane, were still sitting on the sofa.
"Hm?"
But...
Unlike when I first saw them, the girls seemed even more tense now.
'I told them to relax...'
They sat rigidly, arms on their thighs, staring straight ahead.
It was like a commander had visited the office.
'Wait, commander...?'
An ominous feeling hit me, and I pushed the eyemask up to my forehead.
The moment I turned my head in the same direction as the girls.
"You're sleeping soundly during duty hours, Mikhail."
A woman in a perfectly fitted white uniform came into view.
"Did you have a good dream? Your face is red."
With her hands behind her back, she gazed down at me intently.
She tapped my messy hair with her finger.
"Y-Your Highness the Princess."
I shot up from the chair and tried to bow my head.
But Lea shook her head firmly, saying it was fine.
"I've heard the Guard Knights are idle..."
The princess looked down at me with a cold, soldierly gaze.
Then she rested her arm on the leather chair I had been sitting in and said.
"But I didn't expect it to be like this."
The uniformed girls on the sofa flinched at her words.
Like herbivores facing a lion.
"No, ma'am! I just took a short break after finishing patrol!"
I clasped my hands together with a sly smile.
But she smirked, saying it was useless.
"Really? And making apple jam too?"
Lea's radiant golden hair spilled over me from atop the chair, tickling my face.
"Yes...?"
"Your expression says you're wondering how I know."
Lea looked down at me like I was some animal.
At the same time, with a nonchalant expression, she called out to someone.
"Come in."
The office entrance opened.
Then, a bespectacled man entered with an awkward look.
"Haha... Good to see you, Sir Vail."
"Damian! I told you to eat it alone!"
I cried out in grievance.
The empire's operations staff officer scratched the side of his head apologetically.
"Well... It looked so tasty that I ended up eating it in my office and..."
Lea placed a hand on my shoulder.
She turned the chair toward herself and said.
"When exchanging gifts, don't you usually prepare something for your superiors too?"
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll definitely send some for you."
I averted my gaze from her dizzyingly close figure.
"Unfortunately, we were short on apples, so I couldn't prepare any for Your Highness."
The princess narrowed her eyes at my cheeky reply.
A playful glint lingered in her gaze.
"Is that so...? Meaning if there had been enough apples, you would've made some for me too."
"Yes, that's right."
I inwardly sighed in relief at Lea's slightly softened demeanor.
But soon, my breath caught again.
"Then go buy some now and make more."
"Yes...?"
My eyes blinked in surprise at the princess's words.
"You've been sleeping the whole time anyway."
Lea propped her elbow on the leather chair.
She rested her chin on her palm and chuckled.
"I'll give you a task personally."
"Haha... Understood..."
I nodded while forcing a smile.
Then I looked at Cynthia and Jane on the sofa.
The girls stared blankly at the famously stern Lea teasing me.
The moment I was about to order them to fetch apples.
"You're not thinking of passing the task to your field-training juniors, are you?"
Lea blocked it firmly.
"No way... I'll head to the market alone right away."
I flashed a broad smile at the lioness looking down at me.
Then I hurriedly stood, grabbing my jacket.
"I'll go with you."
As I headed to the office entrance, Lea followed.
"Is it alright for Your Highness to come to such a shabby market?"
"Yes, as your commander, I need to watch if you're doing your job properly."
The princess followed with her hands behind her back.
I looked at her burdensome figure.
"It's fine, I'll be back soon."
Her white uniform adorned with flashy gold epaulettes and decorations.
Showing up like that in the market would draw everyone's eyes.
But.
"No, how can I trust a guy who was lounging like a fox just moments ago."
The princess grabbed my shoulder and gave a cold smile.
"Come on, let's go."
"Understood..."
Since she'd caught me slacking on duty, I couldn't even argue.
In the end, I followed her out of the office.
"..."
The two uniformed girls watched us with stunned expressions.
Then Jane whispered cautiously to Sia.
"What the heck is your mentor?"
"Beats me this time..."
The two knights were fascinated by Lea's demeanor, seeing her up close for the first time.
Even her cousin Jane was flustered.
"But what do we do now...?"
"Yeah, I still had so much I wanted to learn from Master..."
As they fretted, Damian approached.
"Would you like some cookies, cadets?"
The empire's operations staff officer smiled brightly.
The girls bit their lips at his handsome appearance.
"It'll take a while for the two to return, so I'll help with your training in the meantime."
Damian had only been delivering Lea's lunch and tending to her until now.
Unbeknownst to them, he was one of the Radiant Knight Order's top talents.
"The staff officer himself?"
The girls' eyes sparkled at the empire elite's offer.
"Yes, at 18, it's time to learn command structures, so I'll teach you."
The girls thrilled at this rare opportunity they'd never get again in their lives.
With clear eyes, they thanked Damian.
"Yes, thank you!!"
"We'll study hard!"
The apple jam training with the guard knight was soon forgotten.
「――――――.」
Norton Market.
A pair of man and woman strolled through the crowded streets.
'How did it end up like this...'
I found myself unexpectedly shopping with the First Princess.
"Hm... I've heard Norton's security has improved lately, but the roads still need repairs."
I stared openly at Lea, who pondered state affairs even in the market.
Unaware of drawing the people's attention, she worried about the country whether awake or asleep.
"Your Highness... With so many eyes on us, wouldn't it be better to return to the palace?"
When I asked, Lea glanced back at me.
With a nonchalant expression, she replied.
"We walked around together fine before."
"You were in maid attire then, so it was camouflage. Now, anyone can tell you're the princess."
Lea looked down at her uniform.
She tilted her head, sensing nothing wrong.
"Doesn't it just look like an ordinary knight like you?"
"It's not ordinary. At minimum, it screams elite officer."
The flashy gold epaulettes combined with the form-fitting uniform.
Nothing drew eyes like that.
"Whatever. As royalty, it's important to take in the sight of the people."
Being a mage herself, she had no particular worries about her safety.
She was far stronger than most knights anyway.
"But there sure are a lot of students in uniforms today."
The princess remarked, looking at the cadets out in the market.
"Yes, from candidates coming and going for field training to students from nearby academies."
We warmly watched the groups of students.
They laughed with their peers, chattering away.
"You must have had days like that too."
"Yes. But I was always training, so I hardly had time to come to the market."
I chuckled and shook my head.
Then Lea looked up at me suspiciously.
"Were you a model student?"
"Well, I was top of my class. That's how I got to see Your Highness up close at the appointment ceremony."
Lea narrowed her eyes at my words.
"I can't believe it from how the office looked just now—"
"..."
I cleared my throat awkwardly, and Lea smirked.
"Kidding. I highly value your abilities."
'Lately, her jokes have been a bit off...'
Lea chuckled and slowly took the lead.
Her wand, tucked between her hands behind her back, swayed like a lion's tail.
"Come on, show me to the fruit stall."
"This way."
Soon we arrived at the old fruit shop.
Lea curiously eyed the apples on the street stall.
"Is this it?"
The princess picked up a red apple.
I replied gently.
"No, for jam, unripe apples actually give better texture and taste."
Lea nodded and grabbed a handful of green apples.
Her fierce uniform clashing with gathering apples one by one somehow looked cute.
"You really know your way around cooking."
"Twenty years of bachelor life."
The princess nodded at my answer, then suddenly sensed something odd.
She knew my age put me barely at 20.
"Twenty years...?"
Lea caught the implication and her lips parted.
Realizing I was an orphanage kid, her expression showed she'd been hit.
"..."
But soon, she grinned slyly.
"It's fine. You can always make a family later."
"True, I could..."
I coughed awkwardly at her words.
"Ahem, apples bought. Shall we head back?"
I bagged the apples and led the way.
As we stepped out...
"Hm?"
I noticed people had cleared the street.
A procession stretched along it.
I cautiously peered through the crowd to check whose it was.
My eyes widened.
'Prime Minister Moshian...!'
The emperor's guard and the prime minister's sudden patrol.
My eyes twitched under the strain.
"What's going on? Why are you spacing out?"
Lea followed me.
I quickly turned, pulling her along.
"Let's go back in. We need to buy something besides apples!"
"Watermelon again?"
I whispered quietly to her question.
"It's the imperial guard. They're everywhere!"
"Hm, a surprise inspection."
Lea tilted her head calmly.
She didn't seem to grasp the gravity.
"It'll look bad if we're caught together."
"What's the problem with us being together?"
Fortunately, the guard had no ties to the crown prince.
But crucially, whose side was the imperial prime minister on?
"If word reaches His Majesty the Emperor that we're together..."
Mentioning the Conqueror King made Lea's mature eyes flash.
"I think I get what you mean."
The princess nodded.
Staring at the market, she said.
"But avoiding the guards spread everywhere won't be easy..."
"What can we do?"
As I asked, the princess touched her chin.
With wise blue eyes...
She looked at the academy students filling the market.
"As long as they don't realize I'm here."
Lea strode deep into the back alley.
Soon, she headed to a nearby tailor's shop.
"Wait here a moment."
As ordered, I stood guard outside.
About 20 minutes passed...
I turned at the sound of the door.
And at that moment.
"How's this? Even Moshian won't notice."
The sensual silhouette from my dream.
A woman perfectly matching it stepped out.
"Finding the right uniform size was tricky."
The academy uniform shirt strained around her body.
A loosely hanging tie over her dizzying curves.
A skirt cinched tight at the hips, taut along her waistline.
Perfect for drawing eyes in a whole different way.
"You just put on a uniform, but your face still screams princess."
"Oh, that's easy to fix."
Lea drew her wand.
She lightly touched her hair...
"...!"
Her radiant golden locks turned a sleek black.
"No one will recognize me unless they're right in my face."
I stared at the uniformed girl with her mature smile.
Of course, her figure was sensually womanly for a student...
But yeah, it was hard to spot her as Lea right away.
"While we're disguised, want to look around more?"
The princess remained leisurely, oblivious or not to my urgency.
Truly befitting the empire's eldest daughter.
"Understood."
Her changed outfit made her seem more vibrant than usual, and I watched warmly.
I walked side by side with her through the market as she led.
"Why don't you take off your jacket too?"
Mid-walk, the princess glanced up at me.
"You're a knight. If only I'm a student, it looks weird."
"Fair point."
I removed my uniform jacket.
She took it from me and...
Tied it around her short skirt's waist.
It naturally covered her backside.
"Where to first?"
I asked, rolling my stiff neck from sleeping.
Lea replied leisurely.
"Hm— Places with lots of students to blend in naturally?"
Lea pondered like she was planning a strategy.
Then she pointed seriously at the food alley.
"..."
I realized she was actually eyeing the students with interest.
Matching her gaze, I melted into the crowd naturally.
But even the students couldn't stop staring at the princess.
And rightly so—her looks weren't the type you saw at the academy.
'Not sure this disguise is working.'
Lea paid no mind to the students' gazes.
She simply savored this world so different from her intense life so far.