The Weight of a Curse
The morning after our tea time, I rose from bed feeling a fatigue that weighed on me like lead. My eyes fell upon the desk, where the letter and the Tears of the Sea Dragon sat waiting. That was the letter I had written the moment I returned yesterday. We hadn't been in a suitable place to treat her curse, which was why I’d sent it. It was best to handle the treatment as quickly as possible; I couldn't just leave a suffering patient to wait simply because I felt awkward about meeting her.
Though Soleia had grown into a proper young lady, the truth remained that she was still just a child. It was easy to forget, hidden behind her mature tone and enigmatic aura, but the reality that she was merely a girl suffering from a curse struck me anew. ‘Perhaps I’m more concerned because she’s so young.’
I decided to wash up and finish breakfast before receiving her. No matter how much of a troublesome, energy-draining girl she might be, she was still an Imperial Princess; I couldn't face her looking like a disheveled mess. I splashed cold water on my face to clear my head. The Cassian in the mirror still possessed the face of a cold, serious, and handsome man, but faint traces of a restless night lingered beneath his eyes. Yet, even those shadowed eyes exuded a strange, decadent beauty. ‘I suppose when you’re this handsome, even dark circles look decent.’
Realizing once again the greatness of Cassian’s face, I finished washing and called for a maid to prepare my meal. The academy breakfast that arrived shortly after was "ordinarily" good. That might sound like a contradiction, but that was exactly how it felt to me. Having been raised in the Valenvalt estate on only the finest cuisine, the academy’s menu, while excellent, couldn't quite match the skill of our family’s head chef.
After finishing my meal, I walked to the desk and handed the letter I had placed there to the maid who was clearing the dishes. "Please deliver this letter to Princess Soleia." Since she was in the female dormitory, there was no other way for me to get a message to her.
"Understood." The maid bowed without a moment’s hesitation, took my letter, and tucked it carefully into the inner pocket of her uniform. She loaded the remaining dishes onto her cart, bowed politely to me, and headed for the door. As she opened the door with practiced precision and slipped out, the door clicked shut behind her.
The academy maids were all like that. They were as disciplined and mechanical as machines, devoid of emotional fluctuation, offering only concise answers to any request. Perhaps it was because I hadn't grown close to any of the first-years yet, but I didn't mind. To some, this place might seem desolate and dull, but for me, it was different. In fact, I preferred it. It was the perfect distance—not being bothered more than necessary, allowing me to have time entirely to myself.
‘This dryness is far more comfortable than unnecessary goodwill.’ Back at the family estate, because of the title of "heir," I’d had almost no privacy from the moment I opened my eyes. Thinking of that, the real Kyle was a total dog. ‘At this point, I’m even doubting if he really ran away for love.’
My daily life had been utterly shattered trying to protect the heir position he had tossed aside. Heir training was a given, and since we were the Valenvalt family—the Shield of the Empire—I couldn't neglect my martial training either. On top of that, I had objectives to achieve at the academy; I would have been short on time even if I had two bodies. I was that busy. It was so bad that my sword training with Kalia felt like my only break. I had spent my time in a dizzying blur.
I, who had simply lived life as it came after being transmigrated into a role I never asked for, was now experiencing things I never dreamed of with my whole being. I walked down the hallway, chewing on that name in my mind over and over. My destination was the reception room located between the male and female dormitories.
The academy didn't strictly forbid romance. In fact, they preferred that students stayed within controlled boundaries where they could be seen, rather than meeting secretly in dark corners. I heard that was exactly why the reception building was constructed. It was smaller than the dormitories, but it seemed sufficient considering the number of people who would visit.
‘Just because this is a romance fantasy world doesn't mean everyone is dating.’ No matter how many vibrant youths were gathered together, some things just weren't meant to be. Some spent their nights in the library, while others spent their youth in romance. ‘Well, it’s not exclusively for couples, anyway.’
Since so many couples frequented the place, it wasn't exactly a spot you’d visit alone, but as it was a reception room, it was also used for meeting friends or genuine guests. As I entered the building, I was met with the academy’s signature antique atmosphere. It was sophisticated and ornate. It wasn't just decorative; I could feel high-end magic tools embedded throughout the walls, perfectly blocking external noise while stabilizing the internal mana.
‘They really put effort into building this.’ Having been exposed to so many magic tools in the North, I could now roughly guess what an object did just by sensing its mana fluctuations, without even needing to take it apart. ‘Did the magic engineer call it a talent?’ It wasn't a particularly impressive sense to me, but it remained in a corner of my memory thanks to the immense praise I’d received from our family’s exclusive magic engineer. He had asked me persistently, with a look of madness in his eyes, if I would learn magic engineering. I still vividly remembered the feeling of being so burdened and unsettled by that gaze that I had flatly refused and fled the room.
He was certainly a smart man, but I didn't want to be close to that type. So, after that, I hadn't even glanced at magic engineering. Now, it was just a memory. I entered an empty room, took a seat, and called for a waiting maid using the magic tool provided on the table. Before long, there was a knock. I signaled for her to enter, and she opened the door, greeting me with formal etiquette. I accepted her greeting and went straight to the point.
"Please prepare some refreshments."
"Understood. Do you have a preference for the number of guests, the type of cookies, or the tea leaves?"
I stated the number of guests and pondered for a moment. Since the web novel didn't mention Soleia’s tastes, I decided to just go with what I wanted. "For the cookies, chocolate... no, make it something a bit more plain. And please brew tea with this." I handed the container of flower petals I had brought to the maid. I had been craving sweet chocolate cookies, but considering the tea brewed from the petals I’d received from Merry, I thought something lighter would be more appropriate.
"I will prepare it for you. Please wait a moment." With a concise answer, the maid left the room without a sound.
Once the maid was gone, the room fell silent again. I waited for Soleia. ‘It’ll take some time to prepare the refreshments.’ I figured they would likely bring them just as Soleia arrived. It would be great if it suited her taste and I could earn some points. I wondered if it was okay to use something Merry had gifted me for this, but because it was an important task, I felt I could rely on it. It had suited my own palate, even though I didn't usually prefer tea. So, I held a shallow hope that it would suit someone who enjoyed tea even better.
I didn't know if Soleia liked tea, but... ‘Still, Soleia is a woman, so wouldn't she like it?’ It was an extremely narrow-minded perspective, but since noblewomen often had many tea parties and tea times, they usually drank tea constantly. Honestly, they wouldn't drink it that much if they didn't like it. I decided to think positively.
Before long, a knock echoed through the empty room. ‘It’s too early for the maid to be bringing the refreshments.’ It seemed Soleia had arrived. I stood up slowly, maintaining my composure, and spoke in a calm voice to invite her in. The door opened, and the first thing to catch my eye was Soleia’s blonde hair, shimmering as if it had captured the sunlight. Then, her ornate yet graceful figure stepped into the room. She looked similar to yesterday, but for some reason, she felt a bit more dressed up today. ‘Is it just my imagination?’
The doubt was fleeting. Once I confirmed the door had closed completely, I bowed my head slightly in greeting. "Welcome. Thank you for responding to my sudden summons."
My voice sounded quite calm and formal, even to my own ears. I hoped the cold, decadent, and handsome face I had seen in the mirror would play its part at this very moment. Soleia stared at me instead of answering. "It was sudden, but I thought this might be fun in its own way. It wasn't bad. A different kind of experience, perhaps?"
Was she subtly poking fun at me for sending a letter to call her out? Feeling a bit conflicted, I pulled out the chair for Soleia. It was an invitation to sit. Soleia did not refuse my escort and took her seat.