Academy? The Age of Sixteen.
Academy? Sixteen. The age of puberty, when surging libidos couldn't be reined in, leading to all sorts of mishaps, scandals, and driving parents up the wall. But that didn't really apply to me.
"..."
"..."
"...What are you looking at so happily, sir?"
Clue muttered in bewilderment as she gazed at me, and I simply smiled back at her.
"...You've gotten so much smaller, Clue."
"I've told you over and over—it's because you've grown, Master."
Clue puffed out her cheeks and grumbled in response.
"Anyway... anything interesting going on these days?"
"Interesting?"
Why bring up something interesting out of nowhere? I looked at her curiously, and Clue stared back before sighing.
"I'm sort of your... secretary, right?"
"Are you?"
That was Lucy's role. She was so busy running around these days that I hardly saw her anymore. When I asked what she was up to, she'd just glare at me petulantly. Of course, I knew she was doing it all for me, body and soul... but she stubbornly refused any help I offered. Thinking that, I glanced at Clue.
"You don't age, do you."
"We have to swap out parts, or... well, something like that anyway."
Clue mumbled in reply. She still looked exactly thirteen. Thanks to that, rumors about me were spreading far and wide.
"Do you know how many stories are going around about the prince who keeps an ageless maid by his side?"
"It just adds to your mysterious aura, doesn't it? Isn't that great?"
Clue grinned and answered my question.
"And apparently, last time you took down a bunch of knights who picked a fight with you all at once?"
As we grew older, the power struggles intensified. Especially between Rabir sis and Lily sis—their rivalry had gotten ridiculously fierce. Their factions clashed as a matter of course, and now they were even resorting to "sparring" as an excuse for physical confrontations. Mother said nothing about it, of course. I had no idea what hints the two of them had gotten from her, but at least it was benefiting us—me, Theodor, in particular.
But if everyone just did as they were told, there'd be no reason for the world not to be at peace.
Occasionally, fights would spill over into my own faction.
"They started it!"
Unfortunately, Clue wasn't the type to ignore a provocation. Recently, some knights had picked a fight with her, and she'd beaten them black and blue.
"And you didn't even use a sword."
"I don't use swords to begin with."
"..."
"...Next time, I'll just take it lying down."
Clue mumbled, gauging my mood as I sighed. "No," I shook my head at her words. "No need for that."
"Huh?"
"I've thought it over. Better you cause trouble and get scolded by me than lose."
"Master..."
Clue's touched expression lasted only a moment before she sighed and looked at me. "Anyway, there's been all sorts of talk lately."
"Like what?"
"Rumors that you're not interested in women?"
"Me?"
"For instance, some duke's son is saying you've been groping all the maids—"
"That's just some lunatic." He'd pay for it later, double.
"No, there are plenty of girls who'd just take it if you did."
I stared at Clue in disbelief as she sighed. "You sure about that?"
"Huh?"
"Are you sure?"
"...Well, they're not exactly the types desperate to bear your child and become empress?"
"If they were that power-hungry, I wouldn't have kept them around in the first place."
Years of social experience had their perks—like not falling for this kind of nonsense.
"Anyway, it's not true."
Clue pouted at my response.
"What if it's me, then?"
"What?"
"I won't get pregnant, and I've studied plenty from books—"
"You've got an answer for everything."
"I'm not a kid—I've lived hundreds of years longer than you, Master?"
Clue met my eyes, looking incredulous. "I've been prepared for this since the day we met. Your handling of—"
"Freeze!"
I snapped my fingers, sealing Clue's mouth with magic. She mumbled incoherently, touching her frozen lips.
"Don't say another word."
That was dangerous talk. I sighed deeply, and Clue scraped at the ice until it cracked off with a crunch. She cried out indignantly.
"No, it's weird for a guy not to be tormented by lust! I've been ready for about five years now, but you're the one pretending to be pure—"
"Hey, even if I lost my mind, I wouldn't touch you."
Problems would arise. Leaving the sulking Clue behind, I sank back into thought.
Now it was really about my marriage—or successor. People were starting to take a keen interest. Even...
"Or, you know, what about checking out the academy?"
"..."
They said you couldn't escape fate. The academy had come into existence after all. Not run by the empire directly, though.
Mother had grumbled in disbelief about why something like that even existed, but she'd nodded once she heard the reasoning.
"It's not a place for studying to begin with."
"Right."
The academy. Where all the top nobles gathered for academics... or not. If anything...
"It's a matchmaking spot."
"Exactly."
In my previous life—modern Earth—there were marriage agencies. The academy was the medieval equivalent. Young men and women mingling, scouting partners, marrying if they clicked. That sort of thing.
"Scandalous."
"Better than fooling around with lowborns whose backgrounds you can't even verify."
"Watch your words."
I smacked Clue's mouth, and she clutched it, glaring at me before continuing.
"Anyway, if you went there, Your Highness could... literally devour every girl there."
"Not interested."
The academy was always dangerous. In the novel I'd read, it was constantly under attack or falling apart.
"No one else is going."
"The princesses declared they're not interested in men from the start."
Right. Both Rabir sis and Lily sis had declared as much. Correction: Rabir sis followed Lily sis's lead, saying anyone who wanted to marry her had to beat me first...
"No one's beaten me yet."
"Who could win against you if you're serious?"
Clue muttered in disbelief. But what could you do?
"No one I like has shown up."
"Your standards are too high, Master. You complain it's a hassle, but you crush every challenger who comes at you for real."
"...But what can I do."
None of them appealed. I replied to Clue, who sighed again at my answer.
"Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to take a look around the academy once."
"Why?"
"A viscount's daughter just enrolled..."
"Yeah?"
"They say she's talented and beautiful, with an indescribable charm."
"..."
"So I asked around."
"..."
What to say? It sounded familiar. Daughter of some no-name viscount. Talented and beautiful.
"Is she popular too?"
"Yeah, insanely so."
"..."
What was it... a hunch. I was starting to get a feeling for why this world felt so bizarre.
What if... this really wasn't a novel world, but a romance fantasy where they skimped on plot details...
"..."
Sudden anxiety crept in. What if I was a character? And everything I'd built so far was so-called "fate"? If it was all following the plot...
An ominous dread—or was it gravity?—settled in. My mind raced.
If so, how should I respond? Avoid the academy? Or meet her...
"Master?"
"...Huh, what, Clue?"
"N-No, your face looks awful."
I looked up to see Clue gazing at me worriedly.
"N-No, I'm f-fine."
"You're stuttering— are you really okay?"
Clue stared at me with concern, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Fine."
"...You sure you're okay?"
"Fine."
I answered calmly and stood. Right—nothing was set in stone yet. But...
"...I'll go see my sisters for a bit."
"Huh?"
"Wait here."
"Wait, Master!"
I hurried off, leaving Clue behind. There was something I needed to check.
I crossed the palace corridors in a rush toward the training grounds. Today was the day Lily sis and Rabir sis were having their "tea time" spar.
Sure enough, as soon as I arrived, the clash of swords and magic filled the air. Looking up, I saw my two sisters glaring daggers at each other, weapons in hand.
Both had grown into stunning beauties. But that thought was fleeting.
"Theo?"
"Theo!"
At my appearance, they lit up as if nothing had happened and turned to me.
"Sisters."
I looked at them and spoke.
"Let's go inspect the academy together."
I had something to confirm.