Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 265
Chapter Title: Kazra Kingdom (2)
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Even after arriving back at the academy, Shirone and Reina continued their conversation as they walked to the dorms.
Reina’s playful teasing made Shirone’s face flush red. Finding his reaction adorable, she giggled.
The male students watched Shirone with envious eyes.
Reina was not only beautiful but also a famous pianist, practically an idol among the nobility.
Seeing such a person walking arm-in-arm with Shirone elevated his status in their eyes.
Amy and Seriel stopped in their tracks when they saw the two walking side-by-side toward the dorms.
They had been on their way to see Shirone off, but the affectionate sight before them made it impossible to approach and say hello.
Amy knew from what she’d heard that Reina was Rian’s older sister. But the atmosphere between them was completely different from three days ago.
At first, they had been a bit distant, but now they were so close they were practically touching as they walked.
Seriel exclaimed dramatically, tapping Amy on the shoulder.
“Oh my, oh my! Amy, do you see that? Are you sure there’s nothing going on between them?”
“How should I know? She’s Rian’s sister, so I guess they’re close. They probably lived together when he was a butler, right?”
“No, that’s not it. I did some digging, and during the year and a half Shirone was a common butler for the Ogent family, Reina was studying as an apprentice to a famous pianist. They wouldn't have had time to get close. For them to become this intimate in such a short time… could it be?”
Amy pushed Seriel’s back.
“Oh, that’s enough. Let’s just go.”
The fact that she'd gone so far as to investigate them showed just how curious she was about their relationship.
Amy didn't feel great about it either. But right now, Shirone’s situation was more important, so she suppressed her feelings and followed.
Girls were not allowed in the boys’ dormitory, but an exception was made on the day of Shirone’s departure. The potential birth of the first prince of the Kazra Kingdom was an event with enough impact to override academy rules.
The Ogent family carriage was waiting in front of the dorm.
The teachers chatting at the entrance simply nodded at Amy and Seriel when they greeted them, then casually resumed their conversation.
Even before they reached Shirone’s room, they could hear Reina’s laughter from inside. Amy felt a pang in her chest but forced herself to ignore it and kept walking.
When they entered the room, Iruki and Nade were snickering while Shirone and Reina were holding each other, dancing.
It seemed she was teaching him to dance in preparation for the upcoming ball at the royal palace. She could have just thought of it as that and nothing more, but seeing Shirone’s blushing face stirred an unpleasant feeling inside her.
Shirone’s dancing was awkward beyond belief.
Of course, it wasn’t that the kingdom’s top magic prospect lacked motor skills. He was clearly stiffening up under Reina’s affectionate gaze.
“Oh? A-Amy.”
Seeing Amy enter, Shirone hastily pulled away from Reina’s embrace.
Amy walked into the room, pretending not to have noticed. She saw the idiot duo, Nade and Iruki, gulp but chose to pointedly ignore them.
Reina smiled with her eyes and raised a hand.
“Oh, Amy, you’re here. Hello.”
Amy offered a greeting that was formal, yet polite.
“Hello. You’re leaving today, right?”
“Yes. I was just having one last practice with Shirone. He’s surprisingly not very talented when it comes to dancing.”
Shirone waved his hands, looking wronged.
“No! It’s just because I was too nervous…!”
Reina covered her mouth and laughed.
“Hahaha! Nervous? Don’t tell me it’s because you were practicing with me?”
As Shirone hesitated, unable to speak, Amy’s irritation flared.
Even if it was a fake relationship, they were still officially a couple. She had told Reina as much, so it was only natural for him to be at least a little mindful of her.
And yet, Shirone was stuck to Reina like glue, showing no signs of pulling away.
They seemed to share a special connection, but she couldn't figure out what it was, nor did she want to.
Amy pushed the thought aside and asked Shirone.
“Are you all packed?”
“Yeah. But I’m worried. I feel like I’m going to make a mistake.”
“What’s there to worry about? I’m sure they’ll laugh off any minor mistakes.”
For a brief moment, Amy caught a flicker of tension in Shirone’s eyes.
She thought he was too distracted by Reina to think straight, but it seemed he was aware of the situation to some extent.
On the surface, it was a case of biological parents finding their child, but if one thought about it deeply, there were certainly many strange aspects.
Reina patted Shirone’s shoulder reassuringly.
“It’ll be fine. Since the Kazra Kingdom made the announcement, there shouldn’t be any real danger. Kazra isn’t exactly a powerhouse compared to Tormia, and our family won’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Just hearing her talk seemed to ease his anxiety.
Reina had sharp judgment, was well-versed in the kingdom’s politics, and understood the power dynamics between royalty and the aristocracy.
With her taking the lead, it was unlikely anything bizarre would happen.
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
Shirone replied with a smile, and Reina smiled back fondly, stroking his hair.
Then, as if a thought occurred to her, she glanced at Amy. As expected, she didn't look happy.
*I do feel a little bad.*
During the three days of preparation, Reina had thoroughly checked on the people around Shirone.
Overall, his relationships with his friends were good, and Iruki and Nade, in particular, would surely be good companions for him in the future.
The problem was the relationship between Shirone and Amy.
They claimed to be a couple, but listening to their conversations, it was clear they weren't.
Lovers usually displayed a unique kind of intimacy. But that distinct feeling was absent between Shirone and Amy.
Yet they had been pretending to be a couple for a year.
Unless they were masters of emotional tightrope walking, they should have either broken up or gotten together for real by now.
Reina had seen countless cases where things dragged on like this until they ended up as just ordinary friends.
Ultimately, from her perspective, the two of them were nothing to each other.
Of course, there was always the potential for a spark to ignite a passionate flame, but given their personalities, the probability was extremely low.
The frustrating situation made her itch to say something, but the thought of them actually getting together stirred a strange anger in her, erasing any desire to help.
Reina realized this was a form of jealousy, but she postponed dealing with the thought, telling herself that if there was no competition, there was no need to worry.
*Huhu, now that I think about it, I’m not one to talk.*
Reina checked the time and spoke to Shirone.
“Let’s get going. We need to leave soon if we’re going to pick up my parents.”
Amy cut in.
“Wait. Let me talk to Shirone for a moment.”
“Hmm? You can talk on the way down. It’ll take some time to finish prepping the carriage anyway.”
She knew time was short, but there was an answer Amy absolutely had to hear from Shirone.
“It’ll only take a minute.”
Amy cut to the chase, requesting a brief moment. Reina blinked, then spoke as if she had no choice.
“Alright, I’ll go down and get things ready. Shirone, come down when you’re done talking.”
As Reina left, Nade and Iruki bowed respectfully.
She didn't know what kind of foxy trick she’d pulled, but it seemed the trio of fools had completely fallen for her.
Amy snorted in response and shooed everyone but Shirone out of the room.
Shirone, who had packed his clothes into a backpack, slung one strap over his shoulder and turned around.
“I’ll be back, Amy. Study hard for the exam.”
Amy got straight to the point.
“Something about this still bothers me. You know it too, don’t you?”
Shirone gave a bitter smile.
“I do, but… I don’t want to think about it. I also feel like I shouldn’t think that way if they really are my biological parents.”
Amy could understand his feelings. While everyone else was focused on him being the first prince of the Kazra Kingdom, for him, it was a journey to meet his blood relatives.
It would be a problem even if they were his real parents. They had abandoned their child. They had carved an incurable wound into Shirone’s heart.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
“I don’t know. Not right now. I guess I’ll find out when I get there, what I’ll end up thinking. But for now, I don’t want to make any judgments.”
Sadness and anxiety clouded Shirone’s face. Watching him, Amy mustered up the courage to speak.
“Should I go with you?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I could be a lot of help if I went with you. It’s not like we have classes anymore.”
Shirone’s heart warmed, but he quickly shook his head. He couldn’t steal the most important time of Amy’s life for his own selfish reasons.
“It’s okay. I’ll have Reina with me.”
Shirone flinched, feeling a chill from Amy’s eyes. Thankfully, the feeling vanished quickly, but her words were laced with an unidentifiable thorn.
“Fine, I get it. Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep your dear Reina waiting.”
Without a backward glance, Amy left the room. Shirone was still bewildered, but his own troubled situation left him no room to deeply consider her feelings.
Outside the dormitory, Reina stood with a clipboard, checking the carriage’s luggage one by one.
Shirone bid farewell to his friends, who had come to see him off. The trip would be ten days at most, but for some reason, it felt like a final goodbye.
Nade spoke.
“Have a safe trip. If you become a king, you have to buy me a jumbo cream puff from the snack bar.”
“Haha! Alright. But it’ll be vacation by the time I get back.”
Reina watched Shirone talking with his friends with a pleased expression.
Like Rian, Shirone had changed a lot in the past year.
Above all, the incident where he defeated Dante, who had been the best in the kingdom, was a great source of pride for the Ogent family.
Rian’s judgment had been correct.
And so had hers.
As Reina gazed at Shirone with affection, Seriel became an incarnation of fury, her fists trembling.
“I’m so disappointed in Shirone. This is when a man should draw a clear line.”
Seriel turned to Amy as if seeking agreement and was startled.
Amy, who had been brushing it off until now, was glaring daggers at Reina.
“Seriel, I’m going.”
Seriel’s face went pale. They had talked about it, of course, but she never thought Amy would actually make the decision.
“Amy, are you serious?”
Seriel’s expression quickly turned to one of concern.
The graduation exam was in a fortnight. This was no time to be distracted by other things.
“It’s fine. Classes are over anyway. I’ll just think of it as a little trip abroad for a change of pace.”
Seriel knew better than anyone that this wasn’t true.
In a way, she was envious of Amy for being able to throw everything away in a situation like this.
If she was going to go, then she had to send her off with all her support. So she wouldn't look back. So she wouldn't have any regrets.
Seriel pushed Amy’s back and said.
“Go get ‘em. You have my permission.”
Amy quickly added.
“It-It’s not because I’m bothered by Reina! I’m just worried about Shirone…”
“Hahaha! I know! Who said anything? Now go and put her in her place!”
With Seriel’s encouragement, Amy walked toward the carriage.
Shirone, who was just about to board, turned around and bid her farewell.
“Good luck, Amy! You have to pass. I’ll do my best, too.”
“Would you move?”
“Huh?”
Shirone didn’t understand. Amy waved her hand to the side in annoyance.
“I said, move. Ever hear of ‘ladies first’?”
Shoving Shirone aside, she climbed into the carriage, leaving Reina with a dumbfounded expression. Paying her no mind, Amy ducked inside.
“Hello. Thank you for having me along for the ride.”
“My, where are you going?”
Thoroughly annoyed, Reina pretended not to understand, even though she knew exactly what was happening. It wouldn't change anything, but she didn’t want to acknowledge the situation herself.
“Yes, I was worried about him going alone. It seems he can’t do without me looking after him.”
Shirone opened the carriage door and poked his head in.
“Amy! What’s going on? Are you really coming?”
“That’s why I got in. Hurry up and sit down. We don’t have time.”
Reina’s insides burned like a furnace.
Carmis Amy.
From what she’d observed over the past few days, she had a cautious personality that was fun to tease, but now she saw that Amy was just as hot-headed as Rian.
She regretted lighting an unnecessary fire, but the water was already spilled.