Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Academy Cultural Festival (4)
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Cultural Festival day. The central garden of the Academy, far noisier than usual.
Excluding Lucia, who was still resting in the student council room, everyone there was a noble young lord or lady, yet the atmosphere felt just like a commoners' marketplace.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Cedric."
"It's been a while, Gerard Young Lord."
"Are you inspecting the festival with your fiancée? If it's alright with you, would you care to try the cold juice we make at our shop?"
Of course, it only looked that way on the surface—one layer peeled back, and it was no different from the usual social gatherings.
The Gerard Count family pushed cooling stones produced from their territory's mines as their main export. Using the festival to advertise their goods. From the looks of it, the ones shaping the cooling stones behind were from the Silvet Viscount family, who mainly used wind magic.
"I appreciate the offer, but later..."
"If it's okay, could you make it lemon flavor? Walking around since morning has left me a bit thirsty."
"Yes, Lady Rozier."
...Just as I was about to refuse to avoid any potential rumors, Elena stepped forward calmly and took the glass.
I refrained from noting or stopping her, wondering if this action held some important meaning.
-Slurp.
"It's refreshingly good. Though it could've used a bit less sugar."
"Thank you for the advice, Lady Rozier."
"Anyway, thanks. Enjoy the festival, Gerard Young Lord."
"Yes, please have a wonderful time as well, Lady Rozier and Your Highness the Prince."
Contrary to my expectation that something might happen, Elena calmly withdrew with just the drink in hand.
Only after reaching a secluded spot a bit away from the Gerard family's stall did I lean close to her ear and whisper my question.
"Why'd you take the drink? Does the Gerard family play an important role later in the original story?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I thought you were deliberately going along with the Gerard Young Lord's family promotion. I figured since it's you, Elena, there must be some thought behind it, so I didn't stop you."
"...Oh, that?"
"Yeah. Was there special meaning to it?"
"I just took it because I was thirsty."
"......Huh?"
Contrary to my assumption that it must have meaning, Elena looked at me with an expression of sheer disbelief.
"Why overanalyze getting a drink at the festival? If I want to eat or drink something, I just do."
"But we have positions to consider. Accepting favors from just anyone could lead to misunderstandings about friendships later..."
"What are you even saying? Don't tell me you've been thinking like that the whole time we passed by earlier? Wow, seriously. I knew you were uptight, but hearing this nonsense is just ridiculous."
"...Is it that bad?"
"Thinking every little snack at the festival means some grand alliance. First off, fix that habit of connecting everything politically."
"...Sorry."
Was I thinking too rigidly, just as Elena said?
Having grown up with education as the future king of Arbel Kingdom, I'd always believed I needed to maintain boundaries in how I treated people.
Hearing her response like this made one of the values ingrained in my head feel a little shaken.
"Here, drink this at least and cool your head."
"...Got it."
Elena handed me the cold lemon juice she'd received from Gerard Young Lord moments ago.
As I absentmindedly sipped from the straw touching my lips, the slightly sweet, chilled drink slid down my throat, just as she'd said.
'Still, this level of sweetness would feel normally sweet to others.'
I tend to eat on the bland side usually, so that's why I notice it.
'Wait, come to think of it, this straw... Wasn't it the one Elena just had in her mouth?'
I recalled Gerard Young Lord hadn't given us two straws.
As that thought crossed my mind and I glanced at Elena, she was casually approaching a booth run by another lady.
"Ah, Lady Rozier!"
"Hello, Dorothy. I could smell something nice from afar, so I came over. Is it perfume?"
"Yes! It's perfume made from fresh flowers from the Lorenz Marquis territory!"
"Rose with orange blossom notes... Quite delicately blended."
"Thank you, Lady Rozier!"
Watching this, I could really feel how popular Elena was wherever she went.
Almost no one at the booths didn't recognize her face. And while she didn't know everyone, she remembered the names of those who held somewhat important roles in the Academy.
"Would His Highness the Prince like to try it too?"
"...Sure."
As if it were natural, Elena brought her hand—now scented—to my face at her invitation to smell it.
Feeling others' gazes gather, I deliberately held her hand firmly and brought my face close.
"Nice scent, Elena."
"His Highness the Prince says so too, Dorothy."
"Th-thank you!"
I wasn't sure if she realized it, but she was still solidifying her position as my fiancée this way.
So I, too, made a point of parading around with her, showing off our harmonious fiancée relationship as much as possible.
Before I knew it, evening had arrived while we toured the booths under the pretext of inspection.
Having snacked on treats from other students along the way, I wasn't particularly hungry.
'Time to wrap up and tidy things.'
As my first cultural festival since becoming student council president, this had gone off without major incidents.
At least compared to last year's festival under Orpheus's supervision, it was far more orderly. The mere fact that I, the student council president, had time to date Elena under the guise of inspection proved it.
There had been the Luibos Viscount lady's theft incident, but Elena had handled that neatly in the end.
"The other booths seem to be packing up, so how about heading back to the student council room, Elena?"
"Ah, before that, let me check one more place."
"Still something left to do?"
"Not really a task... Just something I want to check."
With that casual remark, Elena headed off. Her destination was an exhibition booth in a rather out-of-the-way corner of the central garden.
'Genetics experience, huh. Quite an unusual subject.'
Come to think of it, I'd heard the Esbaren family researched plant breeding.
As I approached the booth with that thought, sure enough, Theodor Esbaren Young Lord was there. Beside him was one of Elena's aides I'd crossed paths with a few times in the palace.
"Amelie, I'm here."
"Welcome, Elena! Your Highness too!"
"It's been a while. Lady Saintro set up a booth as well?"
"Not exactly a club booth. It's just a modest display and experience of our family's studies—nothing impressive."
"Not at all, Lady Amelie. Especially these research materials on dominant and recessive inheritance in this plant could be the key to our family's breeding improvements..."
"Esbaren Young Lord is here too. Do you know Lady Saintro?"
"Ah, yes. We met by chance at the library early in the semester looking for the same book. We got close after learning our families do similar research."
"I see."
As Elena had said, if left alone, they'd meet as fated. Their connection had formed somehow.
Outwardly, it was for academic reasons, but I wasn't so oblivious as to miss the subtle atmosphere between them.
"Well, since we're here, shall I buy a booklet? How much is this?"
"Oh, feel free to take it. We were packing up anyway. No point carrying leftovers home, so Your Highness lightening our load is thanks enough!"
Lady Saintro, with her bright, energetic, and overwhelmingly positive personality.
In many ways, she was the complete opposite of Lady Grabel. I wondered how the three of them—Elena included—got along so well.
'Probably because Elena acts as the bridge between them.'
"Lady Amelie, there's dust on your hair here."
"Eek?! Th-thank you, Theodor!"
Staying longer would just sour my mood, so I took the booklet and left a bit early.
My second brother with Lady Grabel, and now this—everyone around Elena was deep in syrupy romance, yet Elena herself showed zero interest in that direction.
"Oh. Hey, Cedric. Look over there."
"...What now, Elena."
"That waffle booth hasn't closed yet. Let's grab one last one before heading up."
"We ate plenty earlier. Still room left?"
"Sweets go in infinitely no matter how much you eat? And we walked a ton today, so calories are fine."
"Calories...?"
"Means it's okay to eat more since we burned energy walking all day."
Well, if Elena says so. Not understanding her words all at once wasn't a one-day thing.
She split a flame-magic-grilled waffle in half and shoved one piece right in my face.
"Here, take it."
"I'm good. You eat it all, Elena."
"Just take it. I specially asked for lemon cream thinking you'd eat some."
"...Alright."
She said she thought of me, so refusing would look odd.
Taking the waffle from her hand and biting in, the cream's perfect tangy sweetness lingered in my mouth.
'A bit subtle for a date, but... not bad at all.'
At least I'd spent the whole day with Elena, and that was definitely good.
As we headed to the student council room with that thought... I noticed white cream smudged on the corner of her mouth.
'Lady Amelie, there's dust on your hair here.'
'Eek?! Th-thank you, Theodor!'
"......"
Why were Esbaren Young Lord brushing dust from her hair and Lady Saintro flustered yet shy images popping into my head now?
Yeah, maybe Elena not seeing me as a man stemmed from my lack of this kind of assertiveness.
"Y-your mouth has cream on it, Elena."
"Huh? Where?"
-Swipe.
"There, I got it."
-Lick.
"............Uh."
The moment I licked the finger that had grazed the edge of her lips right in front of her eyes, Elena froze like she'd been hit by frost magic.
As her face started to flush, she whipped her head away, and the words that burst from her mouth were...
"Whoa, f-fuc...! You, crazy, whoa, fu...!!"
"...What's wrong."
"Whoa, fuck.... D-don't ever do that again?! Whoa, I thought I was gonna hurl, fuck...."
"...Sorry."
The words sounded like anger, no different from usual Elena, but I'd seen it clearly.
The tips of her ears, as she hurriedly turned away to hide her expression, were quite red.