Chapter 265: Council of Kings (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 265: Council of Kings (1)
Eve Ropenheim realized she lacked courage.
She might have been able to speak to Isaac naturally if she had approached him immediately after returning to Märchen Academy. But as time passed and her reason returned, her resolve wavered. Now, even though Isaac was back at the academy, she couldn't bring herself to say a word.
If it were just a matter of courage, things might have been different. However, Isaac was constantly surrounded by figures so imposing she hardly dared to look in their direction.
Luce Eltania, Kaya Astrea, Dorothy Heartnova, Alice Carroll, Princess Snow White…
There was simply no opening to break through. As the days slipped by, Eve’s courage continued to dwindle, leaving her with nothing but deepening hesitation.
This won’t do…!
Eve scolded herself the moment she woke up in her dorm that morning.
She couldn't let things continue like this. She had to talk to her brother. She slapped her cheeks firmly, psyching herself up.
Today, she felt good. She was brimming with a strange, unfounded confidence, feeling as though she could finally face Isaac even if the world were ending. It was one of those rare, perfect days.
However…
“Isaac, where are you…?”
No matter where she searched on campus, Isaac was nowhere to be found.
Clinging to a faint hope, Eve went to the administration office at Bartos Hall to ask the faculty about his whereabouts.
“Student Isaac is currently off-campus.”
“What…?”
“He applied for a leave of absence and passed through the guard post just this morning.”
Eve stood there, dumbfounded.
He went out again? On a day like this…?
Why does it always end up like this?
“Um? Student Eve?”
The faculty member looked on with concern as Eve’s complexion turned deathly pale.
*
Keridna Whiteclark. She was a second-year student in the Magic Department at Märchen Academy, ranked 5th in her grade, and a member of Class A.
This vacation held special significance for her. She had arranged to meet her prospective fiancé for the first time.
Though her parents had chosen the match, Keridna didn’t even know what the man looked like. However, since he was rumored to be a handsome young nobleman, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation.
“Lady Keridna, are you nervous?”
“N-nervous? Don't be ridiculous.”
Keridna was seated in an elegant pavilion set within the grand gardens of the Whiteclark estate. A maid stood demurely by her side.
The roof of the pavilion was dusted with the white snow that fell year-round in the northern regions. Designed specifically with the snowfall in mind, the scenery was breathtakingly aesthetic.
Dressed in her finest attire, Keridna imagined her ideal man, her hand trembling as she held her teacup.
“But your hand is…”
“Can’t you feel the sudden tremor in the earth?”
“Oh, yes… But perhaps a deep breath would help calm you?”
“I told you, I’m not nervous.”
Keridna let out a frivolous laugh.
“On the contrary, I’m brimming with confidence. Why should I be nervous? It’s the other person who should be shaking. If he can’t accept the wicked nature hidden behind my innocent facade, he doesn’t deserve to be my man…!”
“Oh… yes. Of course.”
Keridna had yet to outgrow her adolescent delusions. Despite her pure and delicate nature, she was fascinated by the archetype of a "villainess" and tried her best to act the part. Her high sensitivity and empathy meant she had been easily swept away by plays and novels since she was a child.
It was a familiar sight for the maid, who simply let the comment slide.
At that moment, the maid noticed a man and his escorts approaching the pavilion.
“They’ve arrived.”
“Ah…!”
Keridna jumped to her feet, freezing stiffly.
Her heart pounded wildly. She blushed, recalling the handsome male leads from her plays who would embrace the villainess.
The maid stepped forward to greet them first.
“Thank you for traveling all the way from Viyans.”
“Hehe…! It was nothing…!”
Keridna’s eyes, sparkling with anticipation, darted toward the visitors. She fixed her gaze on the nobleman approaching her.
“…It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady of the Whiteclark family! I am Helize of the House of Duke Saint Rio!”
Ssss.
Keridna’s gaze turned cold, as if doused with ice water.
The person approaching her was a young boy, shorter than Keridna, wearing clothes far too flashy for his age. His swaggering gait and innocent, high-pitched laughter were the height of frivolity.
He was indeed as beautiful as the rumors suggested, but he looked far too young. He was light-years away from the ruggedly handsome figure Keridna had envisioned.
“Ah… welcome, Lord Helize. If I may ask… how old are you?”
“I am thirteen this year!”
Keridna let out a choked sound and staggered, clutching the table to keep from collapsing.
This was not what she expected.
“Lady Keridna?”
“I didn’t want a kid…”
“Pardon?”
“What I wanted was a handsome man… strong like a beast, yet possessing the fleeting innocence of the fresh flavor of Sigur Mountain tea…!”
Keridna murmured in a tragic voice, her head hanging low. Her pink hair drooped, shielding her disappointed face.
Her parents’ pressure to get engaged felt like pure coercion now. It was disheartening to realize she was expected to view this boy as a serious romantic prospect.
“What is the matter, my dear?”
“Ugh…!”
The young boy’s endearment sent chills down her spine. Keridna felt like she might cough up blood.
“Lady Keridna…”
“This isn’t right. This really isn’t right… How do I refuse him…?”
“Even if you ask me, I’m not sure…”
For the sake of her family’s reputation, she couldn't afford a diplomatic incident with Helize. Keridna whispered a desperate plea for help to her maid, but the woman could only offer a helpless look.
At that moment.
[Kaaaah!]
The roar of a ferocious beast tore through the air.
Keridna’s eyes snapped wide, her head jerking upward.
That roar…
She had heard it only a few months ago.
A violent gale erupted. Helize, the boy of the Saint Rio family, shrieked, “W-what is that?!” and trembled in terror as his escorts rushed to shield him.
White jade mana scattered like falling snow, and a massive white dragon descended, landing heavily in the Whiteclark garden.
“What in the world…?”
It was the mythical white dragon, Frost Dragon Hilde.
The servants of the Whiteclark estate gasped in shock. “A white dragon…?”
The escorts of the Saint Rio family drew their weapons, their vigilance reaching a breaking point.
Thirteen-year-old Helize, completely overwhelmed by the dragon’s majesty, whimpered, “Mommy…”
The white dragon lowered its head to the grass, and a man with silver-blue hair casually dismounted. He walked straight toward Keridna.
He wasn't dressed in the luxurious silks of a high noble, nor was he stylishly adorned, but he possessed the exact presence of the ideal man Keridna had seen in her plays.
However, to Keridna, this man wasn't a romantic interest—he was an object of pure terror.
“Hmm?”
The silver-blue-haired man, Isaac, stopped in front of the pavilion.
The escorts glared at him warily. The servants stood frozen in awe. The young noble boy hid behind his guards, shaking.
Keridna, too, was visibly trembling.
“Did I come at a bad time?”
“Why are you… here…?”
Keridna felt like she might faint.
*
The Council of Kings.
Following the 「Alice Subjugation」, Lightning Sovereign Jaul Dragoniac had invited me to this meeting. I had come to the Whiteclark ducal estate to meet with Aichel Whiteclark for this very reason.
As soon as I arrived, I spotted my classmate Keridna and went to greet her first, but it seemed my timing was off.
Keridna was the type who valued social networking, but we weren't actually close. I struggled to remember if we had ever had a proper conversation.
But we both know we’re classmates.
I figured it would be best to act friendly.
I reverse-summoned Hilde. I had coordinated with Aichel Whiteclark via letters before flying here. The Whiteclark Duchy in the North was vast and distant, so I needed confirmation that there would be no issues with my arrival.
The last time I went to Düpfendorf, I had to cross borders while maintaining the dignity of a King. I didn't want to rudely violate the empire’s airspace, so I had refrained from riding Hilde then.
But honestly, riding a dragon was far more efficient than a carriage.
“Tea… the tea is served…”
“Oh, thank you… but why are you the one serving it?”
“I thought it would be… polite…”
We were in the reception room.
I was sitting on the sofa, waiting for Aichel. For some reason, Keridna had personally brought out the steaming tea. She stood there demurely with her hands clasped like a maid, looking so restless that it made me feel awkward.
“Why are you using formal speech? We’re classmates.”
“This isn’t the academy…”
Strictly speaking, we belonged to different nations, so there was no formal hierarchy between us. Keridna was simply terrified of me.
“What are you talking about? It’s not like you owe me anything. The only thing between us is that we aren't very close.”
“I-I do have a sense of shame…! I said some terrible things during last year’s end-of-semester evaluation…”
I first met Keridna during the evaluation at the end of the first semester of our freshman year. At the time, she had spotted me from the roof of a tall building and shouted something down at me.
I hadn't been able to hear a word, so I ignored her, but it seemed Keridna thought she had made a lasting bad impression.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t hear a thing.”
“I had my doubts, but as expected, you really didn’t hear it…!”
You didn’t realize that until a year later? You’re a bit late to be losing sleep over it now.
“By the way, where is Lady Aichel?”
“Oh, she’ll be here soon. She was out for a moment. When I informed her of your arrival, she said she’d return immediately via her familiar.”
“I see. Hmm…”
Using formal language with a classmate really was a pain.
“…Seriously, stop with the formalities. It’s uncomfortable and makes me feel unnecessarily guilty.”
“How could someone like me dare to speak informally to a King…?”
“…”
This was incredibly awkward.
What should I do?
Ah.
“Fine. Then I’ll use formal language as well.”
“…!”
Keridna looked as though she had been struck by lightning. Her face went pale.
I ignored her shock and calmly took a sip of my tea.