Before Becoming a Professor
Before Ferzen could assume his professorial duties, the First Imperial Princess Elizabeth sipped her tea while rifling through documents. Propping her chin on her hand, she pondered a small question that suddenly arose.
‘Why did he never meet my eyes until the end?’
Ferzen von Schweig Brutein. No, now the second son of Brutein with the surname changed to Ruerg. That man had never once locked eyes with her.
It was excessive enough to seem less like mere etiquette and more like outright dismissal.
‘I could pry into his thoughts if I wanted...’
But it felt like a waste to do so.
Blessed by the God of Wisdom, Elizabeth could pierce through fortune and misfortune regarding matters she planned—or those concerning her directly. Separately, she possessed the ability to hear an opponent’s inner thoughts for three seconds in response to a casual question she tossed out.
There was a limitation—one use per person every three months—but thanks to this, she had been entrusted with fully managing the academy despite being a woman.
Knock knock.
——Ferzen von Schweig Ruerg requests an audience with Your Highness the Princess.
‘...’
What kind of coincidence is this?
Elizabeth curled the corner of her mouth slightly and granted Ferzen, who stood outside the door, permission to enter.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
A refined black suit contrasted with the pristine white shirt beneath. A necktie embroidered with the Brutein crest in exquisite stitching. His attire was neither ostentatious nor overly simple; it simply exuded elegance. The mark of a noble who didn’t need adornments to prove his worth.
“Do you have business here?”
“Yes. Might I have your permission for this?”
Bowing his head, Ferzen presented her with a sheet of paper—a report densely packed with text.
The content was straightforward. He wished to replace the furniture in his assigned lecture hall with something else.
“These are unfamiliar items.”
He even possessed artistic skill; at the bottom of the report was a detailed sketch of the desired replacements.
“……”
Elizabeth saw no reason to refuse, especially since he offered to cover the cost from his personal funds. However...
From the report Ferzen handed her, tendrils of red and magenta smoke began to waft subtly.
Elizabeth’s ability to divine fortune and misfortune in matters involving herself wasn’t something she could invoke at will. It manifested like a capricious child—sometimes showing omens, sometimes not.
‘This case... it’s been a while.’
Red signified misfortune; magenta, great misfortune.
In short: approving the report would bring misfortune. Rejecting it would bring great misfortune.
What on earth could this be, that not even a lesser evil was visible? A choice between bad and worse.
“Do as you please...”
Though capricious, its reliability was absolute, so Elizabeth had no choice but to grant permission.
“Thank you.”
Ferzen bowed deeply and turned to leave. This only deepened the princess’s curiosity about him.
“Ferzen.”
“Yes.”
“Raise your head and look at me. You’ve never once tried to meet my eyes.”
She wondered if there was some special reason, but Ferzen turned with disinterestingly simplicity, facing her with his signature crimson eyes.
“……”
Women were inherently sensitive to a man’s gaze. Thus, Elizabeth noticed how Ferzen’s eyes lingered briefly on her face before shifting to the hairpin perched in her hair.
‘As expected...’
A true Brutein, with a discerning eye.
Elizabeth didn’t show it outwardly, but inwardly, she was quite pleased. She disliked excessive ornamentation and preferred understated accessories. Among recent gifts, she particularly cherished this hairpin—crafted in the shape of a beaded flower with sapphire and ruby—but reactions from those around her had been lukewarm.
Yet Ferzen seemed to recognize its true value, filling her with subtle joy.
“Hm?”
Flutter.
A falcon perched hesitantly on the open window, folding its wings demurely.
Was this falcon fearless? It was too large to ignore easily, so Elizabeth waved her hand to shoo it away...
Flutter!
“Kyaa!”
The falcon suddenly spread its wings and lunged at her, talons raking through her hair.
Unable to mind her dignity, Elizabeth let out a girlish shriek and shot to her feet. She watched as the bird snatched her beaded flower hairpin and soared out the window...
Thud!
——!
Ferzen’s cane slammed down, pinning the falcon’s body to the floor with decisive force. He retrieved the hairpin from its talons, then seized it by the scruff and hurled it out the window.
The falcon plummeted at first, then spread its wings and vanished into the distance.
“What a brazen falcon.”
“Y-Yeah... Must be the raptor instincts—drawn to anything shiny.”
Recalling her shriek, Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment and sat back down, fussing to tidy her disheveled blonde hair.
Ferzen produced a jade comb from his subspace and approached her side.
“Allow me.”
“Handling a lady’s hair is trickier than it seems...”
“Would I dare touch Your Highness’s locks if I lacked confidence?”
“If you put it that way... very well, I’ll entrust it to you.”
Convinced by his assured tone, Elizabeth placed her hands primly on her lap and straightened her posture.
“Then, pardon me.”
Ferzen’s large hand caressed her hair as the comb glided smoothly through it.
Elizabeth had always loved others brushing her hair—ever since childhood, she’d coquettishly begged her father, mother, and brothers for it. As an adult, she settled for her maids’ careful washing during baths, but...
“Mm...”
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“N-No. Continue.”
In the ensuing silence, only the soft sounds of Ferzen tending her hair echoed quietly.
“Done.”
As he withdrew the comb, Elizabeth exhaled faintly and glanced in the mirror.
Contrary to his confident words, the result was merely neat. He had simply tidied it properly, nothing more.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Ferzen...”
“Yes.”
“Shouldn’t you leave the hairpin?”
“Ah...”
With a face like he’d forgotten, Ferzen placed the beaded flower hairpin before the princess.
“It’s a beautiful piece... but personally, I find the natural, unadorned look more appealing.”
“Are you flirting with me, despite having a wife?”
“……It’s not flirting. Merely my personal opinion.”
“Enough. You may go.”
“Understood.”
Click.
Ferzen opened the door and departed.
Left alone, Elizabeth gazed down at the beaded flower hairpin.
‘The skill to imply it doesn’t suit me without saying so outright...’
Given the tepid reactions from others, she couldn’t take his words as sincere. She merely assumed he was being polite.
‘Is my sense of aesthetics truly that odd...?’
Elizabeth felt inexplicably glum.
* * * * *
On the academy rooftop, I summoned the falcon and inwardly sighed in relief.
Cutting the mana link returned it to its corpse state.
I’d avoided direct eye contact so blatantly that I’d prepared countermeasures in case Princess Elizabeth ordered me to look at her—and it had worked in my favor.
‘That was... truly difficult to endure.’
A single hairpin on one side was irritating but tolerable—a fleeting compulsion that would fade once I left the room.
But the First Imperial Princess Elizabeth’s hairpin shattered the color harmony.
The flower had exactly five petals: three red, two transparent blue.
In a line, it wouldn’t matter, but the circular flower shape guaranteed overlaps.
If it were monochromatic, my OCD wouldn’t have flared. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
Of course, where two red petals overlapped, one bore the imperial crest. Red symbolized the imperial family, so I could guess the artisan’s intent—but from my perspective, it was utterly repulsive.
Had it six petals, I’d have applauded the nameless craftsman.
‘It felt natural enough.’
The princess hadn’t noticed any oddity, so I turned and descended from the rooftop.
‘Is that where the Rosenberg instructors who ran the school are?’
I sensed a crowd.
But black magic theory was once a week, and I had plans for how to teach it. If I got stuck later, I could consult the academy staff.
I had to submit my syllabus to Her Highness a week before the March 3 entrance ceremony anyway, so I’d never intended a half-hearted effort.
‘4:30 already...’
Time had passed, but I could still return before sunset.
Heading to the back of the main building where the carriage waited...
“……”
“……”
I crossed paths with Uriel approaching from the opposite direction.
“Leaving already?”
“You know I am.”
“True. Black magic theory is once a week, so no need to consult Rosenberg instructors for your plans.”
Elemental magic theory was three times a week. Students needed comprehension of elemental mages’ corpses to maximize utilization rates, so it’d draw the largest crowd.
“Uriel.”
“Don’t call me so familiarly.”
“Professor Uriel.”
“……”
“Do you crave my attention?”
“Who...! Alfred no longer clings to Brutein.”
“If not...”
Blurring my focus further, I slowly approached Uriel, backing her against the wall.
“Then I can assume this is mere malice and provocation.”
“……”
“Professor Uriel.”
“Your hypocrisy disgusts me. Your dignity... it’s not lofty.”
“……”
“Strip away the Brutein name, and what’s left of you?”
I leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“If I threw those words back at you verbatim, what would your answer be?”
“Hmph.”
Uriel turned away without responding. Watching her, I deliberately stepped on her left foot.
Ah, stepping on the left means the right too. So I crushed the right as well.
“Ow, it hurts...!”
“Professor Uriel. You are Alfred blood. Like it or not, Alfred trails behind you.”
“It hurts...!”
“So think carefully. Only bare your fangs and growl when you’re certain Alfred won’t break before Brutein.”
Uriel’s violet eyes welled with tears as she reached out with her left hand to shove me.
I caught it lightly, yanked it upward, and gripped firmly.
With her insteps crushed and hands pinned overhead, she looked quite undignified.
“Professor Uriel. You’ve truly become a tiresome woman.”
“……”
“The only thing you’ve grown is those vulgarly massive breasts, which you flaunt needlessly...”
“……!”
I released her hand and stepped back. Uriel’s eyes widened as she clutched her chest, her face flushed with shame.
“H-Have you finally lost your mind? Molesting an unmarried woman...!”
“Fair words beget fair replies. No need to stand on ceremony with one who doesn’t.”
Smoothing my wrinkled sleeve, I ignored her sputtering and boarded the carriage.
Stowing my cane in subspace, I headed home where Euphemia awaited.
It was 5 o’clock. I’d wasted a full thirty minutes on Uriel.
‘Was there more to it after that?’
Even if Claudia and Alfred had connected, leaking Ferzen’s past misdeeds to Claudia’s youngest daughter, Uriel’s inferiority complex seemed excessive.
‘Or is this normal... I don’t know.’
Brutein had always stayed aloof. Alfred was the one always prying. Brutein only suppressed them when it went too far.
Naturally, Brutein couldn’t understand the resulting grudges.
‘What a headache...’
She’d fit in fine with a bit of humility. Her stiff defiance made me want to lock her in a basement until she learned her place—like a starving wolf rearing its head. Suppressing that urge was exhausting.
Rubbing my temples, I strode calmly toward the arriving mansion.
* * * * *
‘He’s back.’
In the spotlessly cleaned bedroom, Euphemia gazed out the window and spotted the carriage entering, realizing Ferzen had returned.
Lonely and boring as solitude was, it brought a peculiar comfort that soothed her.
‘Today...’
It was her fertile window.
He probably wasn’t tracking her cycle, so if she could muddle through vaguely, she might continue this life without bearing his child.
Of course, she didn’t believe this loophole would last forever.
But no matter how she thought about it—carrying his child. Birthing a child that mirrored him, becoming that child’s mother...
She couldn’t imagine it. Nor did she want to.
Sitting on the bed, Euphemia hugged her knees, betraying her anxiety.
‘What’s taking so long...?’
But the door didn’t open, no matter how long she waited. Spring days were short; by 6 o’clock, thick darkness had already fallen outside.
Bang.
Then Ferzen entered.
His glossy black hair was damp, suggesting he’d bathed.
“Euphemia. Have you eaten dinner?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
As Ferzen in comfortable attire approached and climbed onto the bed, Euphemia flinched and scooted away.
Thankfully, the bed was spacious. But Ferzen reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
Then, all too naturally, his hand extended toward...
“N-No... Not tonight. I’m tired. It’s been less than a day since we arrived in the capital...”
“……”
Would such an excuse work? Even if not, what choice did she have?
“Very well.”
“……?”
But Ferzen acquiesced. So readily that her tension momentarily slackened—but she didn’t let her guard down.
Recall his reaction when she’d refused the necklace.
“Your thoughts are transparent, but indulging you once won’t hurt.”
“……”
“You’re likely in your fertile period. I’ll ensure nothing comes of your worries.”
Finishing his words, Ferzen rose, fetched a chair from the desk, and sat.
“Marital duties... aren’t limited to coupling.”
“What...”
“It’s fine. You can learn if you don’t know.”
Sitting upright without a hint of disarray, Ferzen beckoned Euphemia to kneel before him.