Chapter 37: Those Were Only Fairy Tales After All

Two maids stood by the stone gazebo, watching Veronica swallow one pastry after another. There was not a hint of joy on her face.

Whenever the Princess was in a bad mood, she would eat incessantly like this, all by herself.

It was not just because of gluttony.

It was simply that, aside from this, she did not know what other way to vent her pent-up emotions.

In those beautiful stories, a princess is always supposed to be poised and elegant, gentle and beautiful, naturally beloved by the prince and everyone else.

No one would ever think there was a problem with that.

No one would believe that such a perfect princess does not exist in this world.

No one cares what the princess was like in the beginning.

But the maids had seen Veronica when she was a child.

Back then, the Princess was not as sharp as she was now.

She loved shiny jewelry, liked to pester the court ladies with endless questions, and would be happy for an entire day if the cook gave her an extra piece of honey cake.

The little princess, who was born round with chubby cheeks, looked more like a coddled little girl.

It was a pity that such days did not last long.

As she grew older, the gossip about her in the palace became increasingly frequent.

A princess without Magic Talent was hard to like in the first place.

Because of this, more was demanded of Veronica; etiquette, dance, and music all weighed heavily upon her slender shoulders.

Everyone was forcing her to become a truly qualified princess.

However, she did not learn them well.

The people in charge of her upbringing were not kind either, their gazes always carrying criticism and contempt.

The two maids watched with their own eyes as this adorable little girl forced herself to stiffen up like a real princess.

Just as she had said earlier.

Veronica had never done anything wrong.

At first, it was just one extra piece of pastry.

With all-day training in etiquette, dance, and music, she deserved a bit of comfort at night.

Later, it became a whole plate.

And after that, it became what it was today.

People loved staring at her awkwardness and lack of grace more and more.

Yet, Veronica had a blunt nature; she could not hide when she felt slighted, nor could she suppress her temper when it flared.

The more she was mocked, the angrier she became.

The maids knew that Veronica was not unaware of how others gossiped about her.

She simply could not stop.

The cloying, sweet scent could suppress those piercing gazes and the whispers behind her back.

As long as she kept eating, the stuffy, painful anger, grievance, and frustration in her chest could be suppressed for a little while.

That was why the Princess was becoming fatter, and her temper was becoming worse.

But when it came down to it, she had not learned any other way to live.

Those stories always loved to write about how a prince would see a princess’s tears and, guided by fate, kiss the beautiful princess awake.

But in reality.

No one ever stopped for the fat Veronica.

—

The morning bell echoed leisurely over the Academy.

One chime, then another.

The bell ringing passed through the towering white stone library towers, skimmed over the continuous vaulted corridors, and descended into the courtyard, which still held the chill of the morning.

After the small incident earlier that morning, Lavia welcomed the first day of formal classes.

The Ruen Royal Magic Academy’s teaching building stood on the north side of the academy’s courtyard.

It was as magnificent as a palace cast from white stone.

The building was constructed entirely of gray-white stone, its outer walls covered in ever-lasting pale gold patterns.

Vaults and spires interlaced under the cloud shadows, as if they had forcibly fused the most solemn cathedral and the noble council hall of the Royal Capital into one.

The overall appearance was solemn and majestic.

Harvey’s eyes were wide, and his face was full of shock as he looked at everything before him.

Not long after leaving the mansion, he had seen with his own eyes a person draped in a mage’s robe sweeping through the air.

By the time the two reached the vicinity of the teaching building, more and more people were using Wind Magic to travel, and even the morning air was flowing with traces of magic.

Not far away, several students manipulated fire and water elements, chatting while nonchalantly playing with those forces that would make an ordinary person gape in astonishment.

This was the hall of magic.

Only now did Harvey truly feel the reality of being at a magic academy.

“HIIIIIIII!”

Suddenly, the daylight dimmed.

A massive shadow swept overhead, and immediately after, a bestial cry carrying wildness and pressure came from high above.

Harvey instinctively looked up, his eyes widening.

“Is, is that a griffin?!”

He could not help but blurt it out.

The Griffin Knights—

One of the most elite armed forces of the Rune Kingdom, a famous light cavalry unit of the Orlandora Continent, and the only unit in the continent capable of aerial combat.

Anyone who could ride a griffin to soar through the skies was undoubtedly a formal member of the knights.

Harvey watched the giant griffin spread its wings and fly past, his eyes full of longing.

“Harvey?”

Beside him came a sound of dissatisfied calling.

Lavia was standing slightly to his front, her pure white apprentice robe gently lifted by the morning breeze.

Her water-blue hair, which was merely tied back casually, shimmered with tiny glints in the sunlight, making her already overly outstanding face appear even more beautiful.

The two were not walking fast, and Lavia’s expression remained as cold as ever.

Yet, the more she was like this, the more impossible it was to ignore that natural nobility and arrogance.

Seeing Harvey still looking up, as if his soul had been snatched away while he remained blind to her presence, even though she was right beside him.

She felt a wave of displeasure in her heart.

“Why,”

She raised her eyebrows slightly, “have you not seen enough yet?”

She had clearly shown him even more beautiful Ice Magic in front of him, yet he had not displayed such astonishment then.

Harvey came back to his senses, his expression laced with a bit of embarrassment.

“I apologize, Miss, I was a bit too excited…”

Looking at his callow gaze from under his bangs, Lavia immediately turned her head back.

“It is alright.”

She pursed her lips and said earnestly, “However, your gaze should not shift away from me.”

That was truly, far too foul.

The two’s interaction drew side-glances from passing students, even causing some commotion.

After all, the eldest miss of the Astarea family was not someone who could appear in the academy without drawing attention.

When she enrolled last year, she invited the admiration of many noble offspring.

Those love letters that had been transferred back and forth to her, and the love songs quietly played during banquets and tea parties, had never been in short supply.

Although the dogmas and etiquette of Ruen were strict and rigid, they did not hinder subtle and elegant courting.

Especially among the nobility.

No matter how strict the laws were, they could not stop the youthful admiration of those in their prime.

Yet, this noble duke’s daughter had never shown a pleasant expression toward anyone.

But at this moment—

Beside this young miss, there was actually a man following her.

Harvey was wearing a very ordinary black robe, devoid of the family crests and intricate decorations typical of noble students; he was so plain he was almost shabby.

His slightly different black hair and pale skin.

Coupled with a temperament that seemed at odds with his surroundings, he looked particularly glaring standing next to Lavia.

In just that short walk, the gazes falling on him were even more numerous than those falling on Lavia.

Harvey could feel the emotions contained in those stares.

Scrutiny, suspicion, exclusion…

And even undisguised hostility.

He felt uncomfortable all over.

In his mind, the words of the Head Maid resonated in his ear once more.

—You are a servant of the Duke’s Mansion, you ought to display a sense of conviction.

Harvey instinctively straightened his back.

Lavia, walking in front, noticed nothing at all.

Or perhaps, she simply did not care.

With a indifferent expression, she led him directly into the teaching building.

Even if someone wanted to step forward to greet her, she did not even pause her pace.

The two walked quickly up the stone steps in front of the teaching building.

The towering white stone gate loomed before them like a silent city wall.

Harvey looked back over his shoulder.

A mere dozen or so steps were enough for him to see further into the distance.

The morning light fell quietly, spreading across the gray-white stone steps.

It was so bright that he squinted.

The sunlight was truly lovely.