Chapter 27: Endurance

“Princess Lucia.”

Lucia’s lips curled into a smile, making no effort to hide her aggressiveness. It formed a sharp contrast with her pure appearance.

“At school, just call me a classmate, President Mahina.”

Mahina’s slender eyelashes fluttered slightly before she raised her eyes, her pink-blue gem-like gaze calmly meeting Lucia’s.

“Then please just call me Mahina as well.”

“Alright, Mahina. Did you need something from me?”

Mahina crossed her hands elegantly in front of her.

“I was just curious why you suddenly appeared here.”

Lucia glanced toward the girl in the classroom surrounded by a crowd. Blue gradient hair… that must be the one. Lucia’s tone was light, carrying the arrogant lethargy of royalty.

“Me? I’m here to see Merlinlia. She helped me so much, so of course I had to thank her in person.”

Mahina remained silent for a moment. Lucia looked at that gentle face with interest.

Hmm?

“Merlinlia isn’t such a simple person. I recommend you keep your distance from her.”

Lucia tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with even more interest, like a cat discovering intriguing prey.

“Why?”

Mahina’s brow furrowed.

“It is just my suggestion. It is difficult for me to give a reason even if you ask… I can only say that if you trust her too much, you will suffer for it one day.”

“Thanks for the advice. My reputation might be bad, and I can scare students into staying indoors when I’m angry, but I’m not that cold-blooded yet.”

“No, that is not your fault.”

Lucia didn’t care about the comfort and simply raised an eyebrow.

“One should judge by actions, not intentions. All I saw was a silly fool who secretly snuck into a dungeon and nearly died just to keep a promise to me. To distance myself from someone who faced a life-threatening danger to treat me… wouldn’t that be too heartless?”

Mahina repeated softly, her tone still gentle.

“The human heart is unpredictable.”

“So what? It hasn’t happened yet. Even if she betrays me in the future, the fact that she helped me before won’t change. I’ll just have to blame myself for misjudging her. Besides, I don’t think I’ve misjudged her at all.”

Just then, Merlinlia inside the classroom seemed to sense something. She looked over timidly and met Lucia’s eyes. The dominance on Lucia’s face melted instantly. She waved gently, signaling Merlinlia to come over. Her movements were elegant.

Merlinlia’s body visibly stiffened for a moment. Actually, Merlinlia didn’t want to go over. Because Mahina was there, but under the pressure of Lucia’s gentle yet oppressive gaze, she went anyway.

Lucia watched as Merlinlia stood up and walked toward her step by step. This was the first time Lucia had seen Merlinlia.

Oh my, so cute, so beautiful. She hadn’t been able to observe closely before because she was sitting down and surrounded by classmates. Merlinlia really looked like the incarnation of an elf walking out of the morning mist of a forest. She had a quiet yet uneasy aura, a delicate small nose, and long blue gradient hair that looked like a fusion of the sky and ice crystals.

Hmm… at first glance, they were two completely different people, but her temperament was actually very similar to the handsome boy she had met not long ago. If she didn’t know better and someone said she was Merlin’s sister, Lucia might have just accepted it.

Lucia took a step forward.

“Is there anything else?”

Mahina shook her head.

“Nothing else. I was just giving a suggestion; whether you take it is your choice.”

“I see…” Lucia dragged out the end of her sentence, her grey eyes narrowing slightly with a hint of playfulness. “I thought you were jealous.”

Mahina’s answer was so fast there was almost no pause.

“That is not the case. I will take my leave then.”

The moment Mahina turned to leave, Lucia’s voice rang out again with an obviously sarcastic tone.

“You aren’t jealous? Don’t you hate her? You even slapped her at the start of the semester. Yet here you are, kindly suggesting I don’t get close. Such contradictory behavior makes it hard for people not to overthink things.”

“How could that be? I have no right to interfere with anyone’s choice of friends.”

“Hello?”

Merlinlia walked trembling before the two princesses, completely forgetting that she was currently a princess herself. One was the academy’s fierce princess, and the other was the ex-wife princess who had dumped her.

I want to run away right now… ugh. Don’t involve me in your fight, I want to escape.

“Hello there, Merlinlia? I only came here to thank you for your help the other day. I came to see you as soon as I returned from the expedition. Is your body feeling better?”

“Yes, thanks to the ‘Tears of the Spring,’ I was able to move freely by the next day.”

Lucia raised her voice slightly, ensuring every word reached the other’s ears clearly.

“I see… Since you were injured for my sake, let me pay for the ‘Tears of the Spring.’ It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

That’s right—for my sake. Lucia emphasized those words intentionally.

Lucia looked at Mahina in front of her.

“As a princess of the Empire, it would be too rude to let an Elven princess get injured for my sake, wouldn’t it? That’s why I should reimburse her. Not just for the material costs this time, but if you need anything in the future, you can come to me anytime.”

Lucia took Merlinlia’s hand and pulled her forcefully into her arms. Merlinlia let out a small cry. Like a cub that had just learned to walk, she stumbled and fell into Lucia’s embrace without any power to resist.

Lucia held the delicate Elven princess like this, her hands tightly wrapping around Merlinlia’s slender waist and shoulders. In a posture that declared ownership, she intimately rested her chin on Merlinlia’s soft blue gradient hair. Then, she raised her eyes and locked onto Mahina’s face, which had finally changed color slightly.

Hmm? Looks like there really is a reaction.

She had already heard what kind of person Merlinlia was from Mary. This distance shouldn’t make Merlinlia hate her, right? Indeed, Merlinlia only gave her a resentful glance before lowering her head and remaining silent, letting Lucia do as she pleased.

Sigh, that resentful little look is so cute. What are you doing, sweetheart, even pouting your little lips.

She understood what Mary meant now. Under Mahina’s gaze, Lucia began to rub her cheek against Merlinlia’s hair and then against her cheek. Merlinlia even gave her feedback; when Lucia rubbed her head, she would tilt her head in response.

Tsk, how could they let a girl like this move around the school alone? It’s too dangerous. I really don’t know why Mahina is so reactive. Where is the “bad” part? On the contrary, Lucia was worried about what would happen if someone with ill intentions tried to talk to her.

Well, no need to rush that. Lucia looked up again, meeting Mahina’s eyes.

“So this is the kind of child Merlinlia is in your heart? She’s completely different with me. If you can still take it, keep watching us being affectionate.”

“…………”

Lucia rubbed Merlinlia’s small cheek once more. Merlinlia acted like an obedient little animal, letting her do whatever she wanted.

“See? Our Elven princess is just a soft little thing. What bad intentions could she possibly have?”