Volume 2 - CH 3

“Good morning, Lady Mylene!”

“Ugh… Oh, right, good morning to you, Your Highness.”

It was now the next morning, in the classroom.

I’d been sitting in a daze, like my spirit had escaped my body, when Albert’s voice brought me back to reality, and I immediately put back on my usual mask.

After that close encounter with Colette last night, I wasn’t able to sleep well, and that left me completely exhausted now.

Albert furrowed his eyebrows, probably from seeing the ghastly state I was in before he arrived.

“Um… Are you perhaps feeling unwell, Lady Mylene? You seem much more tired than usual.”

“Yeah, maybe a little. A few… things happened yesterday.”

I thought I’d been able to hide it behind my mask as usual, but Albert had noticed through careful observation and began asking me.

What I answered wasn’t far from the truth; I really was too exhausted to explain everything to him, and I was hoping he could read between the lines. I tried to reassure him with the most energetic smile I could muster.

I could feel the repressed worries begin creeping in again as I was too fatigued to handle it all. I really wanted to better answer Albert’s concerns and explain everything to him, but it was obvious that doing so would just make the situation even more complicated.

“Good morning, Prince Albert.”

“Oh, good morning Princess… Colette..? Um, might I ask why you seem strangely triumphant this morning?”

Well, even if I said nothing, a certain black-haired calamity would be sure to boast about what she had done.

Having given up on others would seeing me like this, I put my head down onto the desk.

“Huh? Wait, did something happen? Would you know why Lady Mylene looks so tired, Princess Colette? Does it have something to do with you?”

“Why, I am simply basking in the afterglow of a most joyous event that occurred just yesterday. That is all.”

“And… what do you mean by that? I would hope that such a thing was not something to do with why Lady Mylene is so fatigued… is it?!”

He was right on the mark.

Because of the weird rivalry he had with Colette, Albert couldn’t stay quiet after realizing she had somehow outmaneuvered and stolen a march on him.

“L-lady Mylene..!”

“Kukuku… How about you tell him yourself, Mylene? About the true nature of our new relationship.”

“What did you say?!”

Colette cackled in delight, condescending Albert like an evil aristocrat boasting about how they stole away an innocent village girl from her lover.

And Albert’s face warped with despair after hearing her misleading words.

“…There was a change in dorm room assignments yesterday. I now share a room with Princess Colette.”

“What did you say?!?!”

Albert repeated himself but with greater exaggeration.

His eyes began swimming in circles like restless whirlpools.

“Th-then… the reason for Lady Mylene’s fatigue is… No, it can’t be..!”

“It was our first day of being roommates after all, so it should go without saying that we would… deepen our relationship with one another. Of course, I trust you would understand exactly what that entails, wouldn’t you, Prince Albert?”

“What did you say..?!?!?!”

Ugh, could they stop already?

I let out another slovenly sigh before sitting back up and turning to face them.

If I left this whole thing alone for any longer out of tiredness, it would soon spiral out of control.

More and more curious stares were coming our way. If I didn’t stop these two idiots, a rumor like “the princess of Colhoun has stolen away the crown prince of Iltania’s fiancée” would start spreading around… Ugh, no, by now, I could only assume that the rumor was already spreading.

“To avoid any further misunderstandings, allow me to make things clear: nothing lewd nor obscene happened between us. I apologize for my boldness, but unlike Princess Colette, I am aware of the proper behavior with which I should be conducting myself, having been granted the honor of being Prince Albert’s fiancée.”

“Aw, you would give the game away so quickly? How disappointing…”

And so I explained the events of yesterday as plainly as possible, making sure it sounded normal without leaving any detail vague. Fortunately, Colette also confirmed what I was saying, though the her reluctance clearly showed on her face.

“Huh..? Um, is that… Is that all it was..?”

“I would not lie about something like this. The last thing I need is for strange misunderstandings to spread.”

“Oh… Oh, thank goodness…”

Our responses seemed to have convinced Albert, and he sighed in relief.

For some reason, his eyes were filled with tears. Ugh, it was times like this, when he was all spineless, that I really wanted to beat him back into shape… Well, I could overlook it this time, since this was trouble that headache named Colette had caused.

“…Aww, really? It was just another spat between Prince Albert and Princess Colette?”

“Wow, it sure must be tough being Miss Mylene!”

The busybody students watching this whole thing unfold finally dispersed as well, disappointed that this had all been just another of our usual daily antics.

…It was a good thing these two were always fooling around like this. If they had been quieter or more docile, there might’ve been even more rumors going around the Academy.

“Haa… Please control yourself. The joke was in bad taste.”

“Haha, oh do forgive me Mylene. I admit it was perhaps somewhat inappropriate.”

Colette simply laughed it off, but my blood had run cold thinking about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t stopped her ‘joke’.

It was the kind of thing I would ignore because it was troublesome, but at the same time, it would worsen if I left it alone. Naturally I’d have deal with it, but… that really didn’t make it any less annoying to deal with.

“Good grief…”

I reflexively let my guard down, and I let my ‘mask’ slip out of place… when I felt it.

…Somebody was watching us. There were still students milling about that had been watching us, but… this one felt different. It was more persistent, like a vigilant, hostile gaze staring right at us.

There was a lingering scent of a faint trail of magical power; I made some casual movements to hide the fact that I was tracing the magic, and before long, I’d found the source.

“…”

At the other end was a girl who, seeing me make eye contact, quickly turned her head away.

I hadn’t been able to make out her face before she turned away, but there was no hiding that small stature or her well-maintained, soft golden hair.

She was probably just another classmate, but something about her seemed familiar… Oh, she was the one who had spent the entire entrance ceremony staring at me.

I had completely forgotten about her since nothing had happened between us, but… that would not mean I could let down my guard. After everything that had happened with Pelmann, I couldn’t just randomly trust the people I knew.

Well, it wasn’t like she was constantly keeping watch on me, but since it was obvious whenever she did, I had been aware of her for quite some time now.

And this was the first time I’d caught sight of her staring.

(Is she with the Gods of the Moon… No, maybe someone is paying her to keep an eye on me?)

I should be keeping my mask on as usual, but I couldn’t help but direct a hostile glare toward the girl, something that was at odds with my ladylike image.

“Is something the matter, Mylene?”

“Is something bothering you?”

Yet I couldn’t let her realize I was now watching her in return.

It wasn’t until Colette and Albert called to me that I stopped looking.

“…It was nothing. Please do not mind it.”

I finally put my ‘mask’ back on before answering them with an elegant smile.

These two were actually pretty close with one another in their own way, and they had both picked up on my distractedness. But in the end, they returned dubious looks at me before returning to their own conversation.

That was a close one… If that girl really was part of that Gods of the Moon cult and observing us, then it would be better for me to let her continue swimming freely for a while longer.

It was so that they wouldn’t know that I had already realized I was being watched.

“Ugh, that’s another annoying thing to deal with.”

I muttered quietly to myself, low enough that neither Albert nor Colette would hear.

◆

…For some reason, the events of this morning felt like they’d happened so long ago.

The hour hand of the clock had slowly crawled along the whole time, until finally, it reached the time for our lunch break.

“Um, Mylene…”

“…Do you have need of me?”

Colette – the very same Colette that had been so animated this morning — nervously called out to me.

She shyly tugged at my sleeve, seeming hesitant at catching my attention and completely different from her usual self.

I never expected Colette to have this kind of side to her — let alone see it for myself.

How was I supposed to answer her like this? Maybe she was a much gentler, softer girl than I’d always assumed…

But as I pondered this, Colette made a motion with her eyes, directing my attention to her side.

Stares

There, at the end of her sight line, was a small girl peeking right at us. She was ‘hiding’ awkwardly behind a pillar — not so much hiding as most of her body was visible from behind her choice of cover.

Needless to say, her golden hair gave away that this little girl was the same person who had been watching us earlier.

…Calling her a ‘little girl’ felt strange since we were supposed to be the same age, but her small stature and the young, innocent look on her face made it hard not to do so.

Not to mention how sloppily she ‘hid’ from us. It was like looking at a small, curious creature.

“Would you happen to know her, Mylene?”

“You’re asking me, but…”

This would probably explain Colette’s current bizarre behavior at least, but it seemed our little ‘observer’ friend was too obviously suspicious; she was attracting much more attention than we were now.

Was she one of those ‘Gods of the Moon’ cultists then? It could explain her actions from this morning, too.

“What should we do… Should I tell her..?”

Albert asked hesitantly — not about in reference to me, but to our very obvious stalker.

…I guess I shouldn’t let her move about so freely. It was getting a little hard to continue suspecting someone like this could possibly be part of the Gods of the Moon. Had she been a powerful spellcaster like Pelmann, she should’ve been able to keep herself incognito and undetected while working towards that ‘end of the world’ nonsense they had planned.

And if she was acting this way on purpose, I’d be impressed. I could only praise an enemy for the sheer audacity they have to do something like that.

“Ah… No, there is no need to do so, Your Highness. It seems more she has some business with me. Let us catch her following us as we turn the corner, and find out what she has to say.”

I explained the plan in a low voice, and the two nodded their agreement.

It was foolish to openly discuss our plans, especially knowing we were under observation, but considering that girl’s own lack of discretion, I didn’t think there was anything to worry about.

So after turning past the corner and out of sight, we stopped and waited.

Before long, the same little girl came around the same corner.

“…!!”

She came to an immediate halt, gasping in surprise as she encountered three pairs of eyes glaring down at her.

Her reaction was like that of a small animal facing intimidation from a predator.

“Excuse me, but I could not help noticing how you have been following us for quite some time. Is there something you need from us?”

I spoke softly and as kindly as I could. I could feel my voice shake in my throat, having forced myself to change my tone.

I could tell that my change of tone had taken Albert and Colette by surprise. I could almost imagine the pitying looks on their faces.

It seemed a certain saying was true: when feeling pity, the gazes of even the most heartless individuals become warm and inviting.

With that in mind and having turned the tables, it was time to see how this tiny creature would respond.

“I-I am not sure what you mean.”

She nervously looked at each of us in turn, deliberately trying not to meet my gaze, before turning away and giving me a flat denial.

But such a slapshod excuse wouldn’t fool anyone, especially coming from someone too timid to look me in the eye.

…What had I been so worried about?

Well, it was still possible the Gods of the Moon cultists were manipulating her, or she was somehow involved with them without knowing what they really were.

“Hmm, then how about I put it this way: if there is something you need ask of me, then I will do my best to properly answer you.

I answered her with careful consideration, trying to assuage her fright.

But I wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do either. I’ve never before had to reassure someone like this before, let alone someone so obviously terrified.

And was I too intimidating? Was ambushing her like this the right thing to do? Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but think about these kinds of concerns.

…There was one thing I hadn’t been mistaken about: the thing I had felt earlier.

Her eyes began flitting about once again when I addressed her before finally settling to meet my gaze — I could see the hostility behind them.

“You! Mylene Petyul..! You won’t fool me..!”

“…?”

After declaring so, the girl turned and sprinted away — at full speed, I think.

Her answer had left me reeling, and I wasn’t able to ask her to explain before she had run off.

“What did you do to that girl, Mylene?”

“I’m.. not sure I have? I do not recall doing anything or being involved in any incidents while at the Academy. I have only been doing things my own way since the very first day.”

Colette’s question roused me from my stupor, and I answered her without thinking too hard about it.

Though, to be honest, I did have some ideas.

Things had become quite peaceful lately, ever since those pompous upperclassmen pricks stopped trying to pick fights with me. Ever since the start of term, I’d had to deal with all sorts of conflicts involving me, and doing so meant my name became fairly well-known.

I mean, to my credit, it wasn’t like I went around starting fights for no reason. In the first place, I don’t think that little girl was related in any way to those people from back then, so it was probably just something she had misunderstood about me.

And then there was what she said; ‘You won’t fool me’, was it? She must have been referring to how I had been helping people recently. I guess she meant to say I was only pretending to be a good person.

“Hmm, I see… Regardless, that girl was quite hostile.”

It was exactly as Colette said.

I had no idea why she would say something like that, as though I were the villain in a story… But at the same time, I could sense how cautious of me she was.

At the very least, I wanted to show that I wasn’t the kind of person who turned to unprovoked violence on a whim, but…

“Hmm… What I do not understand is why she, of all people, would be the one to act that way towards Lady Mylene.”

…Albert, who had a finger on his chin in thought, had a different idea.

And he spoke as though he knew the girl very well.

“Oh? Would you happen to know that girl, Prince Albert?”

“Um… Should you not know her as well..? She is our classmate after all. It may be to your benefit if you were aware of other people besides Lady Mylene, Princess Colette.”

Colette, who shared my thoughts, asked Albert, who answered in complete bafflement.

“If you would excuse my ignorance as well, I must add that I am also unfamiliar with that girl.”

“Y-you as well, Lady Mylene?! That girl was Miss Melissa! The Oracle of Iltania! Have you not already met with her, as God’s Blessed..?”

Well, I couldn’t really be a good honor student if I couldn’t even remember all of my classmates’ names. I would have to reflect on it, but right now…

When I heard the answer come out of Albert’s mouth, a certain memory resurfaced, and sudden chill ran down my spine.

If the Mylene she had met was the one from before I had taken over, then that would explain her attitude towards me. Considering Mylene’s previous behavior — one that led to the servants in her own home treating her like a temperamental viper — it should be unsurprising that Melissa suspected something about Mylene’s current behavior. Of course, I didn’t know how their first meeting had gone, but I was certain it hadn’t been a pleasant experience for Melissa.

But there was something more significant than that, and hearing her name was like a chilling wake-up call.

Melissa of Iltania’ was a name I remembered… No, it was more appropriate to say that was ‘a name I could never forget.’

“By Miss Melissa, you don’t mean… Melissa Tulio de Lulutowa?”

Because, unless she just happened to share a name, that would mean she was…

“Yes, the very same. So you knew of her after all then, Lady Mylene?”

“…You could say so. It isn’t much to go by, but I suppose I do know of her.”

…the very same duchess that Mylene had executed, an event that marked the beginning of the end for the Kingdom of Iltania.

To think, she was also the ‘Oracle of Iltania’…

The duchess beloved by and depended on by her people, who stood against Queen Mylene’s tyranny to the very end… was the Oracle of Iltania.

It might have been because those Gods of the Moon guys haven’t shown themselves in some time, but I was getting impatient.

I needed to learn more about the things that were to come. Considering the conflict between Melissa and Mylene in the previous history, as well as Melissa’s attitude at the moment, it was possible that she knew something important.

“I would like to hear what she has to say — no, I must hear her out.”

And it was possible that I could learn something useful by talking to her.

Cold anticipation seemed to flow through my body, and I could feel the corners of my mouth curl up.

“…It is hard to imagine having a civil conversation with her if she continues treating you like so.”

Colette’s words put an immediate end to my excitement.

She was right, of course. And it would be harder still since I didn’t know how to handle those… skittish, small animal-ish kinds of people.

But since she was from Iltania, I could probably let Albert handle all those complicated matters…

“Well then, how should I do this…”

I was good at scaring my enemies, but this time, I had to do the opposite: I had to not scare my target.

It would only take one wrong move to make her cry, and others would see it as bullying. My reputation at school would instantly fall apart, and my life would just get harder from there. I really needed to be careful about it this time.

I could only sigh loudly as I thought about the opportunity and trial that found itself before me.