Chapter – 30
A Royal Tragedy
The ceremony held in the chapel, surrounded by stained glass and housing a magnificent statue of Demiurge, was incredible. What was incredible, you ask? The popularity of the two princes.
At first, the ceremony proceeded in a solemn atmosphere. But the moment the two of them took the stage as representatives of the new students, the chapel erupted with enough noise to make the building shake. It wasn’t just the female students; even the male students were cheering.
I couldn’t tell if there were already factions among the students or if their popularity was simply split right down the middle, but it was surprising to hear the names Noah and Gilbert being shouted in competition.
(Well, no matter how popular Gilbert is, it has nothing to do with me in this life.)
In the original story, I’m the villainess who gets in the way of the Saint and Gilbert, but now I’m just the Crown Prince’s fiancĂ©e candidate. I can’t possibly get in their way. Gilbert can cozy up to the Saint during events as much as he likes.
That’s what I thoughtâbut.
After the ceremony ended and we moved to the classroom, I sat down in my seat, trembling inwardly.
(Why am I in this class…?)
The Royal Academy has two types of classes. One is the Noble Class, which most children of nobles enter. The other is the Royal Class, reserved only for important figures: members of the royal family and their associates, nobles studying abroad from other countries, rare ability users, and so on.
In my first life, I was in the Noble Class for regular noble children. Even though I was Prince Gilbert’s fiancĂ©e, I didn’t have a Blessing.
Not having a Blessing means lacking the aptitude to form contracts with spirits and wield magic. The students in the Royal Class all have high magical power and are those who contract with high-ranking spirits. Being among them would surely have made me feel out of place.
I had applied to the academy as having no Blessing, just like in my first life. Naturally, I should have been in the Noble Class again this time. I’d even felt somewhat relieved, thinking that unless I approached the Royal Class myself, I would hardly have any interaction with the romanceable targets.
“Thinking that I get to spend every day with Olivia from now on makes me so happy, I feel like I might be summoned to the side of Lord Demiurge.”
The one who said this with a dazzling smile was Crown Prince Noah, who had sat down next to me.
The classroom had tiered seating at the back, with long desks placed on each tier. The style was that students could freely choose and sit wherever they liked.
I had taken a seat at a long desk on the second tier, by the window, and was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but Noah, with his exceptionally royal radiance, kept getting in the way.
“Your Highness Noah… Why am I in the Royal Class?”
“You’re my fiancĂ©e. It’s only natural, isn’t it? Ah, your application form mistakenly stated you had no Blessing, so I corrected it to say you have the Water Blessing and have already contracted with Fenrir.”
Well, the culprit who dumped me into the Royal Class was the Crown Prince himself.
More importantly, why does he even know the contents of my application form? And he went ahead and corrected it, even changing my class, it seems.
(As expected of the intense affection level… The obsession is scary.)
“More importantly, Olivia, isn’t the blackboard hard to see from here? Should I have someone in the front middle switch seats with you?”
“N-No, there’s no need to go that far…”
“Miss Olivia, do you have poor eyesight? Weren’t you wearing glasses before?”
The one who suddenly joined the conversation from the next desk over was Second Prince Gilbert.
Why are you butting in? I thought, but I couldn’t just ignore him, so I answered clearly with a fabricated smile, “Not at all. My eyesight has always been excellent.”
I am not that plain, thick-glasses-wearing palace maid. Why does this man even remember such an inconspicuous maid after all these years? Are all princes creatures with strong obsessive tendencies? Scary.
“Gilbert. Don’t ask strange questions and trouble my fiancĂ©e.”
“I was just asking. Besides, isn’t she still just a fiancĂ©e candidate?”
“We just haven’t had the engagement ceremony yet, but she is undoubtedly my fiancĂ©e.”
(Why are you two sparking off each other like that with me in the middle?)
It seemed they really didn’t get along that well, after all.
I wish they’d take their sibling rivalry elsewhere. The surrounding students were also growing anxious and fearful watching the half-brother princes.
Just as I was thinking I’d like to secretly change seats, a stir could be heard from the classroom entrance.
Looking over, I saw a beautiful girl with golden hair that shone brighter than anyone elseâthis world’s heroine, Serenaâhad appeared at the classroom door.
“Hey, did you know? They say she’s from a commoner background.”
“My, why is a commoner in the Royal Class?”
“I heard she has the Light Blessing and was adopted into a Viscount’s family.”
“Light Blessing holders are rare, after all.”
“A commoner in the Royal Class… Shouldn’t she have declined as a matter of course?”
“It feels like it’ll lower the standard for all of us studying with her.”
It seemed Serena’s commoner origins were already known throughout the academy. Whispers criticizing her could be heard from here and there.
Even though Serena herself must have heard them, she entered the classroom without hanging her head, though she looked uncomfortable. She looked around restlessly, and for some reason, her eyes landed on us and stopped dead.
(I have a bad feeling about this…)
Serena, looking relieved, walked towards us and, to my surprise, spoke to me.
“Excuse me, may I sit next to you?”
“Huh? Ah, yes… Please do.”
I couldn’t refuse, so that was all I could say.
I wondered why she chose to sit here, but looking around, the seats were almost all taken. Furthermore, there were students here and there making unpleasant faces quite obviously or placing their bags on the desk to prevent her from sitting.
When Serena sat down, the classroom grew even more restless. I could hear people saying things like, “A commoner sitting next to the royal family!” but I’m not royalty. I’m merely the Crown Prince’s fiancĂ©e candidate. Please don’t get that wrong, it’s important.
“Um, I am Serena of the Viscount Simmons household. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Serena introduced herself, seeming nervous.
The way she carried herself stoutly, not yielding to the malicious gossip and stares around her, was exactly what you’d expect from a heroine. It was so admirable that even I, the villainess, found myself wanting to support her.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Olivia of the Marquis Irvine household.”
“Ma- Marquis household?! My deepest apologies for my rudeness…”
“There’s no need to be so humble. Aren’t we all just fellow students here?”
She’s the heroine, after all, I thought, and ended up stopping her from bowing her head. But seeing Serena’s moved expression as she murmured, “Lady Olivia…” I thought, Oh no.
It’s troublesome if she takes a liking to me because I acted oddly nice. If the villainess gets close to the Saint, what awaits is [Death].
“Ahâ, that’s right, let me introduce you. This is His Highness Crown Prince Noah.”
When I introduced him, Serena froze stiff upon seeing Noah’s public-facing smile.
“Eh… C-Crown Prince, Your Highness…?”
“And over there, as an aside, is His Highness Second Prince Gilbert.”
“Eek…! S-Second Prince Your Highness!?”
“Hey. What do you mean, ‘as an aside’?”
Gilbert glared at me with a dissatisfied expression.
Instead of making such a scary face, why doesn’t he just show the heroine Serena one of his princely smiles?
“Prince Gilbert is very approachable, so if you have any troubles, it would be best to consult him. I’m sure he will definitely help you.”
“Uh, haah… Thank you very much, Lady Olivia.”
The heroine, bewildered but dutifully thanking me, is so precious.
Gilbert will surely be captivated by Serena’s charm in no timeâ.
“Who told you I’m approachable? What do you know about me?”
He leaned forward and, for some reason, addressed me, not Serena. Why, really, why? Is Gilbert in this life a failure as a romanceable character?
Thinking that far, I had a sudden realization.
(Don’t tell me, because Gilbert became the Second Prince instead of the Crown Prince, he’s no longer a romanceable target!?)
If that’s the case, then the one who becomes the romanceable target instead isâ.
“Hmm? Is something wrong, Olivia?”
I turned my head sharply to look beside me and met his blue eyes staring back at me.
I couldn’t see any sign that he was attracted to Serena, and feeling relieved, I shook my head.
It’s fine. Noah is an unfortunate character, just like me, destined to be continuously exposed to the danger of poisoning. He can’t be a main character.
“If anything happens, make sure to tell me, Olivia. I’m only approachable for you, you know.”
Noah said this while taking a lock of my hair and kissing it.
At that line, all the female students in the classroom let out squeals. “What a wonderful couple!” “They’re both too beautiful…!” “Lady Olivia, I’m rooting for you!” For some reason, I was the one being cheered on.
On the way out, a few students asked me, perplexed, if they could form a guard squad for meâ.
(Wait, could this be a chance to spread the word about detox?)
Weighing peace and quiet against spreading detox, I ended up agreeing to the formation of the guard squad, only for Noah to warn me with a smile, “Make sure you’re not preaching any demon worship.”
