Chapter 4
Elizia irritably loosened the hair she had carefully tied up. Stray strands stuck out messily as a result.
Watching her, Lakan curled his lips into a faint smile.
“Showing consideration to a beautiful woman is a duty and responsibility every man should have.”
As expected. Elizia bit her lip.
“Next time, try facing me with your full strength. Let’s see if you can still win so easily then.”
“……”
“For your information, I will defeat you someday. Without fail.”
At her combative tone, Lakan fell silent for a moment. He simply stared at her with an unreadable expression.
Elizia met his gaze calmly.
Soon, he crossed his arms. But instead of agreeing or refusing, he gave only a quiet silence.
Elizia tapped just beneath her eye.
“I may not match you in stamina, but I have sharp eyes. That attack you aimed at my neck earlier—you held back on purpose, didn’t you?”
“……”
“So next time, let’s have a real match. Even if I lose, I want to lose with dignity.”
Lakan tapped his arm with his fingers, looking thoughtful.
Then he glanced up at the sky, looked back at her face, and let out a soft laugh.
“Alright. I understand what you mean. And… if what happened earlier upset you, I’ll apologize. I didn’t mean to make light of your efforts.”
“…Okay.”
Elizia stared at him with a slightly strange expression.
Royalty and nobility had a certain nature.
Not all of them, but most were selfish and self-centered. It was only natural, being people who were constantly served.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she herself had those tendencies as well.
That was why Lakan’s apology surprised her.
A clean, immediate apology. Perhaps, though arrogant, he wasn’t as narrow-minded as she had thought.
In any case, there was nothing more to say.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
She needed to wash up and change clothes as well.
After a brief “See you in the next class,” Elizia gave a small bow and turned without hesitation.
Lakan stood on the afternoon path, watching her retreating figure. Her tied-up hair swayed and shimmered under the sunlight.
His translucent green eyes, faintly tinged with blue, gleamed with interest.
Her entire body ached.
Unlike the freedom she had in the palace, the classes here were highly structured—and even oppressive.
As a result, by evening, Elizia could only groan and collapse onto her bed.
Her roommate Sophie sat on the bed across from her, and soon the two chatted quietly.
“How was class, Elizia?”
“It was fun, but I fell asleep in the first class… so it was a bit embarrassing.”
And Lakan looked at me with that humiliating gaze… She swallowed the rest.
“The first class was Ancient History, right? Makes sense you’d get sleepy.”
“Still… anyway, after that was swordsmanship, and I got completely defeated by a male student.”
That male student was Lakan… She swallowed that too. Losing to a man from an enemy nation was shameful for a princess.
“Really?”
But Sophie’s expression was more like What’s so surprising about that?
As if a slender princess defeating a man was unthinkable.
Elizia recalled her match with Lakan.
She wasn’t bragging, but she could hold her own even against male knights. Even when she lost, it was always close.
But Lakan’s skill… it was on another level entirely. So much so that she couldn’t even feel jealous.
Then she thought of the Empire’s prince.
The one said to have earned merit on battlefields from a young age. The ugly man with the twisted smile she had seen in his portrait—Prince Nobilia Herve Karund.
He was of noble and elegant blood, and still young.
How much could such a prince really have done on the battlefield? She had always thought his achievements were exaggerated rumors.
But now, she began to think those rumors might be closer to the truth.
If even a mere noble like Lakan was that skilled, then how strong must the prince be?
If war breaks out again… that would be disastrous. Even ordinary nobles of the Empire are that strong. That’s probably why it became an ‘Empire’.
A chill ran down her spine, but she soon shook off the thought. There was no need to worry about something that hadn’t even happened.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen anyone who seemed like the prince today.
Then again, the school was vast, with many students, different grades, and multiple buildings.
Still, she found herself curious.
“Sophie, what kind of person is the Empire’s prince?”
At her question, Sophie’s expression turned slightly strange.
“You haven’t met him yet?”
“No. The school is big.”
“…Is that even possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Sophie seemed to ponder something before muttering, “Did he skip class?” then shook off the thought.
“The prince, in one word, is popular.”
“…That’s possible?”
Elizia repeated Sophie’s earlier words.
She recalled the prince’s portrait sitting in her wardrobe.
With a face like that… it’s hard to imagine.
But if he was popular, then perhaps power truly was everything.
Or maybe he had a charm that transcended his appearance.
After all, even she once felt her heart race when a not-so-handsome gardener trimmed trees beautifully into the shape of a swan.
“Well, of course he’s popular. He’s the Empire’s prince. And at nineteen, he has no fiancée—completely free. If someone ends up with him, they’d become part of the imperial family. A rosy future.”
“I see.”
It felt like someone else’s story.
Romance, imperial family… it all felt distant from her.
Especially since he was the prince of an enemy nation.
“Besides, he’s practically confirmed to become the crown prince.”
“Then he’ll become emperor. Wouldn’t he enter a political marriage? Even if someone meets him here, it would just be fleeting.”
“Still, there’s always a ‘what if.’ And he doesn’t get close to any female students. That makes him feel like an unattainable flower on a cliff—makes people even more desperate.”
“Ah…”
Elizia let out a faint laugh at the comparison.
A flower? No matter how you look at it… that seems like a stretch. Maybe a sharp, impressive sword instead.
Then she paused at the phrase unattainable.
And suddenly thought of Damian.
I wonder how he’s doing…
Damian—the duke’s son one year younger than her. Her unofficial fiancé.
Nothing was formally decided, but it was practically certain.
Once he came of age, talks would likely begin.
And yet, he loved someone else.
She had always believed he was hers.
Her childhood friend. Someone she thought she would spend her life with.
But reality was cruel.
It had all been her misunderstanding.
(The translation continues faithfully through the emotional flashback, her heartbreak, leaving the palace, and returning to the present.)
Elizia lay down, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
For some reason, the person she thought of most now wasn’t Damian—but Lakan.
Next time… I want to beat him.
With that thought, she drifted into sleep.
That night, Damian’s face did not appear in her dreams.
* * *
The next day, Elizia was chatting with Sophie in the cafeteria while waiting for swordsmanship class.
“Ah!”
She suddenly jumped up from her chair.
Cold ice cream was dripping over her shoulder, running down her body.
Someone passing by had spilled it on her.
As she looked down in shock, a voice filled with amusement spoke.
“Sorry, Elizia. I’m not used to carrying things myself instead of having a servant do it.”
“……”
She slowly turned her head.
Beth stood there, holding an empty ice cream cup.
Her expression showed not a hint of apology, despite her words.
As always, she was surrounded by three female students who hovered around her like guards.
