The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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“Oh my, what a coincidence. Miss Ho-Yeon and… um, male student? May I know your name?”

I stood before Ho-Yeon, bowing as politely as possible. If she were to do something, I needed to be ready to protect Ho-Yeon.

Meanwhile, I could feel the magic within me stirring, responding to her presence.

Georg had said that in dangerous situations, magic would react on its own.

Well, she was a dangerous individual just by making eye contact, and now she was speaking to me.

I had only known her by information before, but now my body was sending signals that we were in danger.

I had to be especially cautious since she was the one who had caused the unexpected midterm invasion, but perhaps I had become too complacent while being with Ho-Yeon.

“…My name is Han Dogon. It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Stephanie.”

“Han Dogon… Han Dogon… who was that again… Ah. You’re the commoner who just entered the Academy? Your story has become somewhat famous. But… what brings you to be by Miss Ho-Yeon’s side?”

Her usual habit of answering questions quickly faltered, which meant I still hadn’t captured her interest.

That was a relief, but the problem was her increasing interest in Ho-Yeon.

If she, one of the noble’s daughters, started meddling with Ho-Yeon, who could stop her?

Besides, I couldn’t think of a suitable answer to her question. Publicly, it was a relationship between a princess and a commoner, so I couldn’t just say we were friends.

The only connection we had was that we shared the same name from the Eastern continent.

Just then, Ho-Yeon unexpectedly stepped forward.

“Why am I next to him? Well, because he’s my friend.”

“…Oh my. So you two are close? Miss Iris wasn’t lying after all…?”

And then, without warning, she pressed a huge red button.

Oh my.

Stephanie covered her mouth with a fan upon hearing Ho-Yeon’s words, but in that moment, I caught the ominous curve at the corner of her lips, and I felt my breath catch.

Not to mention the mention of Iris.

I had confirmed that Iris had run away, but since then, there hadn’t been a trace of her, which made me anxious; it seemed Stephanie had done something.

More than that, how should I process her earlier statement about caring for her public image when she was acting like this now?

“Is that strange?”

“No, Miss Ho-Yeon. I was just momentarily surprised to realize that the rumors weren’t entirely wrong. If I have offended you, I sincerely apologize.”

“That’s enough. Just tell me the reason you’re here.”

However, Ho-Yeon ignored my remark and pushed forward. Perhaps due to her position as a princess, despite her rude demeanor, Stephanie chose to retreat gracefully.

“Oh my, was it too obvious? The thing is, in a few days, I’ll be hosting a small gathering. I’m here to ask you to attend…”

So, she came to pressure us to come to the party. At least one concern was lifted.

“I was planning to go anyway, so don’t rush me.”

Ho-Yeon was leading the conversation quickly, as if to tell her not to waste my time.

There were very few people who could treat Stephanie like that. It turned out Ho-Yeon was one of them.

“…Alright then, I shall take my leave. I hope you two enjoy your time…”

Having her pride wounded, she was quiet for a moment but soon regained her composure and even showed a hint of mockery towards us.

She spoke sweetly, but the underlying meaning was practically saying, “You two are dating.”

Given her addition of unnecessary comments at the end, it seemed strange rumors would be spreading soon.

Listening to her, it seemed rumors were already circulating.

“…Ho-Yeon, remember when you mentioned caring about your public image…?”

I held back a sigh as I spoke to Ho-Yeon. Ho-Yeon seemed somewhat apologetic, almost as if she could read my mind.

“That’s… Stephanie asked you a tricky question. So I thought I’d help…”

So that’s why she had been so overbearing with Stephanie. I could understand her a bit more.

But still, it wasn’t wise to give her something to chew on.

“…Ho-Yeon. That was something I should have handled myself. I appreciate your help in a tight spot. But you don’t need to put yourself in a difficult position too.”

I spoke firmly, emphasizing my point.

“But… if I let Stephanie know… everyone will find out we’re friends.”

“Yeah. That’s the cra—”

I was about to finish my sentence, but upon seeing her eyes, I lost my trail of thought.

A dangerous light flickered in her eyes.

“If we can’t hide it for long… then wouldn’t it be better for everyone to know… then we wouldn’t have to worry about what others think? Yeah… if everyone finds out…”

“Ho-Yeon!”

I hurriedly interrupted her as it seemed her thoughts were drifting into a strange direction.

“Huh…? Did you call for me?”

Again, Ho-Yeon’s eyes no longer held that dangerous spark. I felt that it would be unwise to pry into what she was thinking.

“Um. You suddenly went quiet, that’s all.”

“…Did I? Sorry! I must have lost my train of thought… Let’s go back.”

Ho-Yeon seemed not to recall it. Let’s not remind her. I had only caught a glimpse, but if I heard more, it could be risky.

“Alright.”

– – – –

Time passed without any particular events. Sometimes Anya would stop by, but overall, it was an incredibly peaceful life.

Peaceful, yes, but… it was boring. In a world without the internet or games, being introverted leaves you with nothing to do. Novels are interesting, but they can’t compare to games or comics in terms of excitement.

As I drifted through life like a board floating in the water, the night before the party had arrived.

“Good night. Sweet dreams!”

“You too.”

After making the usual sleepy farewell, I returned to my room, feeling incredibly lonely.

…But more importantly, what should I wear tomorrow? Since I told Stephanie I’d be coming, I couldn’t back out now.

Let’s choose an outfit. It’s not like I was going to fall asleep anytime soon.

I kicked off my bed and turned on the light. Then, I opened my diary.

I’m not sure if my mother is well-versed in fashion, but… she would probably have better taste than I do. And at this time, she should have some leisure time as well.

“Mother, if you have some free time, could you help me choose an outfit?”

I wrote it down and soon enough, my mother would read it, so I set the diary aside and opened my wardrobe.

The closet was stuffed to the brim with clothes that looked entirely unfamiliar to me. I surely should have bought this many clothes in both my past life and present.

Even after discarding all the casual wear, there were still quite a number of dresses remaining.

The first dress I purchased… was also discarded.

At least, in my opinion, it didn’t seem suitable for a gathering, so I decided to save it for later.

As I cautiously picked out outfits, one in particular caught my eye.

It was something Anya had clearly said would look great on me. While it did show off my shoulders, it didn’t reveal any cleavage nor had an open back.

I thought it would be just right. If this was the first outfit I chose, maybe my fashion sense wasn’t half bad?

With a cheerful heart, I changed into the dress and stood in front of the mirror, and just as I thought, it looked quite decent.

The color was a neutral shade that wasn’t too eye-catching, which made it even more appealing. Now I just had to show it to my mother.

Since most of the diary’s functions had already worked, this should too. I held the diary up, aiming it directly at myself.

As I did, the surface of the book shimmered like water and reflected a scene from elsewhere.

A beloved landscape and a beloved person.

“Mother… can you see me?”

Communication was possible, but I was unsure whether video transmission would work, so I asked my mother to confirm.

“Yes, my child. I see you well. It’s been two months since we’ve seen each other. Have you been well?”

“…Yes!”

So this works too. My mother is truly amazing. I answered her with a heart full of warmth.

“Ooh, Ho-Yeon! How have you been!”

Then I heard another voice. A deep and majestic yet strangely familiar voice.

It was my father’s voice. He must have returned victorious from the war. Whether it was my mother turning the diary, I could see my father’s face clearly.

He had gotten some injuries in the meantime.

“Dad!”

“Yes, Ho-Yeon. It’s been a long time. Are you doing well in your studies? Have you made any friends? Are those troublemakers bothering you?”

He was still so full of worry. To sweep away such concerns, I filled my reply with laughter.

“Yes, I’m doing well! How about you, Dad? Are you doing alright?”

“With you absent from the palace, there has been a void in my heart. But seeing you well reassures me. Is there anything uncomfortable? Your father can…”

“Sir, please worry less. Your child is now a proper adult; she can handle things on her own.”

“…Hmm. My wife’s words hold true.”

And my mother still held onto my father tightly.

Two months isn’t that long, but it still made me smile to see that nothing had changed since before I left.

“So… you wanted me to show off my outfit.”

“Yes, Mother.”

I set the diary on the desk and stood back to pose. I showed them the front, back, and side while waiting for their response.

“Just like my daughter. Whatever you wear, it suits you well!”

“It does indeed. But my child, where are you going dressed up like that?”

While my father beamed with positivity, my mother was inquiring why I was dressing up.

“Oh, I’m going to a gathering…”

“Then that outfit is far too plain. You should try something else on.”

Before she even finished speaking, my mother instantly rejected it.

…This isn’t feeling good at all.