The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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“I delivered Dokan’s proposal, but… um. It seems Camilla has another appointment at that time. I’m sorry.”

I tried to meet with Camilla separately today using my connection with Anya, but it failed. At first, I shrugged it off when she rejected me, but now I could tell.

Camilla didn’t want to see me.

I had a vague suspicion. Hoyeon was doing everything possible to arrive at the Academy on time, and Camilla seemed to be the unfortunate victim of that.

Perhaps since I was almost a package deal with Hoyeon, she ended up disliking me too. I didn’t hear the conversation directly while talking with Anya, but I did catch the increased voices.

“No, it’s fine. If I ask again on another day, she might agree.”

Still, I couldn’t give up, so I had no choice but to keep begging for meetings. Who would have thought the snowball effect from midterms would roll like this?

No, wait. It must have gone off track right from the start because of Hoyeon.

“Um, by the way. Why is Dokan so eager to meet Camilla? Is it because of…?”

“It’s not a crush or anything like that. It’s just that there’s something I need to apologize for personally, and writing a letter felt too insincere.”

Honestly, I didn’t think that highly of her. The traits of noble ladies didn’t strike me as particularly attractive. In the original, I’d even trolled her a few times.

It felt like I had no choice but to approach her because of the happy ending. Anya would insist on meeting her for reasons other than that.

Of course, Hoyeon too. Cecilia was… well, I couldn’t say I found her particularly interesting, despite her sweetness. Living together would be comfortable, but I felt no allure.

To put it bluntly, it felt like being around a servant. I couldn’t exactly pin it on people, but no other word came to mind that fit better.

“Ah… I see. So, Dokan, it’s a bit rude, but you’re someone who plays with women’s hearts in various ways, huh? Camilla is a victim in that sense.”

I hadn’t done that before, but I planned to do so in the future, so I couldn’t refute it. I would probably confess to a love I didn’t even feel.

“Ahaha… Let’s just leave it at that for now.”

All I could do was awkwardly laugh and brush off the situation.

“Dokan… you shouldn’t be doing this. Do you even know how much Hoyeon cares for you? The rumors have spread a bit strangely, but still… she cherishes you that much. Aren’t you worried that, even if you don’t intend it, Hoyeon might get hurt?”

I was surprised that Anya, who usually didn’t speak much, was going on for so long, but hearing that made my emotions settle.

I knew Hoyeon truly cared for me. When we were alone, she called me her close friend and treated me easily.

And I was also aware that I was the only one she felt that way toward. If I hadn’t seen the author’s Q&A, I might not have been moving so busily now.

What should have been an advantage became a chain binding me down. It was a ridiculous situation, but now that I knew, I had no choice.

The story after the bad ending, or how the happy ending would unfold, was a mystery, but I had no other choice but to head toward the happy ending.

“I know. But still, it feels like if I don’t apologize, something irreversible might happen.”

So right now, I was limiting myself by dodging clear answers and trying hard to convince myself that I was doing my best.

Other web novel protagonists start off as munchkins, so why did this author make me pitiful from the get-go? They’re sure to make me a munchkin later anyway.

“If you know, then just go. You’re definitely sneaking around silently again, aren’t you?”

“…It’s not sneaking. I just didn’t mention it.”

“Are you out of your mind?! To boldly say you’re going to meet another girl! Hurry up and go!”

Perhaps because I had just been too straightforward, Anya panicked and was shooing me away. It wasn’t that she hated it; she genuinely seemed flustered, so this time it was indeed my fault.

I might be struggling to find the nonexistent cat right now.

With that thought, I couldn’t afford to relax. I had to hurry and dash to the flowerbed, turning my mana along the way.

And there was no one there.

…Thank goodness. They must have given up looking and gone inside. If they had been searching all this time, I would have been terribly upset.

Relieved, I grabbed the doorknob when an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me. It felt like something was behind this door.

It might just be Hoyeon, but… it felt like there was something else too.

“Dokan… are you here? I caught a cat. What do you think…?”

And lo and behold, something I never imagined really happened.

I had no idea where or how she found it, but Hoyeon was showing me a cat, as if wanting praise.

The claim of having a cat was a lie; where on earth did she catch one? Knowing Hoyeon’s personality, she wouldn’t go out to buy one. There was no time for that.

“…Ho-yeon. Where did you find this cat?”

“Um… The cat was by the flowerbed…?”

There shouldn’t be any cats near the dorm, so did it just roll in from outside? I really couldn’t tell.

“Ah, I see. Yes, that’s the cat I saw.”

The cat had a white belly and a black back, which strangely reminded me of Hoeyeon. The eye color being golden made it feel even more connected.

But that was that; I was in quite a troublesome situation.

Buying cat supplies was just a smokescreen for buying catnip. If I bought just that, it would definitely raise suspicions.

Originally, I intended to buy cat food only, but as she dislikes such things, I had no choice but to act like I was adopting a cat.

Is this also my karma? Then I’ll just have to accept it.

“So… what should we name it?”

It felt like the flow was directing me to take care of it. I had no intention at all, but since it was the cat Hoeyeon brought, I had to raise it.

“What about the name…?”

Since it’s half-and-half, how about Asura? That sounds too lame. I couldn’t think of a name that came to mind.

It was a cat that only existed in my imagination; how could it possibly have a name? I had one idea, but I wasn’t sure if it was good enough.

“How about Yoonho…? Is that too weird…?”

Since Hooyeon gave it, flipping the name to Yoonho. Even I thought it was trash, but other alternatives were worse than Yoonho.

“Yoonho… Yoonho. Yeah, I think that’s okay!”

But Hoeyeon seemed to genuinely like even such a trashy name and responded positively. Or maybe she really thinks it’s nice.

…I really just slapped a name on it.

“Um, then let’s go with Yoonho. From now on, your name is Yoonho. Hello.”

– Meeeeow…

What do I need to do to raise a cat? I think I’ve seen a few things before, but I forgot all of them now.

I was holding the cat I got from Hoeyeon, but I felt lost. Should I give it food first?

“You worked hard looking for it, Hoeyeon.”

“It’s nothing. If you want to raise a dog later, just let me know! I’ll catch one for you…”

That statement must be a joke, right?

—

Iris was trying to figure out why she was in the empty room.

She had come to participate in Stephania’s “special lesson,” which had become part of her daily routine, but for some reason, no one was there.

Normally, Stephania would greet her with a candle and a whip. It was a time she could never get used to, but the fact that nothing happened when it was time only made her more anxious.

Honestly, it would be a relief if she suddenly appeared from behind, or if a corpse fell from the ceiling; she felt more uneasy in the silence.

Having failed to protect or monitor her until the end during midterms, she was in a more weakened state due to being punished under the guise of teaching.

“…This is boring, Stephania. Come out…!”

She squeezed her eyes shut and, resolved to receive lashes from her, called out Stephania’s name.

Even if she got hurt, she wouldn’t take long to heal her.

But the event Iris anticipated did not occur.

The room remained filled with awkward silence and darkness, triggering her ominous imagination.

“…Ugh… but I can’t just leave…”

If there was an urgent matter that made her late, then after finishing that matter, Stephania wouldn’t know what to do with her, leaving Iris in a dilemma.

Why should a child have to atone for her parents’ wrongdoings? It was her parents who owed a debt to her, so why was it her?

But recalling her sister’s face, she soon resigned to it. If she didn’t endure it for her, Stephania’s cruelty would be aimed at her sister.

After quite a while of wavering in her resolve, the scent of blood brushed Iris’s nose.

So today, she was torturing her with bloodied towels. She thought a whip would be much better. With that in mind, Iris opened her eyes to something entirely unexpected.

There lay Stephania covered in blood, gasping for breath as she collapsed.