The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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A huge man, awkwardly dressed in a suit that didn’t suit him at all, was waiting anxiously.

His clothes were so tight that even sitting still could make a button pop off, and with him shifting around in the small chair, it looked like they were on the verge of tearing completely.

The sight of him squirming in a chair that was far too small for him was almost pitiful.

A girl, somewhat ambiguously described as either his teacher or friend, subtly suggested that he should take her out to eat sometime.

This momentary suggestion led to a consequence that resulted in him waiting for an entire hour. Since he had paid upfront, the staff didn’t say anything, but no matter how oblivious he was, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched.

After fidgeting and adjusting his mustache for a while, a white-haired woman approached his table.

Unlike her usual self, she had dressed up and neatly braided her hair, attracting the attention of everyone passing by with her beauty.

What business could such a wretched woman have with a muscle-bound guy like him? Everyone in the restaurant shared this question as they glanced over at them.

“…Ahem. You’ve arrived, my love? Were you at some sort of party? You seem heavily armed.”

“Heavily armed…? What do you mean… Ah.”

For a moment, the man misunderstood her words, thinking perhaps she had brought a sword or something, but she quickly realized that he was comparing her fancy appearance to an unusual level of makeup.

“I-I just met with the Crown Prince! It’s not like I dressed up in a rush because I wanted to impress you or anything!”

Her pathetic excuse for a lie, while cringe-worthy, was taken at face value by the man, who was as blank-minded as the frozen tundra, truly believing her.

“Oh dear. Then I’ve called you over for no reason. You must have already eaten, and you must be tired…”

Although he was deflated by the outcome, he thought it might be best to leave.

“…Wait. But I’d eat if you insisted! It’s definitely not because I just woke up starving or anything!”

With the truth hidden within her lies, she didn’t want her efforts to go to waste.

She remembered when he complimented her in the past, saying she would look prettier with her hair braided, and that thought lingered in her mind even now.

“Is that so… then, just as you usually order?”

“Yes. Everything meat, please.”

The man’s heartfelt advice to eat some vegetables was blocked by the woman’s belief that those were only for weak people.

“…You’re the weird one here. How can you only eat meat once a day?”

The man swallowed his questions, knowing well that consuming three meals a day entirely of meat wasn’t exactly typical.

Soon, the sound of bustling in the kitchen indicated that their meal was nearing completion, and just then, the man broke the awkward silence.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation. You seem to be stressed lately, so I wanted to offer some help.”

“…Thank you. Um… is that all you wanted to say?”

Neither of them could bring themselves to speak their true feelings, resulting in an atmosphere that made those around them uneasy, but the two were oblivious to being observed.

“How’s your exam studying going?”

Yet the man, unwilling to let the conversation end there, hastily thought of a new topic.

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. I feel like I’m dying. Learning manners from my mother was way more enjoyable… if it weren’t for Ho-yeon dragging me around by my hair, I’d probably be failing for sure.”

Remembering how she had been quite the tomboy in her youth, he could imagine how much she was suffering.

“Speaking of which, I want to ask cautiously… what do you think of Ho-yeon?”

“What do I think of Ho-yeon…?”

The conversation had leapfrogged from gratitude to study to Ho-yeon, and even the woman felt something was off.

“Um… she looks scary, but in reality, she’s gentle and sincere… she sometimes behaves as if she doesn’t understand human feelings, though.”

“…I see you feel that way too. Actually, I find her a bit frightening.”

“Scary? Why?”

Caught off guard, she was suddenly caught in a situation where her crush was gossiping about her friend, completely bewildered.

“It feels like she’s fundamentally different from us… Something about her seems like it comes from somewhere else. That doesn’t mean I think she’s bad or anything.”

“Is that so…?”

They blurted out random remarks, trying hard to keep the conversation going as they awaited their food to be served.

“Actually, I…!”

– – – –

Hmm. My ears are itching; someone must be talking about me.

There’s no way my mouth would be full of meat and suddenly my ears would start itching.

“Ho-yeon, what’s it like in the Eastern Region?”

I always think so, but this guy really can just say anything out of the blue. Normally, don’t you build up to such questions?

“…What do you mean?”

Lately, he had been looking really troubled, so I wanted to respond sincerely, but he needs to actually say what he’s curious about.

“No, like the quality of life or happiness… which one looks better to you?”

Ah, I see that’s what he’s curious about.

“Of course, my hometown is way better. No one goes hungry, and no one has financial troubles. There’s no crime, and every village sings praises of God.”

And you can learn anything you want if you want to learn, plus each village has a guardian spirit just in case.

From birth, you’re given an aptitude test that determines the most suitable job for you.

I left out the part about sacrifices; that’s a role reserved for those who are truly wretchedly talentless or only those who volunteer.

Even that had many more volunteers than those without skills.

Thinking about it, hadn’t I jumped to the conclusion that Iris lacked talent too soon?

She’s pretty…

…But then again, everyone back home is good-looking.

Oh. Iris is indeed meant to be a sacrifice. There’s no point in her being alive; she just wastes resources. In my view, her only redeeming quality is her looks.

“I see…”

Dokan listened to my words with his full attention, like someone conducting research about an area before moving there. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but it seemed he intended to come back to my hometown with me once this was all over.

Hmm, is there a room suitable for Dokan? I wonder if there’s a space made for that, as they likely built only what was needed.

If I asked my mother, she’d whip something up in no time. But that would mean borrowing from my busy mother, which feels a bit off.

There were hardly any downsides, but I introduced only the good things about my hometown to Dokan. It’s okay that there aren’t any entertainment facilities.

Do friends really need that when they’re just hanging out together?

“…Thanks for telling me. So, that’s what it was like… it’s completely different from what I thought.”

“What did you think…? Yummy? You thought?”

With our conversation growing lively, it seemed the meat was cooling down. I hurriedly stuffed another piece into my mouth before the oil solidified and became inedible.

“To speak honestly… I thought it was a place no person could live in.”

cough cough My friend’s unexpected confession almost made me choke, but miraculously, I managed to swallow it all down.

“Cough…! Ugh… Really? Ugh… cough!”

“Are you okay?”

Am I okay?! The chili oil almost went down my windpipe!

“…Uh, somehow. Phew… Anyway, tell me why. You made me almost choke.”

Then Dokan calmly explained why he felt that way. Rumors from merchants returning from those regions and the uncertainty of information.

Rambling on and on.

Listening to him frantically justify himself made sense in its own way too.

“Hmm… I see. So it’s because of the rumors… This is why humans are…”

“Hmm? What did you just say, Ho-yeon?”

Oh no. Did I say that out loud? Since it was about humans, I really didn’t want to let him know.

“Oh, just a random thought…”

Dokan seemed to have no intention to pry any further, returning to fiddling with his food.

“…So, how’s it going, Dokan?”

I intentionally didn’t explain what was going on fully, but I could see his face darkening again at my question.

Yup, as I expected, things aren’t going that smoothly. At least my busy efforts paid off.

I blew some wind into the bald guy and managed to send him out for dinner. Meanwhile, those in the church are pretty much fine without needing to do anything.

Camilla and Iris run away on their own as long as I’m sticking by Dokan. Perfect.

“…Well, things are a bit rough.”

A bit rough? It must feel like they’re about to suffocate. I’m hustling around desperately for a reason.

“I can’t support you, but hang in there. If you keep trying, things will work out somehow.”

In the end, he’ll end up coming back to my side anyway.

Suppressing my true feelings, I send him nothing but encouraging words.