Episode 64
The new semester had begun.
Elonia was satisfied with her academy life for the first two weeks.
The constant stares were tiring, but she had finally achieved her dream of attending the academy.
But,
‘I should have taken fewer classes…!’
Elonia wanted to drop out.
It had been a month since the semester began.
Which meant it was time for the dreaded onslaught of assignments.
Elonia was the biggest victim.
Freshmen usually had a lighter course load and fewer assignments.
But little by little, those assignments had piled up into a mountain.
She was now paying the price for her ambitious, jam-packed schedule.
“That concludes today’s lecture. Don’t forget about the assignment. It’s due next week.”
And Caroline, as usual, assigned another homework.
Four out of the eleven classes Elonia had chosen were taught by Professor Caroline.
And she had learned one thing:
Caroline assigned a ridiculous amount of homework, regardless of whether you were a freshman or an upperclassman.
‘Why does she give us so much homework? Does she think her classes are the only ones we’re taking?’
Well, seeing her four times a week did make it feel like she was only taking Caroline’s classes.
‘No, what am I even thinking?’
She wanted to avoid seeing Caroline’s face for a while.
She had broken her promise to visit home every weekend for the past month because of the overwhelming amount of homework.
She kept in touch through letters and calls, but she missed her family.
But there was hope this week.
She had finished all of Caroline’s assignments after pulling an all-nighter last night.
And the deadline for her Academic Department elective assignment was this week, so there wouldn’t be any new assignments.
‘Alright, I’m going home this weekend.’
She would tease Artius, take naps with Sarah, spar with Ricardo and Ethan, and pester Lady Asta for swordsmanship lessons.
The thought of her perfect weekend plan kept her going, even as the other students groaned and complained about the workload.
‘…But first, I have to skip lunch and head to the library.’
Caroline, knowing her students were freshmen, had assigned relatively simple homework for her introductory class, compared to the assignments for her upperclassmen courses, “Fundamentals of Magic” and “Ancient Magic,” even though the quantity was the same.
It was an assignment she could finish if she skipped lunch, so Elonia considered it a small mercy from Caroline.
It was better to finish what she could now.
The students, their bodies slumped over their desks, began gathering their belongings and leaving the classroom.
Dianne was no exception.
“Phew, I can finally breathe… Elonia, let’s go eat.”
“Ah, sorry, I can’t have lunch with you today.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Dianne asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“I have to work on my assignment at the library. I think I can finish it if I start now.”
“Already? It’s not due until next week. You can do it over the weekend.”
“I want to go home this weekend, so I’m trying to finish everything I can now.”
“Well, if you say so… Good luck with your assignment, Elonia!”
Dianne, although disappointed, readily agreed.
Elonia felt a twinge of guilt for leaving her to eat alone, but her worries were quickly dispelled.
As she left the classroom, she saw a group of students cautiously approaching Dianne.
They were the most outgoing and sociable students in their freshman class.
‘They seem to get along well with Dianne.’
Elonia felt a twinge of envy, seeing Dianne surrounded by friends, but she was content with having Dianne as her first friend. She hurried towards the library.
***
Elonia, having finished her assignment and arriving at the spacious lecture hall ten minutes before her next class, easily spotted Dianne.
She was in the middle of the noisiest group in the classroom.
Dianne, spotting her, waved excitedly.
“Elonia!”
The chattering group suddenly fell silent.
The students surrounding Dianne quickly dispersed as Elonia approached.
Elonia felt a little hurt that they seemed to be keeping their distance because she was the princess, but she sat down beside Dianne without showing her emotions.
Dianne, her voice bubbly with excitement, said,
“You’re just in time. Want to try this?”
“Try what?”
“It’s this personality quiz that’s trending right now!”
She proudly presented a piece of paper.
It had the following words written in large font:
Which God is Your Perfect Match?
-
Discover Your True Nature with This Personality Quiz –
“…What is this?”
“It’s trending in the Theology Department. I thought it looked fun, so I brought it!”
When did she even get this?
Dianne beamed, but unfortunately, Elonia wasn’t interested.
“Hmm, not really my thing.”
“Come on, try it! It’s simple! The others did it too.”
Elonia, unable to resist her persistence, reluctantly took the paper.
But she had no intention of answering the questions seriously. She flipped it over to the results section.
A. The Benevolent God of Abundance, Madicte
You possess a generous heart, just like Madicte, the guardian deity of Ravanta.
Your kindness charms everyone around you.
Your true charm shines brighter with time, so stay true to yourself!
B. The Cold and Calculating God of Fate, Mira
You are analytical and rational.
You prefer working alone and find satisfaction in independence.
Others might call you selfish, but you’re actually a responsible person who strives for perfection.
But maybe it’s time to take a break and relax?
C. The Sorrowful God of Love, Agape
Blessed with undeniable beauty, you are used to being loved and admired.
But you also carry deep wounds, creating an invisible wall around your heart.
But don’t worry, someone will see through your facade and recognize your pain.
D. The Romantic of the Century, The Calamity God Sirius
Not easily swayed by love, you are a true romantic who gives your all once your heart is captured.
No one can stop you once you’re set on a path.
I wonder who will be the lucky recipient of your love?
“…”
Wasn’t this blasphemy?
That was Elonia’s first thought.
But Dianne, oblivious to her disapproval, asked excitedly,
“So, what did you get?”
Elonia felt like she would cringe if she had actually answered the questions seriously.
She mumbled vaguely, then asked,
“By the way, who made this?”
“Who else? The Theology Department kids. Remember I told you about my friends there?”
Dianne’s social skills were truly impressive.
“Who else would come up with something like this?”
“Hmm… So those cheesy descriptions of the gods are their work too?”
“Yep.”
She had to give them credit for their creativity.
The Calamity God, a romantic of the century? Even a dog would laugh at that.
She knew Ravanta wasn’t a religious nation, but this was ridiculous. The Heilan students would probably faint if they saw this.
‘The Theology Department kids sure have a lot of free time.’
While others were drowning in assignments.
Elonia, a bitter thought crossing her mind, suddenly wondered,
‘Did Lucius see this?’
He would probably sneer politely, hiding his amusement behind his red lips.
Well, it wasn’t her concern anyway.
Elonia, pushing aside her complex emotions, returned the paper to Dianne.
***
The next day,
Elonia walked briskly towards Garden Fleur, the academy’s dining hall.
The Asta brothers were already waiting for her at an outdoor gazebo in Garden Fleur, a place where colorful flowers bloomed all year round.
“El, over here!”
“Your Highness.”
They greeted her warmly.
Elonia hurried over to them and climbed onto a high chair.
“You’re early.”
“Of course, it’s our precious weekly lunch date.”
They had been meeting at least once a week since they were children, so naturally, they continued their tradition at the academy.
“What do you want to eat? Set A is more to your liking today.”
“Then I’ll have that.”
“I already ordered it, so it should be here soon.”
Oh, Alberich, the sly fox.
He was always one step ahead.
Elonia was starving after finishing her assignment.
She patted Alberich’s head as a reward.
Llewellyn, indignant, gritted his teeth.
“Hey…! That’s not fair!”
“I taught you to be proactive.”
They never got tired of bickering.
Elonia, feeling generous, patted Llewellyn’s cotton candy hair a few times as well.
Llewellyn immediately perked up.
“El… See, Brother? She likes me more!”
“Shame on you. Her Highness is just being charitable, seeing you whine like a child.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, does she look that kind? She’s nice to Sarah, but she’s ruthless towards us!”
Is that so?
Elonia narrowed her eyes, then realized he might actually be right.
Even Alberich, unable to refute that fact, scolded Llewellyn for a different reason.
“How dare you insult Her Highness? I’ve never had a brother like you—”
“Two set A’s and one set B coming up.”
A waiter from Garden Fleur interrupted their bickering.
Elonia, her hunger taking precedence, no longer cared if they tore each other apart.
She picked up her fork and knife and started cutting into her perfectly cooked veal steak.
The slight pinkness in the center was just right.
“Mmm, delicious.”
The Asta brothers, ignored, looked hurt.
Elonia, pretending not to notice, asked,
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to eat?”
“…”
Elonia casually stole two green olives from Llewellyn’s set B.
Green olives were Llewellyn’s favorite garnish.
‘Payback for earlier.’
Llewellyn stared at her, dumbfounded, but Elonia remained nonchalant.
“What?”
“…”
“You should have grabbed your fork and started eating. You only get your food stolen because you’re busy bickering like children.”
She then stole a garnish from Alberich’s plate as well.
The asparagus, Alberich’s favorite, disappeared into her mouth.
“This is so embarrassing. Act your age.”
“…Sorry.”
“We apologize, Your Highness.”
Clink.
The brothers, having lost their favorite garnishes, finally picked up their forks and started eating.
They then began their second battle, trying to step on each other’s feet under the table.
‘You only got scolded because you were acting like a child.’
‘Says the one who’s about to graduate. Act your age, Brother.’
Elonia, of course, noticed their childish antics.
“Yes! Mine!”
“Aah!”
“Mmm, delicious.”
“Ugh…”
They finally gave up and focused on their meal after Elonia stole the last remaining garnish.
Then, Llewellyn, as if remembering something, spoke up.
“By the way, there’s something weird going around the academy.”
“Ah, the personality quiz.”
So they had seen it too.
It was a silly quiz, but it seemed to be a popular topic of conversation among the students, a welcome distraction from their stressful assignments.
Elonia had thought it would be a fleeting trend, but she was wrong.
“Have you seen it, Your Highness?”
“Yes, my friend showed it to me.”
“Really?”
“What? You have a friend?”
“You wanna die?”
“Why didn’t you tell us you made a friend?!”
“You never asked.”
To be honest, she was a little embarrassed to brag about having a friend to them.
Alberich and Llewellyn had a lot of friends.
Of course, Llewellyn claimed they weren’t real friends, and Alberich insisted they were just business associates, but they still had people who sought them out.
But Elonia had never experienced that.
Perhaps it was because of the incident at the academy when she was younger, the incident that had led to her killing Dolce, or maybe it was because of her status.
‘How could I brag about having one friend to people who have friends coming out of their ears?’
This was something she could only brag about to Artius and Sarah.
Alberich and Llewellyn, oblivious to her thoughts, looked betrayed.
“That’s so mean, El. We’ve known each other for years.”
“We’re family.”
“Elonia…!”
“Your Highness…”
They were touched, as if they had never expected to hear her call them family.
They were so simple.
“So, did you guys try it?”
“No, why would I?”
“I don’t believe in those things either.”
Despite the quiz’s popularity, none of them had taken it.
They were truly her relatives.