Episode 74
“Elonia!”
Dianne shrieked, but Elonia’s mind was made up.
“We can ask Professor Caroline for the names of the other students who were with Dianne Rossi. She’s capable of using spatial memory magic. What do you think, Headmaster?”
“Ah…! Yes, of course, Your Highness.”
The moment Elonia mentioned the crime of insulting royalty, the headmaster started treating her as a princess, not a student.
Power was indeed a useful tool.
Elonia, ignoring the distraught Dianne, turned to Olivia.
Olivia flinched as their eyes met.
“And Princess Olivia, thank you for stepping forward, even at the risk of your own reputation. My father will reward you handsomely.”
“…Reward me? Instead of executing me?”
“Of course. You saved me from further humiliation. It’s the least I can do.”
Olivia was speechless.
It wasn’t because she was wondering why Elonia had helped her, or because she was relieved that she wouldn’t be punished.
It was because Elonia’s demeanor, regardless of her age…
‘She keeps reminding me of Sister Chelon.’
Again.
The same look in her eyes.
The same expression.
Every time she saw Elonia’s face, it brought back vivid memories of Chelon, whose face she was starting to forget.
Dianne, her sentence delivered, slid off the sofa and knelt at Elonia’s feet, begging.
“No, please, not expulsion! Oh, God…!”
It was a sight that would evoke pity in anyone.
But Elonia couldn’t forgive her.
Dianne’s actions hadn’t been impulsive. They had been fueled by pure malice.
Elonia felt foolish for being blinded by her newfound friendship, for desperately ignoring the warning signs.
‘Right, who am I to have friends? I should be grateful that I even have a family now.’
She had come to the academy to study, not to play house.
Dianne rambled, her voice filled with desperation,
“Elonia… Your Highness, please…! How will you survive the academy without me? Please reconsider—”
“Dianne Rossi.”
Elonia coldly addressed her former friend.
She might have been betrayed, but she still felt a flicker of gratitude.
“Thanks to you, I’ve learned to judge people better. Thank you.”
“…!”
Dianne’s blue eyes, usually so bright and clear, turned dull and lifeless.
She clutched her hair, muttering to herself, then clung to Elonia’s leg again.
“N-no… I’ll be expelled and die… Your Highness, I’ll even die for you! Please, reconsider…!”
Expelled and die? That was a bit dramatic.
She would face social death, of course, but she should be grateful that she was only being expelled, not executed.
Elonia shook her off and stood up.
“Headmaster, please expedite Dianne Rossi’s expulsion.”
“Of course, Your Highness. I sincerely apologize for our failure to supervise the students and causing you distress.”
It wasn’t the headmaster’s fault, but Elonia simply nodded and left the office.
Dianne’s cries, calling out to her god, echoed behind her.
“El!”
“Your Highness!”
The familiar duo rushed towards her as soon as she stepped out of the headmaster’s office.
‘Ah, right, what am I going to do with them?’
She had wanted to resolve this quietly, but they had found out.
Llewellyn’s eyes were filled with sadness, while Alberich’s were blazing with anger.
“We heard everything! About the rumor! Why did you keep it to yourself? You should have told us!”
“Your Highness, did you not trust us?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them.
She was just embarrassed.
“It’s already resolved, so stop making a fuss.”
“This is not a fuss!”
Elonia, thinking she should have cut ties with Dianne when they had told her to, tried to act nonchalant.
But their reaction was far more intense than she had expected.
It was Alberich, not Llewellyn, who shouted.
Both Elonia and Llewellyn were startled.
The hallway fell silent.
“Brother…?”
Alberich, realizing he had raised his voice at Elonia, quickly bowed his head and apologized.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I wasn’t angry at you. It’s just that…”
“It’s okay, I understand. You were just worried.”
Elonia patted Alberich’s head, her hand resting on his bowed head.
Alberich, calming down, leaned into her touch and murmured,
“It’s just that… you always seem to take everything so calmly, Your Highness, like that incident with Prince Dolce… We were worried.”
Llewellyn nodded meekly.
“Right, El… Honestly, we were hurt. We wondered if you didn’t trust us, if you didn’t think we were reliable enough to confide in. And most importantly, we felt like you didn’t need us.”
“…”
Elonia wondered why these two, who were usually so arrogant and aloof towards others, were so gentle and kind to her.
But it was a silly question.
They were her precious family.
She would also be angry if Llewellyn or Alberich were mistreated and didn’t fight back, simply enduring it in silence.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But still, you must have been worried.”
Elonia smiled faintly, and both Alberich and Llewellyn lowered their heads.
“I’ll tell you next time.”
“There won’t be a next time. If another rumor like this spreads, I’ll crush them all.”
“Llewellyn, you’ve been spending too much time with Ricardo. You sound just like him.”
“…Tsk.”
Llewellyn pouted.
Elonia, wanting to lighten the mood, said casually,
“I was trying to keep a low profile at the academy, but I guess I caused trouble again.”
“You can cause as much trouble as you want as long as I’m the student council president.”
“I’ll be the student council president after you graduate, Brother. You can do whatever you want until Elonia graduates.”
“You’re too immature to be the student council president. I’d rather repeat a year.”
“What?!”
Llewellyn’s voice rose indignantly at Alberich’s unexpected but accurate jab.
Elonia, placing a hand on her forehead, intervened,
“Stop it, you two, or you’ll get in trouble.”
“Who cares about getting in trouble? Someone dared to insult the princess.”
“Right, right.”
Elonia ruffled their hair, messing up their carefully styled hairdos.
They chuckled, seemingly enjoying her affection.
Just then, Olivia emerged from the headmaster’s office.
“…Ah.”
Her expression hardened, then she bowed her head slightly and turned to leave.
Elonia quickly called out to her,
“Wait, Olivia!”
“…What?”
“I want to talk.”
“El!”
“Your Highness!”
As expected, the two brothers, who disliked Elonia interacting with the Heilan hostages, protested immediately.
Elonia, feeling guilty, tried to reassure them.
“Olivia is not a bad person. She helped me.”
“She only helped you because she was involved in the rumor!”
“But she still helped me.”
“We can’t leave you alone with Princess Olivia.”
They blocked her path.
Olivia, annoyed at being treated like Dianne, retorted,
“Excuse me, but I’m busy. I tried to help the princess, and now I’m being lectured by mere servants. At least I don’t have to deal with my brother since communication crystals are forbidden for hostages.”
She crossed her arms, her voice sharp and sarcastic.
Llewellyn, equally sassy, glared at her.
Olivia raised her chin, scoffing.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“…I don’t think she helped you out of pure intentions, El.”
“Llewellyn, that’s rude. She helped me, and that’s that.”
“Ugh!”
Elonia pinched Llewellyn’s cheek, then turned to Alberich.
“I’ll be back soon. I have a feeling Dad will scold me later, and I don’t want to be scolded alone.”
“…We’ll wait.”
Alberich, his expression troubled, reluctantly stepped aside.
Elonia smiled gratefully at him, then approached Olivia.
“Sorry for calling you out. Can you spare a moment?”
Olivia, after a moment of silence, nodded.
“…Just a moment.”
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Elonia and Olivia sat down on a bench outside.
They weren’t sitting close, but Olivia’s demeanor wasn’t as hostile as before.
Elonia asked,
“Why did you help me? You used to provoke me all the time.”
“…”
Olivia turned away, avoiding her gaze.
Elonia, unfazed, reached out and took her hand.
Nine years was a long time.
Her little sister’s hand, which had once been so small, was now much larger than hers.
Olivia flinched at the sudden contact, but she finally looked at Elonia.
Elonia smiled.
“It must have been awkward to help me, considering our different positions. But thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you. It’s just that that girl…”
Olivia trailed off, her voice choked with emotion.
Her olive eyes were clouded with pain.
Tears threatened to spill.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Elonia quickly retracted her words, but she had already touched a nerve.
Chelon had done the same thing in the past.
Whenever Olivia cried, for whatever reason, she would approach her, hold her hand, and offer comfort.
She would tell her it was okay not to talk, that she understood.
‘Sister…’
Why did this little princess keep reminding her of her sister?
Olivia finally broke down, tears streaming down her face.
She didn’t even bother wiping them away, simply sobbing uncontrollably.
Elonia, startled by her tears, froze at the word “sister.”
The only person Olivia called “sister” was Chelon.
Why was she suddenly thinking about Chelon?
Olivia, hiccuping, replied,
“I hate you. Why do you keep reminding me of her?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Listen. I intervened because that girl insulted my sister. I wasn’t going to help you until she started badmouthing Chelon. I was going to let Lucius handle it.”
Elonia couldn’t understand.
The rumor was about a love triangle. Why was Chelon suddenly being brought into this?
Olivia’s next words cleared up her confusion.
“I can handle being called a boy-crazy bitch. But I can’t tolerate them insulting my dead sister, saying I’m just like her.”
Olivia didn’t elaborate, but Elonia could easily guess what had happened.
The only girl in the male-dominated Heilan military.
She knew what kind of rumors would spread. She had been subjected to countless such rumors in the past.
Elonia was speechless, shocked that those rumors had reached Olivia.
She had hoped to keep it from her siblings, but it seemed like her wish wouldn’t be granted.
Olivia, her eyes fixed on Elonia’s lavender irises, poured out her heart.
“Who are you? You’re the daughter of the one who killed my sister, and yet, you keep reminding me of her. Why are you imitating her, forcing me to intervene?!”
“…Do I really resemble Princess Chelon that much?”
“No, not at all. How dare you even compare yourself to her?”
“…Hey.”
That was a quick denial.
Olivia, ignoring Elonia’s stunned expression, buried her face in her lap.
“That’s why it’s so annoying. Every time I see your face, it brings back memories of my sister, even though you don’t look anything like her. It’s like she’s right in front of me.”
Laughter and tears were contagious.
That was exactly how Elonia was feeling right now.
Olivia wiped away her tears roughly with her sleeve, then looked at Elonia with an indescribable expression.
“Are you angry that a mere hostage dared to say you resemble the War Demon? Then go ahead and be angry. I knew the consequences. You can cancel my reward and chop off my head, just like you did to Dolce.”
Olivia, misinterpreting Elonia’s teary-eyed expression, spoke sarcastically.
But Elonia wasn’t offended at all.
Olivia had seen Chelon in her.
She still remembered and missed Chelon.
The thought that Olivia hadn’t forgotten her filled Elonia with a strange mix of guilt and joy.
She didn’t deserve to feel happy, considering she had abandoned her siblings, but she couldn’t help it.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Before she could even process her emotions, Olivia asked, her voice filled with concern,
“…Why are you crying?”