After break, the number of students bustling through the corridors increased substantially. Their voices were louder than usual, presumably due to the residual excitement of summer break. Friends had tons to tell each other. Of course, some of the topics they discussed were cruder and more vulgar than others.
“Get this—I heard something interesting from a guy who stayed here over the summer,” one male student declared eagerly, anxious to share the latest gossip with his buddies. “He said Prince Julius and his friends went out of their way to invite the scholarship student out, even during break!”
This immediately piqued his friends’ interest. Like everyone else at the school, they wanted to hear any developments surrounding the prince or the academy’s other notable noble heirs.
“Is that commoner really that charming?”
“I’m more curious about what’s going on with Angelica. She’s supposed to be his fiancée, right?”
“Maybe he’s fed up with her. That party at the end of last term was a total mess.”
This was such a hot topic among the students that the conversation absorbed them all fully—so much so, they didn’t even notice that one of the subjects of their gossip was listening nearby.
“I believe I heard someone speak my name. If you have something to say to me, I’m all ears.”
Whispers quieted into silence, and suffocating tension flooded the corridor. The boys happily chatting about the latest school rumors turned their gazes toward the woman who’d abruptly interrupted. The blood drained from their faces.
“Um, er…it’s not what it…” the boy who’d raised the topic stammered. Body trembling like a leaf, he tried to come up with some excuse. He began with his back turned, but as he twisted around, he found himself staring down a whole pack of girls: Angelica Rapha Redgrave and her many followers.
Angelica stood at the front. Her blonde hair was braided and gathered in a bun at the back of her head. Her ruby eyes, which conveyed her forceful will, narrowed menacingly.
The boy cringed, shivering uncontrollably. All traces of his earlier pomposity had vanished.
Angelica gave him an icy stare, folding her arms beneath her voluptuous breasts. “What’s the matter? I believe you mentioned something about someone being fed up with someone else. Go on. Let’s hear the rest.”
“Uh, I, uh…”
The boy retreated a step, intimidated. Taking that as the signal to flee, his fellows left him behind. Realizing he’d been abandoned, he spun on his heel as if to run from Angelica as well.
One of Angelica’s followers seized his collar, holding him in place. Several members of her entourage were trained in martial arts. The academy put male students through intense training in that subject as well, but the boy knew better than to fight back; that would hamper his chances of ever finding a bride. He feared the repercussions too much to risk it.
“No running,” the follower snapped. “Answer Lady Angelica’s question. Quickly.”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it!” he cried.
The follower dragged him back to Angelica and forced him to the ground, then held him there.
Angelica stared down at him with ice-cold eyes. “Where did your bravado go? I’d love for you to inform me who, exactly, is ‘fed up’ with me. Then you can tell me who started these rumors to begin with. You will explain what I want to know, won’t you?” Her voice was like a frozen dagger.
The quivering boy nodded vigorously, showing his eagerness to cooperate.
***
Special rooms at the academy were set aside for male students to host girls at tea parties. In one of those rooms, Angelica found herself sitting with two other students. Julius was one; the other was Jilk Fia Marmoria.
Jilk had long, flowing emerald hair and a gentle air; he was a tall young man with beautiful features. The son of a court viscount, he’d been raised alongside Julius from a young age, sharing the prince’s wet nurse. It was no exaggeration to call him Julius’s closest retainer.
Jilk was preparing a cup of tea for Angelica, though not without taking a dig at her. “Please, Miss Angelica, contain yourself. It’s none of your concern how His Highness spent his summer break.”
Angelica shot him a spiteful look as he handed her the steaming cup. “I am His Highness’s fiancée,” she reminded him. “Of course it concerns me if His Highness is losing his head over another girl.”
It’s impossible to read him, she thought. And this tea has an odd aroma. She decided against imbibing any, instead focusing her gaze on Julius, who sat opposite her. He wasn’t touching his teacup, either; his fingers were interlaced in front of his mouth.
“Are you implying I don’t even deserve a chance to relax?” he asked accusingly. “Thanks to your father, I had a particularly busy summer break.”
“Father did all that for your own good, Your Highness,” she said.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
After catching wind of the rumors floating around the academy, Vince Redgrave—Angelica’s father and Julius’s future father-in-law—had seen fit to drag the young prince to numerous high-society functions over the summer. Alas, whether it had been for his sake or not, Julius hadn’t appreciated it.
“I can’t even count how many times your father warned me not to ‘mess around too much.’ It’s shameful enough that you’re blabbering about academy business off campus, but it’s even worse that you enlisted your father’s assistance.”
There was an unspoken rule at the academy—a silent consensus—that anyone who tattled to a professor or parent was a coward. Several students did leverage family influence and power, but everyone else saw them as losers. Julius was no exception to the younger generation’s stance; he found Angelica’s behavior boorish.
“I-I didn’t speak a word about the situation to him!” Angelica protested, voice rising, desperate to convince the prince that she’d had no hand in her father’s actions. All she’d reported to Vince was that her relationship with Julius had grown difficult. Her father had, of his own accord, attempted to patch the rift by spending time with Julius.
Julius looked wholly unconvinced. To him, the details didn’t matter, since the result had been the same. “Don’t involve yourself where Olivia is concerned,” he warned. “You won’t get away with doing anything to her. While I’m at it, let me remind you—whatever I do is my choice, not yours.”
His chair legs screeched against the floor as he stood abruptly. Angelica lowered her gaze to her lap, where her fingers curled into tight fists.
***
When Angelica left the room, she found her entourage bickering with someone outside.
“As I already informed you, Lady Angelica is busy!”
“She can’t afford even a moment to speak with me? She seems to take the Roseblades too lightly.”
The lady standing before them covered her mouth with a folding fan. Long golden ringlets fell around her shoulders, and she had a striking air that made her stand out from her peers. She was an upperclassman—a third year—though Angelica had known her since before they entered the academy.
Angelica motioned her followers to back off. “Deirdre,” she said in acknowledgment. “What business do you have with me?”
Deirdre Fou Roseblade was the most powerful and influential student in third year. In fact, she was something of a mediator for her classmates. As she stood before Angelica now, her gaze was hard and unflinching.
“In case you haven’t heard, Stephanie from House Offrey has been throwing her weight around here,” said Deirdre. “I’m happy to offer assistance if she’s proven too much for you to handle.”
Angelica pulled a face, annoyed. She knew Deirdre’s “offer” came with strings attached. “Don’t bring the feud between your families onto campus. If there are issues between first-years, I’ll resolve them. I have no need of your assistance.”
Deirdre snapped her folding fan shut, revealing her face to Angelica. She smiled thinly. “That’s unfortunate. I hoped to put Stephanie in her place.”
“Do you have a bone to pick personally?”
“Not at all. In fact, anytime that girl sees me, she turns tail and runs. So spineless.”
There was considerable bad blood between the Roseblades and Offreys. The former took great pride in their status as Holfortian nobility, reigning over an entire earldom. The way the Offreys had slithered into the aristocracy, despite being mere merchants, displeased the Roseblades greatly. Numerous quarrels between the houses, and even a few skirmishes, had turned them into bitter enemies.
Angelica rested a hand on her hip and sighed.
In the past, mutual enmity between houses had led countless students to challenge one another to duels. The academy enacted rules to prevent that, prohibiting students from bringing such outside grudges into the school. But that didn’t eliminate the issue. Some students still couldn’t fully separate their lives there from their lives back home, so the academy’s peace was precarious, teetering on the edge.
Angelica’s face hardened. “If you have no personal issues with her, don’t you dare cause me unnecessary trouble. Should you refuse to heed this warning, I’ll show you no mercy.”
“Very well, Angelica,” Deirdre grinned. “That commanding expression of yours never fails to send chills down my spine.”
She seemed undaunted by Angelica’s threat; Deirdre was an earl’s daughter herself. Moreover, the Roseblades were allied with Angelica’s family, so it was no surprise she wasn’t cowed.
Sliding her fan open, Deirdre covered her mouth once more. “As someone older and more experienced, I caution you to be careful of that girl.”
“Oh? Do you know something I don’t?” Angelica demanded.
Deirdre’s eyelids lowered; slight creases in her cheeks suggested she was smirking. She spun around and waltzed off, never answering Angelica’s question.
“Lady Angelica, what should we do?” asked one of Angelica’s followers.
Angelica waved her hand dismissively. “No need to interfere just yet. Deirdre wouldn’t be foolish enough to stir the pot. Stephanie, if anyone, is likelier to cause issues.”
Knowing what she did about Stephanie Offrey, Angelica worried the girl might do something reckless. She sighed; it was one problem after another.
“Honestly,” she grumbled, “why must these things keep cropping up?”
***
Once we finished our school festival meeting and returned to the classroom, Daniel and Raymond laughed together.
“I can’t believe what idiots we were, assuming ‘flan’ was code for something else,” Daniel said.
Raymond readjusted his glasses, index finger pushing them up the bridge of his nose. “We were so desperate that we couldn’t think straight. Anyway, we’re sure lucky to be in Miss Marie’s grade. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to her for introducing us to those girls. We’d never have met them otherwise, since they never leave their dorm.”
He had a good point. Without Marie, we wouldn’t have had a chance with them. We all appreciated her for that.
Still, that didn’t stop me from complaining. “I wish she’d introduce me to one of those girls. Anytime I ask, she gets all grumpy.”
Daniel and Raymond glowered at me, the joy suddenly sapped from their faces. Those aren’t the kind of looks you give a friend, guys.
“This has bothered me for a while now, so I’m going to ask outright,” said Daniel. “Leon, are you an idiot?”
“You really need to do some introspection. Take a good look at yourself, Leon,” Raymond agreed. “If you don’t, you’d better watch your back at night.”
They were treating me just like the other guys had when I complained that Marie wasn’t lending me a hand.
“Do you guys seriously think Marie and I are dating or something?” I just knew that had to be the reason.
Daniel sighed, exasperated. “It’d make less sense if you weren’t. You took her back to your family home and spent summer break together, didn’t you? You’re as good as engaged.”
Raymond crossed his arms and nodded vigorously. “You may not have officially announced it, but you’re practically promised to each other. Even though it’s not written in stone, we’re honestly still envious that you made it that far with a girl. El’s the one I’ve got my heart set on, though, so it’s fine that you’ve got Marie.”
Daniel glared daggers at him. “Hold it right there, Raymond. You’re serious about El? You know she’s the one I’m going for.”
Tension filled the room.
“Daniel, friendship is nothing in the face of love,” Raymond retorted. “El’s the one who’ll make the choice, right?”
Daniel seized his collar, hauling him into the air. “You’re serious about going after my El!”
“She likes to hole up and read! I’m way better suited to her!”
I stared as their friendship crumbled over a woman. You guys are so obnoxious. Disgusted as I was, I kept watching.
That was when Marie strolled into the classroom with a leaflet in her hands. She waved it in the air as she chirped, “Hey, get this! You guys know the festival is coming up, but did you hear about the competitions on the third day? There’ll be prize money for anyone who places!” Her eyes lit up, her joy almost palpable. Granted, that joy was a product of greed. I knew she was after the prize money; Marie never could defy her true nature.
“So? You gonna compete?” I asked.
She tilted her head at me. “I can’t. Competitors are chosen for skill and house standing. And women won’t be allowed to participate in many competitions.”
How predictable. Of course it was all on the men. Why? Because these were fierce competitions; it was already a given that the participants would be male. A bigger reason, though, was probably that men were the ones who needed to bride hunt. The festival’s day-three competitions would provide us an opportunity to prove ourselves—a chance to advertise what a catch we were to the girls.
In the otome game, this had been a central event in which all the love interests got to strut their stuff. Couldn’t the protagonist participate, too? I was pretty sure she could. That had depended how high certain stats were, though, so it was impossible to predict whether it would happen. Either way, I had no intention of getting involved.
Marie unfolded the leaflet on the table in front of me. “Actually, I was hoping to ask whether you’d participate, Leon.” The page below me included information on an air-bike race, the most popular event at the festival.
“Race an air bike? No way,” I replied.
“Why not?! That event has the most prize money! Show a little more ambition, why don’t you?!”
My refusal wasn’t something that ambition alone would solve. “Air-bike racing is incredibly popular. Guys fight tooth and nail just to qualify. It’s not simply a matter of who gets better grades—it’s more than that. As a girl, you should relate, given how complicated female hierarchies can get.”
The peer circles here weren’t like Japanese high school cliques. There was a legitimate caste system in Holfort, especially among the elite. When the academy chose event participants, they would take into account not only individual ability but family standing. Skill alone wouldn’t cut it.
Marie leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Come on. You’d get in if you used Luxion, right?”
“You don’t understand him at all.”
I could already picture Luxion’s response. “Money? I can produce as much as you require myself. Why waste time on a competition?”
“I have reviewed the requirements,” Luxion cut in, somehow ensuring that only Marie and I heard him. “You wish to know whether I could arrange your participation and subsequent victory, correct? I could initiate such a plan by ensuring promising competitors were in no condition to compete. Other serious competitors could meet with unfortunate accidents on the day of the race. That would help guarantee Master’s victory.”
Well, damn. His plan surpassed what I’d imagined, actually. What the hell does he mean by “unfortunate accidents”?!
Luxion’s response showed Marie that I was right; involving him would be dangerous. Her shoulders slumped. “Aw. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to earn extra cash,” she said forlornly.
“You seriously thought I’d split my winnings after I raced? Are you stupid?”
“I was going to support you!” she protested. “Anyway, can’t you help me out? Please? I’m in a real tight spot this month.”
“You’re kidding. I already gave you an allowance.”
When second term started, I’d pitied her so much that I’d offered her spending money. It was quite a substantial amount; I had a hard time believing she’d blown through it.
Marie intertwined her fingers in her lap. She hesitated at first, as if this was difficult to explain, but eventually confessed, “I’d like more cash on hand—you know, in case of an emergency. I’ll be fine here at school, but what do you think’ll happen when I graduate? Loan sharks will come for me.”
“You’re not serious, are you?”
“Marie’s family is shouldering substantial debt,” Luxion explained, having analyzed her words. “The loan sharks will presumably expect her to assist in paying it off, since she’ll be better positioned to do so.”
I shook my head. “It’s not like Marie racked up all that debt.” That was maybe naive of me, but the situation was so horrible that I figured she’d be better off just turning them away.
“In fact, it is entirely possible that a portion of that debt was incurred under her name,” Luxion said. “She may have been listed as a joint guarantor without her knowledge.”
Blood drained from Marie’s face. “Oh no.” Her voice was a horrified whisper. “Not that. Not a joint guarantor…”
Her circumstances were so awful, I was left speechless. Tears had sprung to her eyes at the mere mention of a “joint guarantor,” which provoked Daniel and Raymond to glare at me, wrongly thinking I’d made her weep.
“Come on, turn off the waterworks, okay?” I said, desperate to placate her so I didn’t look like the bad guy. “Oh, I know! I’ll bet on third-day events and rake in dough that way.”
That suggestion would’ve sounded ridiculous coming from anyone else, but I had Luxion on my side, so I could make guaranteed bets easily.
Marie’s tears dried instantly, and her expression went rigid. “You can’t,” she snapped.
“Huh?”
“I hate gambling! You’d better not even try it. Got that?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Personally, I thought life itself was a gamble, but there was no point arguing that with her. Better to keep quiet and let her have her way.
Marie held her head in her hands and groaned. “I guess my only choice is to earn money the old-fashioned way during the festival! I’ve got to come up with something that’ll make bank…”
She truly was indomitable.
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