Ch.2726. Daily Life? (1)

# 26. Ordinary Days? (1)

The next day was surprisingly ordinary, contrary to my expectations.

Since I didn’t have many close friends besides Chris and Rachel, most students didn’t ask about my brief absence from the academy.

Of course, that’s most students.

Most…

“Why were you absent? For a whole week at that?”

A rather unfamiliar face was questioning me.

Her name was Reina.

She’s an elite who, despite being a commoner like us, achieved an impressive third place in the ranking tournament.

Though we rarely interacted before, she approached me without hesitation.

“I was a bit sick.”

The imperial side had only reported to the public that Babylon’s assassin had entered the palace, with no mention of me whatsoever.

There must have been a reason for that.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Seeing her genuine concern made me feel guilty.

‘Well, I was actually sick, so…’

I deployed another flexible self-justification.

I gave a faint smile and replied:

“I’m much better, though still a bit under the weather…”

“That’s good to hear. Don’t push yourself and get plenty of rest.”

After dispensing this doctor-like advice, she returned to her seat.

Chris, who had been listening nearby, commented:

“How many times have you heard that line?”

“I’ve lost count.”

It was such a cliché that I must have heard it about 40 times, but somehow it didn’t feel that way.

“Still, it felt different coming from her.”

“Oh?”

Chris looked at me with an inexplicably displeased expression.

Then he said something rather annoying:

“Do you like her?”

“That’s not what I meant. It just felt different hearing it from someone who never talks to me.”

“Oh… is that so? Boring…”

Chris’s expression went blank, as if all his excitement had drained away.

“You sure love entertainment.”

“Don’t you have someone you like?”

“Of course I do.”

“Really!? Who is it!?”

I found myself under Chris’s expectant gaze.

I pondered the question that came with his intense stare.

‘Someone I like…’

Of course there was.

But the reality was that I couldn’t openly name the person who came to mind.

“That’s a secret.”

Lately, I seemed to be using the word “secret” quite often.

Chris reacted just like everyone else who had heard that response.

“You sure love secrets.”

I gave an awkward smile at his cold reaction.

Chris sighed deeply and asked:

“Want to go to the PC bang after school today?”

“Ah… I have plans today… sorry.”

“With whom?”

“It’s a secret.”

***

After the academy let out, I headed to the library where she would be waiting.

When I reached the library entrance, our eyes met as she was about to enter.

“If you were going to come anyway, why did you refuse earlier?”

“That was then, this is now.”

“What’s the difference?”

Is she really this clueless?

“You’ve awakened now.”

“So?”

“Let’s drop it.”

Finding it too frustrating to continue, I promptly opened the door and entered the library.

As I entered, the now-familiar message appeared.

I saw her alongside the increasingly tiresome status window.

“You came early.”

“Hello! Long time no see!”

Next to her was Riel, welcoming us.

We greeted them as well.

“It’s been a while. But why is the library so empty?”

Even for a Monday afternoon, it seemed unusually deserted. There were only the four of us present.

She spoke as if this were perfectly normal.

“This is actually the usual.”

While it’s true that e-books have been gradually reducing the prominence of physical books, paper books still had many unique advantages.

But it seemed the academy students were either unaware of these advantages or simply didn’t have the time. From my observation, they weren’t as diligent as I had thought.

“That’s a shame.”

“Anyway, congratulations on joining our party.”

“Congratulations!”

Though I had initially refused her offer, she greeted me with a bright smile.

Riel did the same, but Aelin didn’t share their enthusiasm.

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude to everyone except Aelin.

“So what exactly does being in a party involve? Besides clearing dungeons together?”

“Besides that, it’s just socializing, becoming allies.”

She corrected Riel’s choice of words.

“That’s not the best way to put it.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? We don’t really do much else. Besides, this party will probably dissolve soon after graduation.”

Aelin tilted her head, not understanding the meaning behind those words.

Riel looked at Aelin and said:

“Oh, right. Aelin doesn’t know, does she?”

“Know what?”

Riel looked at her.

She nodded in response.

With that signal, Riel finally revealed the truth.

“The Diana that Aelin knows…”

She suddenly interrupted.

“I’ll tell her myself.”

She looked at Aelin and continued.

“I’m not the Diana you’ve known all this time.”

Aelin’s expression suggested she didn’t understand.

“My real name is… Elizabeth Michael.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yes, I’m exactly who you’re thinking of. Usually referred to as the Imperial Princess.”

Aelin appeared somewhat shocked.

However, her expression wasn’t gloomy.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you until now…”

“Are you really the Imperial Princess?”

Her somewhat excited reaction caught the princess off guard.

“You knew too?”

“Why would you ask something so obvious?”

Aelin seemed to feel more betrayed by me than by her.

“Why are you giving me that look?”

“You knew this incredible fact all along? That’s so unfair.”

“Is that the issue?”

“What else would be the issue?”

Her response, whether naive or innocent, made my head spin.

Perhaps that was fortunate.

The princess burst into laughter at Aelin’s reaction.

“You two are certainly an interesting pair of siblings.”

“You flatter us, Your Highness.”

“Please don’t call me that…”

She was quite flustered by my sudden change in address.

“Understood, senior.”

“More importantly.”

She looked at us with serious eyes and spoke in a solemn tone.

Her appearance resembled the one I remembered from those days.

“Thank you for protecting my mother.”

“It was nothing. We only did what needed to be done.”

“Pretending to be humble, how annoying.”

Her aggressive tone irritated me a bit.

“It’s not pretense, it’s called manners.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Thank you both so much for helping me make it in time.”

She continued with a slightly altered tone.

“But why did you go to such lengths? You didn’t seem loyal enough to risk your life protecting her.”

“I did it for the future of the Empire, and for your future as well, senior.”

“For me?”

She reacted as if she didn’t understand.

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“You catch on quickly.”

“Men with too many secrets aren’t my type…”

“Then I’ll become your type someday. I’ll wait until then.”

She smiled and said:

“By then, wouldn’t I already have a boyfriend?”

“I’ll take that to mean I’ll become your lover before I become your type.”

“As always, your confidence is remarkable.”

Aelin, looking confused, asked:

“Wait, is she the person you mentioned before?”

“That’s right, the Imperial Princess.”

“What are you talking about?”

I looked directly at her face and said:

“I once mentioned having someone I like. I didn’t tell you who it was then.”

“What… WHAT!?”

Her face gradually reddened, and her eyes wandered aimlessly.

“You really are oblivious, even though I made it so obvious.”

“But… why do you like me?”

I wanted to dismiss this question as another secret, but that seemed nearly impossible.

Still, I tried asking:

“Can I keep this a secret too?”

“Absolutely not.”

The thing I most wanted to keep secret couldn’t be avoided.

With no choice, I answered honestly.

“The reason is…”

Not just her, but Aelin and Riel too focused on my words.

In that tense atmosphere, I slowly opened my mouth.

“It’s because Your Highness is my entire life. That’s all I can say for now.”

I thought it was an incredibly cheesy line, but apparently she likes this kind of cheesiness.

“You really do like me a lot.”

Despite spending considerable time with her, I never knew she enjoyed such talk.

“Me? Not really…?”

With ears flushed red, she was telling a very obvious lie.

I watched her with contentment.

“If you say so.”

“It’s not ‘if I say so’—it’s the truth!”

She denied it strongly, but her words carried about as much conviction as dirt under a fingernail.

As I looked at her, I remembered something I had forgotten.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t used that skill yet.’

I approached her to try using the skill.

Seeing me coming closer, she blushed.

“What… what is it?”

As she turned her head away, I lightly touched her hand.

Then I activated the skill, [Regressor’s Privilege].