The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy – Chapter 65

Chapter 65: The Night Before

“Oh my, what a coincidence to see you here. Lady Hoyeon and… hmm, a male student? Might I ask your name?”

Standing before Hoyeon, I greeted them as politely as possible. If she tried anything, I wanted to be ready to protect Hoyeon.

Even as I maintained composure, I could feel the demonic energy within me reacting to her presence, making me tense up.

Georg had said that my demonic energy would automatically respond to danger.

And indeed, this woman was a dangerous individual, the type who exuded peril just by locking eyes. Talking to her only heightened the threat.

Although I had only known about her through information before, now my very body signaled that she was dangerous.

She was undoubtedly the one responsible for the surprise midterm attack that wasn’t in the original story. I should’ve been more vigilant, but perhaps I’d grown lax in Hoyeon’s company.

“My name is Han Dogeon. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Stefania.”

“Han Dogeon… Han Dogeon… Oh, the commoner who recently enrolled in the academy? Your story is rather well-known. But… Why are you by Lady Hoyeon’s side?”

It was rare for someone as quick-witted as Stefania to hesitate, so it seemed I still wasn’t within her circle of interest.

That was fortunate, but her interest in Hoyeon was the real problem.

Despite being the daughter of a count, she had the audacity to toy with the children of dukes and even challenge royalty as if she were their equal. If Stefania decided to do something to Hoyeon, I had no way of stopping her.

Moreover, I couldn’t think of a proper response to her question. Officially, the princess and I were nothing more than an aristocrat and a commoner. I couldn’t simply call her a friend.

The only tenuous connection we shared was having similar names of Eastern origin.

As I struggled, Hoyeon stepped forward, standing before me.

“Why is he by my side? Because he’s my friend.”

“Oh my, so the two of you are close? Then Iris wasn’t lying…?”

And with that, Stefania suddenly pressed a big, bright red button.

Good grief.

Though she covered her mouth with her fan at Hoyeon’s words, I caught a glimpse of the ominous curve of her lips, making it hard to breathe.

And she’d mentioned Iris.

While I knew Iris had fled, she’d been completely out of sight since then, leaving me uneasy. It seemed Stefania might’ve had something to do with it.

More importantly, hadn’t Hoyeon herself once said she cared about maintaining her public image? How was I supposed to take this?

“Does it bother you?”

“Not at all, Lady Hoyeon. I was just momentarily surprised to find that the rumors weren’t completely unfounded. I apologize if I caused any offense.”

“It’s fine. Now state your business here.”

Hoyeon pushed forward unfazed, her position as a princess allowing her to disregard politeness. Stefania, for her part, opted to back down gracefully.

“Oh my, was it that obvious? I merely wished to formally invite you to the small soirée I’m hosting in a few days.”

So she’d come to “invite” us to a party. At least that was somewhat of a relief.

“I was planning on attending anyway, so don’t pester me about it.”

Hoyeon deftly kept the conversation short, clearly indicating that she had no time to waste on Stefania.

There were only a handful of people who could handle Stefania so bluntly, and Hoyeon turned out to be one of them.

“Very well. Then I shall take my leave. Do enjoy the rest of your time together.”

Her voice remained composed, but Stefania’s pride was visibly bruised. She quickly regained her poise, however, and even managed to tease us with a light jab.

Her tone was sweet, but the subtext was clear: Are you two dating?

That unnecessary parting remark suggested strange rumors would soon be circulating.

Then again, judging by her words, it seemed the rumors were already out there.

“Hoyeon, didn’t you once say you cared about your public image?”

I barely held back a sigh as I addressed her. Hoyeon seemed slightly apologetic, as if she understood my concerns.

“Well… Stefania asked you a difficult question, so I wanted to help…”

So that was why she took such a high-handed approach to push Stefania away. I could somewhat understand her reasoning.

But that didn’t change the fact that giving Stefania ammunition was not the smartest move.

“Hoyeon, that was something I needed to handle myself. I appreciate the help, but there was no need for you to make things harder for yourself.”

I spoke firmly to make my point clear.

“But if we let Stefania know, then everyone will realize we’re friends, won’t they?”

“Yes, and that’s the prob—”

I started to reply but stopped when I saw her eyes.

There was a dangerous glint in them.

“If it’s not something we can hide forever, then wouldn’t it be better for everyone to just know? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about what others think… If everyone knows, then…”

“Hoyeon!”

Sensing her thoughts veering in a troubling direction, I urgently interrupted her train of thought.

“Huh? Did you call me?”

Looking at her again, the dangerous glint was gone from her eyes. For some reason, I felt I shouldn’t press her on what she’d been thinking.

“Yeah. You suddenly went quiet.”

“…Did I? Sorry! I guess I got lost in thought for a moment… Let’s head back.”

She didn’t seem to remember. I decided not to bring it up. What little I’d heard made me think it was better not to know more.

“Alright.”

***

Time passed without incident. Occasionally, Anya would stop by, but it was an otherwise peaceful routine.

Peaceful… but dull. In a world without the internet or games, a loner like me didn’t have much to do. Novels were entertaining, but they didn’t compare to games or comics.

Drifting through days like a piece of floating wood, I eventually arrived at the night before the party.

“Goodnight! Sweet dreams!”

“You too.”

After our now-habitual exchange of goodnight greetings, I returned to my room, feeling lonelier than ever.

…More importantly, what should I wear tomorrow? Since I’d told Stefania I was coming, skipping out wasn’t an option.

Might as well pick out an outfit. I wasn’t sleepy anyway.

I leapt out of bed and turned on the light. Then, I opened my journal.

I wasn’t sure how much my mother knew about fashion, but she’d surely know more than I did. Besides, she’d likely be free around this time.

-Mother, if you have a moment, could you help me choose an outfit?

I wrote the note and placed the journal back down, confident she’d see it soon. In the meantime, I opened my wardrobe.

The sight of the stuffed wardrobe still felt alien to me. I’d never owned this many clothes in either my past life or my current one.

Even if I removed all the casual clothes and left only the dresses, there were still a considerable number.

I set aside the first dress I ever bought… It wasn’t suited for something like a condolence party. I’d save it for another occasion.

As I carefully sifted through the options, one outfit caught my eye.

It was a dress Anya had insisted would suit me. While it left my shoulders exposed, it didn’t show any cleavage, nor was the back cut out.

It seemed just right. For a first choice, I thought I wasn’t too bad at this whole fashion thing.

Feeling pleased with myself, I changed into the dress and stood in front of the mirror. As I’d hoped, it was perfectly modest and unassuming.

The neutral, monochrome tone also appealed to me. Now, all that remained was to show it to my mother for approval.

Since most of the journal’s features worked reliably, I was confident this one would too. I held it up and aimed it directly at myself.

After a moment, the surface of the journal shimmered like water, and a different scene appeared.

A familiar view—and a familiar person.

“Mother… Can you see me?”

Though the communication worked, I wasn’t sure if video transmission would function, so I asked to confirm.

“Yes, my dear child. I see you clearly. It’s been two months since we last saw each other’s faces. Have you been well?”

“…Yes!”

So it worked. As expected of my mother, truly remarkable. I answered with a heart full of emotion.

“Ah, Hoyeon! Have you been well?”

Another voice joined in—deep, dignified, but oddly warm.

It was my father’s voice. He must’ve returned victorious from the war. The journal’s view shifted, revealing his face, likely turned by my mother.

He had new scars.

“Father!”

“Yes, Hoyeon. It’s been a while. Are your studies going well? Have you made friends? No trouble from simpletons, I hope?”

Still as concerned as ever, my father bombarded me with questions. I laughed heartily, trying to ease his worries.

“I’m doing well, Father. How have you been?”

“It’s been lonely without you in the palace. But seeing you well puts me at ease. Is there anything troubling you? If so, your father—”

“Dearest, you worry too much. The child is an adult now and can manage herself.”

“…Yes, you’re right, my dear.”

As always, my mother had my father firmly under her control.

Two months wasn’t a long time, but the fact that nothing had changed since I left brought a smile to my face.

“So… you want us to check your outfit?”

“Yes, Mother.”

I propped the journal upright on my desk and stepped back, posing to show the front, back, and sides of the dress to both my parents. Then, I awaited their feedback.

“As expected of my daughter. You look good in anything!”

“You look lovely, my child. But tell me, where are you going that requires such preparation?”

While my father showered me with unconditional praise, my mother questioned the purpose of my attire.

“Ah, I’m attending a soirée…”

“In that case, the dress is far too plain. Try something else.”

Before I could even finish my explanation, my mother had already rejected the dress outright.

…This was starting to feel ominous.