episode_0022

Star’s Child, Princess of the Kingdom, Astel.

His position and fame were dazzling, but I knew.

In the novel, Astel died before the introduction.

I didn’t like the idea of a child losing their life, so I used my power to save him from the prince, but I never imagined we would meet again like this.

I stared at Astel intently.

His mysterious indigo eyes didn’t avoid my gaze.

They looked at me, yet seemed to be looking at something else.

Mysterious, but not deceived by such appearances.

Well, now that he has revealed himself to the Concentration Management Department, he’s just a fool like me.

I briefly admired Astel’s appearance and casually asked a question.

“…Even though we can’t communicate, why did you come to the Kingdom Academy?”

That was my first question.

I heard that the Kingdom Academy was as well-equipped as the Kingdom itself.

There was no reason for a princess of one country to be treated like a fool at an academy in another country.

“As the purpose of the academy itself is such, I am also a student.”

“…Ah, that’s enough.”

I furrowed my brow at Astel’s calm statement that he was a student.

It sounded like something that was a headache to deal with.

I don’t know about that.

I tried to forget the answer I just heard while nodding my head.

I have no interest in political matters.

Anyway, Astel probably didn’t want to enroll in the Kingdom Academy.

That was enough information.

Knowing more than this was useless, and I didn’t want to know.

“…Thank you for answering, but you shouldn’t just tell anyone about that.”

“Yes, sir.”

No matter how much I received respect from the princess, I felt that something was seriously wrong.

“…Yes, well….”

I didn’t say anything vague, and we sat in silence for how long.

About 20 minutes, I guess?

Professor Mosan came into the club room.

He looked at me, sighed, and then coughed as if he was surprised to see Astel sitting next to me.

“Why is the princess here…?”

“The princess is here for the same reason as me. She needs to learn because we can’t communicate.”

When I answered instead, Astel looked at me with approval.

“Professor Mosan is right. I showed my incompetence, so I came here to make up for it.”

Even though I kept listening, I couldn’t get used to the stiff tone.

It was probably the limit of the translation magic.

“…Sir?”

When Astel used a respectful title for me, Professor Mosan looked at me with an indescribable expression, shrugged his shoulders.

“I am a sir, right?”

I had clearly noticed when Professor Mosan brought the Concentration Management Department documents for me to sign.

That I was a sir.

“Surely you’re not going to hand over the position of sir to the princess now…?”

If that was the intention, it would be very sad.

In a class society, if the other person is of a higher class than me, it could happen, but still, would the professor easily break a promise to a 10-year-old child?

I stared at Professor Mosan, and Astel also looked at him along with me.

Professor Mosan, who frowned at our gazes, let out a small sigh.

“…Hm… It’s fine to have the position of sir. However, Princess, do you know? The Concentration Management Department is a position that is ridiculed.”

A ridiculed position.

It was slightly unpleasant to know that he recommended the Concentration Management Department to me knowing that.

I had some guesses, so I guess it’s fine.

Sitting on a chair, I watched Professor Mosan and Astel’s conversation while swinging my legs that barely touched the floor.

“Realizing one’s own shortcomings and striving to learn, why should that be something to be ashamed of? There is no need to be ashamed, and there is no reason to be ridiculed for it.”

Although it was a valid argument,

Does the princess, who grew up so delicately, not know that the world does not flow according to reason?

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

After a slight tension between them, both of them soon turned to look at me.

“…Ria.”

“Yes?”

Why did he call me by my name?

“…Take good care of the princess.”

“…Uh, um, yes, sure.”

It’s natural for a chief to take care of a subordinate, but for some reason, the meaning of those words seemed more than just that, so I answered vaguely.

“I’ll do my best.”

I’m not sure how to take care of her, but if I work hard, things will somehow work out.

Professor Mosan, seemingly unsatisfied with my response, handed me a book with a displeased expression.

“What’s this?”

“…I didn’t know the princess would come, so I prepared only your share. Let’s study together for now. It’s fortunate that we have things to learn together.”

I see.

Well, I can’t help it then.

I took the book and leaned closer to Astel.

If Seyna smelled like roses, Astel had a slightly peachy and sweet scent.

“Let’s read it together, princess.”

“Yes, Chief.”

…I can’t stop him from calling me chief.

It doesn’t make me feel bad to hear it, but it gives me chills.

“…Um, it’s very uncomfortable to be so formal with the princess from a commoner’s perspective. Could you please call me by my name…? My name is Ria.”

Even though Seyna uses honorifics with me, at least she doesn’t add ‘nim’ to it.

It’s like wearing clothes that don’t fit, so I requested, and Astel nodded slightly.

Thank goodness.

He’s willing to grant my request.

“Yes, Ria-nim.”

…Adding ‘nim’ doesn’t change anything at all.

Could it be that the interpreter isn’t doing a good job?

Observing Astel closely with a reasonable suspicion, I eventually sighed.

Well, it’s better than being overly formal, so I’ll take it as a good thing.

“…First, let’s start with simple words…”

Professor Mosan, who had been talking loudly, suddenly looked down at us quietly and started the lesson with a frown.

We had a simple conversation for 20 minutes, and there were no problems with the dialogue.

Since there were no issues with the conversation, we moved on to dictation to assess our reading and writing skills.

It didn’t take more than 15 minutes for the results to come out.

“…Princess got eleven out of twenty…”

Professor Mosan furrowed his brow as he glanced through the writings we had transcribed.

“…Ria, twelve out of twenty?”

“Yes.”

“…On par with foreigners?”

“On par? No, I actually got one more correct.”

Don’t nitpick.

There’s a clear difference between eleven and twelve.

I crossed my arms and raised my head slightly, putting on a confident expression, and in response, Astel lightly applauded.

“As expected, Ria-nim is amazing.”

“…Hehe, well, I, I’m just…”

I thought I would be laughed at here, but being genuinely praised makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

Scratching my head awkwardly, I noticed Professor Mosan’s face contorting into an indescribable expression.

Criticism from a mere professor and praise from a princess of a country.

Even a fool could tell which one to value.

“Yes, Ria-nim, you’re amazing.”

It’s not the constant criticism that’s getting to me, but the pure praise that’s making me all flustered and happy.

I couldn’t help but blush and peek at Astel suspiciously, wondering if he was trying to tame me with compliments.

His hazy eyes, weak applause, and gentle voice.

No matter how closely I looked, I couldn’t sense any ulterior motives.

My eyes are usually accurate about 6 out of 10 times, so this time, they must be right.

“…Princess.”

“Yes, Lady Ria.”

“Please praise me a little more.”

“…Impressive, impressive….”

“Hehe….”

The prince is always sharp, and Shasha seems to subtly treat me differently these days, maybe because I’ve gotten too comfortable.

Seina is too timid, and she automatically takes a step back whenever I approach her.

Such pure praise was truly a rare occurrence.

The princess was much kinder than my friends.

“Looks terrible.”

Go away, Professor.

Can’t you see I’m talking to the princess?

I wanted to say that, but I held back and corrected my posture.

“…Your grades are so poor that starting tomorrow, I will shorten the club class time to 2 hours. We need to create a textbook based on your current level, so for now, we will end here.”

Whether it was to end the first day of club activities succinctly or if Professor Mosan just wanted to end things quickly, I wasn’t sure, but there was something I needed to confirm before leaving.

“Professor! Can I decorate the club room as I please?”

“…That’s fine, but I won’t provide any support for that.”

As Professor Mosan hurriedly escaped the club room, I shifted my gaze to Astel.

“Princess.”

“Yes, Lady Ria.”

I cautiously asked, “Do you have some money?”

Astel’s previously hazy pupils shook uncontrollably at my question.