episode_0026

[Akademie Classmate]

Standing by the window of Ariel’s dormitory reception room, Remyang, who introduced herself, was looking outside.

The hood was off for identity verification.

The white hair like snow and the blue eyes like the sea were clearly visible.

In a few days, she would unveil her mask through the face-to-face ceremony, and after the preliminary rounds, she would hold the hand of the winner and head to the city to receive the grand celebration of the Northern people.

It was not Erinshia Velroc of the Red Wing, but Remyang Winterfell with white hair, confidently revealing herself to the world.

There was no need to resist the guards’ search or hide anything.

After all, she was still just the pitiful Countess Erinshia of some remote territory.

“…I trust the advisor delivered it well?”

Tomorrow, the final evaluation match before the face-to-face ceremony would take place.

Before that, she brought out the book of encouragement and persuasion for Elden’s determination to participate in the battle.

The book of encouragement was handed to Elden by Gelwood, and the book of persuasion was handed to Ariel by herself.

It was about presenting encouragement as an irresistible sweet temptation, followed by the book of persuasion to blow wind into it.

Moreover, the book of encouragement drawn as a card of repentance was not the subtle favoritism shown so far.

[Love at First Sight]

It was a clear favoritism, a confession made as a woman.

The anger and quarrel over the withdrawal news, the declaration of support at the end, and the lack of attention to other candidates were all because of ‘love.’

Of course, it was a false confession without any feelings.

Anyway, she had conveyed the strong power to the withdrawer, and even the information about the evaluation match tomorrow, so it would be difficult to refuse.

It was a golden opportunity to revive the declining family, to become a person of the great Duke family and seize the opportunity to wield omnipotent power, so who would let go of that.

She had persuaded the one who left due to lack of qualifications with complete support and love, so it was clear that the determination to withdraw was wavering.

If it was not because of falling in love with Ariel Elond, then.

If it was not because of the strong power that clouded even rational judgment, crushed intellectual contemplation, and disregarded social status, then.

To confirm that, Remyang, who had taken steps to secure the credibility of the newly established hypothesis.

If.

If it was true that Elden was having an affair with Ariel, then that alone would lead to a repentance guide for Elden, the villain.

Violating the rules of the face-to-face ceremony was tantamount to disrespecting the great Duke family and deceiving the Northern Kingdom.

If the affair with Ariel was not the reason for the withdrawal, the card of repentance would be effective.

If the reason for the withdrawal was true, it would be possible to induce participation in the battle using that as an excuse.

It would be much cheaper to reflect on past mistakes and repent than to receive the punishment for violating the sacred rules of the face-to-face ceremony.

Yes.

[Love]

If the credibility of this hypothesis is confirmed, everything that has gone astray will return to its original state.

I’ve never tried it, but they say that those in love become similar to each other.

The reason why Elden, the scoundrel, is so close to the book he despised must be because of that.

Efforts to resemble the one they love, efforts to win the favor of the one they love.

Otherwise, there is no way he, who never did such things in his lifetime, would imitate that pitiful act of reading a book.

No.

It must be love.

Only then can we solve this worst-case scenario puzzle.

Thinking so, Remyang waited for Ariel.

After a brief wait, she heard it with her ears.

“Elden?”

Ariel Elond, the voice of Countess Baekjang Youngae, provides a powerful hypothesis to solve the worst dilemma, infusing great strength into [love].

“Hello. It’s been a while, Ariel Youngae.”

With a bright smile, Baron Erinshia Velloc, a humble viscount from the borderlands, greeted Ariel.

**

“I never expected to meet again like this. Nice to see you, Erinshia.”

“Ha-ha. I didn’t expect to see you like this either. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been fine. And you?”

“I’ve been well too.”

Formal greetings were exchanged a few times.

That was the end of it.

Meeting someone for the first time and having limited topics to discuss with a person you never expected to meet again made the conversation awkward.

There was no initial information to inquire about their current situation.

Continuing with small talk felt too uncomfortable.

After a few words of greeting, a period of extreme silence naturally dominated the space.

Fortunately, Ariel managed to dig up a difficult question.

“But what happened to your hair? It seemed like it was red before.”

“Oh, I actually changed the color through mana dye. Many people think Northerners are barbaric, you know?”

“That’s true. So, was the Northern Territory your hometown? But white suits you better. Wow, you’re so pretty, Erinshia.”

“Ha-ha. Ariel Youngae, you’re also very beautiful.”

More formal compliments were exchanged.

The praise for each other was genuine.

With Le Myang’s blue eyes and white hair, and Ariel’s golden hair and red-brown eyes, both were equally beautiful.

However, the awkward atmosphere kept creeping in, and instead of spending time in a meaningless conversation with someone they were not close to, Ariel decided to bring up the main topic and choose to spend a meaningful time discussing it.

“…But what’s going on?”

Le Myang also had no intention of dragging it out.

He was only here to secure the credibility of a newly established hypothesis.

[Love]

He wanted to confirm if this useless emotion was interfering with his plans.

If so, he would have to come up with a new plan accordingly.

There was no puzzle without a solution, and Le Myang was determined to pursue the investigation to the end of the continent.

Moreover.

With that determination, Le Myang, who had never failed to prove or solve a problem, took a sip of Winter Flower Tea, a specialty of the Northern Territory.

“Actually, I have something to tell you.”

“Huh? Something to tell me?”

“Yes. I came to get the answer.”

“Who… told you…?”

An ambitious gaze.

Night covered in darkness.

A chilling cold enveloping the body.

A night guest cutting through the darkness and cold.

The words the night guest wanted to convey.

Everything exuded a mysterious sense of foreboding, and Ariel waited for an answer with a slight sense of dread.

And when the subject of the words was revealed, Ariel’s red-brown eyes should have widened.

“It’s a message from the 3rd Princess of the Northern Territory.”

“….!”

Her surprised mouth opened wide.

A fellow student from an unfamiliar and distant land she never expected to meet again.

The lips of that fellow student held the name of someone she couldn’t even imagine.

“…The 3rd Princess of the Northern Territory?”

Her ears perked up at the name, her eyes widened at the mention of the name, and her mouth, which should have responded to hearing that name, froze in shock.

And a moment later.

“Wow!”

All the darkness swept away in an instant, replaced by joy that illuminated the darkness, was a natural reaction for a devoted reader who had read the novel “Lady of the Secret Snowfield,” featuring the enigmatic [3rd Duchess of the North] as the protagonist, with tears and snot.

“…Pardon?”

“So, you work under the 3rd Duchess of the North?”

With a start, Arielle stood up from her seat, gripping the table with both hands as she leaned in closer.

With eyes that sparkled like the starlight in the night sky.

In response, Remyan had to lean back.

“Yes…, that’s the case, but…?”

“So you know about the Duchess well!?”

“Well… I suppose so.”

Having lived her whole life with books by her side, Remyan only had textbooks and reference books on her side, and she was someone who didn’t know about the existence of a novel that revolved around her. Furthermore, the novel was not a romance that maid Marion enjoyed reading but a pure literature that delved into secrets and embarked on an adventure to find the meaning of one’s existence.

Therefore.

It was only natural that the pure researcher Remyan couldn’t understand the sparkling gaze of the pure literature enthusiast Arielle Elond, and it was only natural that Arielle, who had read the novel “Lady of the Secret Snowfield” five times due to its deep impression, bombarded her with questions.

“Who is the Duchess?”

“Are you really shrouded in a curse-like veil?”

“Um…”

“I can’t wait to meet her!”

“Um…”

“Rumors say that due to her absolute beauty that surpasses even the princess, the Duchess is hiding something! Is that true?”

“No…”

“In the book, it’s said that she has overwhelming martial arts skills that can defeat a hundred opponents, is that true?”

“Can you please…”

“I can’t wait to go back? Or can you tell me more about the Duchess?”

“…”

The excitement of the bookworm upon hearing the name of another protagonist from a novel, following the purple lady-in-waiting.

It took a lot of time for her excitement to calm down.

“Uh… Sorry. I was just so deeply moved by the novel featuring the 3rd Duchess of the North.”

“…Pardon? There’s… a novel like that?”

“Yes!”

Remyan was dizzy from the nonsensical autobiography news.

It took her a long time to come to her senses.