Two weeks had passed since the attack on Princess Elena Claydale and her sudden disappearance from the Royal Sorcerers’ Academy. To prevent the matter from becoming public, the kingdom had announced that the academy needed repairs and sent about seventy percent of its student body home for the foreseeable future. Among the thirty percent remaining on campus grounds were high-ranking nobles and their retinues as well as students who couldn’t leave easily because their families had no separate residences in the capital and their home territories were too distant.
The reason that the crown prince, Elvan, and other high-ranked nobles had stayed behind was to control the flow of information and to calm the confusion of the students who hadn’t been able to leave. Thanks to that, a semblance of tranquility had returned to the academy.
To help keep up appearances and reassure those who weren’t privy to what was happening, it was important to maintain the illusion of daily academy life through leisurely activities such as tea parties—after all, seeing a royal and a group of important nobles running about nervously would only have aroused suspicion.
At one such tea party, however, the atmosphere was far from reassuring. An eerie tension hung in the air among the attendees.
“Clara, I hear you treated Licia quite harshly. Why would you do such a thing?”
Hearing Prince Elvan refer to “Licia” by her nickname, Clara Dandorl—daughter of Margrave Dandorl and the prince’s fiancée—gave him a chilling, scornful smile.
“That’s a rather odd accusation, Prince El. I merely told the girl how a noblewoman ought to behave.”
Five students sat around a white marble table in the rose garden of the academy’s seventh building—the most recently built—which had executive offices for the exclusive use of high-ranking nobles. Elvan and Clara, the engaged couple, sat not side by side but across from each other. Beside Elvan sat Alicia Melsis, daughter of the middle-ranked Viscount Melsis. Flanking those two were not Mikhail and Rockwell—the crown prince’s close aides from margrave families—but Nathanital, the grandson of the current high priest, and Prince Amor, the king’s younger brother. Both had their glares fixed on Clara as though she were an enemy.
Standing at a distance from the table were each guest’s attendants and guards as well as a number of maids sent by the royal palace. Among the attendants stood the Krus steward Theo, anxiously watching the exchange. When his “lady” shot him a pleading gaze, he shook his head bitterly.
Alicia—who called herself Licia—lightly puffed her cheeks, annoyed at her steward’s attitude. A moment later her expression shifted to fear, and she brought her hand to rest over Elvan’s under the table.
Though the gesture was concealed, Clara glared darkly at Licia as though she’d sensed what was happening.
“You still don’t understand, I see,” she told Licia coolly.
“Lady Clara, I’m not that kind of...”
Licia trailed off and cast her eyes downward pitifully, calculating the ideal angle for all present to see.
Unable to meet his fiancée’s gaze, Elvan made a desperate attempt at changing the subject. “The tea’s gotten quite cold. I should like a fresh steeping,” he said, lifting Alicia’s now-cold teacup and turning to the maids. “Could someone please—”
White fingertips gripped the cup and pried it from his hands. The contents were unceremoniously dumped over Licia’s head. A pale figure seemed to manifest out of thin air at Elvan’s side.
“Oh my, what fun you’re all having,” she said nonchalantly. “I can’t believe I wasn’t invited.”
While everyone—including the tea-doused Licia—sat there stunned by the outrageous act, Karla gave them all a genuinely joyful smile that contrasted with the haggard look of her dark-rimmed eyes.
“What are you doing, Lady Karla?!” Amor snapped. He slammed both palms on the table with a loud bang as he stood up, glaring at the young woman.
Pouring tea over the head of a young lady seated next to the crown prince was facially inappropriate. It was only natural that such behavior would earn a reprimand from Prince Amor, the sole adult at the table. But instead of backing down, Karla smiled sarcastically.
“People really shouldn’t give unsolicited opinions,” she said.
“What?!”
Amor was struck speechless. He was a royal, after all, and never in his life had anyone spoken to him in such a way.
The others all sat in flabbergasted silence.
Karla smoothly moved over to Nathanital and stared down at the young man, who occupied one of the seats next to Elvan.
“Move,” she commanded, shoving Nathanital from his seat.
As realization began to hit the others, Prince Amor yelled, “You uncouth little—!”
“Oh my, Your Highness, I’m so glad to see you in great health,” Karla said, as though she’d only just registered his presence. Ignoring Nathanital, she continued, “Prince El. Lady Clara. How fare you today?”
Karla was the daughter of a count, and her position as the future second queen meant she enjoyed near royal status. That placed her below Prince Amor, and even after marriage, she would only be his equal. In practice, however, the moment she’d received a gift from the dungeon, Karla had become politically superior to the prince.
Even so, for the crown prince’s fiancée to behave in such a manner toward the king’s younger brother was undoubtedly disrespectful. However, Amor had watched her incinerate a Rank 6 minotaur destroyer—a terrifying feat even if the beast had already been weakened. He couldn’t help but feel intimidated and could only grit his teeth, unable to say anything more.
“W-Wait! Let’s not argue!” Elvan intervened. “And Licia, are you all right?” He placed his hand on Alicia’s shoulder and called out to the servants, “Someone, please see to her!”
Alicia’s young steward hurried over to help.
“What are you trying to do, Karla?” Elvan asked with uncharacteristic sharpness, glaring at Karla beside him.
Behind Elvan, the ignored Nathanital, now bereft of his seat, comforted Alicia and glowered at Karla as well, although he was clearly frightened.
Karla chuckled. “I heard you’d adopted a stray, so I came to observe. Ah, but it stinks, doesn’t it? I thought the tea’s aroma might help, but it seems I only managed to make the stench worse. Now it smells of wet dog instead. My apologies.”
The men’s eyes widened.
“Karla!” Elvan snapped. “How can you say such terrible things?!”
“Please wait, Prince El,” Licia said, clinging to Elvan’s side to stop him from rising from his seat. “I’m fine!”
“Licia...”
“Lady Karla is just in a bit of a bad mood, that’s all. She doesn’t like to see you, Prince Amor, and Nathanital being good to me...”
Pressing her small figure against him, Licia gently took Elvan’s hand and subtly guided it toward her.
“My, what an odd thing to say,” Karla said mockingly. “You make him sound like a pathetic fool of a man who, despite being engaged, is completely infatuated with a mutt.”
Clearly affected by Karla’s taunt, Elvan averted his gaze.
“I wasn’t trying to—” Licia began.
“My, how it yips,” Karla interjected. “Quite loud, wouldn’t you say, Lady Clara?”
Clara, who had been watching in silence, shot Karla a quick glare. Her expression then turned contemptuous as she looked over Licia and the men. “I tire of this. I shall take my leave.”
“Clara!” Elvan called out reflexively. He’d finally remembered that the reason he’d invited her here had been to question why she’d spoken so harshly to Licia.
Clara’s eyes turned somewhat sad, then hardened as she looked down coolly on the men. “Prince El, I maintain my stance. You may indulge in dalliances here and there as you please, but do at least choose someone with the bare minimum standards of decency. And...!”
She didn’t give Amor or Nathanital the chance to retort.
“Prince Amor? I thought you had come to the academy as a teacher. Yet all I see is favoritism toward a particular student. Pray enlighten me—what good is a royal who won’t fulfill his duties?”
Clara shifted her gaze from the speechless Amor to Nathanital.
“And you, Lord Nathanital? Are you not to eventually become a man of the cloth? What would the high priest think of your infatuation with this girl? In fact, why are you here? Where’s my brother? Where’s Mikhail Melrose? They are the ones who should be serving the next king.”
Amor and Nathanital could only grit their teeth. And Elvan, implicitly criticized for the absence of his two supposed closest aides and friends, twisted his lips with shame.
Clara had spoken true, but emotions cared little for truth. Amor and Nathanital, having seen their beloved Licia disparaged by the two other women, thought of them as the villains in a play. Their eyes were filled with hatred.
She only scoffed, then turned to leave. Seeing her slender back reminded Elvan of the girl who had been with him since childhood, and he looked like he was about to cry over their changed relationship.
“I think I’ll take my leave as well, then,” Karla said with a delighted smile. “Ah, my prince, what a lovely expression.”
Karla chuckled at Elvan’s obvious pain. She stood, then gently reached out to touch Elvan’s cheek, whispering in a singsong.
“Beautiful, beautiful prince. Fall deeper into the muck of corruption. Suffer more for me, won’t you? Writhe in the flames. Be the king I want you to be. And when your bones have cooked just right... I shall eat them.”