I didn’t know Vladimir at all, but I knew Alexei. He was an old-school tsundere, which meant that he wanted nothing more than to dote on those to whom he’d opened his heart. Whatever had happened with Vladimir had hurt him deeply.
“Ekaterina...” Alexei squeezed my hand, affection in his eyes. “You’re always so perceptive and kind. You have no idea how much your presence soothes me... Nothing is greater than a family coming together as one.”
Alexei embraced me, and I hugged him back. His usual flowery soliloquies had been replaced by concise words, but his voice was thick with emotion. With our father and grandmother, Alexei had faced enemies in his own household. After our grandfather passed, he’d had no one until we were reunited.
I wonder if you spoke to Vladimir with such unabashed affection.
“It appears my master has served his purpose in His Grace’s eyes,” Zamira whispered. She curtsied elegantly and added, louder, “I apologize for my insolence. I do hope you’ll forgive me. Now then, have a good day.”
She turned on her heel and left the room, her blue-black hair swaying with each step.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Alexei told the secretary after a pause.
Her cheeks flushed pink as she replied, “I-I didn’t do much. We’re classmates, and I know you treasure your sister very much...”
Her high-pitched voice rang a bell. She’s definitely one of the girls who squeals whenever Alexei does anything!
Leaving that aside, I thought it was overkill to call on Alexei just because I was exchanging a few words with a girl from a branch family of the House of Yulmagna.
I was pondering this when Aristarkh spoke up, “I’m glad you came, Your Grace. Lady Magnas is something of an inconspicuous celebrity in our academy. Although she keeps a low profile, she wields considerable influence in the shadows. Lord Yulmagna is in poor health, and her twin brother, Lord Lazar, has no time for much else as Lord Yulmagna’s attendant. She may be managing academy affairs on their behalf. If she wishes, she’ll likely be the next president of the student council.”
My eyes widened. I could see Zamira swaying boys with her allure, and the prestige of House Yulmagna gave her another push, but the empire was even more sexist than Japan in my past life (though still better than most countries in this world). If she was a serious contender for president, there had to be more to her than her looks and family backing.
Aristarkh noticed my surprise and smiled. “Still, I doubt she’ll run. Lady Magnas conceals herself in the shadows, and it’s no secret that House Yulmagna does not favor women in positions of power. What weighs on my mind is that I don’t understand how she came to wield such influence. She’s not the type to make shows of leadership, yet somehow, before anyone noticed, countless students followed her will... I just think we should be wary of that.”
Come to think of it, the president had immediately tried to handle Zamira himself without letting the secretary speak to her. That proved he believed she was both important—and dangerous—enough to warrant his personal attention. He was also aware of the tensions between House Yulnova and House Yulmagna and worried she might say or do something strange to me, which was why he’d tasked the secretary with getting my brother. Well, he’d likely just asked her to get someone, and she’d made the executive decision to go to Alexei.
Had the president assumed he would be held responsible if something happened to me in the student council’s room? I had no way of knowing.
Alexei’s lips eased into a smile. “I will remember your quick wit.”
“I-I just...” Aristarkh trailed off, shaking his head awkwardly, but he looked pleased. He hadn’t planned any of this, but if he could earn Alexei’s gratitude, he wasn’t about to let the chance slip.
Flora kindly offered to finish the paperwork for me, so I left the room with Alexei and followed him to his office.
Novak and the rest of Alexei’s close aides welcomed us with worried faces. All they seemed to know was that Alexei had rushed off to save me after I’d fallen into the clutches of the Yulmagnas. I didn’t think the situation had been anywhere near that dire, so I was honestly confused.
Nonetheless, if Novak and the others were so quick to worry, it had to mean the conflict between our houses had worsened.
“You’ve known her for a very long time, haven’t you, brother?”
“It’d be more accurate to say that I used to know her,” Alexei replied.
Ivan quickly brought a chair for me next to Alexei’s desk, and my brother gestured for me to sit.
“Back when Vladimir and I were close,” Alexei continued, “Zamira was always around him. The same went for her twin brother, Lazar. He’s very different from her and has always known his place. Zamira, on the other hand, often behaved this way even then. Despite their differences, the twins have always had one common point: Even as children, they were exceedingly loyal to Vladimir. Whenever Vladimir and I tried to go anywhere alone, one of them would follow without fail—most of the time, both of them did.”
“My...” One detail stood out. “The two of you, two dukes-to-be, tried to go places without an escort?”
Alexei chuckled. “We were children.”
Grandfather had been still alive at the time, and Alexei had been just a boy—one who didn’t yet have to worry about the responsibilities of a duchy. Like most kids, he’d tried to sneak out with his friend.
Looking at the young man Alexei had become, a dignified duke despite being only eighteen, gave me an indescribable feeling. He was still so young. Some of that childish foolishness should have remained.
An adorable picture filled my mind: little Alexei trying to sneak out with little Vladimir and the twins getting in their way... Their antics must have been so cute. Just thinking about it soothed my heart. And Vladimir had had the twins and Alexei all to himself. He’d practically had a harem of his own!
Alexei’s tone hardened, pulling me out of my silly thoughts. “Even then, I thought of her as the tail of a cockatrice. It has a mind of its own and hurts its main body despite trying to help.”
“The tail of a cockatrice...”