Chapter 29: Totes Adorbs, Part 1
STANDING at the window of the second-floor hallway, Reseda let out a heavy sigh.
On the north side of campus, out behind the school building, there was a dark and dreary backyard with a single drab picnic table that no one ever used. Possibly its entire purpose there was to justify calling that place a “backyard.” But right now, Iris and Camille were sitting there.
Despite their dimly lit surroundings, the two girls seemed to glow faintly—probably from fairies, Reseda figured, though it was hard to tell at such a distance. Camille was endowed with a lot of mana, and as such, she could see fairies. Conversely, because she could see them, they liked to gather around her. As for Iris, she had received the fairies’ blessings, and she played with them on a near-daily basis. But although they were a normal part of life to her, most of the other students couldn’t see them at all. Instead, they probably thought the girls were sparkling.
After school, the two girls were struggling to finish an assignment. For the first time ever, Camille had asked Reseda for help, since he was the only student whose talent at magic and schoolwork exceeded hers. But he refused, and for one simple reason: he didn’t want Iris to get the wrong idea about it. As for Iris, however, she found it needlessly mean of him to refuse to help Camille.
From his point of view, it felt like a false accusation. As a prince, if he were to spend private time with a young lady, it would surely create future misunderstandings. Thus, he was right to avoid it. But at the same time, he still regretted it.
“Perhaps I made the wrong choice…”
Another aggravated sigh escaped his peachy-pink lips. All around him, the girls swooned. Sensing their gazes, he looked around and discovered that a handful of other students had gathered at the few north-facing windows. Like him, they gazed out at the backyard.
If I’d known this would happen, I would have gone with them, he thought, exhaling slightly.
“Even you’re spying on them, Your Highness? Reprehensible behavior for a prince,” Nigel scowled, scanning the hallway as he stood beside Reseda. Meanwhile, in the distance, Camille and Iris had leaned in close and shared a giggle.
“I’d like you to warn Iris not to do such things in public.”
“What things?”
“Everyone’s going to realize how cute she is!” Reseda hissed, eyeing the other students pressed up against the windows.
“Not her fault she’s been cute since the day she was born.”
“As if you can even remember the day you two were born!”
“I remember it in my soul.”
Reseda let out an annoyed sigh. Nigel was a gallant knight and a good friend, but his obsession with his sister was downright obnoxious. He was criticizing Reseda for doing the exact same thing he was doing!
Today’s assignment: roll up a magic scroll and seal it shut with a braided cord. This assignment would be graded on two points: whether it was done using the right spells and whether it looked professional. The cord could be braided to look like flowers, butterflies, or other auspicious patterns—difficult to achieve, but the end result was gorgeous.
Among the aristocracy, secret or important letters were always sealed with a braided cord, and each noble house had its own signature cord and braiding pattern. This way, it would become immediately apparent if someone else opened and resealed the letter; the cord and braiding pattern wouldn’t match. Love letters, in particular, were usually sealed in this fashion.
But because commoners had no such braiding traditions, naturally, Camille knew nothing about it. Unlike the other students, she would first have to invent her own unique braiding style before she could do anything else. But that was where Iris came in.
The House of Chevalier used a mint-green cord woven with metallic purple stripes—a luxurious design fit for nobility. Naturally, it was braided in the shape of an iris. Camille didn’t have her own unique cord yet, so she used the white cord reserved for braiding practice. Right now, she was trying to learn how to braid it in the shape of a camellia. She gleefully showed Iris her latest attempt, and Iris smiled encouragingly, all while Reseda watched from the school building.
“That smile belongs to me alone,” he muttered.
“No, it doesn’t, Your Highness,” Nigel shot back.
“My future wife is so cute…”
“She’s not going to marry you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
Naturally, Iris couldn’t hear a word of this conversation.
She pulled out a small box wrapped up in string. Inside was the scroll her teacher had enchanted with magic. Likewise, the string was enchanted to seal the box. As soon as the box was opened, the scroll would start jumping around, and it was up to the girls to stop it with magic, roll it up into a tube shape, and seal it with their braided cord.
Camille and Iris exchanged a look…and then Iris ripped the string off her box. When she lifted the lid, sure enough, the scroll came floating up. At this point, Iris was supposed to freeze its movements with magic. She pointed her wand and recited the incantation—but nothing happened. Instead, the scroll jumped off the picnic table.
In a panic, she threw her wand. It pierced straight through the paper and pinned it to the ground. Then she grabbed the scroll with her bare hands and rolled it up manually. Naturally, it flailed in protest.
“She’s criminally cute,” Reseda whispered as he watched all this unfold from the window. The flailing scroll reminded him of a freshly caught fish flopping on land.
Iris took the stupid thing and slammed it down on the table. Camille and the other students all watched in shock as the scroll went limp. Beaming from ear to ear, Iris braided her cord around it to seal it shut, then crossed her arms proudly.
“Totes adorbs…!” Reseda wheezed.
Nigel clutched his head in confusion. “What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know—Iris was saying it earlier. It’s probably commoner slang.”
Nigel shook his head in disbelief. What sort of prince would try to use commoner slang? He was starting to think Reseda had tunnel vision for Iris. After all, nothing that had transpired just now could possibly be categorized as cute—even Nigel could see that. If anything, it was utterly idiotic.