The Ernest von Southenklein I knew was the very picture of a noble-born prince.
The son of His Majesty the Emperor and his second consort—herself the daughter of the powerful Count Arbuthnot—he was never seen without a mild-mannered smile.
He treated everyone equally regardless of title or rank, and I couldn’t remember him ever acting arrogant or domineering. For that reason, he was immensely popular at the academy—and throughout the empire, for that matter.
There had even been a point where the country was in turmoil over whether he should succeed the throne in the first prince’s place. In fact, a civil war had nearly broken out. During my first life, Marquis Grenville had sided with the first prince and frequently dispatched me to assassinate his enemies.
Come to think of it, the second prince had actively avoided me—or rather, Louis—while I was at the academy during my second life. Perhaps that, too, was the result of factional alliances.
“…Greetings Prince Ernest, Star of Southenklein.”
In any event, there was no point getting into such matters here, so I simply greeted him with a respectful bow.
“Um… And you are?”
“Hugo Grenville, eldest son of Marquis Grenville.”
“…I see. I wasn’t aware Lord Grenville had another son,” he murmured, looking closely at my face.
Unlike Louis, who had long been active in society as the marquis’s heir, I had never so much as left House Grenville’s estate before entering House Woodstock.
“…Meltreza of Woodstock,” Melza added with a curtsy.
“Ha-ha. We’re relatives, so there’s no need to be so formal. More importantly…”
The second prince reached out to take Melza’s pale hand, and—
“Please stop,” Melza and I said in unison.
In the blink of an eye, I had reached out to grab the prince’s arm, while Melza shook his hand away.
“…What’s the meaning of this?” he replied.
He must have taken offense at our response, as his usual smile had been replaced by a frown.
“I beg your pardon,” I said, “but Melza is my fiancée. I must ask you not to be so casual with her.”
“Indeed,” Melza agreed. “I don’t approve of anyone except my future husband touching me like that.”
We were as polite as could be under the circumstances, but our rejection left no room for argument.
“I see… My apologies. I’ll be more careful in the future,” the prince said, his expression relaxing. “We’ll be classmates for the next three years. I look forward to our time together.”
With that, the prince turned on his heel and headed back to a pair of young men waiting in the distance.
Melza sighed in relief. “Phew… That was close.”
It sure was… Come to think of it, I remember the prince having a reputation as a womanizer. I’ll have to be extra vigilant from now on.
“Thank you for that, Hugh.”
“Ah-ha-ha… I was just jealous. I want you all for myself, Melza.”
“I’m well aware.” She chuckled and leaned gently against my shoulder.
“But those other two boys with Prince Ernest,” I said, motioning with my eyes. “…I don’t like the way they’re staring at us.”
“Me neither…”
If memory served, they were the prince’s closest childhood friends—or rather, the leading candidates to serve as his future advisors. The first was Silas MacLagan, the commander of the Imperial Guard’s eldest son. The other was Gene Glover, the second son of the minister of finance.
“Oh… I almost forgot,” Melza murmured. “You’ve attended the academy before.”
“Yes. I remember all three of them.”
For better or worse, it was unlikely my interactions with them would follow the same pattern as before. That said…if they tried to raise a hand against either of us, I would show them no mercy.
“Do you realize you’re scowling, Hugh?”
“Oops…”
With an awkward smile, Melza pressed a finger between my brows, prompting me to relax my cheeks.
I’m simply no match for her, am I?
“Our encounter with the prince has delayed us,” she pointed out. “We should hurry to the auditorium before the entrance ceremony begins.”
“Of course.”
I took Melza’s hand and we picked up the pace. By the time we arrived at the auditorium, most of the other uniformed young aristocrats were lined up according to their assigned class.
“Where are we supposed to go…?” Melza wondered aloud.
“We’re in Class 1-A. It should be that one over there,” I said, leading the way to our classmates.
“Hey.”
“……”
Prince Ernest and his two cronies, it seemed, had arrived ahead of us.
This was no surprise—Class 1-A was primarily composed of members of the imperial family and the children of high-ranking nobles.
Reluctantly, Melza and I lowered our heads.
“…I look forward to our time together at the academy,” I said.
“Yes. Glad to have you.” The prince grinned.
“…It is no exaggeration to say that the empire’s future prospects rest on your shoulders. I have high hopes for you all.”
Once the ceremony got underway, the professors, students, and noble guests all bowed their heads to receive His Majesty the Emperor’s august words.
This was my first time hearing His Majesty’s voice. Am I imagining things, or does he sound somehow familiar…?
Next came the congratulatory speeches from various honored guests—including, of course, Archduke Woodstock.
Ah-ha-ha… I figured he would be used to this sort of thing after doing it every year, but with his granddaughter here for the first time, he’s looking quite nervous. In fact, is it just me, or has most of the latter half of his speech just been about her?
“Ugh… You’re embarrassing me, Grandfather…”
Yep, sounds like I was right.
In my head, I could already hear her chewing him out back at the mansion.
After that, a clear voice rang out through the hall. “Next, an address from one of our new students.”
The second prince responded, then immediately rose to his feet and approached the podium. Now that I thought about it, he was the natural choice for this speech.
“Though I am an imperial prince, status is of no importance at the academy. I hope you will all feel free to reach out to me whenever you wish to talk. And please don’t hesitate to call me Ernest.”
He paused there, giving the audience a moment to react. Some chuckled, but the majority of the students in Class 1-A audibly gulped. They probably realized that his words were empty politeness and that repercussions would surely follow if they actually did as he said.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t particularly like this kind of deceitful performance, intended only to make the speaker seem more likable.
“Oh-ho… You two are worlds apart, Hugh.” Melza chuckled.
She was gazing at me fervently, clear proof she thought more highly of me than the prince. I suspected she could sense the ill-intent and deception behind his words.
“Ah-ha-ha… I can offer you only my sincerest feelings in return, Melza.”
“Nothing could make me happier.”
In the end, we ignored the rest of the prince’s speech in favor of holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.
A little while later, I noticed a familiar face in the crowd.
“…Is that…?”