AND so, presently, Cesia was dressed up, wearing shoes, a dress, and some jewelry Marcus had prepared as if he were a fairy godmother from a certain fairy tale. He had flawlessly escorted her on stage and was treating her like a beloved partner. The most pleasing part was that, as the prince’s companion, every single noble in the audience was reverently bowing their heads to her. Everyone. The girls who had bullied her. The teachers who had stood by and let it happen. And the nobles who had visited the Diane estate when she worked as a maid and hadn’t even treated her like a human being.
“This is bad; I can’t stop smiling. This feels great, Your Royal Highness,” Cesia whispered frankly to Marcus, using a fan to hide her mouth.
“That’s some personality you’ve got there,” Marcus replied quietly, still smiling. He didn’t sound displeased; on the contrary, Cesia could tell he was having fun, too.
“Right back at you, highness.”
“Don’t be silly, Cesia. Royalty has to be brazen sometimes. Or just cold,” he said cheerfully.
Cesia didn’t expect him to reply in that lighthearted manner, but when he did, she could understand what he meant. From her point of view, she was enjoying taking advantage of royal authority for her personal vendetta, but at a time like this, Marcus was constantly exposed to the unpleasant, selfish desires of the nobles who came to curry favor with him, showering him with effusive praise and flattery.
“Well, today’s been really fun… And look, here comes the viscount’s family. Give me a good show, Cesia.”
While Cesia was startled by some of the malicious things Marcus said, she was also pleasantly reminded of the lively conversations she had with Maria, which gave her an increasingly favorable impression of him.
Viscount Diane, Selene, and Raymond came to greet the prince. Raymond’s parents didn’t seem to be in attendance, so he came on stage towards the end, in line with the parents.
“Your Royal Highness… Lady…Cesia, good evening,” Viscount Diane said with difficulty, confused. He had doubted it at first, but up close, it was clear that the prince’s companion was his niece, who, instead of being confined in his mansion, was here with the prince tenderly holding her hand. Unable to believe his eyes, he rapidly flicked his gaze between Cesia and Marcus.
“Lord Diane, is there something wrong with my companion?” Marcus asked with an amused look on his face. Cesia had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“N-No, not at all… She’s quite lovely,” the viscount said, hurriedly lowering his gaze. Raymond and Selene stared at Cesia hard enough to bore a hole through her, but at the viscount’s prompting, they stepped forward.
“It is good to see you again, Your Royal Highness. This is my fiancée,” Raymond said.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Your Royal Highness. My name is Selene Diane.”
As Raymond and Selene greeted them with bowed heads, Marcus nodded magnanimously.
“Congratulations on graduating. I hear that both of you are quite outstanding students. I’m interested in Professor Gitaris’s Theory of Structural Magic, so tell me, what is your opinion of his theory?”
Cesia was startled by what Marcus said. He had asked other students about their plans or their domains, but the question he posed to Selene and Raymond was complex. As Selene’s third-place grades were thanks to Cesia, there was no way she would be able to answer him. For Raymond, as the student council president and second in the class, it shouldn’t be a difficult question. She excitedly watched as she waited to see how they would respond, and, as expected, Selene had no clue what Marcus had said and just blinked in confusion. Looking at Raymond, though, she was surprised he had a similar expression to Selene. Cesia grew confused herself and unconsciously squeezed Marcus’s hand back.
“Yes? What is it, Cesia? What do you think of the Professor’s theory?” Marcus instantly noticed Cesia’s puzzlement and moved his face closer to her.
He was behaving as if they were a pair of close lovers. Cesia didn’t understand what was happening, so she figured she might as well answer the prince’s question.
“Professor Gitaris’s Theory of Structural Magic is still awaiting verification, but when referenced alongside last year’s paper by Lady Courtney, I believe it to be quite plausible. The theory is notable in that it doesn’t overturn existing principles. Instead, it allows them to be applied in more advanced forms than they are currently.”
“I see… Does that mean you’re a supporter of his theory?”
Cesia nodded, feeling like she made a mistake somewhere. It was an innovative concept, so some scholars who supported the older theory found it difficult to accept.
“Great answer. I always enjoy my conversations with you, Cesia,” he said.
“You flatter me… It’s something basic that’s also in the textbook.”
“On the other hand…” Marcus glanced back at Raymond and Selene as if he was showing off.
It had been a difficult question, but for students on the level of Raymond and “Selene,” it would’ve been an appropriate one. Astonishment spread through the audience. Clearly, the two on stage couldn’t answer the prince’s question. Along with the audience, Cesia looked at Raymond in surprise. Then, she looked at Selene, who had neglected her studies in favor of polishing her appearance in her family’s mansion.
“Why can’t you answer a question like that?” Cesia muttered despite herself.
Selene exploded, unable to control her embarrassment and rage any longer. “Wh-What is this, Cesia? What’s that look on your face? You have no right to look down on me like that!” Selene furiously shouted.
Cesia felt dizzy at her cousin’s stupidity. While she hadn’t been introduced as someone as specific as “fiancée,” it was apparent to anyone in attendance that Cesia was important enough to the prince to be his companion on this occasion. Insulting her while greeting the prince in front of all these people, as Selene had done, was bound to be an issue.
Unable to bear standing on a lower platform than Cesia, Selene took advantage of her momentary shock to run up the stairs and grab her hair.
“Selene, what are you doing?!” Viscount Diane shouted, but she didn’t stop.
Selene was attending the graduation party with her influential fiancé as third in her class at the Academy. She proudly saw herself as the woman with the highest standing in attendance. But now Cesia, of all people, was in a higher position than her, next to the prince. Having spent her time indulgently lounging around, her social skills were lacking, and her threshold for anger was low.
If it had been a princess or a duchess, Selene might have been able to limit herself to secretly spilling a few drops of wine on the woman’s dress. However, it was Cesia, and she couldn’t control herself anymore. Seeing Selene charge at her full of rage conversely calmed Cesia. She was more used to a frontal assault than to Marcus’s mysterious conversational leaps. And, as always, her policy was determined resistance. She would return any sparks that flew at her and twice as hard.
“You little rat!” Selene shouted.
Seeing Selene’s face twisted with rage, Cesia smiled cheerfully. “I’m thrilled I can openly blast you away like this.”
“Huh?!” Selene frowned, puzzled.
Cesia took no notice of Selene’s confusion and knocked her over with magic. She produced a minute amount of wind at Selene’s feet, making it look like Selene tumbled by tripping on the hem of her dress. It was the most embarrassing mistake one could make as a lady.
“Aah!” Selene fell.
Marcus widened his eyes, impressed at the ingeniousness of Cesia’s method and the magical control required to make Selene fall so extravagantly. “Ooh, tricky. That one’s gotta sting,” he remarked.
“Hmph,” Cesia chuckled. “These two years have been quite helpful in making me better at cheap magic like that,” she boasted despite herself.
Marcus laughed cheerfully. The hall was deadly quiet. All attention was focused on the fallen Selene, her father, and her fiancé.
“Violence toward my companion is the same as violence toward myself,” Marcus began. “I want Selene Diane, Viscount Diane, and Raymond Chaser taken out of here!”
Guards appeared with a clatter of footsteps, and they led away the dazed Selene, the shouting viscount, and the pale Raymond.
“Ah, wait just one moment. Raymond Chaser,” Marcus stopped Raymond as if he just remembered something. Raymond turned around in the guards’ arms, appearing to be nurturing some faint hope.
“I’ve received reliable reports of fraud regarding your grades.” Marcus gave Raymond a dashing smile as he delivered his final blow. “The Academy doesn’t tolerate any fraud. As such, Selene’s and your graduation are now invalid.”
“N-No!” Raymond bellowed in anguish. Not letting him continue, Marcus coldly motioned for the guards to continue carting him away. Cesia and everyone else watched in stunned silence as the three were taken out of the hall.
“Raymond cheated?” Cesia asked.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” Marcus replied, smiling at Cesia. Then, he clapped twice, reestablishing order. With a start, the assembled partygoers refocused their attention on the prince.
“This has been an awful upset to an otherwise joyous occasion. But, outside the Academy, even more unbelievable things are a daily occurrence. Think of tonight’s events as a preface for what’s ahead, an anecdote we’ll be able to laugh about with everyone in the years to come.”
Ah, he’s merciless. Cesia was convinced. Marcus didn’t make any effort to keep quiet the uproar that was bound to occur; on the contrary, he suggested that the story of Selene’s and Raymond’s disgrace be spread far and wide, handed down as a fun, youthful tale. This is the worst punishment I could imagine for them. They’re losing the only things they value: their pride and appearance.
“Ultimately, didn’t you use your authority to punish them?” Cesia murmured.
“I guess that’s what happened in the end.” Marcus nodded happily.
Cesia had thought of herself as someone hardened and worn by conflict, but seeing Marcus, she realized she still had far to go. Without a doubt, he was ruthless.