NOVPUB“Wait, Rine! You can’t just agree to something like that so suddenly—!”
“Wow~ As expected from the reliable Rine junior! Thanks! I’ll let you know the details later!”
Before Erendir could unload another round of scolding, Henry thanked Rine and bolted like he was fleeing the scene.
“You! Stop right there!”
Erendir shouted after him, but Henry had already vanished from view.
Clenching her lips, Erendir sharply turned to Rine. Her long blond hair followed the movement like a curtain snapping shut.
“Rine! Why on earth would you accept a suspicious guy’s offer just like that?!”
“Huh? But... he said it was a really well-paying part-time job. How could I not take it?”
“No, seriously, why? Aren’t you on a scholarship?”
Erendir couldn’t comprehend Rine’s decision.
“Why, you ask? Obviously because I’m short on money. Even with a full scholarship, they don’t cover things like textbook fees or magical material expenses. I have no choice but to work part-time to afford those.”
There were even times when she cut back on food costs and survived on roasted potatoes three times a day.
“Wha—really?”
Erendir looked completely baffled, like it was her first time hearing any of this.
Freuden, who had been quietly watching, let out a sigh and shook his head.
“Her Highness the Third Princess has lived in such comfort that she wouldn’t understand such trivial hardships, but for commoners short on money, this is the only way to get by.”
Hearing something like that from Freuden of all people hit Erendir like a shock.
“I’m sorry, Rine. I said all that without knowing anything.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay! You were only saying it out of concern for me. I’m really not offended.”
Erendir blamed herself for her ignorance, but in truth, it wasn’t entirely her fault.
The full-tuition support system at Seorn might have looked fine on the surface, but there were still many holes in the details.
Freuden offered a little more explanation.
“The finance department is filled with people from the noble faction, so commoners often don’t receive the full benefits they’re entitled to.”
What had once been a hollow support system had only come this far thanks to Headmaster Elisa Willow pushing it forward with force after taking office.
But there was still a mountain of things left to fix.
“So that’s what was going on.”
“At least you know now, Your Highness.”
“Then, Prince Freuden, how do you know all of this so well? I thought you didn’t care about commoners at all?”
Publicly, Freuden Ulburk was seen as the leader of the noble faction students.
To the commoners, he was the head of the aristocrats who looked down on and bullied them — practically the mastermind behind every misdeed.
Sure, he had a few odd hobbies like tending flowerbeds, but from the perspective of a princess like Erendir, most of his actions still seemed unpleasant.
At least, that’s how she had always thought until now.
“You’re surprisingly attentive to commoners’ issues.”
“Think whatever you want. I only said what I know.”
He turned away, clearly not interested in continuing the conversation.
“Uh, Freuden-sunbae. Are you just leaving?”
“I was just passing by. I have an appointment.”
“What the heck. Then why even come here in the first place?”
Erendir grumbled, and Freuden lightly replied,
“Unlike some people, I’m quite popular and very busy.”
“What—what did you just say?! Hmph! And who exactly is the great Lord Ulburk going off to meet now, huh?”
“...How annoying.”
Freuden loosened the collar of his stiff uniform with one hand.
“I received a marriage proposal request.”
He said it like he wanted someone to overhear, then turned and walked off.
“A marriage proposal? Who could it be from?”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re interested?”
“No way. Of course not.”
Rine shook her head in disbelief.
“I’m just amazed. Things like that actually happen between nobles? It’s like something from a novel.”
For her, a commoner, it ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) was astonishing to see something she’d only read about in fiction happening in real life.
* * *
“You’re here?”
“Were you waiting?”
Outside the park, Henry had been waiting for Freuden to come out. When he saw him, he greeted him with easy familiarity.
“Where’s the meeting place?”
“Third floor of the campus restaurant. It was arranged in a hurry, but I managed to reserve the whole floor.”
“Unnecessary effort.”
“Well, the fewer eyes, the better, right?”
Henry shrugged and gave Freuden a sideways glance.
“So, what’s your relationship with that girl Rine?”
“There is none.”
Freuden kept walking, replying indifferently.
But having known him for so long, Henry didn’t buy it for a second.
“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you? You barely react when it comes to noble girls, and now suddenly you’re so attentive to a commoner?”
“You’re especially talkative today.”
“Let’s say I’m just curious.”
It was a rather undignified way for a retainer of Ulburk to behave, but Freuden didn’t bother correcting him.
Their relationship had always been like this.
“I’m just curious, that’s all.”
“Ohh. Curious about what, exactly? Her looks? It’s her looks, right?”
“No more small talk. We’re here.”
Not far away, a woman stood quietly at the entrance of the restaurant.
A name tag marking her as a second-year, and lemon-yellow bobbed hair.
Cheryl Wagner, daughter of the Wagner family — the retainers who had long served House Lumos.
Recognizing her, Freuden visibly frowned.
“Tch. Lumos again.”
“It couldn’t be helped. The family moved without warning. Orders came down before I even had time to grasp the situation. Looks like they’re desperate to seal this match as quickly as possible.”
“Must be the will of the family head and those old fossils. Trying to secure their alliance — without a shred of care for what the parties involved actually want.”
“Come on. It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened, right?”
“Even so, this time it’s pretty blatant.”
“Probably because the festival got pushed forward.”
“The festival?”
When Freuden looked at him quizzically, Henry explained.
“Looks like the heads of both houses plan to visit Seorn during the festival.”
“And?”
“What do you mean and? You’ve been putting off every marriage talk up until now, haven’t you?”
“I didn’t delay all of them.”
“True, not all. You straight-up canceled over half of them. Anyway, since the family head is visiting Seorn, the elders are getting anxious. They want you to look good, so they’re pressuring you harder than usual.”
“Hmph. How foolish. A wolf can never fly with an eagle. What made them think anything would change just because they’re coming to Seorn?”
“The problem is they don’t think that way.”
Just then, Cheryl noticed them and waved. Henry returned the wave and leaned in to whisper to Freuden.
“Anyway. Just do whatever you want.”
“Weren’t you the one pushing this marriage meeting earlier?”
“I didn’t change my mind.”
Henry ditched his usual fake smile and gave a dry laugh, tapping Freuden on the shoulder.
“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I’m always on your side. That’s my job as your retainer.”
“...Yeah. Got it.”
“Ah, both of you — welcome.”
Henry stayed behind with Cheryl at the entrance while Freuden alone went up to the restaurant’s third floor.
Soft light from the windows illuminated the interior of the restaurant.
At the center table, sitting with elegant composure, was a young woman.
Freuden approached her naturally and took the seat across from her.
He felt that his presence here was unnecessary — but judging by her expression, she felt the same.
Flora Lumos hadn’t even spared him a glance and continued to gaze out the window.
As if accustomed to this kind of situation, both their actions were seamless and unforced.
Through the silence, a chef approached.
“Uh... your food is served.”
Clearly overwhelmed by the suffocating atmosphere, the chef placed the dishes down and retreated at once.
As the food arrived, both of them moved at the same time.
They picked up their fork and knife and began cutting the meat.
Freuden was the first to speak.
“You usually don’t even show your face. What brings you here today?”
“None of your business.”
Slice. Slice.
Flora Lumos sliced her meat and took a bite, gently dabbing her lips with a napkin.
“I was tricked into coming here too.”
“Is that so.”
And so, the meal continued in silence once more.
Normally, they wouldn’t have spoken another word until they had finished eating, but today was different.
“Lately.”
Clink.
Flora’s knife froze mid-slice.
She turned her head toward Freuden with a puzzled look at his sudden words.
“I’ve been hearing the name Ludger Cherish quite a lot.”
“...So what?”
“Are you taking his class, too?”
“I don’t get why you would be interested in something like that.”
“I was just curious. That teacher’s name keeps coming up too frequently these days.”
Freuden stabbed a fork into the plated vegetables and stared at them intently.
Yes, this was just like him.
Flora had long given up expecting any sort of normal reaction from Freuden, so she answered with a tone of mild resignation.
“I am taking his class. It’s an Elemental Manifestation course — a shared subject for first- and second-years.”
“How is it?”
“How is what?”
“The teacher. Didn’t he strike you as... unusual in any way?”
Unusual?
Well, if anything, he was unusual. At least to Flora, Ludger Cherish was an exceptionally competent man.
Others probably thought the same.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Hm.”
“What?”
“That’s not like you. Weren’t you always the type to dismiss others — even instructors — as nothing more than joke material?”
She had tried to brush it off as disinterest, but Freuden, who was sharp in these matters, immediately caught the shift in her tone.
She’d tried too hard to act indifferent and ended up exposing herself instead.
“...Whatever. You, on the other hand, seem unusually interested. The Freuden Ulburk I know never asks questions for no reason.”
Freuden, who remained expressionless, and Flora, who glared at him.
To an outsider, they looked like a striking pair — beautiful, elegant, and perfectly matched. But beneath the surface, they were lifelong adversaries who could never truly understand one another.
“From your reaction alone, I can tell that this Ludger fellow is far from ordinary.”
“Oh, is that so? So what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is this the excuse you’re going to use to call off the marriage again? Isn’t that why you came in the first place?”
Flora casually mentioned the now-familiar routine.
Clink. Freuden set his fork and knife on the table and brushed his napkin aside.
“You don’t have to worry. Like always, I’ll be the one to cancel the engagement.”
“What excuse are you going to use this time? Didn’t you once say canceling a proposal without any reason would cause problems?”
Last time it was because the weather was gloomy.
Before that, he didn’t like the venue.
And the time before that, he said he wasn’t in the mood.
Freuden had canceled or dodged countless proposals with a slew of absurd excuses.
“An excuse, huh...”
After feigning some thought, he looked at his half-eaten dish and said,
“The food’s bad.”
Then he stood up from his seat.
“That’s what I’ll go with.”
“Hmph. Suit yourself.”
Still an insufferable man — Flora’s assessment of Freuden hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Normally, this would be the point where Freuden walked out first, and Flora remained a while longer.
It was a subtle move to make sure anyone watching would know he had broken off the proposal again.
But maybe something in her mood had shifted this time, too.
“Hey.”
She called out to Freuden’s back as he began to leave.
Freuden stopped walking and turned halfway, just enough to look back.
His gaze clearly said, What’s this? You calling out to me?
Was it a mistake to stop him?
Flora felt a flicker of regret at her own impulse, but now that it had happened, she decided to go through with it boldly.
“I want to ask you something.”
“You? Well, let’s hear it.”
It would probably be something trivial — or related to their families.
What else could it be?
“Do you know where I can find dried mandragora?”
Freuden’s expression scrunched up like he had heard the most incomprehensible question imaginable.
* * *
Festival preparations were in full swing.
Tents and booths that hadn’t been there before were being raised, and magitech golems were busily hauling heavy loads.
With the second round of exams over, the now-freed students were buzzing with excitement and energy.
One of Seorn’s major annual events — the Magic Festival — was just days away.
I stared out the faculty room window, watching the bustle below as my thoughts turned inward.
‘I figured the Black Dawn Society might show some suspicious movements during the prep period... but nothing so far.’
I had asked Sedina as well, but she also reported nothing out of the ordinary.
Considering how many underlings Esmeralda had, it wouldn’t have been surprising if orders had already gone out to start moving by now.
‘So what is Esmeralda planning?’
At this point, there’s not enough time to suddenly concoct a new scheme.
So is she doing nothing?
‘Or maybe... acting alone without informing her subordinates?’
That would be reckless.
Just as I was thinking that, a signal chimed from the research room next door.
‘A signal from the crystal orb. Hans, I assume.’
Good thing I’d left an extra communication crystal in the lab just in case.
Entering the lab, I cast a soundproofing spell around the space and activated the orb.
“Hans. What’s going on? Any leads?”
[Leads? Of course there are.]
Hans’s voice came through the crystal orb, brimming with excitement — the kind you only get when you’ve uncovered something significant.
[The thing you asked me to find out about. I finally found it.]
