NOVPUBUnderstanding cultural differences is more challenging than one might expect. Even among humans, cultures and languages vary by country, so imagine how much more complex it would be if the species were different.
"...What are they even doing?"
Stella’s exchange students attended all classes with Starflower Academy students. Joint lessons with elves and humans.
The lectures covered basic concepts tailored to the pace of the elf cadets, focusing on fairy magic. They learned to make flowers bloom or draw on the power of spirits to manipulate natural elements—magic that was quite unfamiliar to humans.
Of course, magic involving plants was deeply rooted in the nature of the elf race, so humans couldn’t fully master it. They could, however, grasp the principles and mimic it to some extent, which was valuable for its "versatility."
Just as dwarves’ material transformation magic evolved into alchemy, and spirit magic inspired healing arts, racial magic held vast potential for endless applications.
"Now, calm your mind as thin as a thread. Do you hear it? The voice of the flowers. We can all hear the plants' whispers, but until now, we simply haven’t listened. You can do it, too."
The Stella cadets stared intently at the potted plants in front of them with constipated expressions, but, naturally, they couldn’t hear a single plant voice that wasn’t there.
Meanwhile, on the other side, elves were making flowers dance and bloom, showing off their skills. Some elves glanced over at the Stella cadets, snickering with amusement.
"Silence! Who's laughing?"
The elven professor shouted furiously. He was determined not to let a few immature students ruin the harmony intended between elves and humans.
But, after all, what could he do?
Unfortunately, most elves held a sense of superiority.
A belief that they were far above other races.
They lived longer, were more attuned to mana, and were undeniably beautiful, with the ability to communicate with spirits.
And what about humans?
Humans lacked natural talent for mana, cobbling together mundane magic gathered from here and there.
How could elves not feel superior to humans?
...That was the backstory Flame knew from the original novel's lore.
The elves’ sense of superiority.
A common enough trope, but this setting served to put the protagonist, Angel, at the center of all incidents at Starflower Magic Academy.
She excelled at everything, surpassing the elves and earning the spirits’ favor even more than the elves.
She eventually faced and overcame Jellyel’s bullying, marking the climax of this episode.
“Oh, are you Cadet Flame?”
“Uh, yeah?”
Lost in thought, Flame was tapping the pot absentmindedly when the professor suddenly addressed her, catching her off guard.
“Oh, no way.”
The flower in the pot had not only bloomed but grown so large it resembled a small cherry blossom tree.
Unintentionally, she had poured mana into it, making the plant flourish.
“Amazing! We’ve never had a student who understood plants to this degree!”
The professor clapped, genuinely pleased to see a human mage embracing his lesson and successfully casting magic... but...
Sharp glances from some of the elves pricked at her. They didn’t like that this human was handling plants even better than they were.
"Fantastic," she thought sarcastically.
She’d meant to go through the motions, but her frequent practice with plant-based magic had led her to resonate with the flowers without realizing it.
“Oh my, and over here, too!”
Angel was also causing a spectacle. While she hadn’t grown a large flower like Flame, her flower had stepped out of the pot and was dancing elegantly, even bowing gracefully.
“This is so fun.”
She laughed, radiating pure joy as if learning new magic was the best thing in the world.
“Ahh...”
Seeing this, Flame thought, “Whatever,” and sent petals scattering. After all, with Jellyel already enamored with Baek Yuseol, what was there to worry about?
Might as well relax and enjoy it.
No point in worrying about every little thing and going gray from the stress.
---
About ten years ago, before fantasy romance novels gained popularity, a peculiar style of romance novel, often called “Insos,” was popular.
Set mostly in schools, these stories often featured male protagonists with powers rivaling that of a president or world’s wealthiest tycoon, even though they were only teenagers. The female protagonists were beautiful yet “ordinary”—a paradox.
These might seem childish now, but they were once beloved by certain niche readers, with staples like a school “idol” known as the “Kingka” or “Queenka” idolized by their peers.
Think of the famous “F4” from the popular drama *Boys Over Flowers*—a group of four boys, heirs of global wealth and power, adored by the student body.
So why bring this up?
While this setup didn’t exist in the original romance novel *Don’t Love That Princess*, the author seemed to have a strange moment during the exchange episode and incorporated this dated trope.
"Are you Flame?"
On the platform.
An elf boy and a human girl stood, aiming their staffs at each other.
Duels between humans and elves were a mandatory subject for exchange students, and Flame was the first to step forward.
She didn’t mind.
The problem was her opponent—a boy named Serang, from the prestigious "Winterdew Flower" family, known for upholding high elf authority.
Serang, with his long green hair tied in a ponytail, was undeniably handsome, but his expressions and gestures were incredibly off-putting.
The kind of style Flame absolutely despised.
But for some reason, he seemed intrigued by her, constantly striking up conversation.
"Would you have some time after class? My fellow members of the 'Blossom Trio' are quite interested in meeting you..."
"Gotcha!"
Just as Serang spoke, Flame thrust her staff forward. A pillar of light shot down on him, but he easily blocked it with a shield, revealing his exceptional talent.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
*Crash!*
Enormous roots burst from the ground, wrapping around Serang’s body, transforming into something harder than steel through material alteration. Flame prepared another light spell.
She pulled her staff back like drawing an arrow, summoning three arrows of light, while translucent wings unfolded on her back.
With a look of sheer disgust, she declared, "I hate slick guys more than anything!"
"Wait, hold o—"
Serang tried to move, but his body was bound too tightly to even raise a shield. Flame unleashed a spell powerful enough to rival fifth-class magic.
*Boom!*
“Oh my god!”
“Can you even use that kind of magic in a duel?!”
“He’s not dead, right...?”
“What’s going to happen to our beloved Serang?”
Students squinted against the blinding light, anxiously watching Serang. Fortunately, he was unharmed. She’d intentionally kept him restrained to avoid any real damage.
She had only meant to give him a scare.
“...Duel over. Cadet Flame is the winner.”
The elf professor, looking rather flabbergasted, declared Flame’s victory.
“Haha, I lost. As expected, I knew I was right about you. You’re amazing, Flame.”
But even in defeat, Serang only looked slightly surprised, still flashing that irritatingly smug smile.
*Maybe I should’ve just released him,* she thought.
No, that would have been excessive. If he’d taken a direct hit, he could have been seriously injured, and Flame wasn’t one for brutality.
Besides... even if she’d released him, Serang likely would have thrown up a shield with lightning speed, making her feel even worse.
In the original novel, Serang’s talent was only slightly below top characters like Mayuseong and Haewonryang. Early on, he often overpowered them.
Elves’ innate talent let them dominate humans early on, but eventually, humans would catch up—an inevitable trope.
He’d likely allowed himself to be bound just for show.
“Ugh, annoying.”
The moment the duel ended, Flame walked off without a backward glance, though she could still feel Serang waving her way. Why didn’t people like him realize the impact of their actions?
*They don’t realize they’re making me the bad guy...*
A few elf girls glared daggers at her, their intense stares saying enough.
Flame was certain her life would be difficult for the next month.
---
Serang’s interest seemed genuine. The "Blossom Trio," an elven parody of F4, was a group of handsome elf boys who had started showing interest in Stella’s female students.
The former elf king’s grandson, Cheonghasol, had openly asked Angel on a date. Another wealthy elf, Heugyoram, from the world’s top wand company "Fairy’s Fingers," had reportedly shown interest in Princess Hong Biyeon, following her around.
“This is driving me nuts.”
At dinner, Angel complained as she ate, though she continued studying elf magic spells with a notebook in hand, clearly enjoying the learning process.
“You too? Same here.”
Flame found the class interesting but was annoyed by the “Blossom Trio” or whatever their name was constantly pestering her.
“Is it the same for you?”
Hong Biyeon, who had somehow joined them at the table, nodded, looking worn out with dark circles under her eyes.
“Maybe I should just execute them in the name of Adolevit.”
“...Idiot. You’re as thoughtless as a goldfish. Have you ever considered the diplomatic issues that could cause?”
“And they’re not causing issues by messing with us?”
“They haven’t outright threatened or forced us to meet them. They’re maintaining some decorum.”
“Ha! You were about to curse just now,
weren’t you?”
“You’re mistaken. I am noble by nature. I don’t use such coarse language like you.”
“Oh, come on~ I bet you curse all the time when you’re alone. Be honest.”
“Shut up.”
Hong Biyeon pushed Flame’s face away as she leaned in, then grabbed her tray and stood.
“Not eating anymore? Dieting?”
“I just don’t eat much.”
“Well, give me your bread then.”
Flame snatched her bread before she could answer and took a big bite.
Hong Biyeon glared at her, then sat back down.
“Huh? Why? This bread’s mine now. I’m not giving it back.”
“...Eat it.”
Unfazed, Hong Biyeon kept her gaze on the cafeteria exit.
A group of elf girls stood there, centered around the boy named Heugyoram.
With long black hair, sharp ears, and dark skin, Heugyoram was known as a rare "Dark High Elf."
He was looking their way with a bright smile, his eyes full of interest in Hong Biyeon.
“...Damn...”
Flame cursed quietly. Heugyoram’s presence implied that other elf boys wouldn’t be far behind.
Now she understood why Hong Biyeon had stayed seated. With three of them together, it’d be easier to dodge trouble.
“...This time, I’ll help.”
Flame, munching on the bread aggressively, stood up, followed by Angel and Hong Biyeon. They figured they could make up an excuse like planning to study together.
But as soon as they reached the exit, Heugyoram approached Hong Biyeon.
“Hello, Princess?”
Flame nearly choked on her food.
“Do you have some time now?”
Hong Biyeon’s expression darkened.
Though she’d previously held back, her temper could be explosive. Sensing this, Angel quickly intervened.
“Oh, hello! We were just heading for tea time together, sorry...”
“Oh, really? Then we’ll join you.”
Then, out of nowhere, the other two members of the Blossom Trio appeared.
Cheonghasol, with impressively vivid blue hair, smiled.
“We were on our way for tea as well, so it’s perfect timing, right?”
He flashed a wide grin, and Flame barely restrained herself from hitting him.
“Oh, sorry for the mix-up, we were actually planning to study...”
“Studying? We’re fine with that. The top three students in the academy are us. We can help.”
Ugh, they had every annoying trope imaginable.
*What do we do?*
*I don’t know!*
*...Just figure it out.*
The three girls exchanged nervous glances, contemplating how to leave gracefully.
But no matter what excuse they used, those boys seemed determined to tag along.
*The best approach would be...*
“Why are you guys blocking the way?”
The voice of their savior came from behind.
At the sound of Baek Yuseol’s exasperated tone, Flame’s expression brightened, and she clung to him.
“We were going to study together, right? Right?”
“Huh? But I don’t like stu—”
Before he could finish, Angel clamped a hand over his mouth.
“He’s teaching us. You guys would just feel out of place, right? Don’t you think so, Princess?”
Hong Biyeon nodded.
With disappointed faces, the Blossom Trio reluctantly backed off, and the girls finally escaped.
“What...?”
Baek Yuseol, interrupted mid-meal, was the only one still baffled by the situation.
