High School Seniors Transferred To Another World

<font face="UICTFontTextStyleBody">T/N: Huge thanks to cuibap for becoming a patron!</font>

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The time set for the duel is next Monday evening. 

The location is the dance hall in the palace of His Majesty the 2nd Prince.

Upon hearing the news of the duel, the reactions of the people around me varied.

“Win overwhelmingly and leave him very upset!”

Ji-hye was angry at the news of the dispute in the banquet hall as if it was herself who was slighted.

She had never doubted my victory though since she was taking classes with me all this time.

“I-I didn’t even know that such a thing happened, and I... I’m sorry. I’ll try to work out a solution!”

Amer appeared to feel guilty for not being able to prevent the commotion in advance, even though she was a member of the royal family in charge of the summoned beings.

She said she would try to block the political repercussions somehow, but as a young adult, there wouldn’t be much she could do.

“Lord! Master, are you crazy?!”

Ireina suffered from a PTSD attack because the fall of her family was due to the politics of the 1st prince’s faction, and so she had a seizure at the news that I was to duel with that aristocrat.

My cheeky maid seems to think that her master will be defeated. 

She hated the idea so much that that night she harassed me (questionable) more than twice as much as usual.

“Are you going to watch the duel with Minho?”

“Um... Maybe...?”

“What is with that vague answer?”

When I mentioned Minho, Ah-Young’s expression became gloomy again.

Apparently, something happened between the three of them- Ayoung, Amer, and Minho- at the banquet hall.

I’ll have to focus on this topic and keep digging.

“No, well... Minho has been busy lately, so we haven’t spent much time together.”

“Oh, that’s right. You must feel a little lonely...”

“It can’t be helped. He’s our class representative...” 

“Still. I’m sure you’re disappointed.”

Park Min-ho is the type who feels comfortable only when he has lots piled up on his plate, so he was able to handle things that I would not have been willing to do.

So I know how busy he is. 

But of course, I don’t say anything to defend him.

Women want empathy.

Oh, but Minho... 

What if you leave your woman alone like this?

What if a passing golden sun [T/N: Imagine a JP gyaru-oh] seduces her and takes her away?

Well, I’m neither blonde nor tanned.

When she’s out of the relationship though, we’ll have a lot of fun so she won’t feel lonely.

During the 20 minutes on the way back to our rooms, I continued the conversation with Ah-young, making use of my experiences with Ji-Hye.

Thanks to this, I was able to see various expressions of hers that I would not normally have had a chance to see.

If Ji-hye is like a lively and active dog, Ah-yeong is like a timid and passive cat.

“Jihoo, I thought you were just a dull workaholic student, but you’re funnier than I thought! I should have talked to you earlier.”

“We can do that lot from now on.”

In the end, Ah-yeong was able to recover her special bright smile by the time we parted ways.

Watching her back as she walked relaxedly back to her room, I couldn’t help but have a certain thought.

What does it feel like to have sex with someone else’s woman...?

***

“I have been expecting you.”

“This one greets the Third Star of the Empire.”

This is the palace of the 2nd princess, the ‘Palace of Heaven’.

I prostrated myself in front of Her Highness Soniel Di Kairos in the small chamber.

Her Highness Soniel is officially called the ‘Third Star’ because she is third in line when it comes to succeeding the throne.

The succession order is determined by the order of birth of the adult members of the royal family.

The first in line is the 1st Prince- Porcus.

With this type of person being in first place, the future of the empire looks a little bleak.

In second place is the 1st Princess- Jennifer.

She is known for her great talent, which resulted in her accruing extraordinary achievements at the young age of 25.

The third to be born is the 2nd Princess- Soniel. 

Her [Star Constellations] Attribute was the best on the continent. 

However, due to the nature of her attribute, she has no combat abilities. 

And she has just graduated from the academy this year.

In 4th place is the 2nd Prince- Dave. 

He is known for being very wise. 

He is now a third-year student at the academy.

In 5th place is the 3rd Prince- Vik Samar. 

He once aimed for the throne, but was ruthlessly abandoned by the first prince and fell along with his entire faction, which included Ireina’s family.

In 6th place is the 3rd princess- Amer.

And the younger members of the imperial family are still minors, so there is no right of succession for them.

Currently, there are three people in the imperial family who truly seek to sit on the throne.

1st Prince Porcus, 1st Princess Jennifer, and 2nd Prince Dave.

“Please raise your head.”

I ceded to her words and raised my head to see Her Highness Soniel’s face.

What stands out the most, at first sight, is her radiant blonde hair. 

Her hair, which seems to shine with a vitality of its own, is a colour that cannot be expressed with just mere words.

“Welcome to my palace, Jeong Ji-hoo-nim.”

Her Highness Soniel was a woman who gave off a profound and mysterious feeling.

Her eyes are looking at me and yet not at me, with an air of detachment from life that is typical of religious people and seers.

“Let’s move elsewhere.”

She got up from her chair and started walking somewhere. 

I followed her.

It reminded me of the first time I had an audience with Amer two months ago at the Holy Palace. 

At that time, she had many people waiting around her, including maids and knights.

But there is no one around Soniel and I right now. 

The hallway, as quiet as the dead of night, feels awkward.

“I have asked everyone to step down for the evening. Even then, my attendants are fewer in number than in the other palaces anyway.”

“...Ate you reading my thoughts?”

“It is possible to do so for other minor individuals, but even I cannot read Jung Ji-hoo’s mind.”

She can also see the future.

Every time she takes a step, her hanbok-like dress [T/N: look it up] shudders.

She has sunken eyes and a voice that seems to speak in a permanent whisper. 

She only ever says meaningful words and acts politely.

Finally, to the very way she dresses...

Her Highness Soniel looks like a shaman.

“I think you have a lot of questions about me.”

“Yes, I do. I have a lot of questions, especially regarding my attributes.”

“Today I will clear up all of your worries and doubts.”

I am relieved by her assertion.

She climbed up the spiral staircase of the palace. 

The stairs are very high and wide. 

I didn’t have a hard time climbing them since I have had continuous training since coming to this world.

But it is amazing how she climbed the stairs effortlessly with her thin legs and frail frame, undisturbed like a doll.

The place we finally arrived at is the roof garden of this palace.

It is a beautiful flower garden spread over a wide space.

Flowers in full bloom are everywhere. 

Colourful petals dance here and there in the gentle breeze. 

Butterflies and fireflies fly between the blades of grass.

The blue moon embedded in the centre of the night sky is surrounded by countless stars, casting a gentle illumination all over the garden.

It is a scene that seems to have been taken straight out of a high-definition landscape illustration.

However, there were not only plants here. 

In the centre of the garden, there is a table, two chairs, and a bed. 

…?

“This is one of my bedrooms. It’s my favourite place in the entire palace.”

“Won’t you be bitten by insects while sleeping...?” 

“There are no pests here.”

She answered my joke of a question seriously.

Her Highness Soniel looked down at her surroundings from the edge of the rooftop garden and continued.

“This is the place closest to the sky in the imperial palace. The palace which has the largest size is the ‘Palace of the Sun’, but the height is the highest in my ‘Palace of the Heavens’. Do you know why?”

“Heaven. In other words, is it so you can hold a sacrifice or ritual near the sky?”

“That’s right. I’m the second princess of the empire, but at the same time I am also a shaman who was bestowed the fate of a priest of the heavens on the day I was bestowed with my attribute.”

Other people did not know this at all.

Her dress fluttered as she turned behind her. 

She met eyes with mine.

Soniel approaches me step by step, who is standing in the middle of the garden.

“That’s why I was quite surprised when you were tested for your attributes. The very god I worship suddenly appears in front of my eyes. Who could not be taken aback?”

I fell more and more for the mystical atmosphere about her.

“Meeting you and meeting the summoned was not something I had seen in the existing timelines before then. But now I know my destiny. The moment you awakened your attributes, the heavens gave me a new destiny.”

She stopped right before bumping into me. 

Her arms slipped between my armpits and held me tight. 

She appeared to put her ear to my chest so she could hear my heartbeat. 

The scent of flowers emanated from her.

“There is a way to resolve the attribute problem Jung Ji-hoo is having right now and the conflict issue with Porcus all at once.”

Her faint voice delights my ears.

Soniel whispered that special solution to me—

“Will you marry me...?”

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