NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25
Huff…
Only after parting with the two princesses did Claire let out a big sigh, as if her mind was finally at ease.
The students surrounding them had glanced at Claire and Leo briefly before going on their way after the two princesses left. They all wore expressions that seemed to say they had just witnessed something amusing, but Claire paid them no mind.
“Thank goodness…”
“What’s so good about it!?”
Claire, with her hand on her chest, muttered quietly, prompting Leo to scream in response.
Students passing by glanced at the pair, but Leo was too preoccupied to notice their looks.
“A princess, right!? And one of them is the real deal!? How can you just talk to her like that!? What if you get marked!?”
Despite Leo’s continuous cries, Claire’s expression remained unchanged.
“It’s fine. The Crown Princess… no, Alice said we’re all students here. We can treat her just like everyone else.”
As Claire began to walk toward the classroom, Leo followed behind, tugging at his hair in frustration.
“No way, that’s obviously just a polite facade! We’ve been to banquets, remember? What if the Duke or Count had said to treat them casually—it wouldn’t have gone well!”
“The ball and school are different. The ball is just for one day.”
“That’s exactly why we need to be more careful! The academy lasts four years!”
However, even after hearing Leo’s plight, Claire remarked, “…Did she cut her hair? I wonder if that hairstyle is comfortable? Maybe she just couldn’t cut it back then?”
“Uh, are you even listening?”
Waving his hand in front of her face, Leo questioned.
“Hey, little sister.”
At those words, Claire’s beautiful brow furrowed. Of course, it wasn’t a deep furrow like that of adults, but it was definitely clear that Claire was irritated.
“Who are you calling a little sister when I haven’t even had my birthday yet? I was born first, so that makes me the big sister!”
The two had always bickered over this since childhood.
In terms of birthdays, Leo was born a few months after Claire. Yet, from Leo’s perspective, Claire was someone who had ‘joined the family later.’ In truth, during their early years, Leo took care of Claire because she knew nothing at all about living in a noble household.
So, from the perspective of someone looking after her, Leo thought of himself as Claire’s older brother, while Claire claimed to be the older sister based on her memory of her own birthday.
Having fought over that topic countless times, their record stood at 3 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws. Since both sides were tied, there was no need to argue about who was older.
In truth, Claire’s birthday was just a date that she remembered, so it wasn’t accurate. She didn’t know why she considered that date her birthday or when she started thinking so. What was certain was that she had remembered that date as her birthday since before entering the orphanage of the Grace estate.
“Looks like you’re finally coming back to your senses.”
“My mind is always clear and transparent.”
“Then how come your clear and transparent mind suddenly rushed at two princesses?”
“Who rushed at them?”
“Of course, you did, Claire Grace! The Baron’s daughter!”
Leo raised his hand to pinch his nose.
“…Right, the Crown Princess—”
“Alice.”
“What?”
“You said ‘Crown Princess’! Call her Alice.”
“…”
With his eyes squeezed shut, Leo pressed down on his innocent-looking nose even harder.
That was definitely going to leave a mark.
Watching Leo, Claire thought,
“Yeah, no matter how much the Crown Princess said ‘we’re all equal in this school,’ it’s clear. You saw it. No, you must have seen it more than anyone else. The Crown Princess not bowing her head to the Headmaster.”
“…”
With Leo saying that, there wasn’t much left for Claire to reply.
Once a soldier, always a soldier. This famous saying encapsulated the spirit of the empire’s soldiers… who knows when or where it started.
It might not be called a proverb, but it was certainly a saying well-known among the soldiers of the empire. It means that once a person has pledged allegiance to a direct cause or group, they should maintain the dignity of a soldier regardless of whether they later leave military service.
And when meeting that person, one should naturally speak with thorough respect, which is also included in that soldier’s ethos.
Moreover, the Headmaster of this school, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, was once a soldier too. If anyone had studied even a little about the imperial wars—meaning anyone who attended this academy—would surely have heard of his name; he was a living legend.
Machine gun emplacements, trenches, modern belt replacement for ammunition that had previously used water-cooled ammunition belts, turret tank design, and being a pioneer of modern infantry tactics and tank combat.
He was a living legend and hero in the truest sense. His name, Abraham, is even attached to the main battle tanks currently produced in the empire.
Thus, the honor attached to his presence was enough to exceed merely being the academy’s headmaster; he could be referred to as ‘walking modern warfare history.’
And Alice Fanggriffon hadn’t bowed her head before him.
Because even if he had retired, he was still a soldier loyal to the empire. If there were ever a threat to the empire, he would charge back into the frontline without hesitation. In that sense, he was still a soldier loyal to the imperial family.
“…”
“See, you have nothing more to say, right?”
Leo let out a long sigh and continued.
“Think about it. You’re using casual language, but if other noble kids use honorifics… No matter how much the Crown Princess herself said it, wouldn’t that comparison stand out?”
“…Hmm.”
For a brief moment, Claire looked deep in thought.
“But I don’t think Alice seems like that type. Just my opinion, but she’ll probably treat those who use honorifics even colder.”
“…”
Leo let out a facepalm as if to express, ‘I can’t get through to you.’
“…By the way.”
Leo, who had been walking silently beside Claire, suddenly spoke up, “What did you mean by ‘thank goodness’ earlier? Could it be…?”
“Exactly.”
Claire smiled brightly at Leo.
“You heard her name, Sylvia.”
“…Sylvia ‘Black,’ right?”
Leo corrected, his eyes scanning the hallway nervously, as if an earthquake was shaking them. A few gazes were directed at them, but it didn’t seem like anyone was eavesdropping. More likely, it was just that a boy and a girl walking down the corridor caught attention.
“But I’m Claire ‘Grace’ too. If I introduce myself like that, no one is going to say anything.”
Of course, the family name would continue to be inherited by Leo. Claire didn’t care much about that.
“That’s the issue!”
Leo scratched the back of his head in frustration.
“If that person… the ‘Sylvia’ you mentioned is really who she is…”
“No, she is.”
“…”
Leo pursed his lips and took a breath. In fact, he thought it was purely a coincidence that their names overlapped.
Living in the Grace estate, they often heard about the imperial family. After all, Baron Grace had received a title directly from the imperial family.
So they heard quite a few specific rumors about the ‘Emperor’s children.’ The Baron and his wife had told Leo, who would inherit the Grace estate, some of those rumors.
And Leo was well aware that just casually repeating such rumors could lead to trouble. Even if he had been born a noble from the start.
It was widely known that the ‘Emperor’s children’ had no imperial blood, so there was no need to spread rumors about that; however, the ambiguity of their origins was certainly a bit unsettling. The imperial family’s official stance was that they were ‘the offspring of low-ranking noble families that had died’ or ‘children of soldier couples who died honorably,’ but honestly, only someone like a rural Baron who couldn’t distinguish between commoners and nobles would believe that immediately.
Or perhaps the common folk themselves. The ones without proper education.
Whispers circulating quietly among the nobility suggested that the emperor was nurturing assassins or that the current Emperor’s children were survivors of assassin training… stories like that.
Whether those claims were true or not, it was natural that such superhuman beings couldn’t just be children lost in the alley.
The Sylvia that Claire remembered seemed almost superhuman, but honestly, how reliable could a child’s memory be?
Claire remembered Sylvia as a girl who got lost or fell behind while coming to the Baron’s estate, and thus went missing forever. That was the most realistic conclusion.
Furthermore, it wasn’t like Claire had never met anyone named ‘Sylvia’ before. In fact, there were a few with black hair and eyes, and there was indeed someone named ‘Sylvia Black.’ Initially, Claire had been very hopeful, tried initiating conversation, and tried to jog her memory, but she had always ended up disappointed.
With each instance of that repeated, Claire’s joy and anticipation of meeting a new ‘Sylvia’ slowly faded away. In the past two years, she hadn’t even mentioned it anymore.
And the one who witnessed all this right beside her was Leo.
That’s why Leo felt something odd about Claire’s current certainty. What could be the reason?
…For now, let’s decide to find out later.
Leo resolved to first address something important with Claire.
“Okay, so let’s say you’re right for the moment.”
Claire’s cheeks puffed slightly upon hearing the phrase ‘let’s say you’re right,’ but Leo ignored it and continued explaining.
“Is it really appropriate to blatantly expose the past of someone in a position like a princess? Do you think they’d appreciate it? That’s something you should consider first.”
“Ah…”
It seemed that with the thought of finally finding her long-lost sister, Claire hadn’t even processed that.
Once again, Leo let out a noticeable sigh and continued, “And even if you remember, the other person may not. If you just go up and introduce yourself, you might end up labeled with an odd image for no reason.”
“…That’s true.”
Claire, who had a slight frown, earnestly nodded.
And soon, a bitter look crossed her face.
“…Well, don’t worry too much.”
Not wanting to leave Claire like that, Leo offered some comfort.
“If she is indeed the person you mentioned, she’ll remember you. Even if she doesn’t right away, she’ll certainly be able to recall you sooner or later. Given her level, she should still retain childhood memories.”
“Got it.”
Clenching her fist as if to cheer herself on, Claire’s action made Leo shrug.
Leo didn’t consider that Sylvia had become a princess and might have reappeared. While on the way back from their exams, Claire had actually checked on that person. The fact that she didn’t react much while passing by was possibly just because she only caught a glimpse.
Moreover, the Sylvia Claire used to talk about in her childhood was a far more caring person than Princess Sylvia. Although only their first meeting had just passed, Leo couldn’t picture the ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ telling stories to a young child.
“Oh, by the way, there’s no way we’ll end up in the same class as those two—”
“Ah, didn’t you know?”
Claire’s eyes widened at Leo’s statement.
“The class and seating arrangements have been decided. Both of us are in the same class as Alice and sister Sylvia.”
“Eek.”
Leo’s face, which had just recovered to normal, turned pale again.