The test results ca out as expected.
I scored 475 points, and Alice scored 492. Both of us had scores well above the passing mark.
For , this was a surprising result. Sure, I had intentionally gotten so questions wrong, but Alice had originally entered the Academy with a score of 487 in the ga, earning the reputation of a prodigy. Of course, even that score wasn’t low by any ans, but the Alice standing before now had achieved an even higher score.
"Impressive, Your Highness."
That’s what I said. There might have been a little emotion behind my words, but not enough to make a big deal of it. I had occasionally let my feelings show in front of Alice before. Besides, my reason for going to the Academy in the first place was to et the main characters and heroines from the original story, so there was no need to hide my excitent too much in front of Alice.
After all, I’d be seeing her often from now on, so it would be hard to keep everything hidden forever.
I’d just have to be careful around the Emperor and his children.
"Hmm…"
However, Alice's reaction wasn’t what I had expected. The pitch of her "hmm" was much lower than usual. Unlike her usual pleased tone, this one sounded suspicious, as if she were openly doubting .
Alice narrowed her eyes and asked,
"Are you sure this is your real score?"
"..."
Hmm.
She caught on imdiately.
"You said it was easier than the mock exam while walking through the hallway that day. But your score didn’t improve—in fact, it went down. Doesn’t that seem strange? Especially for soone as ticulous as you."
"..."
"Did you intentionally score lower than ?"
"..."
Hmm.
She’s not the Emperor's daughter for nothing. It seems she inherited his talents.
Or maybe I just gave myself away too easily.
"You."
Alice continued.
"Don’t do that again. You’ll be working under in the future, right? I need to know your real abilities. If you keep trying to make look good, how am I supposed to evaluate your skills?"
I stared at Alice intently.
Alice had changed a lot from the Alice I knew.
I’m not talking about the Alice from her childhood—although she’s certainly different from then as well. The Alice I’m referring to is the Alice from the ga.
The Alice who, from a young age, devoted herself entirely to studying swordsmanship and reading, never attending royal banquets or balls except when she was very little. She was so focused on following in her father’s footsteps that she ignored the need to socialize with the nobility, even though that was important for becoming Emperor. But then again, at fourteen, it’s not surprising she had a bit of a rebellious streak, thinking, "While others are wasting ti, I’m studying imperial matters."
That part of her is still sowhat similar. But in terms of attitude, she’s different.
In the ga, early on, Alice was portrayed as soone with very low self-esteem despite her high character stats. Outwardly, she appeared as an arrogant princess, but there were several monts where she felt envious of others who were better at swordsmanship or academics than she was.
In the early stages, she never openly acknowledged other people’s abilities like she does now.
But this isn't even the "early stage" anymore. Both Alice and I are fifteen years old now, yet her attitude toward is far more mature and composed than the childish stubbornness I expected.
"Why are you staring at like that?"
Alice, seeming a little unsettled by my gaze, asked.
"...It’s nothing."
I replied, slightly bowing my head.
"I apologize. From now on, I won’t hide my abilities from Your Highness."
"Huh? Oh, um, alright…"
Alice seed flustered by my sudden compliance and responded hesitantly.
And that reaction—that felt like Alice. The Alice I knew from either version of her.
To be honest, I’m a little excited.
No, scratch that. There's no need for the word "little."
Actually, I could replace it with "incredibly."
In fact, even "incredibly" doesn’t fully capture how I’m feeling. There are no words in existence that can accurately express my excitent. If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s like a child jumping up and down on their bed after receiving a console ga as a birthday present, unable to contain their joy.
Ten years. I’ve waited for ten long years.
Since I was five years old, when I first ca to this world and realized it was the setting of the ga I rembered, it took ten years to finally et the characters I loved. And, in reality, it’s probably taken longer since I’ve rewound ti multiple tis.
Even I’m amazed at how long I’ve waited.
I an, I only spent seven years playing the Azernor Chronicles series. That’s shorter than the ti I’ve spent waiting in this world.
After becoming one of the Emperor’s children, I often wondered how long my excitent would last. As an adult, there were dreams from childhood that seed insignificant in hindsight, and possessions I had longed for as a child ended up feeling anticlimactic once I obtained them as an adult.
But… maybe it’s not always like that.
Sherlock Hols fans waited seven years for a new book, and ga or movie series often have similar long waits. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I didn’t wait the whole ti consciously. I was busy with various things, and before I knew it, the ti had passed. Even when you count the days at first, you eventually forget to keep track.
Maybe that’s how it was for .
Or perhaps it was because the real-life versions of the characters from the ga were nearby, constantly reminding that I was still in this world. With the Emperor’s children, Alice, and Claire around, it ant that Leo Grace and other characters were out there sowhere, alive and breathing.
"Hoo…"
I exhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves.
It feels like I’m about to et a celebrity. I’d already t Alice and Claire, but when I encountered Claire, I didn’t even have ti to enjoy the mont, as I was too busy thinking about escaping. And as for Alice, I’ve been with her since childhood, so she feels more like a younger sister than a celebrity. Though Alice would be horrified if she heard say that.
Besides, eting one person at a ti is different from suddenly eting several at once.
I had packed my belongings the night before. Not that there was much to pack. The uniform would be provided by the school, and the sa went for textbooks. They did say we could bring personal items for the dorm, but the only personal item I had was my weapon.
And even that would be stored by the school. In the original ga, there were a few characters who used firearms. And even if they didn’t, most of the weapons brought by students were deadly tools ant for combat, so it was natural for the school to take precautions. Who knows what would happen if so maniac decided to go on a shooting spree during class.
That’s why the school did background checks on all students.
In any case, there was no need for to pack additional items. Which ant there was nothing to distract myself with. I wasn’t sure if I could even focus on a book right now.
So, I had been pacing back and forth in my room. As much as I wanted to jump on my bed in excitent, I had to maintain my character.
After pacing for a while, I heard a knock on the door.
[Lady Sylvia, we’re here to move your luggage. May we co in?]
While commoners carried their belongings to the school themselves, royalty and nobility had many people beneath them to handle such tasks. Their belongings could be sent to the dormitory in advance.
This was only allowed on the first and last days of the school term. It was a necessary safety asure to protect the students, so I had no reason to object.
I took a deep breath and, hoping my voice wouldn’t tremble, answered.
“…Yes, please co in.”
It seed my ten years of acting practice had paid off.
The Imperial Palace and the Imperial Rondarium Academy weren’t far from each other. The area around the palace had the best security in the capital, so it was an ideal location for the Academy. There were several other academies in the vicinity, most of which only accepted students from prominent or wealthy families.
Although it wasn’t far enough to require a long walk, we wouldn’t be commuting. Even students with hos in the capital wouldn’t be commuting. The Imperial Academy had a mandatory boarding school policy for all students.
Public transportation like stagecoaches existed, but it wasn’t practical to pack people in like modern buses, and no matter how safe the Empire claid the capital was, it wasn’t as safe as the middle of Seoul. To ensure student safety—or more accurately, to avoid being held responsible if a student was hard—many schools, including the Academy, had adopted mandatory boarding.
Additionally, it was easier to guard soone while they were riding in a carriage, so we traveled the short distance to the Academy in one.
"Excited?"
"Huh?"
Alice suddenly asked , catching off guard as I stared out the window.
Lately, I’ve been startled by such questions more often. Maybe it’s because my heart has been racing with excitent. Thankfully, since it was Alice, it didn’t cause much of an issue.
Sitting across from , Alice wore an incredibly smug expression.
Her expressions had beco much more diverse. Was it because she had found peace of mind? If that was thanks to , then perhaps my efforts to console and comfort her weren’t such a bad idea after all.
"Why do you ask?"
I still maintained a blank expression. I knew this without even touching my face or looking in a mirror. I’d been practicing keeping a neutral face for ten years, so this much was second nature to .
But the fact that Alice could read my mood so well was concerning. If she could, then others might be able to as well.
That’s sothing I’d need to check and fix.
"Normally, you don’t care about the view outside. And you’re not even reading the book on your lap. Usually, no matter what’s happening around you, you’d just be focused on your book."
"…"
"And, it’s not like there’s anything new to see in the capital, right? I an, I don’t know about , but you must be tired of seeing these sights."
I had run various errands for the Emperor all over the capital, so I was certainly more familiar with it than Alice was. Actually, I was confident I could find my way around any corner of the capital since I had morized all the major landmarks. No matter where I ended up, I could find my way.
"So, I just figured you weren’t able to focus on your book. If that’s not the case, my apologies."
Of course, when she said "my apologies," she was still smiling smugly, so it was clear there was no real sincerity in her words.
"…"
I didn’t bother responding to Alice. Even if I said, "No, you’re wrong," Alice would just respond with, "Oh, really?" And admitting she was right… well, that was sothing I wasn’t ready to do yet.
So, I turned back to the window.
And for the rest of the short trip to the Academy, I had to endure Alice’s smug expression.
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