[Academy Classmate]
Lumia introduced herself and stood by the window in Ariel’s drawing room, gazing outside.
Her hood had been removed for identity verification, revealing her snow-white hair like the peaks of a snowy mountain and her ocean-like blue eyes.
In just a few days, she was set to unveil her real identity during the official meeting, and by the end of the Betrothal Contest, she would take the hand of the winner, parading through the city and receiving a grand celebration from the Northerners.
She would present herself to the world, not as the red-haired Erenscia Velroc, but as Lumia Winterfell.
Given that, she felt no need to resist the guards searching her, nor did she have anything to hide.
After all, for tonight, she was just Erenscia, a pitiful noble girl from a border territory.
‘…I hope the advisor passed on my message?’
Tomorrow would see her final assessment right before the official meeting.
Before that, she had prepared some very encouraging and persuasive tactics to secure Elden’s participation.
Gelwood would present the encouragement to Elden, while she would handle the persuasion with Ariel herself.
It was a temptation too sweet to refuse—encouragement first, followed by the gentle coaxing.
Moreover, the encouragement she had chosen wasn’t the subtle favoritism from before.
[I fell for you at first sight.]
It was a clear case of favoritism, a confession from her position as a woman.
Her anger upon hearing of his withdrawal, the arguments that ensued, her disregard for the other contestants—all were attributed to ‘love.’
Of course, it was nothing more than a fabricated confession.
Nonetheless, she had transmitted a force strong enough to blend water and oil, ensuring his interest with both affection and valuable inside information about tomorrow’s trial.
It was a golden opportunity to revive a declining household, to become part of the Grand Ducal Family, clutching onto exceptional power.
Who could possibly let go of that?
By encouraging him with unconditional support and love, she surely had shaken his resolve to withdraw.
Unless, of course, he was hopelessly in love with Ariel Elrond.
The powerful force that muddled rational thought, threw intellectual contemplation into chaos, and ignored rank and background, was potentially at play here.
To confirm this, Lumia took a step forward to validate her newly established hypothesis.
If.
If it turned out she was right about Ariel and Elden having an affair, just that fact alone would lead to Elden facing severe consequences.
Violating the rules of the Betrothal Contest would be seen as spitting in the face of the Grand Duchess’s reputation, no less.
Should the affair not be the reason for his withdrawal, her hypothesis concerning Elden’s potential to repent remained valid.
However, if the affair was indeed the cause, then she could harness that to coax him into participating.
The choice to humble himself and reflect on past mistakes would be far more beneficial than earning the ire of the Grand Ducal House.
Yes.
[Love]
If only she could confirm the credibility of her hypothesis, everything else would fall back into place.
Though she had never been in love herself, it’s often said that lovers start to resemble one another.
That must be why the odious Elden, who once loathed them, was suddenly picking up books.
His efforts to mirror his beloved, to win their affection.
Otherwise, there was no way he’d take up a hobby he had once mocked so harshly.
No.
It had to be love.
Only love could provide a solution to this incredibly difficult problem.
With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Lumia waited for Ariel.
After a brief wait, she heard it.
“Elden?”
The voice of Ariel Elrond strengthened her hypothesis about [Love].
“Hoho. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Lady Ariel Elrond.”
Grinning brightly, she greeted Ariel, a poor baron’s daughter from the borderlands, as Erenscia Velroc.
“I never imagined we’d meet again like this. It’s delightful to see you, Erenscia.”
“Hoho. I had the same feeling! Did you manage to stay well?”
“I’ve been just fine, how about you?”
“I’ve been well too.”
A few polite exchanges flitted between them.
And that was all.
Considering she’d never anticipated meeting like this, their conversational topics were understandably limited.
There was nothing to ask, as they hadn’t been interested in each other.
Attempting to engage in warm banter would feel oddly forced and awkward.
Thus, after exchanging a few pleasantries, a thick silence crept into the drawing room.
Fortunately, Ariel managed to break the silence with a question.
“But what happened to your hair color? I could have sworn it used to be red.”
“Oh, actually, I changed it with mana dye. Lots of people think Northerners are barbaric, you know?”
“That much is true. So this means you’re from the Northern territories? But the white suits you so much better. Absolutely stunning, Erenscia!”
“Hehe. Lady Ariel, you’re incredibly beautiful too.”
Once again, they exchanged their formal greetings.
The compliments they shared were sincere.
Both the silver-haired, blue-eyed Lumia and the blonde-haired, auburn-eyed Ariel were stunning enough that it was hard to pick a winner in their beauty contest.
However, the awkward atmosphere that kept flooding in was more than either of them could handle. So instead of spending unproductive time with someone they weren’t close to without proper interaction, Ariel decided to get to the point.
“…So, what brings you here?”
Lumia didn’t have any intention of dragging things out either.
She simply came to confirm the credibility of her newly established hypothesis.
She just wanted to check if that pointless illusion of love was messing up her plans.
If it turned out to be true, she would need to devise a new plan.
There weren’t any unsolvable problems for her; she was the type to chase a solution to the ends of the continent if necessary.
Moreover,
Through that persistence, Lumia had yet to encounter a problem she couldn’t solve.
Sip.
After taking a sip of the winter flower tea, Lumia opened her mouth.
“Actually, I’ve come to ask you something.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Yes. I was told to find an answer.”
“Who… are you speaking about…?”
At this late hour,
With darkness spreading everywhere,
A chilling chill wrapping around her,
Lumia, the night guest cutting through the dark and cold, was about to deliver someone else’s message.
Everything felt ominous, and Ariel, feeling a bit uneasy, awaited her response.
When the subject of the message was revealed, Ariel’s auburn eyes went wide.
“It’s a message from the Third Northern Duchess.”
“……!”
Her mouth fell open in shock.
She never imagined she would meet another classmate in this unfamiliar, distant land.
The name mentioned by this classmate was something she could never have anticipated.
“…T-The Third Northern Duchess?!”
It was a natural reaction.
Upon hearing that name, her ears perked up, her eyes widened, and it was only fitting her mouth would hang open in disbelief.
And then a moment later,
“That’s—amazing!”
All her previously ominous thoughts vanished, replaced by a joy that radiated light against the darkness of the night.
It was the reaction of a devoted reader who had wept and laughed through the pages of the novel “The Secret Snowflake of the North,” which starred none other than the enigmatic [Third Northern Duchess].
“…Huh?”
“So, you work for the Duchess?!”
Jumping out of her seat, Ariel leaned forward, bracing herself on the table with both hands.
Her auburn eyes sparkled like the night sky filled with stars.
Seeing Ariel’s energetic reaction, Lumia had to pull back a little.
“Y-Yes… That’s about right…?”
“Then you must know a lot about her, right?!”
“W-Well… I suppose I do.”
Although Lumia had lived her whole life with books by her side, they were always textbooks and research papers. She had no idea about the existence of a novel featuring her as the subject.
What’s more, this novel wasn’t one that her maid, Marien, would enjoy; it was a piece of pure literature diving into identity and meaning rather than a simple romance.
Thus, it was understandable that Lumia, the scholar, couldn’t comprehend Ariel’s sparkling gaze over a book.
It was perfectly natural for Ariel, the avid reader, to be bubbling with excitement since “The Secret Snowflake of the North” had moved her profoundly and had been re-read five times!
Then, Ariel fired off a barrage of questions.
“What kind of person is the Duchess?”
“…?”
“Is it true that she’s always veiled because of a curse?”
“…”
“Oh! I want to meet her so badly!”
“…”
“I heard gossip that she’s so beautiful she outshines even the princess! Is that true?”
“N-No…”
“The book claims she has martial skills capable of defeating seasoned warriors; is that true as well?”
“W-Wait…”
“Ah—do you have to leave soon? Can you tell me more about the Duchess, please~?”
“……”
The excitement from the bookworm was an overwhelming experience for Lumia, as this zeal for her favorite protagonist had her jumping through hoops.
It took quite a while for Ariel’s fervor to settle down.
“Hehe… Sorry~. It’s just that the novel featuring the Duchess deeply moved me.”
“…Excuse me? T-There’s… a… novel about her…?”
“Yes!”
Lumia felt a wave of dizziness wash over her from this revelation.
It took her… quite some time to regain her composure.
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