### Chapter: 193
Chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp!
Amidst the chorus of cicadas, someone was swiftly wielding two daggers.
As the moment her violet-tinged dagger was thrust through her short black hair, a water shield rose up to meet it.
Boom!
The poison laced in the dagger exploded, sending splashes everywhere, but the water shield staunchly held its ground.
Beyond that water shield stood a woman with healthy skin beneath her flowing red hair.
The two were none other than Haring Lagrain and Karandis Poseus.
“That’s enough.”
One of the Unnamed Academy’s vice professors, Kairan, called for the battle to stop, and the two immediately disengaged.
Taking a breath, they slowly descended from the arena.
“Great job!”
As Haring wiped the sweat from her brow, Karandis approached her.
Karandis, usually lively, wore a rather stoic expression while looking at Haring.
This attitude of hers had developed after the midterm evaluations.
And Haring knew exactly why.
“… You did well,” Haring replied, and a somewhat awkward atmosphere lingered between them.
Haring was already somewhat aloof, even more so without Kraush around.
With Karandis quiet too, their conversation dwindled to nearly nothing.
As the silence stretched on, Karandis finally spoke.
“So, do you have any idea about when Kraush will arrive?”
She too found the silence unsettling.
Haring gazed up at the World Tree, feeling the sunlight streaming through the leaves.
“Nope, he didn’t tell me.”
Her eyes were filled with a sense of disappointment.
Karandis, catching onto that feeling, also looked up at the World Tree.
“… What kind of relationship do you want to have with Kraush?”
It was a question she’d been holding back.
After all, with Kraush conveniently absent, it felt like a prime opportunity.
A little embarrassed, Karandis kicked the ground with her foot.
“… What kind of relationship?”
Haring paused, contemplating her words.
If anyone could claim to have developed a profound bond with Kraush since coming to Rahern Academy, it would definitely be Haring.
After all, she was always hanging around him.
But if asked what kind of relationship she wanted with Kraush, it put her in a bit of a dilemma.
The desire was strong enough to cloud her rational thoughts.
“I’ve mentioned it countless times, but I want to be Kraush’s wife.”
Karandis boldly stated, and Haring felt a twinge of envy at her straightforwardness.
“Is that because you’re a princess of Poseus?”
Haring wondered.
She too wanted to stay close to Kraush; it was only natural to be curious about the objectives of someone like Karandis sharing the same aspirations.
“Of course, that factors into it.”
Karandis expressed herself candidly.
Being the ninth princess of Poseus placed her in a slightly ambiguous position.
Sure, she could live comfortably in the kingdom, but Karandis was an ambitious one.
If her status was such, she’d want to ascend even further, even at the cost of that status.
Thus, she chose Kraush.
She believed he would reach heights that everyone would look up to.
“I’m not gonna spin some romantic fairy tale about how a prince rode in to save the day and fell in love with the princess.”
Karandis smiled, dispelling any notions of a clichéd love story.
To be honest, being a princess was one of the most precarious positions.
“But I can say that as much as I prioritize myself, I can love and follow someone who can elevate my status more than anyone else in this world.”
Karandis was confidently unwavering in this belief.
For that person, she’d willingly dedicate her entire life without a second thought.
That’s why Karandis always strived to prove her love.
“I believe someone who loves themselves more than anyone else can love others just as much.”
“… But if something goes wrong with Kraush, wouldn’t that love become meaningless?”
The moment Karandis heard those words, her lips curled into a smirk.
Her face beamed with a confidence that surpassed all doubt.
“How could the person I love ever go wrong?”
She puffed her chest out and tilted her chin up.
“It’s the duty of a wife to prevent such things; supporting and helping the one I love so they never falter. That’s my forte.”
Karandis offered a radiant smile, proving that being the ninth princess wasn’t all about eating off the finest dishes.
“And I have no doubts about my judgment.”
Kraush would never crumble.
She had no hesitations claiming that.
Naturally, this was because he was the man she’d marked as her husband.
“Of course, I don’t expect everyone to understand my way of loving.”
She chuckled lightly.
Then, Karandis looked at Haring.
“So, I’m curious. What kind of love are you experiencing, Haring?”
Calculative love, romantic love, love at first sight?
Karandis sought to understand what had drawn Haring to Kraush in the first place.
Haring hesitated, diverting her gaze.
Her ears had, at some point, turned red.
How could just a thought do that?
Karandis couldn’t help but think Haring had fallen pretty hard.
“… I don’t know. I just see Kraush.”
Haring pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the rapid pounding of her heart.
Even speaking his name made her heart race uncontrollably.
“It started with just wanting to repay a debt, but it grew into something more. And that’s what scares me.”
Had she known the exact reason for her affection, perhaps she could have avoided falling so deep.
But now, she no longer understood why she loved Kraush.
She only knew that she liked him.
That she wanted to be by his side.
Those thoughts consumed her.
As Karandis observed Haring lost in her thoughts, she couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s beautiful.”
She declared openly.
A girl in love is undeniably the prettiest creature of all.
It suddenly dawned on her a bit.
Her kind of love might not compare to Haring’s in purity.
After all, it was a self-serving type of love.
But she didn’t believe that striving to be loved made her a bad person.
This too, she could proudly declare as part of her love.
But she couldn’t help but notice something.
Even if she were a man, she’d fall for someone with such feelings.
‘Is this love?’
She wondered quietly, pondering to herself while sometimes doubting the idea.
“Well, it looks like both you and I are in quite the predicament.”
Determined, Karandis decided it was time to have a proper conversation with Haring.
Gazing curiously at her, Karandis’s eyes sharpened.
“You see, there are quite a number of rivals around Kraush aside from us.”
“… Rivals?”
Haring tilted her head.
Given that she only had eyes for Kraush, she lacked any relevant information.
“Yes, rivals. At the front and center is a monstrous individual renowned for their ruthless exploits.”
“There’s someone like that?”
Haring looked surprised, and Karandis sighed dramatically, then motioned Haring to lean closer.
When Haring did what she was told and leaned in, Karandis took a deep breath and said,
“It’s none other than Holy Maiden Astoria Stigma Freeman.”
“… The Holy Maiden?”
A look of surprise flashed across Haring’s face.
And rightfully so, as the mention of that name had never crossed her mind.
At that moment, Haring recalled Kraush and Astoria’s interactions.
Thinking back, it was clear they had shared a somewhat close bond.
“But the Holy Maiden…”
“Yes, ordinarily, she’s quite distant from anything resembling romance. After all, she is favored by the gods.”
Karandis agreed with Haring’s perspective.
However, Karandis also saw this as a significant problem.
“Yet, people tend to fall more fervently for forbidden love.”
“… Is that so?”
“The countless storytellers spinning tales of love often revolve around taboo themes. Especially tales where heroes give themselves wholly to the goddess, they’re classics.”
As Haring visualized Kraush alongside Astoria, things became clearer.
Now it was evident that, as Karandis noted, Astoria’s gaze indeed pointed towards Kraush.
“Plus, just look at her striking figure, that’s not something one our age should have.”
Karandis clenched her fists in frustration.
“No matter how much Kraush is uninterested in women, he might still fall for such a striking figure.”
As Haring observed Karandis, she realized just how closely she had been watching Kraush.
Indeed, her fixation wasn’t mild.
“That’s not all. There’s also the matter of Aslan Ignor’s exclusive maid who visits Kraush every day.”
“Maid?”
“There’s a maid particularly close to Kraush’s personal maid, Alicia. For some reason, Kraush can’t seem to be harsh with that one.”
She grumbled under her breath.
Having always been treated harshly by him herself, Karandis didn’t hold back.
At that moment, Haring recognized just how oblivious she had been to those around Kraush.
No way could a maid harbor feelings for him too!
Lost in her serious expression, Karandis let out a long sigh.
“There are many others distributed everywhere. Like Darling Danphelion, our senior and a master of alchemy from the same kingdom as Kraush, or even Doma Lacroix, the disciple of Bellok Lacroix. And now, there’s even the top of special mathematics, Biolen Sedney, whose intentions are suspiciously unclear.”
“There are that many?”
“Oh, absolutely. Tremendously many. I know good men attract women, but with Kraush, it’s off the charts.”
“That’s just because he’s a nice guy.”
Karandis turned to Haring.
Although to others, Kraush couldn’t possibly be described as a nice guy,
to a girl in love, even a bad boy’s actions seem redeeming.
Thus, she didn’t bother contradicting that statement.
Especially since she herself wanted to have a shot at winning Kraush’s heart.
“Above all else, there’s one big issue.”
Karandis sighed, as if unable to help herself.
“Bianca Hardenhartz.”
“Kraush’s fiancée.”
“Exactly. We haven’t even seen her face.”
Shadows clouded Karandis’s expression.
“Nothing else matters, but I know for a fact that Kraush definitely has feelings for her… and they’re significant.”
“……”
Haring fell silent.
She wasn’t unaware of that fact either.
However, recalling it now made her heartache.
“Even if we surpass all the other mountains, if we can’t overcome that one, it’s all for naught.”
Karandis sighed in resignation, brushing a hand across her forehead.
She regretted not proposing first, wishing she’d beaten Bianca to the punch.
As she swallowed that bitterness, Haring, still dazed, muttered,
“… A wife doesn’t have to be just one.”
Karandis couldn’t believe her ears.
Turning to Haring with disbelief, she noticed Haring also flinching, covering her mouth.
She couldn’t believe she had spoken those words either.
Could it have been that she was still reeling from her father’s talk of betrothal a few months ago?
Or was she just getting caught up in everything?
Caught off guard, Haring blushed fiercely, and Karandis found herself chuckling lightly.
“Well, I guess that holds some truth.”
After all, her father had quite a number of wives.
Honestly, there wasn’t really any reason someone as capable as Kraush shouldn’t have multiple wives.
“If you’re a part of that household, then it’s all about competing for his affection.”
Karandis reignited her determination.
Meanwhile, Haring remained frozen in disbelief, unable to utter a word.
“I just hope we don’t gather more rivals.”
It was at that moment.
Ka-boom!
A sudden explosion erupted from outside the Unnamed Academy.
The two startled and turned their heads towards the source.
Soon enough, they recognized it was coming from the Theology Hall.
Something had gone down over there!
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