The Royal Academy, where individuals of various statuses and ranks gather, holds a vow-like ceremony at the freshman entrance.
It’s a pledge to not utilize one’s status or position during their study.
Under the sacred banner of education, everyone is equal, and it’s the only world where inherent superiority doesn’t hold sway, which engraves the Academy’s ethos in the minds of its newcomers.
Thus, students typically enroll at the age of 16 and graduate by 19.
In the year they turn 20, they would debut in high society to utilize the knowledge and wisdom gained at the Academy, thereby stepping into the adult world.
Therefore, the Academy also serves as a ground for preliminary learning and acquiring experience about that world.
Communities based on rank develop, students promise to interact within similar regions, and they begin choosing partners for their social debut while starting to flatter and offer tributes to crawl up the social ladder.
It is a place where academic learning and life lessons occur simultaneously.
Yet, in this fierce educational arena, there was one person who found absolutely no connection.
Ariel Elrond, the daughter of Count Elrond.
As a lady of the upper nobility, she utterly disregarded the flattery and tributes of lesser noble ladies trying to seek her favor.
Ariel had completely blown away all parental aspirations of becoming the top graduate of the Academy, along with the life lessons on transitioning into adulthood—they were all far off her radar as she spent three whole years only interested in the Academy’s library.
Naturally, she had no close friends, didn’t belong to any community, and had no clue about mingling with the upper echelons.
She was like a student whose presence dwindled down to zero.
Detached from academics and uninterested in socializing.
Yet, curiously, she always wore a bright smile.
A student who filled her backpack, big enough to resemble her own size, with novels instead of textbooks, regardless of her maid’s worries that she might end up like a dwarf carrying dung.
In such a state, it was only natural for Ariel Elrond to have no friends during her school days.
Her grades were lost within a fierce competition for the lower ranks, achieving anything significant felt like a distant dream.
Being the youngest of three brothers and three sisters, she had no responsibilities and thus enjoyed a bit of freedom from her parents’ scrutinizing stares.
For three years she devoured every novel in the Academy library and scoured the nearby territories for new books on days without classes.
The Royal Academy was situated in the capital of the Kingdom.
In this desolate, far-off land of relentless cold, it was unlikely she would ever run into anyone she knew, and even if a [classmate from the Royal Academy] happened to be there, there wouldn’t be a reason for them to be looking for her.
She neither struggled with socializing nor had a prickly personality, so making friends at any time would have been easy, but she preferred solitude over losing her precious reading hours.
She dug deep into the depths of books alongside a few other bookworms.
Regrettably, everyone had a penchant for romance novels and shared no thoughts.
In any case, for such a solitary figure, identifying a visitor on this ambitious night was not a daunting task.
It was perfectly natural for Ariel to think of Elden’s name given the rules of the final evaluation which stated that candidates were not allowed to go out at night.
“The guest has been guided to the drawing room.”
“Thanks.”
What could he want at this hour?
Wait, hold on a second.
I haven’t even told him the location of my accommodation!
How did he know?
As she wandered her way to the drawing room with a pile of questions accumulating in her mind, she arrived at the place guarded by two knights and, as she entered through the door, she instinctively called out his name.
“Elden…?”
What a surprise!—would have been the question bubbling on Ariel’s lips but she was met with silence instead.
Because her visitor was a woman.
Standing by the window, gazing outside, with her hood removed was a woman.
She had snow-white hair characteristic of those from the North, and with an unfamiliar backprofile, Ariel’s footsteps came to a halt.
An inexplicable feeling of unease washed over her.
Ariel cautiously asked,
“Who… are you?”
There were no Northerners among her classmates.
Of course, not all Northerners had white hair, but only those born in the North sported such white locks, making it a symbol of their lineage.
Moments later,
the woman turned around from looking out of the window.
Her snowy white hair, blissful blue eyes, sharp nose, full red lips, sleek jawline, and delicate neck captured Ariel’s vision all at once.
It was a familiar face.
Yet, the face evoking recognition had a strikingly different hair tint,
a radiant red one.
“Ah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Lady Ariel Elrond.”
“Uh…”
Hearing that voice, a name drifted subtly at the edge of her memory.
As Ariel struggled to connect the dots, the woman graciously decided to lend a hand, brushing her white hair aside.
“Oh, the hair color may throw you off. It’s me.”
“Wait, hold on a minute.”
At last, the puzzling name came together.
The name of a student with enchanting blue eyes contrasting her bright red hair.
The name of a classmate who had been more passionate about her studies than anyone else finally surfaced.
Moreover, it was the name of someone whose lifestyle was the complete opposite of hers and who she never would have thought to meet again.
“E-Erenscia, was it…?”
“Fufu. I’m delighted you remember! It’s an honor to greet you like this, Baroness Erenscia Velroc.”
The scholarly Lumia and
the bookworm Ariel.
Different yet alike; thus began their reunion.
“Scum.”
“……”
Do you really need to look at me like that?
It was just a slight mishap due to my stellar reflexes.
Tap, tap.
I stood up, dusting off my backside.
“It was an accident.”
“Still, you sure handled that pretty naturally.”
“Wasn’t it you who launched a surprise tackle in the first place?”
“I only did it to check your reflexes.”
Not a chance. It was clear she was punishing me for not being able to vent my frustrations on that embarrassing fanfic reader.
As if she understood my intentions, Rachel averted her gaze when I shot her a glare. With her upright path of righteousness, she didn’t seem too skilled in the art of lying.
Of course, that’s a splendid trait for an escort knight.
“So, did you manage to confirm anything?”
“Not bad, actually.”
“Wonderful, then let’s keep going.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
After a grueling training session that dragged late into the night, I returned to the annex with Rachel.
Honestly, she pushed me so hard that my limbs felt like jelly. At this rate, I might as well evolve into a slime.
Not sure if that would be an evolution or a devolution, though.
“Good job today, Rachel.”
“Will you be training again tomorrow?”
“Only if the evaluation ends early.”
“Understood. I’ll make the necessary preparations.”
After what felt like an ordeal, we finally reached the annex and stepped through the main door, only to have the head butler, Rendler, rush over to me.
And trailing behind him was the advisor, Gelwood.
As Gelwood got closer, he lowered his voice and sidled up to me.
“My lord.”
“What is it?”
“The advisor Gelwood says he has a message for you.”
“A message for me?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you just take it for me?”
“Um, because… it’s supposedly from the Duchess, and he insisted on delivering it personally to you.”
…Hmm.
What sort of scheme does she have up her sleeve now? Is she trying to ‘encourage’ me to participate in the contest?
This clearly wasn’t an approval for my withdrawal. I stared at Gelwood, weary, and he spoke up again.
“Ah, Lord Elden. It’s good to see you again. I can tell your training was rather taxing.”
“It was certainly challenging. Despite that, what brings you here at this hour, Gelwood?”
At my question, Gelwood gestured for a stroll, leading us to the annex’s gardens.
“If it wouldn’t trouble you, could you spare me just a moment?”
Though I wanted nothing more than to refuse, my curiosity got the better of me.
What was it he wished to convey on this late hour?
And why had Lumia sent a third party instead of coming herself?
Thus, I found myself walking with Gelwood through the moonlit garden.
Crunch, crunch—.
On a night when the birds were asleep and the insects were silent, the garden should have been a serene oasis.
Strolling beneath the shimmering moonlight was a pleasurable way to unwinding.
If only Gelwood weren’t around, I might have fully indulged in it.
However, he broke the tranquil ambiance with his voice.
“This garden, among the four annexes, is regarded as the most exquisite.”
“I can certainly see how it could be considered so.”
“Haha. I’m pleased it meets your approval.”
A power second only to the king.
True to that reputation, even the garden felt grand and regal.
Its majesty could rival that of an Earl’s estate.
However, given it was in the harsh North, it had its peculiarities.
Unlike the usual deciduous and evergreen trees, coniferous varieties dominated here; the paths were adorned with falling snowflakes instead of flowers.
Admiring the scenery, Gelwood broke the spell again.
“Tomorrow will be the final trial before the formal meeting with the Duchess.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“It must be rather arduous for you to endure these trials when you clearly have no desire to become the Duchess’s consort.”
“Arduous? Sometimes. Difficult? Not really. I’m merely upholding my minimum obligations.”
“Do you perhaps have any intention of retracting your withdrawal?”
In response to my disinterest, Gelwood posed a blunt question, infused with what felt like a glimmer of hope.
Hope that I would rescind my withdrawal.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t going to happen.
“I have no intention of going back on my word.”
“Is that so? What a shame.”
Gelwood halted.
A shame, huh?
That seemed a rather partial sentiment for an advisor expected to maintain neutrality.
“Why would you think it’s… a shame?”
Gelwood smiled, presenting me with something.
Just a folded note.
So, I accepted it.
“In my experiences, having witnessed five betrothal contests, it’s the first time I’ve seen a finalist receive something from the event’s protagonist. With that, my duty is complete, and I shall take my leave.”
Bowing his head, Gelwood set off.
…Was he implying that withdrawing would position me as a strong contender?
This conversation delivered the most chilling revelation I had encountered in recent memory.
And yet, it gave me another reason to stick to my decision.
Pondering these thoughts, I unfolded the note.
I promptly folded the note again.
After surveying the area, I began to dig.
I placed the note in the hole.
Then, I fashioned a cross from some thin twigs to cover it, burying it with dirt.
I pressed the soil down firmly to ensure it couldn’t come back to haunt me.
With that done, I bolted from the gardens.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.