Chapter 32

“Student Council?”

“Yeah, I got an invitation too.”

Charlot took out an envelope that looked like a wedding invitation from her bag.

“I don’t really know much about the academy’s atmosphere or traditions… but is this sent out based on grades?”

“It’s not sent out by grades.”

At Charlot’s question, Alice shook her head.

“To be precise, it’s based on whether you’re from a noble family or not.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Alice’s answer left Charlot with a strangely understanding expression.

“So I received this invitation because I’m royalty.”

“That’s probably it. Do you know who the student council president is?”

At Alice’s question, Charlot slowly shook her head.

“Honestly, I don’t know much about the nobles of the Empire. I do have quite a few acquaintances in my home country, though…”

“That makes sense.”

Truth be told, Alice wasn’t particularly close to the nobles of her own country either. If even a noble who received a title directly from the royal family didn’t know who Alice was, it essentially meant that Alice had completely disregarded her connections with the nobility.

Of course, that was okay since the imperial authority was quite strong.

“So, has Sylvia received one too?”

Claire leaned on my desk, her eyes sparkling as she asked.

“No, I haven’t received it yet.”

“Maybe we left too early?”

Even though Alice disregarded her ties with the nobles, she definitely had a desire to be recognized by the Emperor. She had been diligently studying out here in the morning.

And I inadvertently followed her out here to study too.

Still, I sank into a fluffy bed every night and slept soundly, so it wasn’t a huge problem. Besides, there wasn’t really anything to do all night in this world.

In a sense, I had been living far more comfortably since arriving in this world than I did back in my original world. Probably because I wasn’t a working adult but the Emperor’s daughter?

“Since Charlot received an invitation, I think there’s already a letter at the front of our dorm room.”

Claire’s eyes sparkled at Alice’s words.

Honestly, they sparkled so much that I wondered if it was even optically possible.

It was also incredibly burdensome.

“Sylvia, are you planning to join the student council?”

“…….”

I briefly glanced at Alice and said, “If the Crown Princess joins, I will likely do the same.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Alice answered with a confident smile on her face.

“I’m planning to become the student council president later. Thinking about taking my father’s position someday, I think it’s good to experience being at the top at least once, don’t you think?”

Well, since the student council of the academy was composed of children from influential noble families, it wouldn’t be bad to build relationships for when they would run the country in the future. Alice had joined the student council for such reasons in the original story when she entered the academy all by herself.

As for Charlot… she didn’t seem particularly interested. Considering the setting, she probably received a letter too.

But then again, since Charlot was literally the princess drawn in a picture, she might not be bothered by some student council full of injustice. The only reason she came to this academy was that the King of Velbur had sent her here.

“Then should I visit as well?”

However, having Charlot from this world changed things a bit. Although she had started to make friends with Alice much later, the sense of inferiority Alice felt towards the title of ‘the perfect princess’ was gone now. She didn’t have any reason to feel that inferiority in the first place.

This too was probably a change that occurred because I was here.

A pleasant change.

“Oh, are you interested?”

As Alice turned her gaze towards Charlot, she shook her head.

“Actually, I’m not that interested, but, well…”

Charlot smiled brightly.

I could hear the soft gasping sounds from the boys around who were glancing our way.

No matter how much the races were not that different, given their perception of “coming from a foreign land,” the boys’ eyes saw Charlot as “a beautiful princess from another country.” Plus, her accent hinted at the unique softness of Velbur.

Beautiful women from foreign lands have always been popular. Although that was just a fantasy the viewers concocted.

Still, maybe Charlot would be an exception? I mean, with her mysterious vibe and hair color.

“I thought it might be worth considering if I could be with my friends.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I, I want to go too!”

Seeing Alice smile at Charlot’s words, Claire quickly interjected.

“Can I come with you?”

“You too?”

This time, Alice looked a bit surprised. Going to the student council without an invitation pretty much meant she would just get rejected.

In the original story, Leo, who got involved with Alice, was the one who entered the student council room for the first time upon Alice’s suggestion… but Leo wasn’t necessarily interested in entering just because Alice asked him. According to the game’s timeline, this event would occur about a month from now, when the real story quests would begin.

So, saying that she wanted to go too would make the daughter of a baron seem somewhat out of place. Alice herself had insisted that “within the school, we’re just students,” but even then, she was quite aware that they weren’t exactly the same kind of students.

“Huh? Is that not okay?”

Claire, looking at Alice, turned her gaze toward me with a pitiful expression.

No, don’t ask me…

…wait, maybe this is a good opportunity.

While the student council was filled with quite authoritative people, being authoritative also meant they were likely fearful of that authority.

So, it could actually be fun to take Claire along.

Hey, what’s up with that girl? Why is the daughter of a baron sandwiched between the princess and the crown princess so comfortably? Why are they chatting so casually? We’ve never seen each other before—

—Wouldn’t it be tasty if the same scenario were to repeat itself? Like a refreshing soda storyline?

Hmm, maybe not. I mean, I wouldn’t want to see Claire get dismissed first…

…I’d rather not.

Despite all that, I’ve waited seven years for that game series. I cared for not only this world but also all the worlds and most of the protagonists from that game series. Of course, there were some characters I absolutely hated, but they hadn’t shown up yet, so I’d let that slide.

Because of that, I didn’t want to see my beloved characters caught in frustrating situations.

If I see the student council bullying Claire or Leo, I might not be able to hold back.

“…….”

So that’s why I was torn.

“……Huh?”

And seeing me in such a dilemma, Alice, sitting next to me, let out a perplexed sound. Have I worried too much? I hope my emotions didn’t show on my face just now.

“Let’s do it.”

In that moment of worry, Charlot lightly responded.

“Isn’t there any reason not to?”

“Such reasons… don’t really exist, do they?”

I felt a bit relieved watching Alice’s head turn at Charlot’s words. No way, it’s been ten years keeping up this concept, and quitting over this small issue would be a bit too much.

“While it’s a bit strange that only those with invitations can enter the student council…”

Charlot gazed down at the envelope still in her hand.

“But the students in this academy are equal within the academy, right? I doubt anyone would mind if Claire joins us when we go.”

She looked like she found something amusing.

“……Hmm.”

Noticing such an expression, Alice let out a groan. I mean, after seeing my poker face for the past decade, she could probably tell when Charlot’s expression subtly changed.

It was an expression that indicated she found something entertaining but also harboring excessive pride.

She hated people who break the self-imposed rules. That’s why she had despised the “equal” student council.

“…….”

Alice’s self-esteem had improved a lot compared to the original story, but that didn’t mean her pride had diminished. She still held her head high as the Empire’s princess.

And she bore the pride of having entered the Empire’s top academy as its top student. Although I had inadvertently messed things up, Alice always seemed to view me as an ‘exception’ and had likely not taken her losses against me as a significant hit to her pride.

And that’s why I was in conflict.

Would taking Claire along to expose the student council be more humiliating for her?

Or would it be a bigger blow to her pride if she left Claire behind somehow?

However, I was certain of one thing.

Alice, who had both strong pride and self-esteem, wouldn’t choose either of those options.

“Okay, let’s go together.”

At Alice’s words, Claire’s expression brightened.

Yeah, probably, Alice…

Was more likely to choose the path of turning everything upside down.

*

In the original story, Alice wasn’t confident at first and was a shy character, but with my persistent suggestion that “You are the heir to the Emperor,” Alice wasn’t like that anymore.

If there were things she didn’t like or parts she found embarrassing to show to others, she would just fix them.

Because Alice had that kind of power.

In fact, this wasn’t just me; Leo, during the process of becoming friends with Alice, unknowingly boosted her confidence, and by the end of the first part, he stood up to the Emperor.

The Alice now had previously stood up for herself.

She even visited the Emperor to get me into the academy. Leo didn’t even know what happened in that conversation, but I believed she didn’t speak with a demure tone when addressing the Emperor.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Leo, who had awakened Alice in the original story, was sitting here trembling while sipping tea.

Meanwhile, Claire, his sister, was acting far too composed, similar to Alice and Charlot.

And a group of current student council members, shrouded in silence, were casting suspicious glances at us from a distance.

It wasn’t strange for me to come with Alice. I had been with her ever since I started attending the academy.

It wasn’t odd for Charlot to join us either. Being a foreign princess, it made more sense for her to have ties with royalty than with the Empire’s nobles.

But what on earth were those two offshoots from the baron’s estate doing here?

Of course, not all barons were bound to be of lower status.

If they were barons who received their territory directly from the royal family, they were esteemed individuals who received the Emperor’s orders directly, which meant they could even wield more power than local lords. Moreover, Grace’s estate had distinguished itself as a military asset, contributing greatly in multiple wars and earning significant prestige.

However, the noble children in the student council were a whole different breed. No matter how noble they were within the realm, their status wasn’t higher than that of the Duke’s or the Count’s children closely connected to the imperial lineage. That’s why invitations didn’t reach them.

And yet, seeing two princesses and a royal easily entering here would naturally lead one to think there was something behind it.

And the crux of the matter was that those baron’s children didn’t know the reason at all.

Because they didn’t know why Charlot was teasing the student council, which Alice had accepted, it held a meaning of its own.

“…….”

But apparently, no one was thinking about how to navigate this awkward situation.

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