TWRM 12

Chapter 12

“Ha… haha… ha.”

After laughing for a while, Selina suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the ceiling.

At some point, Luna had climbed onto Selina’s chest and was pressing her soft paw pads against Selina’s face.

“Something troubling you, nya?”

“I was just thinking… whether I’ll be able to live well at the academy.”

“You’re the kind of human who would survive even if thrown onto a deserted island, so no need to worry, nya.”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

“Of course it’s a compliment, nya!”

Seeing Luna puff up proudly, Selina let out a small laugh. As she petted Luna’s soft fur, her expression stiffened again.

“Lunios.”

“Why are you calling me, nya?”

“Tell me about the ‘original story.’”

“Nya? What’s got into you? You’re asking about that?”

It was the first time Selina, who normally hated even hearing the ‘o’ from the word “original,” asked about it herself.

“Since I’m entering the academy, I can’t avoid the protagonists anymore. So I should at least know the original storyline.”

“What do you want to know, nya? Ask away! I’ll tell you everything, nya!”

“How did the protagonist become a noble again?”

“Nya~ The protagonist was originally an orphan. But she was adopted by a marquis family, nya.”

“She was adopted at age five, right?”

“That’s right nya! And she’s the same age as you, nya.”

“Hm… Then tell me roughly how the protagonist lived up until the academy.”

“Leave it to me, nya!”

Luna snorted excitedly and enthusiastically recited the plot, adding “nya” every other word.

It was a very familiar story. An orphaned female lead adopted into a marquis household and receiving love.

Of course, at first she fought with the biological children and was ostracized, but eventually became loved by everyone.

“Oh! And the protagonist is revered as the next Saintess, nya!”

“Saintess?”

“Yes, nya! A divine oracle came declaring the next Saintess, and the protagonist fit the prophecy. So she’s basically the future Saintess, nya!”

“Hmmm… But why ‘future’ Saintess? Why not just officially make her the Saintess already? Is there a reason?”

“She hasn’t awakened yet, nya. That happens after she enters the academy. So it’s not long now, nya.”

“A Saintess, huh… So from which temple? The Moon Temple? Or the Sun Temple?”

“Ah… They never explained that properly in the novel, so I don’t know either, nya.”

“What?”

Seeing Selina’s incredulous face, Luna protested.

“It’s true, nya! The book only says she becomes a Saintess, nothing more!”

“…Who even wrote that? They didn’t bother to include such important information?”

“That’s what I’m saying, nya. There are other setting errors too. It was painful to read, nya.”

Whoever the author was, they were certainly unkind.

Surely, if they’d witnessed the protagonist’s life firsthand, they could have written accurately… tch.

Clicking her tongue, Selina resumed listening.

“Oh! And there’s a Crown Prince. He and the protagonist are engaged, nya. It’s very well-known among nobles.”

“The Crown Prince?”

A handsome boy’s face flashed in her mind.

In the past, Selina had met the Crown Prince because of Luna’s meddling.

She met him at age twelve, while sweeping outside to help Stella.

Four years ago

nyaaang!

Four years earlier, Selina was gathering fallen leaves in front of the house.

“Huh? Luna!”

The cat who had been missing all day suddenly appeared. She’d been searching desperately—turns out he’d just been out wandering.

Twelve-year-old Selina crouched down, looking at Luna as he cried that he was starving.

Worried, she stroked him. Her pale hand turned pitch black.

“Where did you go? Why are you so dirty? And what’s this?”

Because his fur was black, she hadn’t noticed how dirty he had gotten.

And around his neck hung a pendant she had never seen before.

[Selina! Guess who I brought, nya!]

“Huh? Also—why are you speaking telepathically?”

Normally, if no one was around, Luna would speak aloud. But now he was sending mental messages.

[I brought the Crown Prince, nya! The male lead himself, nya!]

“…What.”

As she blurted out a strange sound and looked up, a boy with ordinary brown hair and eyes emerged from the alley Luna had come from.

He saw Selina first; their eyes met and stayed locked for quite a while.

Selina looked away first. Eyes trembling like an earthquake, she shook Luna.

“He—he’s the Crown Prince?!”

[That’s right nya! He’s disguised with a magic item, nya!]

“Are you insane?! Why would you bring the Crown Prince here?!”

[He was secretly wandering the streets and chased after me by chance, nya! So take the opportunity and get close to the male lead, nya!]

Luna winked and ran into the house yelling about being hungry.

Stunned, Selina watched him leave. Then a shadow fell over her.

“Um…”

The boy—the Crown Prince—had walked over.

“Y-yes?”

“That cat. Is it yours?”

“Well… yes?”

Seeing her wary look, he scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“That cat stole something from me. Didn’t it have something around its neck?”

“Oh… you mean the pendant?”

“Yeah. It’s really important to me. Can I have it back?”

“O-of course! I’ll get it!”

Selina stood up, dusting off her hands. The boy then spoke again.

“By the way, why are you being formal?”

“Huh?”

“You look around my age, but you’re speaking politely. It’s interesting.”

“Oh…”

She nearly said “Because you’re the Crown Prince,” but swallowed the words.

He was undercover. And she wasn’t supposed to know he was the Crown Prince.

Accidentally using polite speech had been her mistake.

“I-It’s our first time meeting.”

“Huh?”

“I learned that even if someone’s younger or the same age, you speak politely the first time you meet.”

It wasn’t wrong—Stella had taught her that.

Though she didn’t always follow it.

Satisfied with her excuse, Selina rushed inside, retrieved the pendant, and gave Luna a good flick on the head.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince stood there, stunned, replaying her words.

When she came running back, panting, he smiled quietly.

Afterward, the Crown Prince had lost his way and Selina had to guide him back to the main streets. He kept asking about her and nearly drove her crazy.

He returned several times afterward, but Selina hid in the house each time. Fortunately, when she never appeared, he eventually stopped visiting.

Even disguised, his gentle features had stood out. If he survived the “cursed age of thirteen,” he was surely a handsome young man by now.

“Hmmm… So the Crown Prince and the protagonist are engaged?”

“That’s right nya.”

“Since when?”

“Probably since they were twelve, nya. The oracle came first, then the engagement.”

“I see. So the Crown Prince must already be at the academy.”

“He’s one year older than the protagonist, so yes, he’s already attending. This year, only the protagonist and her second brother will enroll, nya.”

Hmm.

Selina nodded emotionlessly.

“Jealous, nya~?”

Luna snickered, poking Selina’s cheeks.

“Jealous of what?”

“The handsome male leads like the protagonist, nya~ If you had listened to me earlier, you could’ve been the protagonist and collected all the male leads!”

“That’s not it at all.”

Selina clicked her tongue flatly. Luna shrugged as if to say fine, whatever.

“Ugh… My head hurts. I really hope I don’t get involved with them.”

“You think that’ll go your way, nya?”

“As long as you don’t meddle, it will. I hate troublesome things. I just want to live quietly, like I don’t exist.”

yawn

Sleepiness washed over her. She rubbed her eyes and wriggled into her blankets.

Luna tried to keep talking, but Selina’s eyelids drooped.

“Oh, right…”

In a fading voice, she asked,

“What was the protagonist’s name again? Si… Si… something…”

“Sylvia.”