Chapter 12
The beam of light swept past a brown-haired female student, then briefly illuminated a black-eyed male student before finally stopping in front of someone.
Then the principal’s voice rang out loudly.
“This year’s Rose is Princess Elizia Woder Ortigia of the Kingdom of Ortigia!”
Elizia had expected little applause.
Instead, a surprisingly loud cheer erupted throughout the hall.
Even she, who had remained calm until now, felt her heart stir slightly.
It was an odd sensation—somewhere between embarrassment and a pleasant warmth in her chest.
Before she realized it, Frederick had approached and extended his hand.
Taking it, Elizia climbed onto the stage.
The winners were expected to give a speech.
As she watched Frederick deliver his remarks first, she fell briefly into thought.
Come to think of it… I never prepared anything to say.
She had never expected to become a candidate in the first place, so there was certainly no prepared speech.
Still, she waited calmly for her turn rather than feeling nervous.
Frederick thanked various people, spoke about his aspirations, and finished with:
“And finally, I’d like to share this joy with my beloved.”
It was obvious he meant Sophie.
Searching through the crowd below, Elizia found her.
Sophie looked slightly embarrassed, yet clearly happy, fidgeting with her fingers.
The sight made Elizia smile.
Soon it was her turn.
She stepped forward to the front of the stage.
The bright spotlight made it difficult to see the audience clearly.
An acceptance speech.
How difficult could it be?
She would simply say what she wanted.
“First of all, I’d like to thank everyone at the Royal Academy of the Neutral Kingdom of Swena. This honor was completely unexpected, so I’m honestly a little surprised. However, there is one thing I’d like to say with certainty.”
She paused briefly and slowly looked across the sea of lights before continuing.
“I, Elizia Woder Ortigia, will fulfill my duties as Rose and do everything I can to bring honor to this academy. I hope that by next year, you’ll see that your choice was the correct one.”
“And with that… I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the party.”
It was short and simple.
But it was unmistakably Elizia.
The moment she finished, Frederick began applauding.
Soon the entire student body joined in, cheering and laughing.
Somehow, thanks to Rakan’s help, she had ended up standing here.
And strangely enough…
It felt wonderful.
Clapping along with everyone else, she glanced around.
Beth was nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, she couldn’t bear to watch Elizia’s victory and had left early.
After stepping down from the stage, Elizia returned to enjoying the party.
At first she chatted and laughed with several close female classmates.
Eventually she simply listened while they talked.
Perhaps because of the drink she’d had—containing a small amount of alcohol—her soft cheeks had turned a rosy pink.
“To be honest, Elizia, I had some prejudices when I first heard you were a princess of Ortigia.”
“Me too. His Imperial Highness and Princess Beth always seem so proud and dignified. Well… they’re royalty, after all.”
“Oh, that’s not to say you aren’t dignified!”
“We just mean… the way you look at us feels warm.”
“Is King Ortigia the same way? Is he kind like you?”
Listening to the girls around her, Elizia smiled.
Kind?
Only a few hours earlier, she had thrown a male student to the floor.
The compliment didn’t seem to suit her at all.
Still…
It didn’t feel unpleasant.
Unlike Beth or Rakan, Elizia wasn’t constantly surrounded by people.
Yet despite that, the few people close to her trusted and cared for her deeply.
There was a reason people naturally liked Elizia.
She was confident without being arrogant.
Direct without being rude.
Simply being around her made others view Ortigia itself more favorably.
Narrowing her eyes contentedly, Elizia smiled.
Bright lights flowed through the windows and spilled into the night.
The party finally ended.
No matter how enjoyable a party was, it was still exhausting.
Normally, Elizia would return to her room, kick off her shoes, and leave her clothes scattered everywhere.
Tonight was different.
Humming happily to herself, she carefully folded her dress and neatly arranged her shoes.
Perhaps becoming Rose was the reason.
Instead of feeling tired, she still felt a lingering excitement.
I only became Rose because of Senior Rakan.
For the first time since entering the academy, Elizia smiled when thinking about him.
Until recently, thoughts of Rakan usually made her frown or pout.
Now they made her smile.
The change in their relationship was astonishing.
Suddenly she remembered dancing with him.
The gentle melody drifting through the air.
His unique scent.
The heat of his body.
The deep voice that had sounded so close beside her ear.
Just remembering it made her ears tickle and sent a strange tension down her spine.
Pressing a hand against her chest, Elizia blinked.
She couldn’t quite understand what she was feeling.
But among all those confusing emotions, one thing felt certain.
She shouldn’t keep thinking about him.
“Damian. Damian… Damian Leodric.”
She forced herself to think about Damian instead.
The man who was expected to become her fiancé back in the kingdom.
She recalled his gentle smile.
His warm voice.
Yet her heart no longer raced.
Nor did she feel the old ache from longing for feelings she could never have.
It was a night filled with things she couldn’t understand.
* * *
Being chosen as Rose didn’t actually change much.
She still attended classes and spent time with friends as usual.
She had heard that the Rose would represent the academy during official events, but so far no duties had appeared.
Two weeks passed after the party.
Elizia was currently relaxing in the academy garden with another female student from one of her classes.
Exams were approaching.
This was a small moment of freedom before the coming storm.
They spent over thirty minutes gossiping about strict professors and worrying about assignments.
Then someone called her name.
“Elizia.”
It was Rakan.
Without realizing it, Elizia nearly brightened immediately.
She hurriedly composed herself.
It was strange.
She had once considered him an arrogant narcissist.
Now every time she saw him, she smiled instead of frowning.
“What brings you here?”
Sitting atop a stone wall, she raised a hand in greeting.
Almost as if welcoming a close friend.
Her attitude toward him had grown increasingly casual.
Walking straight toward her, Rakan folded his arms and nodded toward a building visible beyond the apple trees.
“Come with me.”
The request came completely out of nowhere.
Elizia leaned back slightly in confusion.
As always, his actions were abrupt.
“Come where?”
“The principal wants to meet us. He said you should come too.”
“A meeting? Me too? Why?”
“No idea. We’ll find out when we get there.”
After replying, Rakan casually acknowledged the greeting from Elizia’s friend, who had bowed respectfully.
Elizia quickly told her friend,
“The situation changed, so I’ll go ahead. See you in class later!”
Then she placed a hand on the wall as if preparing to jump down.
Rakan instinctively stepped forward and offered his hand.
It seemed like pure habit.
A natural display of courtesy.
But instead of accepting it, Elizia simply jumped down by herself.
Her feet landed softly on the grass.
The wind stirred her silky hair.
“Then let’s go.”
Imitating him, she nodded toward the building before turning away first.
Her figure quickly moved ahead.
Looking down at his empty hand, Rakan chuckled quietly.
Before long, the distance between them disappeared.
They walked side by side.
A faint scent drifted from him.
Not an overwhelming perfume.
Just a subtle, pleasant fragrance.
He smells really nice.
Without thinking, Elizia leaned slightly toward him.
Then immediately straightened herself.
Ever since that dance at the party, every time she caught that scent again, her heart would tremble.
And another memory always followed.
The memory of her heart pounding when she’d been in his arms.
Consciously, she moved half a step away.
No. I can’t let myself get any more captivated.
She had once seen him as nothing more than an arrogant noble.
But after beginning to think better of him, he suddenly felt unfamiliar in ways she had never noticed before.
Rakan deliberately matched his pace to hers.
Walking leisurely with his hands behind his back, he glanced down at her.
“Elizia.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go see an opera together this weekend.”
“…”
The suggestion was completely unexpected.
Her steps slowed.
She shot him a sideways glance before looking forward again.
Her expression remained calm.
Her thoughts, however, were in complete chaos.
Go see an opera?
Was that directed at me?
Why?
Is he asking me on a date?
No way.
“Senior… was that meant for me?”
She asked cautiously.
At the same time, she glanced around to see if someone else was nearby.
There wasn’t.
Only blooming flowers and a pigeon pecking at the ground.
Stopping in place, Rakan raised an eyebrow.
“Who else would I be talking to?”
“The pigeon?”
His answer carried an amused smile.
Staring at him for a moment, Elizia asked bluntly:
“Then… is this a date invitation?”
A very Elizia-like question.
Instantly, the relaxed expression disappeared from Rakan’s face.
Perhaps it was the red glow of the setting sun behind him.
For the briefest moment, the tips of his ears seemed slightly red.
So brief that Elizia didn’t notice.
A second later, he looked normal again.
Taking one step closer, he leaned slightly toward her.
Elizia unconsciously swallowed.
What is he doing? Why is he getting closer?
At this distance, his emerald-green eyes—tinted faintly with blue—shone vividly.
She had grown used to seeing his face.
Or so she thought.
Yet standing this close made her tense all over again.
A memory suddenly surfaced.
The words he’d spoken when they first met.
“I don’t think my appearance is something people usually dislike.”
Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Rakan looked at her with a faint, unreadable smile.
Then he spoke slowly.
“Do you want to go on a date with me, Elizia?”
