25 – 25. Anais
“Your Highness, have you truly made up your mind?”
The headmaster of the prestigious academy asked, his hands neatly folded, throwing the question.
Instead of answering, Anais let out a sigh.
No matter how much of a princess she was, it was an attitude that went against etiquette.
The headmaster was treated like a minister. Moreover, the current headmaster was a senior wizard in his 70s before being responsible for the operation of the academy.
But Anais had her own excuses.
The headmaster had already repeated the same words seven times.
“Have you truly made up your mind? Think about it again, it’s a hasty judgment. There is also the option of readmission, but it would be difficult to adapt…” He kept repeating frustrating words, trying to change Anais’ mind.
‘Quite the character, old man.’
Probably wants to take a break from handling my resignation and check on the palace’s affairs. After all, he wouldn’t want to hear about the princess resigning due to inadequate student management.
That was the last thing Anais wanted.
Perhaps it would be better to put an end to it all at this point.
“Headmaster, I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Your Highness, undoubtedly you must be facing many difficulties in various ways.”
“Are you trying to say that tough times will pass soon?”
“…hahahaha.”
“I thought so at first too. I believed that as I endured, any misunderstanding about plotting poison against my sister would eventually fade away.”
Anais also initially tried to endure in any way possible, but reality was not lenient.
There wasn’t anyone outright expressing hatred, of course.
But that didn’t make the pain any less. Former colleagues and seniors who used to tiptoe around her to strike up a conversation gradually distanced themselves, and friends from the club she joined for companionship indirectly suggested her withdrawal.
For Anais, who was accustomed to being loved, gradually being isolated among students was akin to torture.
“Headmaster, actually, I had a friend I was close to since enrollment. We used to talk enough to hang out outside of class.”
“Your Highness…?”
“But right after the incident, they started treating me with extreme respect. Refusing to answer when I asked why. After a while of pestering, do you know what their response was? They said they didn’t want to be a bullet shield.”
“Oh my!”
“Three noble houses were stripped of their titles because of me. Now you understand how I’m perceived, right?”
“I have no words to offer…”
“Yes. In this speechless situation, I chose to resign. I don’t want to see anything more humiliating, so I hope you can just handle it.”
“……”
Even with all this effort, the principal still seemed indifferent.
Perhaps he was worried about receiving uncomfortable contacts from the Minister of Education or even someone higher up. He was a timid person, concerned about his reputation.
“There won’t be any disadvantages for the Academy. I am leaving voluntarily, so who would make trouble?”
“That’s not the reason.”
“Come on, please stop there.”
The principal couldn’t retort and avoided eye contact in response to these words.
Anais also knew that it was not polite to hit below the belt during a conversation. Who would use polite language when everyone else is a fool? She refrained from it because she knew that it would be pointless and only lead to embarrassment.
“I don’t have the luxury to worry about that.”
Fortunately, thanks to that, she was able to finish the tedious withdrawal consultation.
“Well then… understood. Your Highness.”
“Thank you.”
Finally, the principal signed the withdrawal form. Anais, who noticed his dejected expression, showed her courtesy before leaving the principal’s office.
The moment she finally escaped from the student status.
A strange feeling of nostalgia came over her, thinking that it was really the end.
It was a strange thing. She hadn’t even completed one semester, so why did she feel a sense of unease? She hadn’t even been able to attend properly lately because she was caught up in the trap of Siena.
“Maybe I’m just restless.”
Anais sorted out her complicated thoughts as she made her final rounds of the correction.
What caught her eye were, of course, the students.
It could be something natural, but there were too many couples in the academy. It seemed like everyone had entered the academy to pursue romance.
Strawberries in hand, a couple strolls through the correctional facility. Seemingly casual, their eyes exchange honey-like glances, and under the bird tree by the lakeside, another couple stands, shyly fidgeting as they face each other.
“They all seem happy.”
Now sarcastic, but if it weren’t for Siena’s mischief, she might have joined that lineup.
Recently, there was a 2nd-year senior she had been keeping an eye on.
A student on the verge of failure as a freshman, but suddenly, in the second year, a strange senior began to exhibit astonishing swordsmanship. Initially seen as a recruit-worthy talent, as time passed, feelings of affection developed.
Of course, thinking about it now seems futile.
“Yeah. Let’s leave.”
After forcibly dispelling her conscience, she boarded the carriage.
Dating was not the current priority.
**
Right after resigning, Anais’s target to seek out was, of course, her mother, Empress Yeonhwa.
Due to poisoning rumors, her reputation plummeted, and in the dismal situation where even factions were taken by Siena, she was the only reliable presence.
Unlike the eight nobles who rushed to Siena, there was no possibility of betrayal from her. After all, she wouldn’t abandon her own daughter.
“How much did it hurt? I understand even without you saying anything.”
“…Mom.”
Indeed, Empress immediately held Anais’s hand upon seeing her. Despite being deceived quite a bit regarding Silovin matters, she didn’t seem bothered.
“At least I won’t be abandoned, that’s something.”
But she didn’t seem like a firm ally. Despite tenderly comforting Anais, the Empress soon brought up an unexpected topic.
“But, dear. Don’t you think too harshly?”
“Mom. What’s all of a sudden?”
“Just listen. I’m sorry to say this, but Siena is more quick-witted than you. And Alan, the friend who assists that child, seems smarter than the parasites beside you. If you try to seek revenge, only you will get hurt.”
To her, who was the daughter of the Empress, this aspect of the Empress felt unfamiliar.
The Empress she remembered was always immersed in her chambers.
A melancholic woman who was always longing for news from her homeland, soaked in nostalgia. Being in her presence made her feel even more suffocated. She thought of her as someone to be cared for tenderly rather than a reliable protector.
However, the Empress, who had regained her strength, was a smarter person than she had thought. Despite her slender appearance, she also possessed a cold demeanor.
“I know that the nobles who used to follow you have defected. I can tell from their expressions that they are now following Siena.”
“Siena must have threatened them…!”
“That’s a possibility. After all, she has a sinister and violent nature.”
“Huh?”
“But the important thing is that the threat worked, isn’t it? It means that the nobles are much more afraid of Siena than they are of you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to change sides, fearing your retaliation.”
“….”
How wonderful would it be if this coldness could help her seek revenge against Siena? She would have a reliable ally.
Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely.
Because the one who had helped her regain her life was none other than Siena, that wicked woman. Lately, it seemed like they couldn’t stand each other.
“But what if, in the end, she supports me when things go wrong?”
They were blood-related. Even if she was a bloodsucker.
Regrets kept surfacing.
But the Empress seemed to have read even these regrets. As if it were impossible, she shook her head with a cold smile and licked her lips.
“Anais, it seems like you still see your sister as an enemy.”
“….”
“But I don’t see it that way. …Accused of fratricide? If a similar incident had occurred in the country where your mother lived, the implicated courtiers would have been eradicated. You may have preserved your life, but instead, you would have been stripped of your title and lived in exile in a remote location.”
Fratricide? What’s that?
This was something only the Empress, as a princess of the “Jin” Empire, could say.
A powerful country in the East, boasting a military strength several times greater than the Britannia Empire. It was said to be a terrifying place that would not hesitate to exterminate a clan just for writing disrespectful phrases in their scriptures. It was also said that those who married into the imperial family had to risk their lives.
“It seems asking for help from my mother is impossible.”
In a fight, she would probably retreat after putting up some resistance. In the worst case scenario, she could secretly help Siena.
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“I’m not asking you to get along with her. But I cannot allow a fight.”
This was not a suggestion, but rather a statement of fact.
In that moment, she keenly felt that she had lost her reputation, her subordinates, and her mother’s protection.
Once she realized the harsh reality, she felt strangely relieved. Anais forced a smile and nodded her head.
“Okay, Mother.”
“Can you promise me?”
“Yeah. I promise at least I won’t do anything against Siena… No, against Siena’s sister. Of course, if they try to kill me first, I will respond. But I’m not saying that won’t happen, right?”
“Of course not. You are my daughter, after all.”
The Empress nodded her head as if satisfied. Her smile was so pure that it was hard to believe she was in her late thirties.
For a brief moment, Anais even thought she didn’t want to betray that smile.
However, Anais had no confidence in keeping her promise to her mother. She wouldn’t directly target Siena, but she had no intention of seeking revenge either.
She already had a target in mind.
The Medopharmaceuticals in which Siena participated as an investor. Anais was planning to strike there.
It was because the Morphin business was the only thing that had slightly improved Siena’s reputation, which had been stuck in a rut.
These days, everywhere you go, it’s all about Morfin. The feeling of blood boiling in reverse when you think that wicked girl got all the money and fame.
But it wasn’t just Anais targeting Morfin out of simple anger and jealousy.
“It has to be done now.”
If left alone, that guy will gradually become richer and stronger. There might not even be a chance to attack if not now.
The plan was in place, and there was no intention to withdraw.
Now, all that remained for her was the desire for revenge.