Chapter 13
It was truly a dizzying moment. The more Calion thought about last night, the more his head hurt. Who was Damian? He was the esteemed Crown Prince of this empire, and the bastard who had kicked his eldest daughter Ayla to the curb. He couldn’t describe how much it hurt to see Ayla crying at the palace and then crying again at home. And he had thought, even if Damian were to come begging for Ayla later, he would never give Ayla to Damian.
That’s what he had decided. He had also thought that since there were no men worthy of her, she would live with him forever. But now, an engagement? And not just to anyone, but to the Crown Prince!
Calion couldn’t believe it. That’s why he had barely managed to shake off his family who wanted to come along and came to the capital alone. If it were true, he intended to go to the palace to settle things. He could never accept this engagement.
Before his private audience with the Emperor, Calion wanted to meet his eldest daughter first. It had been months since he last saw Ayla during the holidays. Looking out the window, his heart was fluttering with anticipation.
* * *
The morning classes had ended. There were no afternoon classes today. Although the exams were over, the academy’s atmosphere was a bit tense due to the Gilrota incident.
Ayla, leaving the lecture hall, planned to have lunch at the student cafeteria and then head to Caelum. With recent events, and being dragged away by Damian yesterday, she hadn’t been able to study properly. Her previously jumbled thoughts were now somewhat organized, and having finished today’s preparation perfectly, she felt she could study at Caelum. It might sound cold, but while uncovering the truth about the Gilrota incident was important, studying was also crucial. She couldn’t let all her efforts so far crumble in an instant.
“Ayla. Where are you going?”
…If only this troublemaker wasn’t around to disturb her peace.
At the familiar voice, Ayla froze, unable to turn her head as she stopped in her tracks. In her mind, all morning she had been trying to banish thoughts of those red, full… anyway, such things. Those kinds of thoughts came to mind.
Ayla tried to calm herself through brief meditation.
“Are you going to Caelum today? You’re going to have lunch at the student cafeteria, right?”
[“Oh, right. Come to think of it, all those times you went to Caelum, those were dates?”]
No. Absolutely not. She had never been on a date with Damian. It was just Damian tagging along when she went to Caelum.
[“Just don’t go over the speed limit!”]
Speed limit? Speed limit! This is really absurd. She would never do such things with Damian. Above all, they were both minors. Two minors… anyway, that’s how it is. No, but why do Serina’s words keep coming to mind? Ayla’s resentment towards Serina, who had unnecessarily stirred up her clear mind, deepened.
“Ayla?”
It was a puzzled voice calling her. Ayla took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her mind seemed to have calmed down a bit now. She felt she could face Damian.
Ayla turned to look at Damian. His clear face was looking at her with sparkling eyes.
Thump. The falling sound surely wasn’t her heartbeat.
“…”
Unable to say anything, Ayla turned her head again. She quickly decided on a different approach. The usual ignore. Anyway, Damian would follow her even if she ignored him.
Just as she was about to take a step, ignoring him.
“Oh, Student Ayla. Here you are.”
It was a deep, resonant voice. It was Zenon, one of the literature professors. Zenon greeted her warmly, the second-ranked student in the literature department and second in the entire academy. To the literature professors, Damian, who was first, and Ayla, who was second, were very proud students.
“Professor. Hello.”
“Hello.”
Damian and Ayla greeted indifferently. Damian even smiled brightly. Zenon liked this Crown Prince. He didn’t strut around flaunting his title, and he was polite. Ayla, who was always with such a Crown Prince, was nothing short of a model lady. He thought they made a well-matched pair. Ayla would be horrified if she knew this thought.
“Well. You all worked hard for this exam too.”
“Not at all. I still have much to improve. But Professor, were you looking for me?”
“The Chancellor is looking for you.”
“For me?”
The Chancellor, who was rarely seen except at entrance and graduation ceremonies, but who sought her out every time exam results came out, why would he suddenly look for her today?
Ayla pondered the reason carefully. There wasn’t anything particularly… No. There was. The letter she sent last night. If Eileen had seen that letter…
“Yes. I heard your father has arrived.”
Damian and Ayla’s eyes met simultaneously. They were thinking the same thing.
We’re doomed.
* * *
“Just stay here for now. Understood?”
Ayla implored Damian in the corridor before entering the Chancellor’s office. Damian nodded. Of course, he wanted to go in with Ayla, but if he did, Ayla would probably ignore him for a month.
Until she opened the door, Ayla repeatedly instructed Damian, then opened the door and went inside. Chancellor Violet greeted her with a welcoming face.
“Come in, Ayla. Come in and sit down.”
“It’s an honor, Chancellor.”
Ayla politely greeted Violet, then surveyed the office. Her father was sitting on the sofa. He was wearing black clothes again, making the atmosphere gloomy.
Ayla glanced at her father before sitting on the opposite sofa. Calion’s eyebrow twitched as he watched her elegantly cross her legs. He took a sip of tea, trying to find inner peace. Eileen’s words kept echoing in his mind.
[Big sister is engaged!]
[To Brother Damian!]
Damian. Damian. Should he have dragged that bastard here first? No, no. First, let’s hear Ayla’s reasons. He needed to find out if it was a real engagement. Since both were unpredictable children, there could be other reasons. But other reasons wouldn’t be very acceptable either.
“Duke. Ayla has once again achieved excellent grades, ranking second.”
Violet said to Calion with a bright smile. It was small talk intended to lighten the mood, but strangely, the atmosphere became colder.
The Duke spoke with a face devoid of any hint of a smile.
“She’s my blood. It’s only natural.”
“…”
Is this praise or criticism? Violet found it difficult to gauge for a moment, but seeing the Duke looking subtly proud, she thought it was praise. Moreover, Violet knew that when the Duke attended the academy, he had entered as the top student and graduated as the valedictorian. She was a professor during that time.
Violet was a history professor, and the Duke was a mathematics student. However, she was well aware of the Duke’s reputation.
Unlike other departments, the academy’s mathematics department had six years. In contrast to the graduation exam known for its extreme difficulty, the mathematics department boasted a low difficulty. There was a saying that if you wanted to graduate quickly, you should choose mathematics. However, one thing to note here was that the mathematics department had one more year. While the academy had a grade retention system, it didn’t apply to the mathematics department. It was in an endless cycle of supplementary classes and exams.
The Duke, who had broken through all these hardships and achieved top rank in his year and graduated as valedictorian, got into a political marriage right after graduation. But Violet knew that it wasn’t actually a political marriage. She knew about his secret romance with Lilia von Daikerd, a history student with soft golden hair like melted sunshine and a gentle personality.
The duke, like a ruffian, had snatched away one of her favorite students right after graduation. Still, when she saw Lilia’s happy face at the wedding, she thought, well, as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters.
As years passed with only occasional news, Violet became the first woman to rise to the position of Chancellor of the academy. She didn’t know she would receive such extraordinary students as soon as she was appointed Chancellor. The Crown Prince, the only daughter of the head of Engineering Division 1 (a high-ranking official in the Magic Tower), and the eldest daughter of the Duke and Lilia. These three entered at the same time. Even Violet, who wasn’t interested in politics, knew well that the three were childhood friends.
It was a buzz among the professors for a while. Ayla, the Duke and Lilia’s eldest daughter, who seemed like she would never leave the duchy because the Duke kept her close, had actually entered the academy. And as if following in her father’s footsteps, she entered as the top student. Although she had been second in rank since then. This was still impressive.
Violet thought the Duke might not be satisfied, but seeing the affection in the Duke’s eyes as he looked at Ayla, she smiled contentedly. Yes. Even the Iron Duke is warm towards his own child.
“Indeed. You must be very proud, Duke.”
“Chancellor.”
“Yes?”
“I apologize, but could you leave us alone for a moment?”
“…Pardon?”
Violet was bewildered for a moment. This was the Chancellor’s office, and anyone could see that it should be the Duke who should leave, but the Duke’s proposal was quite tempting. Violet, although a bit flustered, gave a smile honed by years of social life and excused herself.
The academy’s budget was plentiful this year too.
“Of course. Then have a good talk, Duke. You too, Ayla.”
Violet didn’t forget to give Ayla a benevolent smile. Ayla forced a smile as she saw the Chancellor off.
Click. As the door closed, silence filled the Chancellor’s office. Ayla felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment. After sneaking a glance at her father, who was keeping silent, Ayla picked up the teacup and took a sip. Why did it feel like the tea she just drank would come back up? Probably because of her father’s sharp gaze fixed on her.
After taking just one sip, Ayla put down the cup. She composed herself, took a deep breath, and spoke with a harmless smile towards her father.
“Have you been well, Father?”
She hadn’t expected a good answer, but she hadn’t expected this answer either.
“No, I haven’t been well, Ayla.”
“Ah… I see.”
Ayla shrank at the firm response. She should have brought Damian with her. She should have used him as a shield…
“Ayla.”
At her father’s call, Ayla came back from her thoughts. Then she saw what her father had placed on the table. The familiar handwriting and ornate pattern on the letter was the one she had sent to Eileen yesterday.
“Is the content of this letter true?”
