“Good morning, Miss Loire.”
“Good morning, Miss Milena, Miss Serin.”
In the academy hallway, Misha Loire bit her lip slightly as she watched the backs of her two fellow cadets greeting her and hurriedly walking away.
Over there, the young lady of the Viscount Ankart, Kalin, was standing and chatting with the cadets who shared a nearby dormitory room. They were talking about the late-night snacks they ate while studying together all night.
Misha’s jaw tightened a little as she watched them. Even though she hated late-night snacks that made her face swell, she felt envious of that sight.
She unconsciously stroked her smooth cheeks with her fingertips from a deep sleep.
The people who had just passed by were the daughters of a family that had close ties to the Loire family. Their kindness was the only reason, and there was a subtle distance between them that was hard to express. Right after the entrance ceremony, many cadets gathered around the daughter of the third lion. Misha's beauty and background shined at the same time, and she took for granted the attention and admiration she had been receiving as before.
However, the atmosphere changed after the first test results were posted on the wall.
She thought she had 'studied' as she had at home, but the results were harsh.
The academy posted the grades and rankings of all the cadets on the wall, and she avoided the last place. Moreover, the difference in grades from the one right before her was large.
The last place was Prince Locard Kydel. He had not yet come to school because he was in a convalescent home with the Second Prince. He had not even attended the entrance ceremony.
After that, the cadets naturally moved away from Misha as if they were being carried away by an assistant and gathered around the first-place cadet, Kalin Ankart.
There was no feeling of disregard or contempt involved. If she had to express it, it was closer to indifference.
Most cadets spent years studying for the entrance exam in order to gain the connections and experience that only the academy could provide.
The kind of power that could be gained at parties and tea parties was already in the closet of their parent's house.
They had no time to socialize with someone who would soon fail and go home. That was the atmosphere of the Academy.
Misha had no idea how to deal with this situation.
It was also hurtful that the female cadets in the dormitory hallway were indifferent to her new weekend dress and accessories. Instead of going out on weekends, they planned their study schedules. Some of them even had their vacation study schedules planned out, so they might not have anything to wear except their Academy uniforms until graduation.
But Misha had inherited a certain strength from her mother, and she held on with grace.
'My father is the third messenger of His Majesty. One day, they will realize that they have to serve me.'
In the meantime, she thought that if she just studied a little more, everything would be fine.
But Misha could not understand about a third of the words the teachers used in class. She especially needed a large Imperial dictionary.
Still, her faith did not waver. If the podium she inherited from her mother had been so insignificant, the Countess would have lost her self-control and caused a scandal long ago.
It was a week after the entrance ceremony that a ray of light came to Misha, who was slowly losing her vitality. It was the day that Prince Locard Kydel appeared at the academy.
Misha was not only beautiful but also lovely and elegant.
She had the power to make people passing by at parties take a second look. However, Prince Locard Kydel drew her in toward him.
His gravity was so great that even the cadets who had been studying in their dormitories came out to the break room on their own.
Prince Locard Kydel had finally appeared at the academy.
Misha happened to find him while passing by the break room hallway. He was tall, and his face was visible even when surrounded by cadets.
Locard was completely different from what Misha had imagined. When she heard that he had volunteered to go to war and saved the Second Prince’s life, she had thought of a rough and cruel man who had been holding a sword since birth.
But he was beautiful. The curves of his black hair, which curved slightly at his temples and ears, made him look like a man of delicate taste.
When he looked at people, his eyes were open and bright. There was a determination and enthusiasm in them that she had never seen before.
He laughed, saying that his new academy uniform was uncomfortable, but Misha had never seen a man who looked so good in it. He deceived the viewer's eyes by revealing the face of a boy and a man at the same time.
She thought it was natural for him, who was already called the Lion Cub of Tagar and had risen to be a unique figure among the young noble generation, to look down on others. She would have done so naturally.
But strangely, no one seemed to dislike him.
The cadets constantly asked him about His Highness the Second Prince, whether he had really saved his life, and how barbaric the Amata were.
Even though many of them were meeting for the first time, Locard Kydel answered honestly and without hesitation, and the cadets naturally exclaimed, “Ah!” or “Oh my, that’s right.”
He had no intention of showing off, and he could captivate and awe the listeners by simply stating the bare minimum of facts.
He shined not only because of his eloquence but also because of his humble attitude even after having already achieved great things.
The light and beauty he radiated were absolute and genuine.
Misha was stunned by the shock. Then, Locard, sensing the persistent gaze directed at him from afar, turned his gaze toward her.
Misha hid behind the entrance pillar and ran away. She couldn’t believe how she had done such a shameful thing, spying on a man.
And that day, she tossed and turned all night. While the cadets were studying, she couldn’t sleep in the dark room, thinking about Prince Locard Kydel.
The next day, when the next exam date was announced, Misha returned to her room and opened her book. She had a solid reason to stay at the Academy.
***
A while later, as she was going back to the library alone to borrow books, someone called her.
“Miss Loire.”
Thump, or bang.
His soft, beautiful voice struck Misha Loire's heart like that.
Considering that they were in front of the library, Locard called her quietly and walked quickly toward her.
His long legs made his strides long, so it seemed like it was no effort at all.
“I am Locard of the Kydel family.”
Misha greeted her softly, hoping that the low light in the windowless hallway would hide her flushed face.
“Misha... yes. How did you know me...?”
“I’ve greeted most of my fellow cadets, but I haven’t greeted Miss Misha. Aren’t you the daughter of the third lion?”
“Thank you.”
Misha was dissatisfied with her voice being so small.
However, she didn’t think it was bad. She knew that the aforementioned face, the embarrassed attitude, and the small voice could rather highlight her femininity.
“My, the uniform suits you well.”
“Thank you.”
The man who had fought in the mountains could also smile with his eyes wide open.
That fact surprised Misha. Her heart pounded again.
“Um, I have been absent for a while, so can I ask you a question?”
“Yes. Anything!”
Misha, who had accidentally let out a small shout, lowered her eyes as her face flushed even more.
“Could you tell me what kind of classes were held on foreign trade routes? Information about Smilean or the high seas?”
“Foreign trade routes? Um, I’m not very good at business... I don’t remember hearing about it in class.”
“Oh, really? I heard it vaguely. I guess it would be better to go to the academic office and check.”
“Yes... I think that would be a good idea. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”
“I apologize for bothering you, Miss Loire.”
When he bowed politely and turned around, Locard’s face was stiff.
Issues related to trade routes with neighboring countries, including Smilean, were not covered in the classes for first and second-year students at the Academy. Issues directly related to actual combat were intensively studied by third-year cadets in preparation for debate.
Locard had actually prepared for early admission to the Academy before participating in the war. He had already completed his education to the extent of skipping a grade in the Academy, so he was already familiar with the contents of the trade route class.
So the answer Locard Kydel wanted was not about the progress of the class.
It was Misha Loire's intelligence.
If his father, the first messenger, Duke Terran Kydel, stood tall by Emperor Muro, the third messenger, Count Helden Loire, was the one who supported the Emperor through the door.
Count Loire's intelligence and problem-solving ability were unparalleled. He was respected by the nobles for his flexible behavior that was not bound by political factions.
Locard was genuinely curious.
If the illegitimate child of Count Loire was smart enough to attract the attention of the Second Prince, how smart would his legitimate daughter Misha Loire be?
If Misha was as smart as Lorisha, she would perfectly fit the position of 'a flawless and capable person' that the Second Prince Grayon wanted.
Her father's position would be a problem, but she was determined to overcome it somehow with her own abilities. There was no need for the children to unconditionally follow the merits and demerits of their predecessors, right?
However, in Misha, whom he had just met, there was no trace of Count Loire at all.
Even if she did not know about trade routes, the issue of pirates on the high seas was an area that was covered at the level of the Academy entrance exam.
Nevertheless, Misha Loire responded to his question with pure ignorance.
Her eyes, looking at him, shone so beautifully. But that light was not the kind he remembered.
As Locard walked away down the hallway, he muttered nervously.
“Even though they’re half-sisters, they’re sisters!”
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