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Chapter 21
Dana looked at me like I’d completely lost my mind—but I’d already said it out loud, so there was no taking it back.
‘Let’s just say today’s theme is “lunatic” and roll with it…’
“Are you actually a weirdo, or are you just insane?”
“Insane? Really?”
I acted hurt, though honestly, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my grip for a second.
Catching Dana’s sharp, doubtful glare, I quickly came up with an excuse and switched tactics.
“Actually, that whole thing about seeing what’s in your heart was a joke. I could just tell from your face.”
“My face gave it away?”
“Yup.”
It was a much more believable excuse than claiming I could read minds.
“Whenever you look at Irelbranchet, your face totally changes. That’s the look of someone who’s in love.”
“…So what, you’re saying you’ll help me with that?”
She gave me a look of pure disbelief—but the curiosity was there too.
“First, we’ve got to figure out what he likes and dislikes.”
Of course, I already knew that much.
He likes beautiful things—sparkling, graceful, aesthetic. Hates losing, and hates being involved in messy or troublesome affairs.
Prince Irelbranchet was the type who sought visual pleasure.
To such an extent that, according to the novel, he could spend an entire day staring at flowers or jewels just to calm himself.
“Dana, you’d be happy if Irelbranchet liked you back, right?”
“Well, yeah, but… what makes you think I should trust you?”
She still didn’t seem convinced, frowning suspiciously. But I ignored that and grabbed her arm, pulling her along.
The mood around the academy was already uneasy after the kidnapping incident—if Dana picked a fight with Lucy on top of that, it’d be a disaster.
People might call it meddling, but honestly, I just want this all wrapped up neatly, with nobody getting hurt. That’s not too much to ask, right?
To make that happen, Dana needed to know what kind of person that “charming prince” really was.
A guy who hit on every pretty face he saw, a prince who hated using his brain.
“You don’t have to trust me completely. It’s not like tagging along with me will hurt you. And like I said—if you and Irelbranchet really hit it off, that’s good for you.”
Apparently that reasoning was convincing enough, because Dana finally nodded and followed me.
“Let’s check the training hall first! It’s still self-study period, so he should be there with the swordsmanship or political science department.”
We moved quickly and peeked around the edge of the training hall. Sure enough, there were students practicing swordsmanship.
And among them, the only one with golden hair—the prince—was easy to spot.
“Hm… come to think of it, I’m not exactly close with Irelbranchet.”
“…Then why the hell did you drag me here?”
Dana snapped, clearly annoyed, as I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“I’ll go get Lala. Wait here.”
I was a little uneasy about leaving Dana alone, but with so many people around, I doubted she’d cast any binding spells or anything. So I hurried off to find Lala.
On the way toward the main dormitory, I ran into a few students, but none of them were Lala.
Just as I was wondering where to look next, Bella came out of the dorm entrance.
“Bella!”
“What?”
“Have you seen Lala anywhere?”
“Oh, she was just—”
Bella started to answer, but Lala beat her to it.
“Shua~!”
“Ah, Lala! Come with me for a bit, I need your help.”
I grabbed her hand before she could even catch her breath and started leading her back the way I came.
I could explain everything to Bella later.
“Wow, Shua, you’re actually holding my hand first for once! Is it a special occasion?”
“Lala, tell me—does Irelbranchet’s ‘ideal type’ only mean someone pretty, or is there something else?”
I stopped as soon as Lala froze in place.
“Lala, this is kind of urgent—”
“…Shua.”
“What?”
She frowned at me.
“I know you really like handsome faces, but my brother—”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but I could easily guess the rest.
And the thought process behind it.
Are people in this world all addicted to romantic clichés? Why is everyone so obsessed with pairing people off?
“If you really care about your future, my brother’s not the one for you.”
“I’m not even interested in the prince, okay? I asked about his type for someone else.”
“Oh, really?”
In an instant, Lala’s face softened into a grin. Apparently, the news that I didn’t like her brother made her very happy.
I ran with her back to the grand training hall, and thankfully, Dana and the swordsmanship students were still there.
Aside from a few whispers—probably because Dana kept staring at the prince—nothing seemed amiss.
“Dana, this is Lainella. I brought her because she probably knows Irelbranchet better than anyone.”
Dana seemed to catch on quickly.
“Hi, Lainella.”
“Nice to meet you. You’re the girl who likes my brother, right?”
Lala wasted no time, going straight for the jugular.
Dana froze for a moment, but when Lala didn’t seem hostile, she gave a small nod.
“Then tell me—why him of all people?”
“…What?”
Caught off guard by the question, Dana blinked a few times, then regained her composure.
“When I was little, I once sneaked out of the palace and ran into Prince Irelbranchet.”
“Oh, love at first sight, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Once she started talking, Dana didn’t hold back.
“Out of all those people, that bright golden hair just drew my eyes.”
“Gold hair is the mark of the royal family.”
“I thought he looked so beautiful, maybe even angelic.”
“Well, I’ll admit—his looks are top-tier,” Lala said, nodding.
Dana shot her a glance, then turned to me.
“Anyway, it’s already dinner time. Are we staying here all night?”
Only then did I realize how much time had passed.
“Oh, wow, it’s that late already. Okay, starting tomorrow, let’s observe Irelbranchet during self-study time. If we watch long enough, we’ll figure something out.”
“Whatever you say.”
“And you can get more intel about him from Lala while you’re at it.”
In the original story, Dana never bothered gathering information about the prince.
Now that I’d introduced her to Lala, I couldn’t help but wonder how the story would change this time.
If Dana still goes off the rails and uses that binding magic on Lucy, I’ll just call Bella to stop her.
Watching the two of them walk ahead, my stomach growled, so I followed them toward the dining hall.
Once inside, I picked up a plate of food and looked for a place to sit when—
“Shua!”
Lucy’s voice called out.
I started toward her—but froze when I saw Yus sitting beside her, glaring daggers at me.
Oh, right… I kind of forgot about Yus.
There was no point avoiding him; we’d have to face each other eventually. So I walked over and sat down next to him.
“So. Why did you fall from the sky earlier?”
Lucy blinked, shocked.
“Fell from the sky?!”
Before she could panic about my health, I hurried to explain.
“My friend’s friend is in the magic department. I was helping with a spell practice, and… something happened.”
Yus let out a long, exasperated sigh, shaking his head.
“Honestly, what kind of ‘something’ makes a person fall from the sky?”
“Oh, you know… stuff happens.”
Maybe it was just me, but the way he looked at me screamed pathetic.
Then he picked up his tray and left.
Once Yus was gone, it was just Lucy and me at the table.
“Shua!”
As soon as he left, Lucy slid into the seat beside me, eyes wide with worry.
Right. She’s still anxious about when I couldn’t breathe before.
Her voice trembled slightly.
“Who’s the magic student that made you fall from the sky?!”
“Whoa—why are you so mad, Lucy?”
“You’re my first friend, Shua! And they put you in danger! Of course I’m mad!”
Her words stopped me cold.
Lucy’s friend… right. She didn’t have any, did she?
In the original story, Lucy met Bella at her debutante ball.
Bella—wielding enormous influence—tormented her mercilessly. Lucy was shunned by society, and when the Empress sold off her family’s assets, that was the final blow.
Luckily, I’d managed to “rehabilitate” Bella, so Lucy’s social downfall never happened.
But even if she wasn’t isolated anymore, that didn’t automatically mean she had friends.
To Lucy, I was her very first real friend—and I’d been getting hurt and causing trouble nonstop. No wonder she was anxious.
“I really appreciate how much you care about me, Lucy. And I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“Shua…”
“But really, I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt, and I even made the people who dropped me apologize.”
“…As long as you’re okay.”
She still pouted, clearly not satisfied, but eventually nodded.
“Still, you should rest when you’re not feeling well. Just the other day you—”
“Got it, got it! Let’s just head back, okay?”
Before she could bring up that incident again and trigger my trauma, I quickly got up from my seat.
Lucy was quiet all the way back to the dorms. By the time we got to our room, she seemed to have finally gathered her thoughts.
Lying on my bed, I heard her soft voice.
“Hey, Shua.”
“Yeah?”
“I… I just feel like…”
She hesitated for a long time, as if trying to find the right words.
Is she gonna scold me for not being careful again?
“Sometimes… it feels like you’re not really here in this world.”
