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Chapter : 06
Briseis froze, looking shocked, as Callisten glanced at her and smiled.
“Take care of today. I heard here, rank doesn’t matter, so treat me normally.”
He said that and then looked at the professor’s hand.
“You can sit in that empty seat.”
“Is there an assigned seat?”
“No, sit wherever you like.”
He smiled, folding his eyes, and came to sit beside Briseis. She was always the one who sat in the front and studied the hardest.
“I’m taking that seat. Saturn or Evici or Peril?”
“E-Evici! Got it!”
Saturn and Evici were identical twin brothers. Unlike the clueless Saturn, Evici was close friends with Briseis. Saturn and Evici were actually awkward around each other.
“Thank you.”
“…You…”
“Seeing you again makes me so happy, Bri. It must be fate.”
He smiled brightly at Briseis. She shook her head and looked forward.
“Today’s assembly has no special announcements from the academy. However, since the war between the Kingdom of Mervania and the Viaten Empire has ended, students who went to war must take extra classes.”
Sighs spread across the room. After barely surviving the war, they now had to worry about studying.
“Graduation can’t happen without it, everyone.”
The professor laughed, and Briseis looked at the empty seat where Damian had sat yesterday.
“Tonight, there will be a celebration ceremony. Nobles should attend to shine in the event.”
The boring assembly continued. Briseis kept her mouth shut until the first class started.
“Then, focus on your studies, everyone.”
The professor in charge of Class 1 said and left. People who had been staring curiously at Callisten looked at him but did not approach.
No one could ignore the fact that Callisten had destroyed the Viaten Empire and brought the Viaten Emperor’s head. That was an incredible feat. But everyone also knew well what kind of person he was as Crown Prince.
After his mother died, he took the Crown Prince’s position himself. Pretending to be neutral, he was backed by the Filia Marquis family and his mother’s house, the Pendleton Duchy. He was reckless but extremely skilled.
People generally thought it wise not to catch the attention of a capable troublemaker.
“How are you here? This isn’t a period for observation classes.”
“Is there anything I can’t do? Especially if it means seeing you.”
“Why did you come?”
“I told you. I came to see you, Bri.”
He was a capable troublemaker. He remembered everything he saw like a photo. In war, he always brought victory.
He used very unusual strategies. Strange, unpredictable methods, yet they always worked.
Everyone expected him to lose this war. But he laughed at them with a victory so great that it went down in history. Achievements even emperors might struggle to reach in a lifetime—all at just twenty years old.
“Bri.”
“…….”
“Look at me. If you don’t, it hurts too much.”
Briseis looked at his lap for a moment, her face reddening at the clinking sound as he moved.
“Sit somewhere else.”
“Should I? Who should I tell to move?”
“You move alone.”
“If I don’t go with you, I won’t go at all.”
He smiled foxily, resting his chin, watching Briseis. Her face was too hot; she couldn’t keep looking at him.
“Bri.”
She looked at him because he seemed persistent. He smiled beautifully.
“You’re making it hurt more.”
“Then close your eyes.”
He obediently closed them like a good dog.
“When your eyes are closed, I can smell your perfume.”
“Please, just stop talking.”
“You like quiet? Then I’ll be quiet.”
He opened his eyes and kept smiling at Briseis.
The first class began.
“Hello, everyone.”
The professor of Law and Punishment entered.
“Since there were two wars back to back, today’s topic relates to your experiences. The Crofus Empire often fights wars.”
Briseis picked up her pen and started taking notes.
“As before, the student who answers best today will get an extra point.”
She put her book to the left and notebook to the right. Callisten sat with his desk next to hers.
“Do you know what is done first after a war ends?”
Briseis raised her hand.
“After a war ends, reparations are demanded.”
“Correct.”
“When a war ends, reparations are demanded. If peace happens during the war, neither side fully dominates. But if there’s a clear winner and loser, the compensation doesn’t end easily.”
Briseis quickly wrote this down; she had already studied it.
Callisten then wrote on his own notebook and slid it to her:
「Even studying looks beautiful.」
She ignored it and focused on the class.
“When a war ends, the war criminals are punished according to reparation procedures.”
Briseis pictured punishments for war criminals. Callisten wrote another note on a new page:
「Seeing you focus makes me excited. If I were a book, you’d look at me like this, right?」
She ignored it again, watching the professor. He pinned a map on the board and pointed:
“Do any of you know where a war happened in this area?”
Briseis raised her hand again.
“The Lamerdin War. The lord abandoned his people, and the people rebelled, starting the war. The region no longer exists.”
“Correct.”
The professor smiled subtly, impressed, but didn’t praise her openly. Extra points would obviously go to her anyway.
“What happened to the fleeing lord of Lamerdin, Briseis?”
“The lord returned the territory and lost his title. The baron family was demoted to commoners and exiled to Resis Island because rebellion evidence proved economic mismanagement.”
“Correct. Very accurate.”
Callisten noticed some male students staring at Briseis. The class atmosphere had subtly shifted, except for her.
Knowing Damian moved with the government, the male students who liked her no longer needed to hide it.
“Like this example, as rulers of our lands, we must never abandon our territories even if death comes.”
The academy had more male students than females, roughly a 9:1 ratio.
“Submit a report on today’s lesson in two weeks. Minimum length: 20 pages. It’s a 2-point report. Make sure it’s complete.”
The first class ended.
“Where are you going?”
“To prepare for the celebration.”
Callisten stood up after the professor left.
“I came to see you.”
“….”
“I want to see you before I go. Will you tell me not to go?”
“P-please. Go and don’t come back.”
Callisten smiled and said:
“I’ll be back, Bri.”
She didn’t answer. He waved and headed to the celebration.
❖ ❖ ❖
By the start of the third class, Damian and Delilah returned.
“Hello, Bri?”
Delilah greeted warmly, and Briseis smiled elegantly.
“Yes, hello, Miss Delilah.”
“Isn’t it strange your husband is late? Aren’t you curious where he went?”
Damian spoke sharply, sitting with Delilah. He patted her thigh as if to tell her to sit, and she obeyed, pretending to notice.
“You handled it well, Your Highness.”
“You’re narrow-minded if you’re still angry.”
Briseis wanted to stop being hurt, so she ignored him.
“Oh, Bri. Isn’t Bri the top of 4th year?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Delilah smiled:
“Not this time. I’ll take first place.”
