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Chapter 33
Rather than looking at Rena, everyone’s attention seemed to be on me, creating a strange atmosphere.
“Does it not suit me? I thought it looked pretty good.”
Thinking about how Lihart, who had grown up seeing everything in the royal palace and had such refined taste, might harshly criticize me made me feel uneasy…
Fortunately, Lihart didn’t get to finish his words. The young ladies’ entourage, which I had only heard about in stories until now, had appeared.
“Demi Ola of the Ola Count family, we greet the Empire’s little sun.”
A young lady in a bright yellow dress strode to the front, flaunting her presence. Her eyes sparkled as she squeezed in between us.
She adjusted her thick, wavy hair and spoke to Lihart without hesitation.
“Lihart, it’s been so long. I was overjoyed to hear you were admitted to Judea. As expected of you, Lihart.”
“And you, Ola, I heard you entered Dorthea High Academy. Your father must be very proud.”
“Oh, Lihart…”
Ola elongated her words, laughing softly. Then, after waving her hand in the air a few times, she suddenly turned her gaze toward Rena.
“But Lihart, might this beautiful lady here be…?”
“I’ll introduce them. This is my fiancée, Rena Diclef, and this is Judea’s new student council president, Arcel Nodovan. Rena, Arcel, this is Demi Ola, the second daughter of the Ola Count family.”
When the name was revealed, the subtle stares I had felt before suddenly pricked at me like needles.
Among them, Ola’s gaze was particularly unusual. As soon as Lihart finished his introduction, she approached Rena with an almost enchanted expression.
“Nice to meet you, Rena Diclef. It’s an honor for my family to see such a beautiful lady in person.”
Rena just nodded without much reaction, but that seemed to satisfy Ola.
“Isn’t this dress one of Madame Karp’s pieces, the ones that have over a two-year waiting list? I’m very interested in her work and even attended last year’s exhibition. How can you pull off such an elegant dress perfectly? I’m so envious.”
Ola praised every detail of Madame Karp’s dress, her eyes then naturally shifting toward me.
They scanned me from head to toe, and a spark of light appeared in her eyes…
“Isn’t this a new piece by Madame Karp? This is a dress I’ve wanted so badly… Even if I paid the price of a mansion, I couldn’t get it. How did you manage to obtain it, Arcel?”
I had been lost in her various expressions, but the mention of “the price of a mansion” snapped me back to reality.
A mansion? For this dress?
I glanced sharply at Rena, but there was no flicker of emotion on her face.
Of course… the Diclef family. Still, this…!
Without a word, she just handed me such an expensive dress?
Just as I reached out to show some objection, Ola’s sharp voice echoed through the hall.
“Oh my! Arcel, what’s this?”
Ola pointed precisely at the shopping bag hanging from my arm.
Instinctively, I tried to hide it behind me. But surrounded by people on all sides, it was impossible to completely conceal it.
“Could it be another work by Madame Karp? A hat, or a bracelet? Or… could it possibly be for Aven’s birthday?!”
Ola, reading my brief hesitation in an instant, practically leapt with excitement.
“Oh, giving a gift publicly! How brave and romantic. You can really feel the spirit of the student council president everyone talks about.”
“A gift?”
Suddenly, the birthday boy appeared from behind.
“Aven!”
Unlike usual, Aven had slicked-back hair with pomade, revealing a neat forehead, giving off a maturity I hadn’t noticed before.
He smiled gently, his gaze landing on the shopping bag I had tried to hide.
“Is this really for me?”
Seeing his eyes wide with curiosity, I couldn’t help but nod.
Then Aven bit his lip once and looked apologetic.
“Arcel, I told you there was no need to prepare a gift.”
“It’s not really a gift…”
My hesitation only made the situation more puzzling. Surprisingly, the once noisy hall had grown quiet, even the music had paused for a moment.
Reluctantly, I handed Aven the “not a gift” gift to get through this predicament.
I just wanted to go home.
“…Thanks. I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad you prepared it.”
As Aven accepted the black shopping bag, looking genuinely happy, Ola suddenly interjected.
Her round eyes sparkled with curious excitement.
“Giving a gift in public means we have the right to know what it is, right?”
Ola clasped her hands dreamily and blinked her long lashes. Her words seemed to awaken the curiosity of others, who started clamoring for the gift to be revealed.
The student council president, supposedly from a poor family, preparing a gift for the Empire’s wealthiest… Everyone was too curious to resist.
Not wanting to put Aven in an awkward spot, I signaled that it was okay to open the gift.
Embarrassing, yes, but not shameful. The contents were nothing scandalous.
Eventually, Aven, pressured by the crowd, tore off the wrapping paper.
As the plain brown paper came off, the shape of the item gradually became visible.
Finally, when its identity could be seen, sighs of disappointment echoed from all around.
“Ah…”
“What? It’s ordinary.”
“Clever, I suppose.”
“How boring.”
The item Aven held was… a book.
A navy hardcover with a silver title, which he stared at for a long time.
His eyes blinked continuously, like a startled puppy.
He then slowly flipped through the pages.
With each page, his expression subtly changed. He didn’t exclaim, didn’t smile politely, didn’t frown—a reaction so strange that the hall grew restless.
“What kind of book is this?”
“A classic? Or a self-help book? A novel?”
“If it’s a foreign antique book, maybe the Reuters family doesn’t have it.”
“But for a rural girl like the student council president, could her family really acquire a foreign antique book?”
Some even bent over and twisted their bodies just to see the title hidden by Aven’s hands.
But after a while, Aven closed the book and quickly returned it to the shopping bag.
“Arcel, thank you. I’ve never received a gift like this before.”
His bewildered expression soon returned to his usual smile.
Meanwhile, I was left flustered, trapped in an awkward situation.
The words “never before” from Aven had sparked everyone’s curiosity.
“What kind of gift did you prepare? You could’ve just given anything.”
Rena immediately scolded me, clearly displeased.
“Is it a rare book even I, the crown prince, don’t have? What book caused that reaction? When I beat you on the next exam, give me the same book.”
Lihart, once again burning with excessive competitiveness, made his expectations clear.
“Arcel, could you at least give us a hint about the content of the book?”
Ola, the main instigator, along with countless others, stared at me with curious eyes.
Forced into the pit of attention, I was left sweating alone, as Aven quietly excused himself to fulfill his birthday duties.
But through my dizzying vision, I caught sight of a gray-headed figure.
Seizing the opportunity, I called his name and hurriedly slipped out of the crowd.
“Kasel!”
