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Chapter 16
“I was just about to go. Room A-501, right?”
“Yeah. Oh, Lucy’s here too. You’re coming with us, right?”
“Uh-huh. Is Serena in the room?”
“Serena went to another dorm to meet a friend! But instead, we’ve got a special guest in our room.”
On the way down to her first-floor room, Lerta chattered endlessly about who she had invited.
“You’re going to be surprised when you see her. She’s quite the talk of the academy, though not as much as you, Shua.”
“Yeah, yeah, just open the door already.”
As the door swung open, the light from inside revealed someone I was already familiar with.
“…Senior Rang?”
“Wait, why is she here…?”
“I told you! I invited her! Surprised?”
She was the same senior who had given the freshman orientation speech before my brother arrived on the day of the entrance ceremony.
“…That senior is Rang?”
“Yeah! The one from the Department of Herbal Studies I mentioned at the entrance banquet.”
“She’s the department chair for Herbal Studies!”
Herbal Studies was one of the top three most competitive majors in the Literary Division, alongside Economics and Business Administration.
Naturally, I had assumed the chair of that department must be an extraordinary person.
‘But I didn’t expect it to be that beautiful senior.’
“Ah, hello! I’m Lunashion, first year, Business Administration.”
“I’m Shuaner, first year, Shooting Club.”
The senior nodded slightly at our introductions.
“The Shooting Club… that’s the one led by Senior Parvus, right?”
“Yes.”
It seemed Parvus really was a well-known figure at the academy. Even this senior—who looked like she wouldn’t care about rumors at all—knew his name.
“If you feel uncomfortable, just say so. I was dragged here half against my will.”
“Don’t say that, senior!”
“Am I wrong? You practically forced me here, saying you wanted to hear stories about the Hua Empire.”
“You didn’t have anything better to do anyway!”
After bickering for a while, Lerta and Senior Rang seemed to remember we were there and awkwardly shook hands in truce.
“Sorry. That was rude of me in front of the juniors.”
“No, it’s fine. But… what’s this about the Hua Empire?”
“Oh, I might as well just tell you. Most people who know me already know anyway.”
Then, with a strangely solemn expression, the senior said something unexpected.
“I’m a princess of the Hua Empire. To be precise, a princess in name only, with no right to succession.”
“I’d heard rumors about you, but… wow!”
Lucy’s eyes had been sparkling for a while now—apparently she already knew.
‘Am I the only one who never knows these things?’
It wasn’t as shocking as learning Parvus was a prince, but still—
‘Why are there so many princes and princesses around here?!’
“Actually, I’ve read about Senior Rang in the papers even before entering the academy. A genius mind, yet humble and dedicated to study—it was so inspiring!”
‘Do I have to start asking about people’s royal status before talking to them now? What if I say something stupid and end up executed or something…’
“I knew you’d know her, Lucy. She’s famous for her brilliance and beauty! Pretty good guest, huh?”
I barely heard their chatter—I was too busy weighing my options.
‘Do I stay and listen to this story about the Hua Empire, or do I go back to my room before my energy’s drained…?’
“If you’re curious, go ahead and ask.”
“Um, the Hua Empire… that’s the strongest nation in the Eastern Continent, right?”
Of course, I’d already decided to stay.
* * *
“You’ve probably all heard of the Hua Empire. My father’s been working for years to strengthen our ties with other nations.”
“I learned that after the Fortuna Kingdom, the Hua Empire has the second most trade with the Spes Empire this year,” Lucy added eagerly.
“Right. Unlike the many Western nations represented here at the academy, the Hua Empire lies deep in the East, so our customs, daily life, and even basic culture differ greatly from yours.”
The more Senior Rang talked about the Hua Empire, the more familiar it all sounded.
‘Yeah… this sounds way too much like Joseon.’
“Oh, and my full name is Hong Arang. Most people just call me Rang out of habit.”
“I see! The papers always just said ‘Rang,’ so I thought that was your real name.”
“Back home, I’m called Princess Haehwa.”
When she said her royal title, her expression darkened slightly.
“‘Hae’ means ocean, and ‘Hwa’ isn’t the same as the one in Hua Empire—it means flower. So my title combines ‘sea’ and ‘flower.’ It’s an honorary title given directly by the Emperor.”
“Ocean and flower… sounds nice?”
At first glance, it sounded beautiful—broad as the sea, lovely as a flower. But if you thought about it—
‘For a princess, “sea and flower” means one thing.’
“The sea represents the royal family—the vast place where I could drown and no one would notice. The flower… is ornamental. I’m a decoration—pleasant to look at, but ultimately useless.”
“Ah…”
“My father’s probably already thinking about which country he should marry me off to now that I’ve graduated from the academy.”
“How could someone as capable as you—”
“In the Hua Empire, no matter how talented a woman is, she’ll never be considered useful. There has never been a single female monarch in the empire’s history.”
Her tone carried the weight of resignation.
Unlike the Hua Empire, the Kingdom of Ifs crowned its ruler based on martial strength, so there were plenty of female rulers in its history.
Even in other nations, it wasn’t hard to find cases where women inherited the throne.
But in the Hua Empire—where lineage and gender outweighed ability—it wasn’t hard to understand her defeatist attitude.
‘Still… Lucy said she’s a genius. Shouldn’t a genius like her try before giving up?’
I’d heard of gifted people who were crushed by circumstance before, but seeing one in person was frustrating.
“So, uh… I know this might sound treasonous, but—have you ever thought about rebellion?”
The room went deathly silent.
After what felt like forever, Arang spoke.
“…It’s not that the thought never crossed my mind.”
“Senior Rang…” Lucy’s voice trembled, as if touched or maybe just shocked.
“But rebellion isn’t something one person can do alone. And who would follow a princess without any claim to the throne—someone already out of the emperor’s favor?”
“Have you even tried?”
“…What?”
“Tried to find people who’d support you? Or at least considered persuading—or blackmailing—someone into it? You sound like you want the throne badly enough, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve actually done anything about it.”
She stared at me, stunned.
Even Lerta and Lucy were frozen, mouths open.
“Haa… if you really want to be emperor, then stop giving up before you even start. Build allies in secret, establish influence.”
“Ah… okay…”
“And from what you’ve said, it sounds like the current emperor can’t govern, even if he’s rich. Plus, the crown prince’s just a spoiled layabout, right? That means the ministers probably have plenty of complaints about the royal family. You could use that!”
By the time I finished my rant, my tongue felt twisted.
From her perspective, it must have sounded like an overbearing lecture from a random junior. But I couldn’t help it—it reminded me too much of my past life.
—Where do you think you’re going at this hour?!
—I told you, once I turn eighteen, I’m leaving this house.
—Who gave you permission?!
—I’ve packed everything. Changed my number yesterday. Don’t bother looking for me again.
—You brat! Are you insane—
—You told me to leave all the time, didn’t you? Fine. Let’s pretend we never knew each other. Live your life. Die that way too.
Back then, I worked like crazy just to escape that hellhole.
I hated being a burden, so I took only jobs I could handle on my own—and made sure not to get fired.
When I searched for a place to live, I didn’t care about the condition—only the price. Even after saving diligently, my balance wasn’t enough for rent.
I only managed to move thanks to help from friends and kind adults around me.
Especially my café boss—probably the best adult I ever met. He helped me with everything from loans to the lease contract.
When I finally held a housewarming party in that tiny one-room apartment, I cried from sheer relief at being free. My friends freaked out and tore open a pack of tissues to hand me, which only made me laugh through the tears.
I had done everything to escape that wretched home—so seeing someone with real power, real potential, give up so easily—it pissed me off.
“Senior, if you truly want to be emperor, you’ll need people around you.”
I knew that from experience.
“No ruler rises alone. You’ll need loyal ministers, allies—and most of them will probably be older than you.”
“…Right.”
“I’m sorry if I was rude. It’s just… you’re so smart, and I can tell you’d make a great ruler, so it’s frustrating to see you give up. But you’re right—I was out of line. You can be mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Huh? Not even a slap or something?”
I braced myself, watching her hands seriously—but her reply completely caught me off guard.
“No. What you said was more helpful than any advisor’s counsel.”
“Ah… I see. That’s… good then.”
The tension eased, and Lerta and Lucy’s eyes started sparkling again.
“Shua! You actually used your brain for once!”
“Shut up. I’m smarter than you anyway.”
“Shua… I respect you all over again.”
“Lucy, stop looking at me like that. Respect’s a bit much.”
As our noisy banter filled the room again, Senior Rang’s lips curved softly into a smile.
‘I hope she becomes emperor someday—just like I walked out of that house.’
Everyone said a “home” was the most comfortable place—but I’d never had one. I had a place to return to, sure, but it wasn’t home.
That’s why I kept running away—because anywhere else was better.
Anywhere else felt more alive.
Anywhere else wouldn’t slowly kill me.
“Anyway, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
“About time. I’m coming too!”
“Hurry up. Senior, will you join us?”
“Sure.”
After leaving that house, I never looked back.
When I first moved out, all I had was a single black 20-inch suitcase.
I quit all but one part-time job—the one I actually liked.
I didn’t need to keep working just to survive anymore. For the first time, school came first.
‘It really was that house. How could I regain so much life the moment I left?’
“What the—why’s it so crowded here?”
“What’s going on? Why’d you stop—”
The moment Lerta opened the door to the banquet hall, she froze. I peeked inside on tiptoe—then heard a loud voice.
“Is that true?!”
It was, of all people—Diel’s voice.
