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Chapter 67
“What? You lost him?”
Princess Fransia’s face hardened as she glared at the Monster Trio.
“Well, he was just so fast…”
“Yeah, seriously fast. Like he used some kind of magic.”
They tried to explain themselves as best they could, but their excuses only fueled Fransia’s anger even more.
“Of course he was fast! You think someone like that would just let himself get caught? What kind of stupid—ugh…”
‘No, calm down. I can’t lose my composure here.’
Fransia stopped herself mid-rant and shook her head.
“Haa… fine.”
“I’ll call for you later. Until then, don’t come near me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
While two of them sulked, Sol Crensh tried his best to keep his expression neutral as he bowed politely.
Creak—click!
The moment the Monster Trio left the office—
Fransia’s shoulders began to tremble violently.
“They lost him? That filthy bastard?”
Most people believed the recent slander incident was orchestrated by Lady Cecilia’s faction, but Fransia alone could guess who the real mastermind was.
“Carmon Bate.”
The one the Monster Trio had failed to catch must have been him.
“So that’s how you want to play, huh? Fine. This is getting interesting.”
Muttering coldly, she turned her gaze to a piece of parchment on her desk.
“Alright then… let’s start things off nice and easy, shall we?”
Scratch, scratch!
Sitting down, she began to write quickly across the parchment.
That same day, while I was casually drinking at a café, a letter arrived for me—and I couldn’t help but feel a little touched.
“Wow. I didn’t think Her Highness would be this bold.”
“Pfft! Damn it, I spilled! Wait, what? That letter’s from the Princess?”
Elliot wiped the juice off his lips and stared.
I nodded, grinning.
“Yup.”
“What did she write?”
“Wanna see?”
“C-Can I?”
Seeing how flustered he looked, I immediately handed him the letter from Princess Fransia.
“Here, read it.”
A few seconds later—
“This—this is the letter she sent you?”
“Yeah. Look, her seal’s right here. Official royal stamp, see? The real deal.”
I pointed proudly at the twin seals of the Flines royal family stamped on the bottom of the parchment.
Elliot trembled as he nervously sipped his drink again.
Then—
“What are you guys talking about?”
A familiar voice. Bren had arrived.
“Hey Bren, check this out.”
“Huh? What’s this? Wait—‘That was you, wasn’t it?’…?”
After reading the single line, Bren looked between me and Elliot in confusion.
“What’s this supposed to mean? Who sent it? And this one line is it?”
“Princess Fransia sent it. To this bastard right here.”
Elliot explained, slurping through his straw.
“Wh-what?!”
Bren yelped, instantly throwing the letter back at me like it was on fire.
“W-We’ve been found out?!”
“Not sure yet. The letter just says, ‘That was you, wasn’t it?’ So maybe she’s just guessing… but yeah, probably.”
Both Bren and Elliot turned pale as sheets, whispering anxiously to each other.
I just laughed.
“Man, why are you two freaking out? She’s got no proof. If she did, she wouldn’t be sending this kind of letter in the first place.”
“S-Still! It’s terrifying!”
“Yeah, maybe you’re not scared, but we are. We’re talking about the Princess here.”
Just then, another voice joined us.
“There you all are. I—”
“Lois! You remember our oath, right?!”
Elliot cut him off with a desperate shout.
“Uh… what?”
“The oath of brotherhood! We die together!”
“Excuse me?”
Bren quickly shoved the letter into Lois’s hands.
“Here. Read this.”
“Huh? A letter?”
“It’s from Princess Fransia. To Carmon.”
“Wha—aaagh!”
And there it was. The exact same reaction as the others.
Guess birds of a feather really do flock together.
“Well then, Carmon, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean—after receiving that, are you still going to…”
Lois trailed off nervously.
I nodded.
“Yeah, I’m taking a break from that.”
The moment I said it, all three of them exploded.
“What?”
“You’re ending the wall-post campaign?”
“Good call, Carmon. We shouldn’t provoke her any further.”
Elliot said this with a look of resolve as he reached into his jacket.
“And on that note…”
Clink.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Is… that gold?”
“What are you doing, Elliot?”
“My dear friend is risking his life on this gamble. I can’t just sit back and do nothing, can I?”
He said it with a proud, heroic tone.
“I’ve petitioned my family. I wagered my rights as heir that I’ll make Lady Cecilia the next student council president. In return, they agreed to fund me.”
“What?!”
“Carmon, that means we’re partners now—bound by fate! Hahahaha!”
“……”
Was he insane?
He’d risked his family heirship—something worth millions—over a mere student council election?
“Come on, don’t look so moved, Carmon. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Uh… senior, but… that’s a lot of money for just heirship rights…”
“Huh? Oh—yeah, our family’s pretty rich, you know? Haha!”
Elliot laughed obliviously while I just stared at him speechless.
“……”
But then I thought—
‘Well, I do need money anyway.’
Might as well make use of this.
“Elliot, so… how much funding can we expect, exactly?”
“Uh, w-well…”
“Come on, you didn’t bet your heirship for just this amount, right?”
“Haha, of course not! However much you need, I’ll get it! Just say the word!”
‘Ah. So this is all he has.’
Whatever.
It’s fine. The money will multiply soon enough anyway.
“Alright then, time to start something new.”
“S-something new?” Bren asked nervously.
I grinned.
The wall posters were losing their impact, and I’d already been planning to switch tactics soon.
Now I had a perfect excuse.
“Elliot, do you know anyone skilled in voice manipulation?”
“Huh?”
“Voice alteration. Someone really good—like, undetectably good.”
I smiled wider than ever.
“The rumors currently spreading around the academy are entirely false and have nothing to do with Princess Fransia!”
As the second-year representative Arian Marquis spoke loudly before the crowd, Rozen turned to Obern, the vice president.
“This should work, right?”
“I’m not sure a direct response was necessary, but… yes. The reaction seems positive.”
“Still, this election’s way more fun than the last one, don’t you think? I love the chaos—it’s not a real fight unless it’s dirty.”
“Quiet, Lucas. This isn’t a game.”
Lucas, the third-year representative, chuckled lazily while Obern scolded him with a stern glare.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Mr. Perfect.”
“Lucas, Vice President Obern’s right this time. This isn’t just for show.”
“Hey, hey, I get it. Jeez, no need to gang up on me. I was just kidding.”
“Enough. Keep monitoring public sentiment and report any changes immediately.”
“Got it.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
Thanks to the official statement released by Princess Fransia’s campaign, the wave of false rumors, inflammatory wall posters, and scandalous gossip around the academy began to die down.
A few days later.
“I think it’s safe to say the crisis is over.”
“Yeah. There haven’t been any new rumors lately, and no new posters either. People are losing interest.”
“Good work, everyone.”
Princess Fransia smiled brightly, addressing her campaign team.
“Oh, and—there’s something I’d like to announce.”
Everyone turned their eyes toward her.
“I recently had a private meeting with President Alec. And I’ve secured his full support for our campaign.”
“W-What?!”
“You’re kidding!”
“President Alec himself?!”
“Yes. He’ll be making an official endorsement and giving a supporting speech tomorrow.”
“Unbelievable!”
“This means victory!”
Within the academy, Alec Axellion—the current student council president—was the single most influential person.
His public endorsement meant the election was as good as won.
Cheers erupted across the room.
“……”
Fransia watched their excitement fondly, recalling the events that led here.
“Are you certain you can resolve this matter?”
“Yes, as long as we have imperial sanction, dissolving the engagement won’t be an issue, President.”
At Alec’s desperate request, Fransia smiled softly.
What could be sadder than an engagement without love?
Alec Axellion, heir to the “Northern Wall” Grand Duke’s family, was engaged to Lady Giselle, daughter of Count Kaisel of the southern territories—a purely political arrangement.
Neither had affection for the other. Their relationship had long been a source of misery.
And since neither family would back down, the engagement couldn’t be broken for personal reasons.
‘But with the right justification, it’s not impossible.’
After learning the details, Fransia took matters into her own hands.
She recommended Alec for the Silver Lance Order—an elite corps under imperial command, restricted to unmarried knights.
And then—
“If that is your will, so be it.”
She obtained direct approval from her father, the Emperor.
With that, she met Alec in person.
“Once you join, you’ll serve a minimum of five years. After that, you can leave freely and reconsider your personal life.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you, Princess Fransia!”
“Think nothing of it.”
After setting everything in motion, she also met privately with Lady Giselle and convinced her as well.
In exchange for resolving their engagement, Alec had pledged his political support.
“I’ll back you in this election, Your Highness.”
And so, Fransia secured his public endorsement.
‘It wasn’t easy… but definitely worth it.’
No matter how difficult the task, Fransia could achieve anything once she set her mind to it.
And now—
“It seems this little wager is mine to win, Carmon Bate.”
She murmured with a cold, triumphant smile.
