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Looking for the Runaway Princess – Chapter : 2
The Royal Academy of Swena Neutral Kingdom was fair to everyone.
That meant everyone had a chance to take the entrance exam, anyone could enter if they passed, and once admitted, all students were treated the same regardless of their status.
It was a place where admission depended only on individual ability, not background or origin.
However, most of the students still came from upper-class families. Education itself was a privilege given only to a few.
In any case, even if someone was royalty or imperial nobility, they received no special treatment inside the academy.
The same applied to Princess Elizia. Unless there was a medical issue, students were required to live in shared rooms with two people per dorm.
Her roommate was a woman who had entered the academy one year earlier. She was one of the few commoners in the academy and the daughter of a merchant from the Empire.
Her name was Sophie Windker. She was the second Imperial person Elizia had met.
Unlike Rakan—the worst Imperial person she had met, her so-called “direct senior”—Sophie was someone Elizia found quite likable.
Because of that, after about a week of living together, they had become close enough to have casual conversations.
“Good luck with your first class, Elizia.”
“Yes. I’m really looking forward to it!”
Elizia brushed her hair with sparkling eyes.
The Royal Academy of Swena Neutral Kingdom was a place everyone wanted to enter. And today, she was finally attending her first class.
Although she wasn’t happy that her first class was a general lecture with Rakan, it didn’t matter much anymore.
“By the way, Elizia… your direct senior is Rakan…?”
“…Yes. It just happened that way.”
She didn’t even know his full name. She hadn’t asked and didn’t want to.
He was from an enemy nation and had made the worst first impression possible. She had absolutely no curiosity about him.
If anything, she almost felt it would be better if her senior were the Imperial prince, Nobila Herbe Karund, instead of Rakan.
Just thinking about him made her face twist in displeasure.
Sophie’s voice reached her.
“Having Rakan as your senior… I wonder what the headmaster was thinking. Anyway, you’re going to get a lot of attention. Be careful.”
“Attention?”
Elizia looked at Sophie as if she didn’t understand.
Sophie only smiled meaningfully, as if to say, You’ll find out soon.
“Well, you’ll see. Anyway, take care.”
“Okay. See you later, senior.”
After saying that, Elizia picked up a few books. It was time to leave.
Walking through the pale marble hallway, Elizia thought of Rakan again. Her so-called senior she would soon meet in class.
Her expression twisted before she could stop it.
Even after several days, she still couldn’t forget that arrogant man full of self-love.
Stop thinking about schemes.
Schemes? The one thinking nonsense was him, not her.
Her goal was simple: study hard for three years and become the perfect queen candidate for the Kingdom of Ortigia.
There was no place in that plan for a strange Imperial man or any interest in him.
Right. So that’s why.
Elizia looked ahead with a strange expression.
A professor with neatly tied hair was lecturing while waving a magic pen.
But Elizia’s eyes kept drifting away from the professor and toward the back of Rakan’s seat in the second row.
A broad, solid-looking back. A perfectly straight posture. And… the crowd of girls surrounding him.
“Hm.”
Elizia rested her chin on her hand and looked back at the professor.
The first class was “Understanding Ancient History.”
It wasn’t her preference. She preferred modern or contemporary history rather than distant ancient times.
But she was only taking this class because Rakan was taking it.
As his direct junior, she had to attend some of his general classes with him.
And now she could understand many things—his ridiculous self-confidence, his strange comment about “schemes,” and Sophie’s warning about “attention.”
Before class started, when she entered the lecture hall filled with marble desks—
She had immediately noticed it.
Girls in soft dresses were seated tightly around Rakan—left, right, front, and back.
It suddenly made sense why Rakan was so self-assured. Even his nonsense about “don’t try anything” now seemed slightly understandable.
Rakan was a flower surrounded by other beautiful flowers.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t slept well from excitement about her first class. Or maybe the professor’s voice was too calm and slow.
Elizia struggled to keep her eyes open.
But the more she tried, the more her sharp, half-lidded eyes ended up glaring at the professor.
“Elizia.”
Perhaps sensing her intense stare, the professor turned and called her name.
“Yes!”
Startled, Elizia answered loudly.
BANG!
She stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the desk—an unnecessary extra.
The professor smiled calmly.
“You don’t need to stand. If you’re sleepy, you can even go wash your face.”
“I’m fine! I’m sorry!”
Elizia quickly sat back down, shaking her head hard. Her face burned with embarrassment and her heart pounded.
Sleeping on the first day!
She had stayed up too excited for class, and this was the result.
Rakan turned slightly and looked back at her. A crooked smile appeared on his face.
His expression clearly said, I told you not to pay attention.
Elizia felt like banging her head on the desk in shame.
To be looked at like this by an Imperial bastard…!
A terrible start to her first class.
Elizia’s first class ended like that.
The next class was swordsmanship training. It also overlapped with Rakan’s schedule.
It wasn’t intentional—she had simply chosen it because she wanted to practice swordsmanship as she had in the palace, and it just so happened to overlap with him.
Elizia gathered her things and turned around. Rakan had already left the classroom.
Even though he was supposedly her senior, he didn’t seem to care about her at all.
But Elizia didn’t care either. She had no desire to be involved with him in the slightest.
She walked through the noon sunlight. Her dress fluttered in the breeze.
Humming softly, she headed toward the large dome-shaped training ground.
And then, on a path where tall green grass grew, she ran into someone.
A red-haired beauty.
“You’re Elizia?”
The girl spoke without even greeting her.
She was about the same height as Elizia, but had a naturally condescending air. Her face was more womanly than girlish—almost seductive.
Even though she wore a modest high-neck dress, there was something strangely alluring about her.
Elizia searched her memory.
She was the girl who had been sitting next to Rakan earlier. And judging by her badge, she was also a senior.
Elizia gave a small respectful nod.
“Yes. I’m Elizia Werd Ortigia. You know me already, it seems.”
“It’s impossible not to. The rumor about you becoming Rakan’s direct junior is everywhere.”
The girl smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile.
Then she added,
“I’m Bess. Princess of the Shati Kingdom.”
Her tone felt less like an introduction and more like a declaration of war.
The Shati Kingdom…
An ally of the Empire, right?
Even if it wasn’t directly connected to Ortigia, it was still effectively an enemy nation in its own way.
It wasn’t strange for her to act like this.
Ignoring the hostility, Elizia smiled calmly.
“Nice to meet you, Senior Bess. I’m the princess of the Kingdom of Ortigia. As you probably already know.”
Her greeting carried a relaxed confidence.
Bess tilted her lips slightly and looked Elizia up and down.
Short-trimmed nails, a neatly buttoned dress, and loosely tied hair.
“I expected more from a rich kingdom… but you’re kind of plain.”
And then came the words that were not pleasant to hear.
What is with this sudden hostility? Should I just fight her?
Elizia seriously considered it.
Princess Bess was openly looking down on her.
