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Searching for the Runaway Princess – Chapter : 5
“….”
Elijia’s expression darkened.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool could immediately tell whether spilling ice cream on her shoulder had been an accident or intentional.
But instead of firing back a sharp remark, Elijia chose to stay seated.
She didn’t want to respond to childish bullying, and even if she argued that it was an accident and an apology, anything she said would only make her look ridiculous.
Unless she was going to slap her across the face, ignoring it was better.
‘Be kind. Be calm. Be patient. Be elegant.’
She repeated those words in her mind. Above her head, Beth’s light voice floated over.
“Anyway, I thought you were some cleaning maid sitting here.”
Beth’s gaze swept over Elijia’s plain dress as she continued.
“Is the Kingdom of Ortizia really that poor… or is it just your sense that’s lacking?”
“…Excuse me?”
It was an absurd remark.
Elijia looked at her in disbelief. But Beth simply finished what she had to say and turned away.
Beth and her group’s clear laughter gradually faded into the distance.
Only after staring blankly, unable to process what had just happened, did Elijia suddenly stand up.
‘Is that princess insane?!’
Not only had she spilled ice cream on her, she had also attacked her appearance out of nowhere.
At the time she had been too stunned to even react, but the more she thought about it, the more ridiculous and infuriating it became.
“If I see her again, I might grab her by the hair, senior or not!”
She sat back down with an irritated sigh. Beth was already gone, and the conflict had passed—frustratingly so.
‘I promised my nanny I’d behave elegantly… but at this rate, I might end up shaking that princess by the collar soon.’
If she really lost control like that, she at least hoped it would happen where fewer students could see.
Across from her, Sophie handed her a handkerchief with a worried expression.
“It must be cold… wipe it, Elijia.”
Elijia bit her lip as she wiped her damp shoulder.
Why did that senior Beth treat her with such hostility?
She would randomly trip her during group walks, or bully her in such childish ways. It happened often.
It was incomprehensible.
The first time they met, Beth had even approached her kindly and complimented her clothes. She had seemed like a nice person.
So why?
‘Well, it is kind of ridiculous to assume such blind hostility needs a reason.’
Elijia let out a small laugh and neatly folded Sophie’s handkerchief. Dwelling on it only made her more frustrated.
She glanced down at her outfit. It was well-made, but simple and plain.
Very different from Beth’s dress, which had been covered in shimmering blue lace.
It was hard to believe they were both princesses.
“Senior Sophie, do I look unfashionable?”
“…No, Elijia. It’s just… a bit neat.”
Sophie hesitated before answering gently. It was a kind, thoughtful reply.
But Elijia immediately understood that “neat” was basically another word for “plain.”
Elijia herself was a princess.
At Ortizia’s royal palace, she had always been dressed in extravagant clothing, displaying royal authority through jewels and garments.
But this place was different. She lived entirely on her own, without attendants.
Heavy dresses were inconvenient to wear alone, and jewelry was bothersome.
During sword lessons, removing and reattaching accessories was irritating.
Her nanny had packed her plenty of luxurious clothes and ornaments, but without anyone to help her dress, she had neither the skill nor the desire to wear them. They simply sat unused in her wardrobe.
So Elijia always wore simple dresses.
And that was why Beth had called her a “cleaning maid” and asked if the royal finances were in trouble.
Thinking about it again made her anger flare up.
She took a sip of the remaining tea. The cold liquid slid down her throat sharply.
Chapter 2: It Starts with Interest
skree—
Elijia frowned slightly at the off-key sound.
She had lost focus for a moment and her concentration had slipped.
She pressed her fingers against the violin strings. Blisters had formed on her ring and middle fingers.
She had practiced all night, repeatedly pressing and releasing the strings.
Even though her hands were trained through swordsmanship, holding metal weapons and pressing tight instrument strings were entirely different.
Still, it was better than failing to follow even simple notes and disrupting the class—even if her blisters burst and bled.
That was just the kind of person Elijia was.
After the final harp note faded, the music stopped.
“Take a short break.”
The professor at the front tapped his baton lightly.
A brief pause followed.
Elijia put her violin down and rolled her neck. Her shoulders ached from tension.
As she turned her head, someone came into view at the edge of her sight—Lakan.
She played violin; he played cello. As fellow string instrument players, they sat relatively close.
He was slightly frowning while tuning his cello. His lowered eyelashes looked almost elegant.
And his fingers—those delicate fingers gripping the cello neck.
They looked rough and strong, like someone who wielded a sword, yet long and refined at the same time, drawing her attention.
‘Even his fingertips are handsome. No wonder he’s so full of himself.’
Elijia nodded to herself and pressed a handkerchief against her fingers.
The fabric was already damp—her blisters had likely burst.
As she sighed quietly, someone spoke beside her.
“You really live with unbelievable effort. Even in sword class you’re stumbling, but you never rest. Even now.”
It was Lakan.
Having finished tuning, he looked at her calmly.
His emerald eyes shimmered faintly under the sunlight from the window.
Elijia glanced at her fingers, then answered casually.
“I just want to be good at everything.”
“Why? You’re the next queen with no competitors.”
“Exactly why I need to be perfect. I want to be a confident and admirable queen for my people. I want to make Ortizia and my citizens happy.”
She smiled sincerely as she said it.
Though she had been born royalty and designated as the next queen, she never took that position lightly.
The reason she came all the way to the neutral country of Swena to attend a royal academy—and why she always gave her best—was exactly that.
Lakan tightened his grip on the cello slightly.
His gaze settled on her quietly.
His usual indifferent eyes now looked as if they were trying to read her completely.
“You really are a strange royal.”
“Strange? I haven’t met many royals, so I don’t know what the average is.”
Honestly, I could say you’re the strange and arrogant noble here, she thought—but held it back.
“You remind me of my younger brother.”
“He must be pretty.”
“He’s a boy.”
“…A boy.”
“Yes. Half-blood, but he looks like me and is quite handsome.”
“I’m sure.”
Elijia replied flatly.
Was that supposed to be a compliment or not? Was he saying she looked like a man? No one had ever said that before.
“My brother is just like you. Stubbornly hardworking and absurdly devoted to his country.”
“I see.”
Her dull responses continued.
Lakan seemed amused, though his smile didn’t fully fade. It was a strangely unfamiliar expression.
Elijia studied his face.
Warm sunlight from the window lit up his golden hair.
Why did this situation feel so strange?
An awkward, uncomfortable relationship—that was what theirs was.
And yet, talking to him right now didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.
It was strange.
The day’s schedule ended.
Elijia lay on a carpet, letting her wet hair dry. The scent of orange blossoms filled the air.
Sophie lay down beside her.
“Elijia, the school founding anniversary party is coming up soon. You know that, right?”
At that, Elijia turned her head while sniffing Sophie’s damp hair.
“Yes. I got the notice.”
“Who are you going with? Do you have a male partner?”
A male partner.
For a moment, Lakan’s face came to mind. The thought irritated her, and she shook her head.
No way—her and him at a party?
Even if she didn’t know many boys, she would never choose him.
Being in the same place as him would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Jealous stares from other girls, rumors that she was trying to seduce Lakan—she hated all of it.
Elijia sat up.
“I don’t have to go with a boy, right?”
“Of course not. I won’t either.”
“But senior, aren’t you dating someone named Frederic? Won’t you go with him?”
“Well… I’m a commoner. It feels inappropriate to enter an official event with the duke’s family member…”
Sophie smiled faintly, though sadness lingered in it.
She was the daughter of a powerful merchant family, but still a commoner.
As a princess who had always been treated with respect, Elijia couldn’t fully understand Sophie’s feelings.
Sophie tilted her head.
“Elijia, if you don’t have a partner yet, would you go with me?”
“Sure. Okay.”
Elijia smiled brightly and nodded.
The school founding anniversary party would be held in a few days.
Although there had been a masked ball recently, this one was expected to be even grander.
The academy was expensive, located in a wealthy nation, and filled with nobles and royals from various countries.
Pairs usually entered together—male and female, or sometimes same-gender pairs. Fortunately, the atmosphere didn’t strictly demand opposite-sex partners.
For Elijia, who only knew Lakan among male students, this was a relief.
“Oh right, Senior Sophie, isn’t there a strange tradition at the party?”
“Yes. They pick the Rose and the Lily.”
“Through voting?”
“Yes.”
The Rose represented females, and the Lily represented males. They were symbolic figures chosen at the founding anniversary party—essentially popularity votes.
“Isn’t that kind of strange? It feels like judging appearance.”
“It kind of is, but people apply voluntarily. And some are pre-selected anyway.”
“Pre-selected?”
“Yes.”
“How does that work?”
“Even though it’s a vote, connections matter a lot.”
Well, most students here were nobles or royals, so connections naturally mattered.
For someone like Elijia, who wasn’t socially skilled, it was unimaginable.
She nodded slowly, eyes sparkling.
“Do you know who’s been chosen?”
Sophie smiled awkwardly.
“For the Rose… it’s Beth. Elizabeth Marché.”
“Beth?! That Beth senior?!”
“Yes. She’s royal, connected to the empire, and well-networked.”
“….”
Elijia’s expression darkened.
‘What? Beth? That Beth?!’
The same Beth who bullied her and laughed as she walked away?
Imagining her happily standing on stage as “the Rose” made Elijia feel sick.
I hope she trips on stage. And I’ll laugh at her when she does!
She clenched her fist with a grim expression.
Then she suddenly turned back to Sophie.
“And the Lily? Don’t tell me it’s Lakan?”
Sophie shook her head.
“No. He hates being in the spotlight.”
“He does?”
A person like that? Someone so full of himself?
He seemed like the type to stand on stage demanding admiration.
Unexpected.
But not entirely unbelievable. He was strangely calm and detached most of the time.
“Then who is the Lily?”
“…Frederic Watts.”
“Frederic Watts? Sophie’s boyfriend?”
Sophie nodded awkwardly.
Elijia imagined him—someone she had never even seen before.
A duke’s family member, socially connected, popular enough to be chosen as Lily.
She processed everything she had just learned.
She thought of Beth, then nodded slightly at Frederic.
At that same time, Beth walking through the first-floor lobby of the girls’ dormitory stopped.
In front of her was a glowing red box.
[We are looking for the Rose of the Royal Academy.]
Inside it would already be slips of paper containing Beth’s name.
She tilted her head and stared at the box.
Then she stepped closer.
A golden pen appeared in her hand. The sound of ink scratching paper echoed through the dim lobby.
A faint light reflected on her pale skin, and her lips curved into a mocking smile.
“Go ahead and be humiliated.”
Elijia Ward Ortizia.
Written at the tip of Beth’s pen was Elijia’s name.
