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I Want to Find the Runaway Princess Chapter : 12
A light illuminated a brown-haired female student, and briefly brushed over a black-eyed male student before stopping in front of someone.
Soon, the principal’s voice rang loudly.
“This year’s Rose is Elizia Wodea Ortizia of the Kingdom of Ortizia!”
They had thought it wouldn’t be met with much applause, but unexpectedly, a loud cheer erupted.
At this point, even Elizia, who had been calm, felt her heart sway slightly.
It was a strange feeling—somewhat awkward, yet ticklish and warm at the same time.
Frederick, who had come closer at some point, was already holding out his hand toward her.
Elizia took his hand and went up onto the stage. It was time to give her acceptance speech and thanks.
Standing on the podium, she looked at Frederick, who was speaking his own acceptance speech first, and briefly fell into thought.
‘Come to think of it… I didn’t prepare anything to say at all.’
She had never expected to be a candidate in the first place, so there was no prepared speech.
But instead of feeling anxious, she simply waited for her turn at ease.
Frederick expressed gratitude to certain people, spoke of his ambitions, and finally concluded with, “I send my happiness to my lover.” It was clearly directed toward Sophie.
From the crowd below the stage, she searched for Sophie. Sophie looked slightly embarrassed, but clearly happy, fidgeting with her fingers.
Elizia found it cute and smiled a little.
Finally, it was her turn. Elizia took a few steps forward and stood at the front of the podium. The bright lights made it hard to see.
An acceptance speech—what was so difficult about it? She would just say what she wanted.
“First, I would like to express my gratitude to the entire Swena Neutral Kingdom Royal Academy. I am somewhat flustered because this is an unexpected honor, but there is one thing I want to make absolutely clear.”
She paused briefly, scanning the sea of lights before speaking again.
“I, Elizia Wodea Ortizia, as the Rose, will always fulfill my role and bring honor to this school. I hope you will confirm that your choice was correct next year… and now, please enjoy the party.”
It was short and simple. But it was very much like her.
Frederick, standing beside her, immediately applauded at the end of her speech, and soon the entire student body cheered and laughed.
Though it had all started because she ended up in the seat through Lakan’s help, it was quite enjoyable.
She clapped her hands as well and looked around.
Ves was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had left early, unable to witness Elizia’s victory.
After stepping down from the stage, Elizia returned to enjoying the party.
She gathered with five or six close female classmates, giggling, and later just listened quietly to their conversation.
Perhaps because of the slightly alcoholic drinks, her soft cheeks had turned faintly rosy.
“Honestly, I did have some preconceived notions about you because you’re Princess Elizia of Ortizia.”
“Right. Imperial princes and princesses of the Shati Kingdom tend to be quite aloof. Noble blood and all that.”
“Oh, that doesn’t mean you’re aloof. It just means… your gaze toward us is warm, which I like.”
“Is His Majesty the King of Ortizia also as kind as you, Elizia?”
Listening to her classmates, Elizia smiled faintly.
Kind, huh. Just a few hours ago, she had been pushing a male student away rather roughly.
Compliments like that didn’t suit her at all. But it didn’t feel bad.
Unlike Ves or Lakan, Elizia was not someone surrounded by many people.
Even so, she received deep trust and affection from the few people she did have.
The reason people around her liked her was due to Elizia’s natural character.
She was confident yet humble, straightforward yet never rude. So much so that people naturally felt favor toward the Kingdom of Ortizia itself.
Elizia narrowed her eyes slightly in a pleasant mood and smiled quietly.
Bright lights flowed like waves beyond the window.
The party ended.
Even if it was a joyful gathering, it was still exhausting.
So Elizia usually returned to her room after parties and threw off her shoes and scattered her clothes everywhere.
But not today. She hummed softly as she neatly arranged her clothes and placed her shoes properly.
Perhaps because she had been chosen as the Rose, she felt not tired but faintly excited.
‘Being chosen as the Rose… it’s all thanks to senior.’
For the first time since entering the academy, Elizia thought of Lakan and smiled.
Until now, just thinking about him would make her frown, pout, or feel irritated. But now she was smiling.
It was a surprisingly strange development.
She suddenly recalled the moment they had danced together.
The soft melody that filled the air, his unique fragrant scent, and the warmth of his body that felt almost intense, along with his low voice close to her ear.
Just imagining it made her ears itch and her spine tighten slightly.
Elizia pressed a hand to her chest and blinked. She couldn’t quite understand what she was feeling.
But one thing was clear within that vague emotion: she should not think about him anymore.
‘Damian. Damian… Damian Leodric.’
She forced herself to think of Damian, her fiancé back in the kingdom.
She recalled his gentle smile and warm voice.
But unlike before, her heart did not race, nor did it ache at his unreachable feelings.
It was a night full of things she could not understand.
Being chosen as the Rose didn’t change much. It was still the same daily life of attending classes and spending time with friends.
She had heard that she would only appear as a representative for school events when necessary, but there were no schedules yet.
Two weeks had already passed since the party.
Elizia was idly spending time in the courtyard with a female student from her class.
It was a small break before the upcoming exam period.
They had been complaining about strict professors and stressing over assignments for about thirty minutes when someone called her name.
“Elizia.”
It was Lakan.
Elizia almost reacted brightly without thinking, but quickly composed her expression.
She used to think of him as an arrogant, infuriating man full of self-love, but now, whenever she saw him, instead of frowning, a smile almost escaped her. That was strange.
“What is it?” Elizia asked, sitting on a stone wall and raising her hand toward him as if greeting a friend. Her attitude toward him was becoming increasingly casual.
Lakan walked straight toward her, then crossed his arms and pointed toward a building beyond the apple trees with a tilt of his head.
“Let’s go.”
A sudden request out of nowhere.
Elizia leaned back slightly, confused. He was always so abrupt in his behavior.
“Go? Where?”
“Meeting with the principal. You’re coming too.”
“A meeting? And I’m coming too? Why?”
“You’ll find out when you get there.”
With that, Lakan casually acknowledged the greeting from Elizia’s friend, who bowed politely.
Elizia told her friend, “Something came up, I’ll go first. See you next class!”
Then she placed her hands on the stone wall as if preparing to jump down.
Lakan instinctively stepped forward and reached out his hand—an automatic gesture, a habit of manners.
But Elizia chose not to take it and jumped down on her own.
Grass brushed beneath her feet, and her well-kept hair fluttered in the wind.
“Then let’s go.”
She gestured toward the building just as Lakan had done earlier, then turned around first. Her figure quickly moved away.
Lakan looked at his empty hand for a moment, then chuckled softly.
The distance between them, which had once been slightly apart, had somehow become closer. Soon, they were walking side by side.
A faint scent of cologne drifted from him.
It wasn’t overpowering or suffocating, but a gentle and pleasant lingering fragrance.
‘It smells really nice.’
Without thinking, Elizia slightly turned toward him, then quickly pulled back.
Since the day they danced at the party, every time she smelled that scent again, her heart would tremble and she would find herself drawn to it.
And another clear memory surfaced—the fact that her heart had pounded when she had been in his arms.
Elizia deliberately took half a step away from him.
‘No. I can’t get more carried away.’
She had once thought of him as merely a rude and arrogant noble, but now that she had started seeing him in a better light, someone she thought she knew well suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Lakan’s walking speed was slower than usual, adjusted to match hers.
With his hands behind his back, he glanced down at her.
“Elizia. Let’s go to the opera together this weekend.”
“….”
Her steps slowed slightly.
Elizia glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, then looked forward again.
Her expression remained calm, but her mind was turning over countless thoughts.
‘An opera? Did he really just say that to me? Why? A date invitation? No way…’
“Senior, are you saying that to me?”
She asked, genuinely confused, even glancing around to see if he might be talking to someone else.
But the only living things there were blooming flowers and pigeons pecking at the ground.
Lakan stopped walking and let out a small, incredulous smile.
“Who else would I be talking to, the pigeon?”
His answer carried a hint of amusement.
Elizia stared at him for a moment, then asked:
“Then… is this a date invitation?”
It was a blunt question, very much like her.
In an instant, Lakan’s relaxed expression disappeared.
Perhaps it was because the sunset light was spilling behind him. His ears seemed slightly flushed—but only for a fleeting moment, so brief she didn’t notice.
He quickly returned to his usual expression and stepped closer to her.
As he leaned slightly toward her, Elizia swallowed unconsciously.
‘What is it? Why is he coming closer?’
As their faces drew near, his emerald eyes—tinged faintly with blue—shone vividly.
She thought she had gotten used to seeing him, but being this close made her nervous.
‘My looks don’t seem like they have a specific type…’
The words he once said when they first met flashed through her mind.
Lakan looked at her with a faint, ambiguous smile under the sunset light. Then he spoke slowly.
“Do you want to go on a date with me, Elizia?”
