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Felix, who had been smiling gently, scratched his cheek and added.
“I didn’t really have anything special going on. I had a paternity test to confirm that I was the Duke’s son, and I went through the ceremony to be recognized as the Heir. After that… I just kept training.”
Felix stopped there, swallowing his words.
He couldn't bring himself to tell them about the future he had seen in the ruins.
‘It’s better if I’m the only one who knows about that.’
Anyway, he was determined to do his best to change their destinies so that such a future would not come to pass.
Peony looked deflated by Felix’s calm demeanor.
“Tch, who else would talk about becoming the Heir of a Noble house with so little excitement?”
“It’s the truth, what can I do?”
“Are you going to be this boring when you go out into high society later?”
“The Duke is quite taciturn himself, but no one says anything about it.”
Watching the two bickering, Ayla smiled quietly.
‘I’m glad they both seem so cheerful, even after going through so much during the break.’
She fiddled with her teacup, gauging the atmosphere before cautiously opening her mouth.
“Actually, I have something important to tell you guys too.”
As soon as she finished speaking, both of their gazes focused on her.
Ayla took a breath and carefully began to speak.
“I’m planning to graduate from the academy early this semester.”
Clang.
As if her statement was quite shocking, Peony dropped the teacup she was holding.
Tea quickly spread across the tablecloth.
Felix didn’t react as strongly as Peony, but he gripped his teacup so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Unlike his calm expression, his eyes were subtly shaking.
“Is it because you can make a complete Cure now?”
Ayla quietly nodded at Felix’s question.
“Yes, once I fully recover my Magic abilities, there won’t be any reason for me to stay at the academy.”
She bit her lip as if she felt sorry, and added.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably wondering why I’m suddenly doing this. And I want to tell you the truth.”
“……”
“But I can’t easily tell you because I’m afraid you might be in danger too.”
Peony looked sympathetic at her words.
“Is it as serious as Darian trying to kill me?”
Ayla stared at Peony for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Yes, it might be even more difficult than that. And I still have a lot to do to solve it.”
A moment of silence passed.
Peony hesitated before cautiously opening her mouth.
“I don’t know what’s going on, Ayla. But can’t I help you with that?”
She continued in a serious voice.
“You saved my life, you’re my benefactor. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to reveal that Darian was the culprit.”
The tips of Peony’s ears turned red.
It was the first time she had expressed her feelings so earnestly to someone.
“And I’ve been thinking about it a lot during the break… I like you. Not just because you’re my benefactor, but because I like you as a person.”
She took a small breath and continued with emphasis.
“So if you have to go through something difficult anyway, can’t we help each other and be each other’s support?”
“Peony……”
“Of course, I know that my power is still lacking compared to Darian. But I’m planning to gather talented people in the future. And I want you, Ayla, to be my first person.”
Peony carefully brought up the thoughts she had been contemplating for a while.
Since she was young, she had been taught that ‘commoners are inherently inferior.’
It couldn’t be helped. She had been raised as a princess with that kind of education.
But after meeting friends at the academy, she realized how wrong her prejudices had been.
Even if she only turned her gaze slightly, there were many talented people in the world regardless of their status.
Perhaps the same was true of stereotypes about gender.
Peony looked at Ayla and spoke earnestly.
“I used to think that I couldn’t become the Emperor. There hasn’t been a single woman among the past Emperors. So I didn’t desire anything.”
“Peony……”
“But now, I don’t want to limit myself like that anymore.”
Peony clenched her fist and continued.
“I’m going to become the Emperor. So I want to create a world where talented people like you can be recognized regardless of their status or gender.”
Peony’s cheeks were flushed after she finished speaking.
She was very embarrassed to have honestly revealed her determination.
‘What if Ayla thinks it’s an empty promise?’
Ayla, the owner of the Black Dragon, was such a talented person that even other members of the Imperial family coveted her.
As soon as she was recognized as the owner of the Divine Beast, Darian and Adolf tried to recruit her.
But Peony couldn’t promise Ayla anything.
Her power within the Imperial Palace was still insignificant.
In that situation, asking Ayla to work with her seemed a bit presumptuous.
But Ayla seemed unexpectedly deeply moved by Peony’s words.
“That’s really cool, Peony.”
“Huh? Cool?”
Peony looked bewildered.
Ayla smiled brightly at her and replied.
“Yeah. You’re going to become the Emperor not just for revenge, but to realize your ambitions. So I have no choice but to support you.”
“Ayla……”
Peony’s eyes became moist.
Ayla pondered for a moment, then nodded as if she had made up her mind.
“Okay, then let’s do this. Once the work I’m doing is settled, I’ll join you after graduation.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it would be great if I could do research under you with the support of the Imperial Palace.”
Peony stood up from her seat with a joyful expression. Then she hugged Ayla tightly.
She already liked Ayla, but she liked her even more after her answer just now.
“Thank you so much, Ayla! I’ll work hard so I don’t disappoint you!”
Then Felix, who had been listening to the conversation quietly, jumped into their conversation as if he couldn’t be outdone.
“If Ayla is graduating early, then I will too.”
“Felix?”
Ayla paused and looked back at him.
Felix raised his eyebrows nonchalantly, as if wondering why she was so surprised.
“I can become a Sword Master after taking the complete Cure, right? Then I can be more helpful to you two.”
“But……”
As Ayla tried to dissuade him with a worried expression, Felix smiled as if to say it was okay.
“I told you, I owe you a lot, so I want to help you whenever you need it.”
“……”
“I’m doing it because I want to, so it’s no use trying to stop me. You both know how stubborn I am, right?”
At those words, Ayla and Peony exchanged awkward glances.
But soon, they both burst out laughing at the same time.
How often do people offer to help each other in such a difficult situation without expecting anything in return?
But rarely, at this moment, the three of them were all on the same page.
Ayla looked at her friends with slightly teary eyes and said quietly.
“Thank you so much, guys. I can’t tell you about it right now, but… I promise. I’ll definitely tell you everything someday.”
At those words, Peony and Felix both smiled warmly.
Felix’s expression became slightly serious, and then he added playfully.
“Don’t you ever forget that promise.”
A few days have already passed since the semester started.
It couldn’t have been a worse time for Rosia.
No one could put Ayla down as a commoner anymore.
Rather, the students envied her for becoming the owner of the Divine Beast, and the fact that she was Felix Argenta’s lover made her the most watched person.
While watching all of that, Rosia couldn’t do anything.
Unlike Ayla, her reputation had hit rock bottom.
‘The academy head, that vile human… dares to sell me out?’
The headmaster, in an attempt to avoid responsibility, had revealed that Rosia was the informant.
At the same time, he was busy insisting that he was not at fault in any way.
Thanks to that, Rosia couldn’t hold her head up high, either at the academy or in her Noble house.
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