The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

Ellen changed back into her training clothes.

Ellen was extremely angry.

The situation itself was infuriating enough to make her want to burst with annoyance.

Worse, she couldn't show what she wanted to, while Reinhardt seemed to find the whole situation amusing, which made her even more upset.

She had promised to show him how she looked in a dress, but after realizing she couldn't put it on by herself, she found his amusement infuriating.

However, Ellen was somewhat puzzled.

Instead of asking why, Reinhardt simply agreed when she told him she couldn't put the dress on by herself.

It was as if he had experienced it himself.

Of course, that couldn't be possible.

Anyway, it seemed Reinhardt understood that she couldn't help but not show him how she looked in the dress.

The two were now at the dining hall.

They had both been busy during the festival, and it had been a while since they had a late-night meal together.

"What do you want to eat?"

Therefore, Reinhardt brought Ellen to the dining hall, suggesting they should eat something.

"Beef stew."

Annoyed, Ellen ordered a time-consuming and bothersome dish.

"Alright."

However, Reinhardt nodded obediently, as if he would do anything for her today. Ellen was surprised since she expected him to complain.

She quietly watched Reinhardt as he entered the kitchen and began preparing something.

She wanted to show him, but in the end, she couldn't.

But was that really so important?

Chop, chop, chop

While watching Reinhardt start cutting, Ellen smiled. She kept observing Reinhardt as he cooked.

Haaaaaah

Not long after, Ellen turned her head to the sound coming from the hallway.

“Oh, Ellen?”

Harriet, looking very exhausted, met Ellen's gaze while walking down the hallway. She must have been working late in the magic research room.

Slowly approaching the dining table where Ellen was sitting, Harriet said:

"What are you doing up so late..."

She tried to continue her sentence but widened her eyes upon seeing the kitchen.

"Reinhardt?"

Surprise was only momentary.

Ellen could see the veins popping out of Harriet's eyes.

"Hey!"

“Uh, uh?”

Harriet quickly walked to the kitchen and shouted in her clear voice.

“You! Where have you been today?”

“Uh... Um, why all of a sudden?”

“You wandered around without saying anything! Why didn't you come to the contest?”

“Uh... Ah, well. That... There was a reason?”

“What? Hurry up and tell me!”

“There was... a situation…”

“What situation? You jerk!”

“Ah, ah! Wait! Why are you hitting me! I'm holding a knife, you know? I have a knife in my hand... Ack!”

“You! Bad! Guy! Ah!”

Ellen saw Harriet's face turn bright red as she pounded Reinhardt's back. Ellen just stared blankly at the scene.

She should be the one who's angry.

Instead, Harriet's face turned bright red with anger.

"Are you seriously doing this with just strength? Strength! Huh? You've been hitting me non-stop lately, haven't you? You want me to show you my strength? Huh?"

"Uh... shouldn't we be grateful that it's only strength? How about with your special skill? You want to try it with that?"

"No, no... that's not what I meant..."

"Then, just take it quietly! It's not like it hurts when I hit you!"

"But it will hurt if you keep hitting me!"

Harriet was extremely angry.

Harriet should have wished that Reinhardt wouldn't come. Ellen thought so, but Harriet was earnestly furious and continued to pummel Reinhardt relentlessly.

It was strange.

Ellen thought she understood, to some extent, why Harriet was so angry.

As much as Harriet cherished Reinhardt, she must have been worried about the injuries she received today.

That's why Harriet didn't congratulate Ellen for winning Miss Temple, but instead comforted her with a hug.

Ellen could hardly get angry herself.

Harriet was getting angry on Ellen's behalf.

It was amusing to watch.

And Ellen was grateful.

And sorry.

So very sorry.

Ellen laughed.

While laughing.

She didn't know why tears were coming, but.

Ellen laughed and quietly wiped away her tears.

------

"So, are you going to try and eat me alive now that we're a bit closer? Is that why you cooked that?"

"Of course."

The three of them gathered around a pot of beef stew that had been completed without them realizing. Harriet had joined them somehow, but Ellen didn't find it uncomfortable.

"It's snowing outside."

Harriet mentioned while looking out the restaurant window. Both Ellen and Reinhardt had just come in from the snow, but Harriet seemed to have been cooped up in the magic laboratory.

"Do you want to eat on the terrace?"

Harriet seemed to imagine eating warm stew while watching the snowy scenery.

Harriet de Saint-Owan valued a bit of romance.

"Let's do that."

Not seeing any harm in it, they went out to the restaurant terrace and placed the pot of stew on the table.

The night breeze was chilly, but it wasn't too cold. The three of them sat at the terrace table, each scooping a bowl of stew and eating a little at a time.

It wasn't a blizzard but rather a light snowfall.

It had been falling for quite a while, and a considerable amount had accumulated.

"It reminds me of when we made snowmen."

Harriet said, smiling quietly as if reminiscing about that time.

"It wasn't a snowman, it was a snow giant."

"Anyway, you're silly."

Ellen made a human-sized snowman, while Harriet made a huge snow giant.

At that time, they entered the Epiaux fortress again and found out that it was a place haunted by ghosts. As if suddenly remembering something, Harriet's expression changed, and she looked back and forth between Reinhardt and Ellen.

"But you know what's funny?"

"No? I don't know."

"Do you want to refute me directly? You're really annoying!"

"Why have you been so short-tempered lately? It's like you have a disease or something."

At Reinhardt's teasing, Harriet's face turned bright red.

"Do you really have to get on someone's nerves at least once a day? Why are you like this?"

"Technically speaking, it's just you. I only do this to you because it has to be you."

"Don't use that kind of language in this context! It's really annoying!"

Harriet's lips quivered. Watching Reinhardt's expression as he continued to torment her was enough to make one's blood boil. Even though his taunts were not directed at her, sometimes her fists would clench involuntarily.

"So, what's so funny?"

"I don't know! You made me so mad, I forgot!"

Harriet huffed and scooped a spoonful of stew into her mouth.

"!!!"

Of course, she had not let the very hot stew cool down enough and ended up with wide eyes, unable to spit it out, flailing her arms and stomping her feet.

"Spit it out! What are you doing?"

"!!"

Reinhardt looked at her disdainfully, and Harriet, perhaps unable to spit out her food due to her noble dignity, struggled for a while before finally swallowing it.

"My mouth is all burned…"

Harriet opened her mouth wide, looking exhausted.

"It must be hot, try eating something cold."

"What's going on? Are you going to get water… hey, what are you trying to do…?"

"Something cold."

Harriet face turned pale as she watched Reinhardt scoop up a handful of snow from the terrace railing.

"You're not… no, no way… no way…"

Harriet knew such a thing was possible.

She could calculate in her head what crazy thing Reinhardt was about to do.

But even then, she couldn't believe he would go that far with her.

For a moment, she didn't react at all.

And Reinhardt was, without a doubt, the madman who would actually do it.

-Smack!

"Kyah!"

A snowball hit Harriet squarely in the mouth, causing her to scream in shock.

"Feeling cooler?"

"You, just, just now… what… what did you do to me?"

When something unimaginable happens, sometimes anger can't be expressed immediately, and this was one of those times.

Of course, that was only for a moment.

With trembling hands, Harriet wiped the snow from her lips and, her face turning red, reached for Reinhardt.

"I'll kill you!"

-Whack!

"Ugh!"

-Thud!

A blue magic line appeared on Harriet's forearm, and Reinhardt, hit by the shockwave, was flung off the terrace and slammed into the ground.

------

"You must be insane!"

"No, if it's hot, you should cool it down. Right?"

Reinhardt, who had been flung off the terrace and had climbed back up by grabbing the railing, sat down again.

Harriet, still fuming, brushed the snow off Reinhardt's clothes.

"Anyway, if it's hot, spit it out. Why do you force yourself to eat it?"

"I wasn't raised on the streets like someone else here; I learned to live with dignity, you know?"

"Really? Does that undignified behavior of yours, just now going 'Ugh! Ugh!' also count as grace?"

"Wha... What... What do you mean? When did I ever do that like you!"

As Reinhardt exaggeratedly imitated the gesture Harriet had just made, twisting his body, she seemed to get even more annoyed and started grumbling again for a while.

Whenever they were together, they would bicker over trivial things for quite some time. Although the conversations that followed were devoid of any substance, they would often find themselves losing track of time.

Eventually, after going back and forth for a while, they both seemed to tire of each other and began to eat the stew in silence.

"It's beautiful..."

Harriet mumbled absentmindedly as she gazed at the snowy landscape.

"Thanks."

"I wasn't talking about you... Hmph, I won't be fooled. I won't fall for it, you know?"

Although she acted as if she had built up immunity, Harriet would still instantly react to any casual remark thrown her way.

The night of the festival.

It wasn't particularly boisterous.

In the end, the three of them gathered on a quiet, snowing night to eat beef stew.

This was an ordinary event, not a special day.

However, Ellen was well aware that these moments wouldn't last forever. A day would come when they could no longer spend time like this.

And when that time comes, they would remember these moments.

They would think that every day they spent together had been special.

Ellen vaguely guessed.

Maybe this was enough.

As they had been doing so far, they could continue like this.

Wouldn't it be enough just to continue living this way?

Without being greedy, without wishing for more. Ellen found herself quite content with this.

There was no need to get closer.

Maybe it was enough not to drift apart.

"Hey, fetch some water."

"To me... Are you asking me right now?"

"Who else if not you?"

"Don't order me around!"

"My goodness, can't you just fetch some water while you eat?"

"Ugh, fine! I'll get it!"

The only person who would dare to treat a princess like this was Reinhardt. Seeing Harriet's reaction to him was quite endearing even to Ellen.

The princess.

As that thought crossed her mind, Ellen recalled a question she had forgotten.

"By the way, I'm curious about something."

Ellen tilted her head.

"What are you curious about?"

Harriet, who had been fetching water, stared intently at Ellen upon hearing her question.

"How did your parents know Reinhardt?"

"Oh."

"Ah... That... That's..."

Their awkward response made Ellen tilt her head again.

------

After hearing the detailed circumstances from Reinhardt, Ellen nodded.

"Ah... That senior?"

"Yes."

Ellen had been aware of Adriana's sudden dropout, but she hadn't known the specifics.

Of course, Reinhardt hadn't fully explained the situation; he only mentioned that he had business in the Saint Owan Duchy due to a certain incident and had become acquainted with Arunaria of the White Palace while stopping by to resolve the warp gate issue on his way back.

When Adriana's name was mentioned, Reinhardt's expression darkened slightly, but Ellen simply assumed it was due to concern.

With a puzzled look, Harriet spoke to Ellen as if confiding in her.

"Isn't he really strange? Even if he's a royal class like me, it doesn't make sense. Coming to our palace, knocking on the door, and asking for priority access to the warp gate?"

"…You're right."

Arunaria was not a place one could visit as easily as a friend's house, and even if it were a friend's house, it would be rude to visit at such an hour.

But he had visited not just a friend's house, but a palace of an entire nation in that manner.

"No, without saying anything, I skipped… You guys seemed like you were going to kill me…"

Reinhardt defended himself in a small voice.

It was even more surprising to Ellen that the Duke had opened the door and welcomed the entire family, despite such an intrusion.

She had wondered what was going on, but it was quite unexpected for Ellen that Adriana's issue was involved.

Thinking about it, Ellen roughly guessed when Reinhardt had visited the Saint Owan Duchy.

However, it was still astonishing that he had traveled that far in just one day.

Ellen found Reinhardt's actions to be mysterious. With their forgotten question resolved, the three tried to resume eating their stew.

"Um... there…"

But Harriet discovered something in the scenery outside the terrace and pointed it out.

The first-year dormitory was on the first floor.

And because it was a terrace, the outside view was much clearer.

In the direction Harriet pointed, Ellen could see the person whose whereabouts had been unknown today.

"…That senior."

And the situation became even stranger.

The dropout senior they had just mentioned was with her.

Adriana.

Olivia was walking towards the royal class dormitory with Adriana.

Reinhardt quickly stood up and looked at the two.

Some strange emotions flickered across Reinhardt's eyes, but Ellen couldn't tell what they were.

Olivia and Adriana inevitably made eye contact with the three watching them from the terrace.

“Ah, Reinhardt…”

Olivia Lanze.

“Junior…”

Adriana.

“Sorry, I'm a bit busy right now. Let's talk later.”

Before Reinhardt could say anything, Olivia hurriedly led Adriana toward the dormitory entrance.

Harriet and Ellen tilted their heads as they watched them, and Reinhardt sat down again.

The tournament ended with a runner-up finish.

Miss Temple couldn't even participate.

And then, suddenly returning to the Temple in the deep night with Adriana, who had dropped out.

"…I wonder what happened to that sister today?"

"…Indeed."

Reinhardt took a sip of water.

"…I'll have to ask later."

Reinhardt said this, but all he did was take another sip of water.

Ellen looked at Reinhardt.

It was Reinhardt who had gone all the way to the Saint Owan Duchy upon hearing the news of Adriana's dropout.

There was no way that someone like Reinhardt would obediently sit still when he said he'd talk about it later.

Reinhardt was not that kind of person.

Ellen looked at Reinhardt, who was quietly staring in the direction where Adriana and Olivia had gone.

Reinhardt knew something.

It wasn't that she deliberately tried to figure it out, but because she knew Reinhardt too well.

Ellen naturally realized this.