Chapter 88: How to Skip a Test Legally (1)
【W-what?! How did you take over?!】
Ignoring the fake Astrid’s frantic cries, I glanced around. The Glory Hall of the guesthouse, damp from the relentless downpour, was momentarily filled with silence.
“No.”
“Huh? Sister?”
“Well, now.”
The responses were a mix of outright rejection, quiet amusement, and open bewilderment.
Leopold firmly shook his head in disapproval.
Ashray, on the other hand, seemed quietly pleased at the idea of me joining the trip to the North.
And Baizik appeared intrigued, tilting his head at my bold statement about becoming the escort.
The three voices lingered briefly before fading away. Naturally, my gaze settled on Leopold. He returned the stare, shaking his head resolutely.
“No, Astrid. I cannot allow it.”
“Why not?”
Though Leopold maintained his composure outwardly, internally, he felt a pang of discomfort. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t have a solid reason to forbid it.
His initial reaction had been instinctual, but articulating why it was unacceptable left him grasping for words.
“Please explain why, Your Highness.”
I stared at him unflinchingly. In truth, Ashray and Baizik’s opinions didn’t matter as much. My objective lay elsewhere, and achieving it required Leopold’s approval.
Why Leopold? Because I needed his permission to justify skipping my academy classes for such an extended period. While the academy claimed all students were treated equally, true equality was a myth.
Leopold, being the Crown Prince and the financial backer of the academy, was far from an ordinary student. If he permitted it, no one would object.
Though unprecedented, so was the simultaneous enrollment of both a Crown Prince and a Crown Princess candidate.
“Your Highness, the North is a distant journey. Ashray is still inexperienced, and it’s unwise to rely solely on Lord Baizik for protection. As the eldest daughter, it’s my duty to investigate the unrest personally. Surely, you wouldn’t claim that attending classes is more important than national security?”
I fixed my gaze on Leopold. Under the intensity of my stare, he sighed heavily.
Truthfully, he didn’t want me to go. He couldn’t accompany me, either, much as he wished he could.
The academy was rife with subtle disturbances that required his attention, and his responsibilities left little room for personal whims.
And, beyond all that, he simply didn’t want me to leave—especially not with Ashray.
Yet, he had no grounds to refuse. My argument was airtight. While the academy was important, it could never take precedence over national security.
“…Fine. I understand.”
Leopold’s reply was laced with reluctance. He couldn’t fathom how easily I had volunteered myself for such a task. Still, he had to look at the bright side.
Leopold glanced briefly at Baizik.
Baizik, stroking his beard, wore a sly smile that mirrored Leopold’s thoughts. The meaning behind the smile was clear: if Astrid left, it would create an opening. A powerful competitor would be absent from the race for Crown Princess.
For Baizik, whose beloved daughter Emilie was vying for that position, this was an unparalleled stroke of luck.
Leopold had already agreed to give Emilie more opportunities in return for Baizik’s assistance with the Great Magic Device.
Now, Astrid was willingly stepping away from the battlefield, making things even easier for him.
“I permit it. Be careful on your journey,” Leopold said at last.
“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll return as quickly as I can.”
As if that were possible. The trip itself would take two weeks round trip, and with the work to be done there, it would take at least a month.
【Looks like you’ve managed to skip the midterm exams.】
‘Oh, you’re right. I didn’t even mean to.’
The fake Astrid found it hard to believe it wasn’t intentional.
“And that’s how it happened. Ugh, honestly, isn’t Sister too much?”
Ashray grumbled, shoveling food into his mouth with little regard for decorum. Across from him, Violet watched with an almost dreamy smile.
‘How can even eating look so dynamic? He’s rugged, masculine, and so… bold.’
Violet’s peculiar taste in men was no secret, but she never cared about the comments. She believed in fate, and her patience had finally been rewarded. This was all that mattered—everything else was irrelevant.
“Exactly. Astrid’s just a little too monstrous. You’re not weak, Ashray,” Violet said, siding with him.
“Still, it’s frustrating.”
Ashray grabbed a rib glazed in sauce, tearing into it aggressively, while pointedly ignoring the salad on his tray.
“You need to eat your salad, too. Honestly, you’re so stubborn, Ashray.”
With a gentle voice, Violet took some salad from his tray using her fork. At the movement, both Ashray and Violet looked toward the source—Astrid, her pale face calm and serene, was setting her tray down, a faint scent of mint wafting around her.
“Why are you so difficult? Not eating salad is why you’re so weak. Muscles like water balloons don’t mean much, do they?”
“Sister… Isn’t it just that you’re unreasonably strong?”
Ashray did have a point. As a member of the Miterien family, he was an accomplished warrior, even ranking among the strongest in the household guard. Despite lacking a specialized weapon, his skills across all armaments were exceptional.
But Astrid was just too powerful, leaving Ashray with no room to argue.
Sitting down, Astrid casually moved a few pieces of rib from her tray to Ashray’s. Her face remained expressionless.
“Eat your salad if you want to get stronger. Do my words mean nothing to you? Want me to make you listen?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
The challenge was clear: If you’re upset, let’s settle it with a fight.
But Ashray couldn’t bring himself to accept.
“Astie, why are you always like this to your brother?”
“What did I do?”
Astrid began eating quietly. Violet, having already finished her meal, waited patiently for Ashray to finish when Astrid suddenly appeared.
“Yaaah!”
“Ugh!”
Startled by a sudden yell from behind, Astrid spat out her salad. Without turning, she knew exactly who it was.
“Eranya, haven’t I told you not to sneak up on me like that?”
“No, you didn’t. Anyway, I heard something.”
“What now?”
Feeling a headache coming on, Astrid rubbed her temples before quickly stopping, worried about wrinkles forming.
“You’re skipping classes to go to the North? Why? Why? Why?”
Eranya’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, drawing the attention of everyone in the dining hall—not just to Astrid but also to Ashray, the unfamiliar warrior seated beside her.
“…Let’s step outside, shall we, Sister? Hmm?”
“Sure! I was planning to cause a scene until you told me, but this works too!”
Suppressing the urge to smack her, Astrid hastily cleaned up her tray and handed it to Ashray.
“Clean this up.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Watching this, Violet’s gaze turned sharp.
As Astrid, Eranya, Ashray, and Violet exited the hall, they left behind a flurry of hushed conversations.
“Who’s that big guy?”
“Why’s she going to the North?”
“Because it’s her territory, duh.”
Amid the speculation, one set of eyes remained focused on their retreating figures.
It was Veracien, clad in a nun’s habit.
“They’re going to the North, huh?”
A weary voice responded moments later—it was Astein.
“Don’t just cut to the conclusion. Who’s going to the North?”
“Who else? Astrid. Leopold isn’t going, though. And who’s that huge guy?”
“Probably her brother. It was mentioned in the letter—her brother would be arriving.”
At Astein’s reply, Veracien’s lips curled into a cryptic smile, as if she had thought of something amusing.
“Oh… really?”
“…You’re not planning something strange, are you?”
“You know, the whole forbidden love thing…”
Astein fell silent for a long moment before replying, his voice even wearier than before.
“Can’t you stop reading those risqué magazines? Just try having normal thoughts for once…”