Ah, my first weekend.

The two days when I can truly be free from classes and explore the academy grounds to my heart’s content…

Or so I would say if I weren’t in Honors.

Apparently, Honors had extra classes during the first day of the weekend, which was the class all about what it takes to be a commander, and I wouldn’t say there was anything substantial so far, just introductory material like all the classes had been to this point, stuff I had read already from Father’s library.

It still irritated me how we were never truly free, even during the weekend. But, thankfully, Feyt was free. I was currently sitting on my bed, chilling, while also sitting in the classroom seats, fighting boredom.

But fighting boredom while sitting still wasn’t exactly working out, so I needed some entertainment. And whaddya know? I had one such media right in the palm of my hand.

A relatively thin book with the title etched elegantly into its leather cover.

A Quiet Love.

It was a novel written by Princess Munith herself, handed to me as her birthday gift to Carine.

It was one of the few things I brought with me to the academy during the move-in day. I was really curious about what kind of novel she had written, and more importantly, why she thought this was a perfect gift for me.

No, I wasn’t crazy enough to read it in class, but I do want to read it, now that I have free time. That was why Carine wasn’t the one holding the book, but rather, Feyt.

How did Feyt get access to that book, you might ask? Well i just… gave it to myself… Don’t know what else to tell you. As for my reasons, it was two-fold.

First, the scheduling thing. I could read books on the weekend while attending class as Carine, which would help me stave off boredom without disrupting the class. Neat.

The second reason, though, was something I had thought about for quite some time.

My main issue with novels, be they romance, mystery, or any other form of stories, was that Carine’s eyes would naturally skim over them and relay every piece of information to my head at an incredible speed.

I never had time to enjoy any scenes, picture the dialogue, imagine the characters’ lines… All I got was information. No enjoyment.

My solution for that problem? Have Feyt read it! His eyes are normal, as far as I could see, so there should be no skimming! Quite frankly, I couldn’t wait to finally actually enjoy a proper novel for once.

So, I settled into a comfortable position on my bed, back against the wall, book in hand. With great anticipation, I opened to the very first page.

And at that exact moment, I finally remembered… 

I had super ears.

The dorm I was in was as rowdy as I had expected it to be.

Even without a roommate, assuming I’d ever get one in the first place, I wasn’t exactly enjoying the peace and quiet of solitude. Not when I could hear absolutely every single thing that was happening in this building.

The guy upstairs snores like an elephant with a runny nose. 

The dudes in the room across from mine were having a heated discussion about girls in their classes.

And the wood. Oh, gods, the wood. Every step, whether in the hallway or from a room two floors up, would send a dramatic creak echoing straight into my room. 

Sleeping had become a genuine challenge over the past few days. I was honestly considering sleeping on the benches outside… at least the crickets knew how to keep things down.

Naturally, this also meant I had zero chance of enjoying my book in peace.

I stared at the page for a moment, then sighed.

“…Yeah, I guess I’ll have to read outside.”

—

Now, this was more like it.

A bench on the academy grounds.

Clear skies above.

The sun wasn’t trying to cook me alive.

It almost felt like the world itself had decided I must read outside today.

Sure, other students were around. walking, chatting, laughing, maybe even on dates, but honestly? Any of that was waaay better than the literal echo chamber that was my dorm room.

I settled onto the bench, the chill of the wood pressing against my back, and let out a quiet breath. I flipped the book open again, the pages fluttering in the wind before resting on its very first page.

Finally.

I could read.

A Quiet Love

By Munith de Ortensia

It started with introducing the two protagonists of the story. A woman born into a mansion, whose only real passion was hunting. And a man who traveled the world as a bard, hoping to find someone who understood music as deeply as he did.

The two had contrasting lives, but when they met, it felt as though something quietly sparked between them.

Frequently, they met in the town square, the hunter sneaking out from her mother’s watch, the bard slipping away from those who knew his face, just to share a quiet moment together.

So far, it read like a rather generic romance novel. 

Still, I hadn’t expected someone like Princess Munith would be writing a romance novel of all things. But after trying to picture her cheerful face in my head… I found it kind of fitting.

I was still in the middle of the novel when a peculiarly loud voice cut through the air.

“I can’t believe she’s still in her class!” a voice exclaimed. “Just when I thought I get to see her again after so long…”

That voice… it sounded familiar.

I turned on my bench, following the sound, and in the distance, I spotted two figures walking side by side. I froze on the bench, as I’d recognize that silver white hair anywhere.

“If we’re waiting, that means there’s time to explore the academy a bit! I’ve never been here before, after all!”

“That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?”

“Hm? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Rene. I just happened to forget that Honor students have extra classes!”

“…Of course, Your Highness.”

It was none other than Princess Munith herself.

Speak of the devil… It’s like she materialized right out of my mind.

And then she turned toward me—still smiling cheerfully—only for her eyes to widen as she abruptly stopped.

“Princess Munith?” her personal attendant asked. “Is something wrong?”

Munith didn’t answer; instead, she kept staring at me… 

Or rather, at something I was holding.

It took me a second to realize it. But when I did…

Oh.

Oh no.

I was holding her book.

The book she’d given personally to Carine.

A book not meant for anyone other than Carine.

It was too late to hide the book. Too late to pretend that I just picked it up. And it was definitely too late to run.

She was already heading straight toward me at a frantic pace, lifting her dress as she crossed the grass.

“Hey—hey, you there!” she called out, her voice still light, though there was a very real edge of panic underneath it.

She stopped right in front of me. Not even out of breath.

“I’m sorry for asking so suddenly,” she said quickly, leaning on her knees just a little bit, “Is that book… A Quiet Love?”

I was still frozen, fingers holding the book tightly. But I managed a silent nod.

Her eyes lit up.

“Then—then you wouldn’t happen to know a girl named Carine Sareid, would you?”

I hesitated for a moment too long.

“I… Y-Yes, I do…”

Munith blinked, head tilting slightly. “You do?”

I nodded. “I am… currently being trained to be her bodyguard in the future.”

She leaned back slightly, raising a hand over her mouth. “Oh, that young man,” she mumbled to herself. “That explains it then!” she said aloud.

She gave me a bright smile and held out a hand.

“Then I suppose introductions are in order! I’m Munith de Ortensia. It’s very nice to meet you!”

“F-Feyt… Likewise.”

I raised my hand before knowing, and she took it and gave it a good shake.

Footsteps approached behind her.

“Your Highness—!” her attendant finally caught up, breathing a little heavier than she was. “You really shouldn’t be—”

“It’s fine, Rene,” Munith said, glancing back.

She then looked back at me, eyes flicking to the book I was still clutching rather tightly.

“So… why do you have my book?”

“Uhh…”

My mind blanked. I gave the simplest excuse to not raise any suspicion.

“…L-Lady Carine lent it to me.”

Munith’s eyebrows rose.

“Did she now?”

I nodded reluctantly.

She studied my face carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“But why?”

“I uhh…”

I couldn’t think of a single reason. This was a book Munith gave to Carine personally. Common sense dictates you don’t lend someone a gift like this willy nilly…

My only option to save my reputation as Carine was to frame it as Feyt’s own actions.

“I saw it, and I was… intrigued.”

“Intrigued?” Her expression froze. For a moment, she was just staring at me in silence. “How so?”

My brain scrambled to fill in the blanks. “I uhh… felt pulled toward it?”

As you can see, I wasn’t very good at lying. What sort of excuse was that?

There was only silence.

Munith’s smile stayed exactly the same, but something about it stopped feeling light.

She leaned in just a little, close enough that I could hear her heartbeat, and it was pounding in anticipation.

“Pulled toward it, you say?”

Rene shifted beside her. “Your Highness?”

She straightened herself, then placed a finger on her chin. Her voice dropped low.

“Tell me, can you two hear me now?”

I blinked before answering. “Y-Yeah? I can.”

I failed to notice in time… that Rene didn’t respond at all to her question.

As my answer reached Munith’s ears, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened as they lit up even brighter.

Then she laughed, light and bright, clasping her hands together as if she’d just been given wonderful news.

“Finally,” she said, delight in every word. “Oh, finally.”

She stepped closer, taking my hand again and lifting it slightly as she leaned in.

“I had been looking for you… for so long…”

Her smile softened.

“Feyt, was it?” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Let’s have a private talk, shall we?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep