It had been a few days since Instructor Lissia countered my magnum opus. Ever since that day, I had been putting just a little more faith in the academy. Perhaps these classes weren’t so bad after all. Though so far, none managed to impress me.

The morning air was cold in my dorm room as I rested on my canopy bed, pillows propped up as my backrest. I flipped page after page of ‘The Quiet Love’, the Third Volume. That’s right, I handed the books back to Carine for further reading.

The only reason I had Feyt read the novel was to give my mind a chance to enjoy imagining the scenery and dialogue Princess Munith had painstakingly written.

However, the more I read on, the more I realized that I needed Carine’s eyes to understand what was actually written. The first volume of the book had snippets of this foreign language she seemed interested in, but from volume two onwards, it was on nearly every three pages or so.

Besides, I was going to read up on it fast if I ever wanted to make an audience with the princess again. There were so many questions I wanted to ask.

I tried to keep my reading pace as slow as possible, in a semblance of an attempt to enjoy the story, but the natural instinct to skim through often wins out every so often.

If I had to give a summary of the story written here, it would be the troubled love life of a couple. The family of the woman rejected the presence of the bard. They claim he would bring ruin to her life. However, being hard-headed, the woman fled the house in search of a better life with her love.

However, troubles ensued as the family didn’t relent. They were constantly being hunted by knights, mercenaries, and even bandits, all seeking the bounty for the bard’s head and the safe return of the family’s heir.

The foreign languages spoken or written in the story were mostly used by the two main characters to communicate in secret, be it in writing or dialogue. If I hadn’t had Carine’s eyes, their secret dialogue would’ve been a secret to the readers, too.

So far, the story was pretty grounded, albeit at times fantastical, with some events in the story that I believed were just done to dramatize the story even more.

As I continued to read and absorb the story’s information without consent as Carine, I was working out as Feyt in my other respective dorm room.

“Seventy-seven… Seventy-eight—!!”

My arm extended smoothly as Feyt pushed off the floor once more. The motion remained steady as I continued to repeat it. A faint burn settled into my muscles, enough to remind me they were being worked, but nowhere near enough to make me even think of slowing down.

A drop of sweat slid down my temple and fell onto the wooden floor.

Carine’s fingers paused for just a brief moment on the page.

Not from strain, but from overlap.

The burning sensation carried over faintly. Enough to make me feel aware of Carine’s arms as they rested leisurely.

Ever since I was defeated by Instructor Liz, her insight into my combat style’s gap hadn’t left me. The fact that I sometimes react to my other self in an instant, that was both a strength and a weakness.

Just by inflicting enough pain or annoying sensations on one body, the other would falter. That was her counter to my magnum opus. If I ever wanted to counter her counter… I needed to learn how to separate individual pains, or better yet, train myself to fight through them.

So far, the burning sensation was pretty soft, quite manageable.

I resumed reading without issue as Feyt’s morning routine continued.

Down.

Up.

Flip another page.

Down.

Up.

And then another page.

It was almost a rhythm, kind of.

Despite all my curiosities about my Talent Symbols, this foreign language, and wanting to learn more from Instructor Liz, I needed to keep in mind that the tournament was coming soon. Not saying that I could put all of those for later, but I needed to keep my body sharp, you know?

A soft chime echoed faintly through both dormitory halls, followed by the small, familiar ring of the hallway clock’s bells.

Alright, it’s time.

I let out a slow breath before pushing myself up as Feyt, rolling my shoulders as I stood. My muscles protested slightly, but it was nothing I wasn’t used to.

Grabbing a towel, I draped it over my shoulder and made my way toward the door, heading for a quick bath.

At the same time, I rolled off my canopy bed as Carine, landing softly against the carpeted floor. The Quiet Love remained open where I left it on the bed. I shut it gently before gently placing it back on the desk.

I headed to my wardrobe and began changing into my training gear. Light, loose-fitting clothing that wouldn’t restrict movement, proper training pants, and, of course, the most comfortable pair of boots I had.

…

With Feyt back in his room, drying off and settling into a more relaxed state, I tied Carine’s hair into my usual ponytail. Satisfied, I stepped out into the hallway and began the long descent toward the dorm entrance.

And it was long.

It was a quick reminder that my room was literally the farthest room from the entrance. Still hated that.

By the time I reached the ground floor, the lounge area had already begun to fill. A few students lingered near the couches, others by the notice boards. Among them, two familiar figures stood off to the side, mid-conversation.

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They turned almost in unison the moment I stepped into view.

And then, just as naturally, they began walking toward me.

“Good morning, Lady Carine,” Eve spoke first, offering a polite bow of her head. Her smile was as composed and refined as ever.

“Morning, Lady Carine!” Lionne followed right after, her voice brighter, her steps just a bit quicker to close the distance.

“Good morning to you two as well,” I replied with a small nod.

Up close, the similarities in our attire became more obvious.

Training clothes that were light, practical, and suited for movement. Eve’s was worn neatly, every fold in place, her hair tied back in a clean, functional low ponytail style. Lionne, on the other hand…

Man, did she style her hair nicely. Her pink hair was as mesmerizing as it always had been, and today, she styled it into a particularly neat yet elegant bun.

…Though I had my doubts about how long that bun would last once we started running.

“We are ready to start our jog, Lady Carine,” Eve said, hands lightly clasped in front of her. “And I must say, thank you for inviting us to your morning jog.”

“It’s nothing. Training’s just more effective with some company.”

And it also helps dispel a few… misunderstandings.

“I made sure to reserve some food and drinks for us at the cafeteria once we’re done, too!” Lionne added quickly, as if worried I might ask her first.

“Sounds like everything’s set. Shall we?”

Lionne’s expression brightened instantly.

Eve’s smile deepened as she nodded.

“Alright then. Let’s go.” I said as I stepped forward, the three of us began making our way out.

—

The reason I invited these two for a jog was specifically to rebuild my image.

Ever since I was exposed to pinning myself on the ground during training, all my image-building efforts had shifted to damage control. Any and all traces of unsavory thoughts lingering about Carine and Feyt must be purged from everyone’s minds.

It was an impossible task, I knew that very well… But this was my only form of trying to stay in control.

The morning air greeted us the moment we stepped outside. It was cold enough to wake the senses without biting at the skin.

“Let’s keep a steady pace,” I said. “Be sure to tell me if we need a break.”

Eve nodded immediately. “Of course.”

Lionne straightened. “Got it!”

And so, we set off.

Our footsteps fell into rhythm along the stone path. The pace wasn’t demanding, but it wasn’t leisurely either; it was just enough to keep the body working.

For the first few minutes, no one spoke. It was just the sound of our breaths following the sounds of our steps.

Then, after we ran half a lap, which covered quite the distance…

“…Haaah… okay… yeah… this is—hah—I can do this…”

I glanced to the side.

Lionne was already struggling.

Her stride hadn’t broken, to her credit, but her breathing had grown noticeably heavier, shoulders rising with each inhale. The careful styling of her hair still held together, though a few strands had begun to loosen at the edges.

Eve remained as she always did, composed and keeping up just fine. If anything, she looked like she had just started.

As for me… Well, let’s just say that if I even hint that I was a little tired here, I had a feeling a certain sharp motherly glare would pierce me through.

“…Lionne,” Eve said gently, “you may slow your pace slightly. There is no need to force yourself.”

“I’m not forcing anything—! I’m… managing!” Lionne shot back quickly, though the argument lost some weight midway through her next breath.

I said nothing.

Clearly, she didn’t make her way into Honors for her muscles.

“Should we take a quick break, Lionne?” I asked while keeping up my pace.

“N-No! Please, I… I can do this—!” She was keeping her eyes closed, her chin up high.

She seemed determined, alright.

Well, we were reaching our first break anyway, and the cafeteria was nearing our view. Might as well continue on a bit more.

The morning air warmed gradually as more students filtered into view. Some were stretching, others chatting, and a few watched us as we passed them by.

We continue to run past several landmarks.

The stables.

The dorms.

Even the arena with the crater that was still being filled out back.

At some point, Lionne stopped trying to hide it.

She didn’t fall far behind. Though she was starting to sway more like a metronome the further we went on.

Well, to her credit… at least she endured.

—

By the time we settled at our table in the cafeteria, Lionne had all but melted into her chair.

She was practically draped over it, arms hanging loosely at her sides, head tilted to the side as she stared into nothingness.

“…aaah, I can’t feel my legs…” she muttered. “I don’t think I can move… I guess… I’ll just stay here for the day….”

Eve sat across from her, posture as proper as ever, though there was the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes.

“You say that, but I believe you will recover the moment the food arrives.”

Lionne didn’t even lift her head.

“…I don’t think I can even eat…”

I took my seat beside Eve, resting back just enough to ease the tension from the run.

Lionne, meanwhile, looked like she had fought for her life.

“I haven’t been this tired since the entrance exam…” she groaned.

Hearing her mention that, it sparked my memory of scouring the scoreboard back then.

Thanks to my eyes’ basically photographic memory, I remembered skimming past Lionne’s name during the frantic search of my own.

Lionne Astreid [Written: 34, Practical: 6, Total: 40]

Her score… wasn’t bad at all, if you ignore her practical score.

“Speaking of the entrance exam,” I said, “how did it go for you? Would you mind telling me?”

Lionne turned her head slightly, just enough to look at me.

“Huh? Oh—uh…” She let out a short breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “It was… not great, honestly.”

She shifted in her seat, sitting up just a little straighter now.

“My practical score was… pretty bad. I think I got, like, six points?” she admitted, scratching her cheek. “Pretty sure I tripped over my own foot at some point too… But my written exam carried me,” she added quickly, a small hint of pride slipping through despite her exhaustion. “Got enough to make it into Honors, so… I’ll take it.”

“That’s interesting,” Eve murmured.

I quietly turned my attention to Eve.

Her score was pretty similar to Lionne’s, with a total of 40 as well, all coming from her written exam. No wonder she was intrigued.

“Scoring just enough to get into Honors, huh?” Eve said. “It must’ve been a very proud moment for you.”

Lionne scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed now.

“…Yeah, I guess…”

Before the conversation could continue, a staff member approached our table, carrying a tray.

“Your order,” he said politely, placing the dishes down one by one.

Warm porridge with soft bread rolls, still faintly steaming. Sliced fruits were arranged neatly along the side as dessert, and a set of drinks to accompany them.

Lionne sat up immediately.

“Finally!”

…Impressive recovery.

Eve let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh.

“As expected.”

Lionne wasted no time, reaching for the bread first before pausing mid-motion, glancing at me.

“Ah—um… please, go ahead first, Lady Carine.”

I gave a small nod.

“Thank you for the food.”

Only then did we dig in.

I reached for the porridge, taking a small spoonful as the warmth settled in.

Around us, the cafeteria had grown more lively as more and more students entered. Conversations overlapped, chairs shifted, and the usual sounds of a morning crowd settled in.

And yet… There was something strange.

I noticed a glance.

Then another.

And then another.

They all lingered just slightly longer than they usually did.

Lionne remained focused on her food.

Eve, composed as ever.

But from the corners of my vision… I noticed all the subtle shifts.

Heads were turning away the moment I looked over.

Voices dipping into whispers.

I lowered my spoon slightly.

…Strange.

Attention wasn’t new to me. It was something I expected due to my status.

But this… this was different.

This was the kind of reaction people have when they know something. A gossip, a rumor perhaps.

I took another spoonful of porridge as I observed without turning my head.

Perhaps it was simply the result of recent events.

My spar with Instructor Lissia definitely caught the attention of the students who were there to watch. They were bound to start spreading things.

That would explain things, at least.

Still, it was worth keeping in mind.

I returned my attention to the meal, enjoying this rare break in my packed schedule.

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