Anna Via was not in a very good mood today.
Having just finished her registration, she had failed to obtain a placement in the White Garden.
If it were just that, she could have comforted herself. It had been a very long time since the Imperial Royal Magic Academy had set a precedent of assigning a student to the White Garden right upon admission, granting them special treatment immediately.
‘I just need to work a little harder and strive to be promoted to the White Garden before the school year ends.’
However, that calm mindset completely vanished the moment she heard her attendant's report.
“Among this year's freshmen, there is one who was assigned to the White Garden right upon admission.” The usually chirpy, lively tone of her attendant and close friend, Eleanor, sounded exceptionally annoying the moment it entered her ears.
“So amazing... Even you didn't get selected for the White Garden, Nana...”
“Their name? Even if you ask me like that, Nana... Um, let me think?”
Such a reality should not have been permitted.
Anna Via had to be the best.
Unconsciously, she bit her tightly pursed lower lip hard enough to break the skin.
She lowered her gaze and silently repeated that unfamiliar name.
“Irene Durandal.”
...
“Tsk...”
So annoying, so annoying, so annoying, so annoying.
The emotions accumulated over the past year suddenly erupted, and Anna knew she had reached her 'limit' once again.
It was time to go 'out' for a walk.
She swiftly took off her luxurious robes.
The girl in the mirror wore only a form-fitting white undergarment, the thin fabric outlining a slender yet full figure. Due to being squeezed by a corset for a long time, a few faint red marks were left on her fair waist.
She looked down.
“No wonder I always felt like I couldn't breathe...”
The Imperial Princess reached out to massage her waist, her soft curves gently indenting with the movement.
The white fox, Snowball, raised its head from her arms, coincidentally getting squeezed between that warm softness, and let out a weak protest.
“Ying...”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Anna loosened her arms slightly, rescuing the little fox from her chest.
She first placed the white fox on the bed, then pulled out a water-blue dress from the depths of her wardrobe.
The soft fabric was like rippling lake water, feeling light and smooth to the touch. A small white bow adorned the collar, the cinched waist perfectly tracing the girl's slender waistline, while the hemline fell just slightly above her knees.
Unlike the elegant, long garments fitting her status that she had to wear as a princess, the simple dress before her seemed somewhat plain.
“Hmm... a bit tight.”
Finally, she let down her high ponytail into long, cascading hair. The necklace on her chest glowed with a red light, gradually molding the woman in the mirror into a completely new appearance.
Her deep purple hair turned into a sea-like blue, and her sharp eyes softened bit by bit.
The proud and cold imperial princess vanished instantly, replaced by a lively and lovely girl.
Anna tilted her head, recalling the gentle smile she had practiced thousands of times.
At least for now... in this brief moment of leisure, she was no longer the majestic Second Princess.
She pitched her voice higher, adding a cute, slightly nasal tone to the end of her words as she once again spoke the alias she had uttered thousands of times.
“Come on, Sasha~ (^▽^) Today is another beautiful day~”
Anna picked up the little fox named Snowball from the bed and stuffed its chubby little head into the swelling peaks of her chest.
The little fox's head drooped as it let out a listless “ying.”
“Still a bit listless? ...Maybe I should take it to the school infirmary to get checked out...”
It was the height of summer, but under the influence of the massive barrier enveloping the academy, the sunlight did not feel harsh. She walked through the garden, following the dappled patches of light.
Then, on the opposite side of the road, she saw a dazzling blonde figure.
The crimson eyeshadow, the handsome face, and the lazy demeanor that was identical to his pictures in the newspapers. With just a brief moment of eye contact, Anna recognized his identity.
Lynn von Reinhardt.
“Tsk.”
Her mood, which had just improved slightly, was instantly cast under a shadow.
She didn't hold any personal prejudice against Lynn himself; she simply felt it wasn't worth it for her close friend, Veronica.
Ever since they met in their childhood, she had always heard that admired name from Veronica's mouth.
“Nana, Nana~ Let me tell you, I've met a super, super, super amazing friend~”
Still young back then, she didn't know what jealousy was, but she felt a bit jealous simply because her friend was always talking about someone else.
But if it was someone Veronica liked, they must be a pretty decent person, right?
Thus, when she grew a bit older and gained control over a portion of the Shadow Guards, the Imperial Princess issued a selfish command to her subordinates for the first time.
“Investigate that bad guy named Lynn!”
The Shadow Guards returned in just half a shichen, as the boy's 'famous reputation' was simply too widespread.
“An uneducated, playboy scion; a tyrannical, disgusting young master...” Flipping through the handed-over files, Anna furrowed her brows.
Just who was this conglomeration of ugly traits?
“No, no, no, hearsay is unreliable after all. I still need to see it with my own eyes...”
So, taking advantage of a royal banquet, she disguised her identity to take a look at the bad guy who occupied her friend's thoughts day and night.
And then, the last trace of hope in her heart vanished completely.
A disgusting tone, crude and tyrannical, and he even tried to lay his hands on her when she spoke to him for the first time.
“As expected... Little Pera was indeed deceived by that guy's sweet talk.”
So, a young Anna angrily brought a young Veronica to see the 'Lynn' she was obsessed with. The truth was just as she expected. In the days that followed, Veronica, having seen through 'Lynn's' true face, gradually grew disheartened, until—
After returning from the North last month, once that hunting competition ended... she turned back into that little girl who would smile and have a sparkle in her eyes whenever she talked about that guy.
‘I don't know... what tricks you used to deceive Pera this time.’
‘But as her best friend, I have a duty... to make her see through you again!’
She cleared her throat, calculating various pickup lines and conversational tactics in her mind. After a brief rehearsal of the expression she would make in a moment, she confidently strode toward Lynn.
Then, the listless little fox in her arms suddenly bolted from her chest like a cat seeing a giant catnip-coated teaser toy.
“Snowball!”
Then, under her life-questioning glare, Snowball completely ignored her, its owner.
Just like how her friend had once chirped and chanted that annoying name, it threw itself headfirst into the embrace of someone it was clearly meeting for the first time...
Into the arms of that playboy, tyrannical, smooth-talking super-scumbag 'Lynn'!
Rate on N.U.
