I Became the Absolute Hidden Villainess Princess of the Academy

Chapter 3: The Reason Why the 3rd Princess Had to Go to the Academy  (2)

While Esty was secretly praising herself…

The 2nd Princess, Elena, was lost in thought.

She reflected on her little sister, who had not only stopped the bloody struggle for succession — a brutal war of kin that stained blood with more blood — but also embraced and healed the pain that each sibling had carried in their hearts.

A focal point who united her siblings with the sole reason, “Because Esty will be sad.”

A younger sister who always walked around with a bright smile, foolish in many ways.

The 3rd Princess, Esty, was…

Simply too adorable.

“Hehehe, thank you~ Sister~♡”

-Smack. Rub-rub.

“How can I possibly resist this cuteness?”

When Elena playfully surrendered, Esty rubbed her pudding-soft cheeks against Elena’s shoulder, thanking her.

Every time Esty’s soft, silky skin brushed against her shoulder, Elena’s lips twitched as if trying to resist a smile.

Even Elena, who remained indifferent in most matters, was affected to this extent. If it had been any of their other siblings, they would have burst out laughing for sure.

That’s how powerful Esty’s cuteness was.

‘On top of that, this girl… she doesn’t even realize she’s doing this. She unconsciously oozes cuteness. It’s too much.’

Esty’s charm was an unintentional passive ability.

If you brought it up to her later, she’d tilt her head and say, “Huh? I did that?” Her instincts had carved it into her subconscious.

Faced with such overwhelming adorableness, Elena was utterly defenseless.

All she could do was stroke Esty’s head and promise to do anything for her.

-Swish, swish.

“Hehehe. It’s like a dream… a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur…”

“……”

-Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke.

The sound of her sister’s adorable giggling made Elena’s hand move even faster as she petted Esty’s head.

If anyone saw this, they might say she was spoiling a grown adult — especially since Esty was already 20 years old this year.

But for Elena, it was something she simply couldn’t help.

After all, her younger sister was so precious that she wouldn’t hurt her even if she were placed inside her own eye.

At the same time, Esty was the most pitiful child in the world.

‘…On top of that, threatening to cut her hair back then. How badly must she have wanted to go to the academy to dig up old wounds like that?’

Her hand, which was stroking Esty’s hair — hair as white as fresh snow, more white than silver — suddenly carried a sense of sorrow.

Her little sister’s hair had not grown at all since 10 years ago, and at that moment, the memory of that terrible day flickered before her eyes.

Perhaps that was why…

Without realizing it, Elena lifted a strand of Esty’s hair and brought it to her nose.

A faint, sweet aroma of black tea wafted through the air.

-Sniff…

“…Sister?”

‘Yes. If it’s for Esty…’

Elena’s sympathy morphed into resolve.

The happiness her sister had lost since that day…

She was determined to do whatever it took to restore it.

Her iron-willed resolve turned toward Esty.

‘But still, no matter how much I think about it, the Academy is a bit… hmm. The First Prince, the Second Prince, or the First Princess will surely reject it, right?’

“Alright. I’ll support you, Esty.”

…Although she claimed it was “iron-willed resolve,” the part about letting others be the ones to reject Esty’s request was anything but.

Regardless, Elena signed her name on the parchment Esty brought with her.

She passed over the empty spots for the 1st Prince, 2nd Prince, and 1st Princess.

Then, with a flick of her pen, she signed her name:

“Elena Blanchard deAvrien 2nd Princess.”

If one of those three had already signed, it would be one thing. But since none of them had signed yet, Elena justified it to herself — “It’s okay for me to indulge her a little.”

The moment Esty received it, she practically jumped for joy.

“Thank you, Sister!!”

‘Look at her bouncing around after getting just one person’s approval. So cute…’

“Now, Father will have to approve it too. Hehehe.”

“…What?”

Elena, who had been gazing fondly at her cute little sister, suddenly froze.

The parchment fluttering in Esty’s hand looked completely different from what she had seen just moments before.

Her expression hardened in an instant.

The previously blank parchment, save for Elena’s signature, was now completely filled.

[In favor of Esty Noir de Avrien’s admission to the Imperial Academy.]

1st Prince: Ron Polsen de Avrien

2nd Prince: Pierre Bernier de Avrien

1st Princess: Maria Lortier de Avrien

2nd Princess: Elena Blanchard de Avrien

“No way… Did she already get permission from our older siblings too?”

A belated realization washed over Elena.

Why had the sleepyhead, who is usually knocked out by 10 p.m., come to her so late at night?

It was probably because she’d been busy getting the other three’s approval first.

Without thinking, Elena reached out and snatched the parchment from Esty’s hands.

-Grab.

“Huh? Sister?”

“It was definitely blank earlier… How did this happen?”

Unable to believe it, Elena carefully examined the parchment.

But no traces of forgery could be found.

Each of the four signatures matched the unique handwriting of her siblings. There was no sign of falsification.

If the first person had been convinced, then the others must have signed because they assumed it was already endorsed by someone.

None of them, who all adored Esty dearly, would have knowingly signed it for her admission to the academy. They must have all believed it was still blank when they signed it.

Elena blinked in confusion.

“It doesn’t seem to have any signs of alchemical treatment…”

“Fufu. Curious, aren’t you? Want me to tell you how I did it?”

“…Esty?”

Next to her, Esty sat with a playful grin.

With an air of mischief, she looked at Elena, eyes sparkling as if to say, “Do you want to know how I made the names disappear and reappear on the parchment?”

Suddenly, a wave of unease crept over Elena.

“No way, magic… No, it can’t be. Esty’s not a witch.”

When faced with an incident this bizarre, the obvious assumption should be magic.

But using magic without formal training was a hallmark trait of a “witch.”

Elena didn’t even want to entertain the thought that Esty could be a witch.

“No, it’s fine. Just forget it.”

“This is the first time I’m telling anyone about it, you know?”

Without knowing what her older sister was thinking, Esty slowly raised her hand.

With a playful grin, she pressed her index finger to her lips, as if to say “Shh, it’s a secret.”

And then—

-Ssssss….

“———!!!!!?”

From Esty’s hand, a surge of purple mana erupted.

Esty, who had never learned a single spell, was now using magic.

It was as if… she were a witch.

Elena’s face was instantly filled with despair.

“A witch? Esty… How could this be…?”

“How is it? Feels warm, right?”

“…Huh?”

But soon, Elena noticed something strange.

Esty’s expression was far too calm, so much so that the idea of her being a witch didn’t seem plausible at all.

And then—

-Fwoosh!

“Warm…?”

Contrary to what one would expect, the purple glow radiated a warmth reminiscent of divine power.

It was known that mana emitted by witches was deathly cold, so cold it could freeze the hearts of those who touched it.

But this was the exact opposite.

While Elena gazed at it as if entranced, Esty calmly continued her explanation.

“Actually, I’ve been learning illusion magic. My teacher… or rather, the Imperial Court Mage, Dame Stella, has been teaching me.”

“…Isn’t she that eccentric mage who’s famous for never taking students?”

“I begged her to teach me! Fufu.”

“They say even the coldest merchant can’t resist someone with 100 favor points.”

Elena let out a sigh of relief at Esty’s explanation — that she had been learning magic from Stella, one of the most renowned and eccentric mages in the empire.

“She wouldn’t lie about something that could be so easily verified.”

“Seriously, my heart nearly stopped. I thought you’d become a witch.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell since your face was completely blank, Sister.”

“Anyway, why’d you suddenly decide to learn magic?”

“Because I was bored!”

“……”

“Annoying… but cute.”

The tension broke, and the atmosphere grew light and relaxed.

While Esty grinned at her as usual, Elena debated whether or not to flick her forehead but ultimately decided against it.

After all, how could she possibly hit that tiny, precious head?

“So, did you only learn illusion magic, or…?”

“Yup, just illusion magic. Dame Stella said I didn’t have talent for any of the other schools.”

“…Of all things, you learned the most useless school of magic.”

“Why would I need useful magic? It’s not like I’m gonna become a battle mage or something.”

“That’s… fair.”

Their conversation grew more and more aimless.

But all the while, their eyes remained fixed on the mana gathering in Esty’s palm.

That flickering purple glow slowly began to coalesce into a form.

“Ta-dah~!”

“…What’s that?”

“It’s a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur! Isn’t it awesome?”

“……”

It looked like a clay figure a child might make while playing in the dirt.

Elena’s lips unconsciously curled into a rare smile.

It wasn’t the “glow-in-the-dark dinosaur” itself that made her smile.

No, it was the sight of Esty, puffing up with pride, beaming as if she’d created something truly amazing.

Her hand naturally found its way to the top of Esty’s head.

-Swoosh, swoosh.

“That’s amazing, Esty.”

“Right? Oh, and you know what Dame Stella said? She said she could teach me even better if I was in a more proper environment!”

“…So that’s why you want to go to the Academy, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that!”

“Well, there are a few other reasons too, but…”

Eventually, the topic of the Academy came up again, and Elena’s face grew complicated.

She remained deep in thought for a moment.

“The Imperial Academy, huh… It’s not exactly the cleanest place to send someone like Esty.”

There were countless reasons why sending Esty to the Academy was a bad idea.

Esty was one of the most valuable political assets of the imperial family.

Just by marrying her off to a noble family, the empire could secure their loyalty.

She was the beloved youngest daughter of the Avrien royal family.

If she left for the Academy, everyone would miss her so much they’d probably moan in agony every night.

Not to mention the potential dangers that could arise.

Her safety beyond the palace walls, the resources required to protect her — it would all be a major burden.

The more she thought about it, the more reasons she came up with to say no.

But—

“Still… if she’s so bored that she’d go this far…”

-Flick.

“So, Sister… Can you return the parchment now? ♡”

-Ding!

[Current Affection from Elena Blanchard de Avrien (24, Female) towards the target: 100 (Max)]

[Due to max affection, the likelihood of persuading the target to grant favors becomes “ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN.”]

Elena loved her little sister far too much.

That alone was reason enough to nod in agreement.

“More than anything, if she goes there… Maybe Esty can find happiness again.”

“The happiness she lost that day. The happiness she lost as a little girl.”

“Alright. But it’s too late right now, so give it to Father tomorrow.”

“Eh~? I want to show him right now.”

“I’ll go with you tomorrow. And I’ll bring the Court Mage too.”

“Hmm, if Sister says so… yawn… I’m sleepy.”

“It’s been a while. Let’s sleep together tonight.”

“Okay…”

That night, the lights of the imperial palace dimmed.

***

The Next Morning

“Father!! I got everyone’s approval!! Please let me enroll in the Academy!!”

“———WHAT!!??”

The imperial palace of Avrien was turned upside down.

The 3rd Princess, Esty, was officially enrolled in the Academy.