NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
“Princess, we are ready.”
At the maid’s call, Angela nodded slightly.
“Yes, I’ll be out shortly.”
As she spoke, her eyes turned to the mirror in front of her.
Dressed neatly in Polaris Academy’s uniform, her golden hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
With sharp features and skin as smooth as jade.
There stood a girl who could scarcely be called ugly, even as a mere compliment.
“Let’s hurry. We can’t be late today.”
With the maid escorting her, Angela left the dormitory building.
Today was the entrance ceremony of Polaris Academia.
It was the day she had been eagerly counting down to for the past few days.
Like a child waiting for a present, every day felt like it crawled by.
“Ugh…”
Trying hard to conceal her racing heart, she soon arrived at the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was taking place.
Creek!
As the massive doors swung open, all eyes in the auditorium turned to the newcomers and spectators.
“Whoa, no way.”
“Isn’t that Princess Angela?!”
“Was there really a princess among the new students?”
“Could she be here as a guest of honor?”
“No, look! She’s wearing the uniform!”
“W-whoa, this is amazing!”
The attention she had received all her life, and would continue to receive.
To Angela, these were merely background noise.
Unfazed, she slowly moved her legs and made her way to her seat.
Yet her eyes quickly darted around, searching intently for something.
‘Where are you?’
The person she was certain would be here.
The very special someone who had promised to reunite with her.
‘Lady…!’
Unfortunately, her line of sight was not very wide.
Moreover, Angela belonged to the ‘Alpha Class,’ composed of students accepted through recommendations.
She was seated further away from the ‘Beta Class,’ which admitted those who passed the entrance exam.
Standing on tiptoes and straining to look around, despite shaking her head this way and that…
“Not… here…”
There was not a single boy in the Beta Class.
On the contrary, the girls whose eyes met hers just stiffened and straightened their posture.
‘Could it be….’
Did the lady fail the exam?
‘That can’t be!’
She had seen Ran’s skills firsthand.
Besides, if her husband didn’t believe in her, who could?
‘Something must have happened.’
For instance, someone who coveted her stunning beauty and talent might have kidnapped her.
Or perhaps that vile crime group she had seen in the southern town followed her and harmed her.
“…!”
No matter what, it was a dreadful story from Angela’s perspective.
“…Princess?”
“Is there somewhere uncomfortable?”
As Angela broke into a cold sweat and felt anxious, a few others from the Alpha Class seized the opportunity to speak to her.
“…No, but—”
It seemed she would have to excuse herself from the ceremony for personal reasons.
Just before she could relay that message…
“Everyone, please be quiet.”
A single person stepped onto the podium.
“Wow!”
“That’s the…!”
The murmuring around her grew louder.
With a graceful walk and dignified appearance,
she exuded a completely opposite vibe to Angela, yet equally refined.
“Greetings. I am Purnia, the President of the Polaris Student Council, overseeing this entrance ceremony.”
The First Princess.
“I am… Purnia Martheus Linzel.”
It was Purnia.
The entrance ceremony at Polaris had been handled by the student council for generations.
In the past, the principal would oversee it like anywhere else, but since his disappearance thirteen years ago, it became the student council’s responsibility.
“Every member of the student council is here!”
“They say this year’s council is the most prestigious class in history!”
Two women stood beside Purnia.
Vice Student Council President, Elma Oldair.
Lead Prefect, Jane Rune.
Each held significant power second only to the council president.
Behind them, other student council members stood in orderly formation.
“Now, let’s begin the entrance ceremony.”
The Polaris entrance ceremony doesn’t go through unnecessary processes.
The students simply listen quietly to the president’s customary speech.
“May the rising stars who will lead the empire shine even brighter…”
Although it was nothing more than a cliché, it felt different coming from one who was touted to be the next Empress.
“Ugh…!”
A few students from the Beta Class couldn’t hold back their tears, overwhelmed by emotion.
Even students from the Alpha Class, accustomed to such upper-class interactions, displayed proud smiles without hesitation.
Except for one.
“……”
Only Angela coldly watched Purnia from afar.
“…And may you grow without rest to grasp glory.”
Their gazes locked in the air.
“Whatever challenges you face, may you overcome them wisely.”
From below to above, and above to below.
The two women gazed at each other.
“Even if you fall into a labyrinth, may you always see the right path.”
Illuminated ones, and those mingled in the crowd.
“To become the eternally shining star…”
The one who clutched it and the one who sought to clutch it.
“To everyone, blessings.”
-Waaaaaah!
As Purnia’s speech concluded, thunderous applause erupted.
Now there was only one process left for the entrance ceremony.
The top student from each class would come out for a new student speech.
Originally, the position of the Royal Class’ top student was meant for Angela, but she had turned it down.
‘To stand there…’
She felt she was not yet worthy.
Coincidentally, a student who could take her place had enrolled in the same class.
“Well then, the representative of the new students will come out to give the new student speech.”
As Purnia stepped down, Elma came up to take over.
“First, the representative from the Royal Class. The Saintess, Miss Rienna Saintflower.”
As Elma introduced her, a girl with long wavy pink hair stepped out from beside the podium.
“The Saintess is truly enrolling!”
“Is that why there were so many applicants this year…?”
The Saintess, Rienna Saintflower, who had manifested the ‘Divine Revelation’ after 120 years.
Indeed, she exuded an undeniable sense of holiness.
Perhaps because her eyes were covered with a black blindfold, an enchanting aura enveloped her.
“Oh my… It’s an honor to sit in such an esteemed position.”
As Rienna began to speak, the atmosphere shifted.
“What’s going on? Why does the auditorium feel like a church now?”
“Ah… I see God now…!”
A warm resonance enveloped the room.
The divine power embedded in her voice healed the souls of the new students.
‘She truly is the Saintess of Revelation.’
Angela placed her hand on her lower abdomen.
The energy that had been restless in her dantian had calmed down just a bit.
Although it couldn’t solve the fundamental issues of her constitution.
‘To be this effective just from the divine power in her words…’
After Rienna finished her speech, she smiled gently.
It was indeed a soft smile fit for the Saintess.
“Next, I would like to introduce the representative of the Beta Class newcomers.”
Just one person remained.
The representative of the Beta Class newcomers.
“An overwhelming student who passed the entrance exam with top scores.”
Someone walked up to the podium.
Upon seeing that figure, Rienna’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Ah… ah… ugh!”
She couldn’t find the words to continue.
Her body began to tremble.
Despite her attempts to steel her resolve, over and over,
“Ran Black!”
When he stood before her, everything crumbled with such ease.
“A boy?!”
“A boy enrolled in Polaris? And he’s the top student?!”
“Is what I’m seeing real…?”
“Ahhhh… brother, take me with you…!”
More intense reactions erupted than when Rienna appeared.
“A boy with a sword? Tsk… The Empire has really gone downhill.”
Someone clicked their tongue disapprovingly.
“Hey, that’s awesome!”
“Yujin’s dad, fighting…!”
Someone clapped their hands, blushing.
“……”
Some merely watched.
Yet the conclusion remained unchanged.
Polaris Academia.
Top student of the entrance exam.
Representative of the Beta Class newcomers.
<Ran Black>
He stepped forward confidently without a hint of hesitation.
“…So it was Ran? Your name.”
“I wanted to tell you directly, but it’s a shame.”
Elma and Ran exchanged quiet words.
The promise to tell him her name once they arrived at Polaris was kept.
‘A speech, huh,’
Having no talent for eloquently speaking,
Ran cleared his throat and stood before everyone.
Just as he was about to utter his first word…
Thud!
“W-what?!”
“Don’t come up here!”
“O-oh…!”
Her golden hair flew around.
Thud…!
Angela dove onto the stage, landing in Ran’s arms.
“You! You’re safe…!”
“W-what, Princess?!”
“I’m so glad….”
Tears welled up in her big eyes.
All her previously anxious feelings melted away warmly.
“I was worried… I was afraid you might leave me.”
Her arms tightly wrapped around Ran’s waist.
With a determination not to let go, she squeezed.
A slender, soft body.
The scent of warmth that made all tensions vanish.
“Thank you… thank you… for coming back…”
“Princess….”
“Promise to stay with me from now on… understand?”
“Um, um….”
Ran fidgeted uncomfortably.
Just when his heart was about to drop due to her unexpected reaction…
“……”
“Uh?”
“What…?”
She noticed the quiet atmosphere around them.
With wide eyes, she saw everyone staring at her.
“……Tsk.”
Even Purnia wore a look of disbelief.
“Ah… ahhhhh…!”
Only then did Angela realize.
What she had just done.
She had jumped onto the stage in the midst of the entrance ceremony, hugging the representative of the newcomers, burying her face against him.
And not just any person—a male student.
If it had been someone else, she might have been taken away for harassment.
“Ahhh… I’m so sorry….”
That day was,
An entrance ceremony that would go down in Polaris history for many reasons.