The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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I clearly fell asleep hugging someone. Feeling empty for some reason, I fumbled around but couldn’t grab onto anything.

All I could feel was the blanket that was trying to soften, and when I opened my eyes, there was no one there.

Well… it’s not like Dokan never wakes up early. I figured he must have gotten up first and gone somewhere. I thought about how he could have waited just a little longer, and felt a bit dissatisfied.

Still, I trusted him, so I wasn’t overly anxious. Surely, he didn’t go off to meet another girl. He must have his own personal life too.

I would have liked him to spend all that time with me, but realistically, that was asking too much, so I didn’t plan to press that point.

Even if I was half-asleep, there was no way I would be dragged out somewhere today; I should focus and put some makeup on my face. As for how to do that… I’d find out.

I laid out various items in front of the mirror, but I couldn’t tell what was what. What even is this? It looks like powder.

As I touched one thing after another, I started to wonder where on earth I was supposed to put this stuff and if I really needed to bother with makeup at all.

Putting aside self-praise or anything like that, the girl reflected in the mirror was stunningly beautiful without any makeup. Was there really a need to mess up such a masterpiece?

But I had no reason not to. There was no one to see me anyway; this was my face. So, with the limited guesses I had about how to use the makeup, I stood in front of the vanity for a whole hour, awkwardly dabbing my face.

And then I wiped it all off five minutes later.

Back when I was at home, I had tried to cook something, but it looked like a mess on my face too. I thought I’d try to look good, but I must really have terrible hand skills.

It was depressing. It would have been nice to have someone around to comfort me during times like this. After vigorously scrubbing until nothing was left, Dokan still hadn’t come back into the room.

It was almost lunchtime. Where on earth could he have gone? Just as I was pondering whether to go look for him, I spotted Dokan’s coat carelessly sprawled on the floor.

It wasn’t like he had never gone out without his coat before. But he had rarely ever gone without it. He even wore it stubbornly on the hottest days.

My curiosity deepened. Where could he have gone? The absence of any signs of struggle suggested he hadn’t been kidnapped. And since he was fully dressed aside from his coat, that seemed to indicate he left voluntarily.

Regardless of what happened, I needed to look for him.

Something must have gone wrong, but if I couldn’t find him like this, I couldn’t just sit still and do nothing.

I stepped outside and grabbed any random elf passing by, asking if they had seen Dokan.

“Excuse me for a moment. Have you seen a man with black, exotic hair? He was mediating a dispute yesterday.”

“…Uh, well… I’ve often seen men with black hair, but the exotic-looking one? I haven’t seen him… I know there was a dispute yesterday, but I wasn’t there, so I don’t know… Um, I’m sorry, but I have to go…!”

Maybe I should have asked someone else. There was really no need for them to run off so hurriedly.

“…Sigh. Where could he be?”

Really, where could he be? Just in case I could sniff out something, I tried to pick up his scent, but I found nothing.

I wandered around and asked people, even encountering elves who had been present during the dispute, but I got no solid leads.

My thoughts, once filled with the hope of quickly finding Dokan to have lunch together, were drowning in ominous imaginings.

What if something went wrong? What if he was betraying me and rolling around with another girl?

The “what ifs” clung to my mind like leeches, spiraling into even more anxious thoughts. I forgot about my hunger as I practically dashed around, my pace quickening as I ran into some guards.

“…Whoa! Princess, where are you rushing off to? We almost bumped into each other! Is there something urgent happening?”

“Dokan, have you seen him?!”

“Dokan… ah, do you mean that gentleman who stuck close to you? I haven’t seen him.”

Where could he be? Why was I in such a hurry? Ignoring the confused guards behind me, I searched every likely spot for Dokan.

But he was nowhere to be found. Everyone I encountered just said they didn’t know.

Where is he? Where is he? Where has he disappeared to, leaving me behind?

“Oh dear, I sensed a fierce aura and came over to see it was you, Princess. This doesn’t seem like a joking matter, but is something bothering you?”

Who the heck are you? Oh, it was the Captain of the Guard. Knowing him, he might know something.

“…Black Wolf, have you seen Dokan? This morning, he suddenly vanished, and I don’t know where he went…! You must know something…?”

I was relieved to meet the second most reliable person here at this desperate time. The first, of course, was Dokan. Upon seeing me, he stopped whatever joke he had been about to make and seemed to tap his head, trying to remember.

“Well… I think I saw him going somewhere early in the morning… But that’s all I know. I thought nothing of it, dealing with my tasks on such an early hour. But he’s disappeared?”

When he mentioned having seen him in the morning, I thought, “Good, at least I know he wasn’t just some ghost.” But I couldn’t hide my disappointment hearing that there was still no trace of him.

“Y-yeah. I’ve looked everywhere he could possibly be, but I haven’t found him. Do you happen to know where he was headed?!”

“I get that you’re worried, but first, please calm down. He did seem to be heading toward the World Tree, but that place is locked down, so… I suppose you’ve already searched there, right?”

I had already combed through there quite a while ago. Ultimately, even he didn’t have any clear leads.

Then we had no choice.

“…Black Wolf, gather all the guards and tell them to start looking for Dokan. Search everywhere he might be. The professors’ rooms, the storage, search everywhere.”

“Please don’t see it as a simple errand… Yes, I will do that. But what if we face any resistance? Would you prefer to handle it gently as you usually say, Princess?”

“I don’t care.”

“…Understood.”

Whether he comprehended my words clearly or not, Black Wolf promptly left to gather the guards around.

I didn’t need to stick here any longer.

If he had gone toward the World Tree as my brother said, and I had already looked through almost everywhere else without finding him, then…

If he somehow managed to breach the barrier surrounding the World Tree, he might be inside. Or maybe he wasn’t. Honestly, it didn’t matter much.

What mattered was that Dokan might be inside, so that couldn’t be ignored.

It felt strangely possible. No, it was possible. I had no proof, but I was certain if I believed it, it would turn out like that. Something strange must be afoot; Dokan might be in danger.

…Well, then let’s go.

—

“Anya, you’ve improved quite a bit. At this rate, you might not need me anymore.”

“No way… Everything I’ve achieved is all thanks to you, Eric. Your teaching might not be as good as Ho-yeon, but the things you say stick with me so well. Why is that? Hehe.”

“That I cannot answer. As long as the results are good, isn’t that all that matters?”

Even if I could drop out of the Academy, I wouldn’t give up the heir position, which was something I couldn’t just throw away, so Anya was still struggling with her studies.

One good thing was that she was learning the material her lover taught her at an astonishing speed. Neither of them knew why, but anyone observing could tell.

“Um… I’m not really sure about this part either. I might have to ask Ho-yeon for a separate lecture later…”

“Ugh, I have to learn from Ho-yeon…?”

“You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to… um, to be honest, I don’t like it. Her teaching is excellent, but how should I put it…? She really pushes me to my limits… it’s exhausting. So… huh?”

While she was complaining about the hardships of learning from Ho-yeon, she heard a knock at the door.

“I didn’t expect anyone… I’ll go check. Who is it?”

The moment she opened the door, someone shoved her back.

“Ugh… What is the meaning of this! You…?”

Upon hearing the noise from the entrance, Eric dashed out to find out what was going on.

And there stood a heavily armed beastman.

Anastasia, who had fallen to the floor, watched as the beastman entered the room, searching for signs of anyone inside. Once he confirmed no one was there, he promptly exited.

“Anya! Are you alright?”

“…I’m fine; I was just a bit startled… But why on earth are those people here…?”

Having heard stories about the guard under Ho-yeon and the uproar from yesterday, she had no idea why they were searching her room.

It didn’t make sense that her guards would suddenly behave so strangely instead of protecting her.

Just as she was about to conclude it was a personal deviation, she heard shouting and screaming from outside.

“…Eric, something feels seriously off, doesn’t it?”

“I wish it’s nothing, but… it really seems like it. Are you thinking of going?”

Anya straightened her clothes and grasped her sword.

“Yes. I hope I’m just worrying for nothing, but if I’m wrong, it could lead to something dangerous. Above all, I need to find Ho-yeon immediately.”

As Anya tried to step outside, Eric wouldn’t let her go alone.

“It’s fine for me to go alone, but thank you for following me.”

“I can’t leave my dear in a dangerous place alone. My assistance, however small, will be there. Let’s go.”

“…Alright.”