The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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“…I’ll grant your request, but there better not be a single lie in your words.”

“Really! I’m only going to fetch something from an unused storage room. It’s not a bad thing, just a hobby.”

Though Ho-yeon had returned to her princess state, I couldn’t help but think whether it was necessary.

She said she was concerned about others’ gazes, yet she had been holding my hand the entire time. What was the reason for her insistence on pretending to be a princess now, glancing around as if to be cautious of onlookers?

Now that I thought about it, from morning until now—except during class—she hadn’t let go of my hand even for a moment.

Even when we were eating lunch, she had asked for me to hold her hand, and there were so many eyes on us that I felt I had to ask her to tone it down a bit.

Finally coming back to her senses, she lightly blushed and silently ate her food, which I found adorable.

Today, she resembled a little niece I would see. Of course, her appearance didn’t match that, but her actions were undeniably childlike.

A truly lonely child.

She was confirmed as the heir, but could it be that she had no friends at all? I couldn’t believe that.

Perhaps after being surrounded by people and getting along well, she came to the academy for some unknown reason and that’s what led to this situation.

Maybe she got into some big trouble, or perhaps her father, with the belief that children should be raised strong, sent her off with minimal guards to the academy.

Thinking this way made me understand, to some extent, the prickly exterior she showed from the beginning and the vulnerable side she showed me.

Being far from home is scary, and surrounded by people with different backgrounds means she could only rely on her own power, which is why she was so insistent in pushing through.

She probably only learned to act this way. When considering her parents’ personalities, it was unlikely she thought of resolving issues through calm conversation.

Her father was a conqueror, and her mother tested the protagonist immediately upon meeting him, causing a landslide.

But then, one thing puzzled me.

Why did she act so threatening, like a hedgehog bristling with quills, yet was kind to me?

She hadn’t even mentioned that her parents were from the Eastern continent yet, yet she called for me and handed over bread, which still baffled me.

Was it just because of my face? That didn’t seem likely. Even in our class, there were several guys better looking than me.

Even when I thought about it alone, a clear answer didn’t emerge. I could only think that her inherent nature was probably kind.

“You could’ve gone alone if it’s just an empty storage room. Was there a reason you wanted to call me?”

Later, I was going to fetch decisive evidence that Stephanie was creating a magic user for Gloria, but I needed her to open that storage room since it was locked by her magic.

I couldn’t say that to her.

But it was true that I wanted her to open the door.

I had my suspicions ever since she opened my door, but seeing her open someone else’s locker confirmed it for me.

For some reason, she could unlock all magical locks.

Thanks to Ho-yeon’s presence, I could skip the part where I disclose my discovery that the root of the whole incident was Stephanie, who only ends up eating sweet potatoes without gaining anything.

This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

Like the fruits of the World Tree, there wasn’t an immediate need to take action, but it would be wise to deal with it in advance.

And I just happened to have a perfect excuse.

“There are rumors of ghosts appearing, you see. It’s a bit scary to go alone, and above all, we are friends, right?”

“Friends… Ehehe, um! Right. Is that it? Okay, then.”

Just that one word made her smile brightly, making me think she might actually be an easier heroine than Exipri.

Since she didn’t exist in the original work, could I even call her a heroine?

Until just moments ago, she seemed to reluctantly agree, but now she was happily lightening her steps.

It suddenly crossed my mind that was it really right to lie to someone who trusted me this much?

There was no choice but to convince myself it was necessary. After all, who would believe that this world was actually a novel and that I was pulled from a place called Korea into this story?

Even my parents would probably ask if something was wrong or tell me to take a rest since I seemed so exhausted.

Let alone her, who I had only been friends with for a day, it was obvious.

Later, when I could truly come clean about everything, I’d do just that. I promised myself as I matched my pace with hers.

Of course, still holding on to her hand tightly.

—

Even as I had made my first friend through Ho-yeon’s body, when Dokan suggested we go to an empty storage room, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of caution.

My intention for entering the alleyway was pure, to ask for his understanding and apologize, but when the protagonist of a harem story suggests going to an isolated place, the innocent intention is clearly in question.

Yet, when I heard him say ‘friends,’ I felt it was okay. Not that I was in season or anything. I had my reasons.

Friends wouldn’t do such things to each other.

Besides, being in season wasn’t really a big deal? The inner voice warning me of baseless confidence didn’t reach me.

By the way, I didn’t expect Dokan to be scared of ghosts. Of course, this world has real ghosts, but they aren’t typically harmful.

Most of them were souls that could be freed by listening to their anguished tales and comforting them.

Above all, why would a guy be afraid of such things?

Well, technically I was a girl now, but I still thought of myself as a boy.

“Yes, we’ve arrived.”

By the way, why was he asking me to open the door? It seemed there was no lock or magical barrier; couldn’t he just open it himself?

“You should open this yourself. Trying to get a woman to do it for you as a guy?”

“Ah… well, you see…”

But he didn’t want to, and he spoke in a roundabout way. It seemed like he thought, “Since it’s Ho-yeon, she’d definitely open it for me.”

“Could I say I’m asking as a friend…?”

“…Are you serious?”

Fine, just this once. At this rate, he might ask me for a glass of water later because we’re friends.

Thinking back, I believed that even when he was a boy, he had done something similar. He suddenly barged into my house, commandeered my computer to play games, and later asked for a glass of water because he was thirsty.

I thought it was ridiculous and asked if I was his servant, but he tossed me 50,000 won without a word, essentially saying, “So I’m your servant.”

Dokan was nice, so he wouldn’t do that.

Though the door to the unused storage room was covered in rust and likely tough to open, it had been maintained so well that I could barely hear the sound of it opening.

I knew the academy was luxurious, but I had no idea they would manage even a storage room to such a degree—money was indeed powerful.

“…It’s cleaner inside than I expected.”

I knew I shouldn’t say something like that, but I wanted to try just once. It was way too well-maintained for a storage room that nobody used.

“Right?”

“Since there’s no one here, we can talk casually…”

Outside, we had to be cautious of others’ eyes, but there were only the two of us here. No need to keep up her princess demeanor even in this place.

“If that’s how you feel. Well then, I’ll look for the things I need.”

Just as I was about to let go of her hand and leave, Dokan lightly pulled my hand back. I looked at him, asking why he did that, and he signaled his intention to accompany me.

“…I’ll go with you!”

“No, is that really necessary…?”

“You said you’re scared of ghosts. I can talk to them, so if they show up, I might be able to help…!”

I didn’t want to miss the chance to show off in front of my friend. Well, only if they did appear.

Above all, I simply didn’t want to be alone today. This was definitely because of being in season. Back when I was a child, I’d always slept with my father or mother during such times.

This loneliness was something I couldn’t shake off.

“Ah, right. Thanks… So should we look together then?”

“Yeah!”

I said it grandly, but the storage room wasn’t that big, and there weren’t many things inside, so we quickly found what Dokan wanted.

It was what looked like a pile of documents. I took a quick look, but nothing noteworthy seemed to be there.

“…Did you come here for that?”

What a letdown. I thought it might be some rusty sword or some secret scroll written by a senior.

After all, there are many such things in academy stories—treasures hidden by seniors or founders. I thought he would be searching for something like that but ended up with a worthless document folder.

“Oh, this was a great help! Thank you, Ho-yeon.”

“Uh…? Ah, right… me too…”

I wasn’t sure if it was something to be this grateful over, but I was happy being of help to someone.

Just as I was trying to leave in a good mood, I abruptly pulled on Dokan’s hand to stop him.

“Why this time…?”

“Shh.”

Dokan seemed to catch on that something was off and went silent.

I didn’t know who it was, but someone was walking toward us. I wished it were just my imagination, but if that person entered here, they would catch us in this situation.

The only exit was the way we came in. Where on earth could we hide?

While I was contemplating, the person outside was getting closer and closer. I wanted to scold Dokan for lying about the storage being unused, but I didn’t have the luxury to do that.

Meanwhile, I spotted a locker. It was a vertical structure that looked like it could barely fit two people.

“…Come here!”

“Wah?!”

There was no time to explain. I hurriedly pulled Dokan into the locker with me. A moment later, I heard the sound of the storage door opening.