I Became the Absolute Hidden Villainess Princess of the Academy

Chapter 15: Tardiness is Tradition for the First Class

The day after the entrance ceremony at the Imperial Academy.

As they prepared for their first lectures, most of the new students were brimming with excitement. 

The elite knight cadets were visibly eager, while the adventurer-trained students had a spark of determination in their eyes.

But…

In the Grand Auditorium where the first-year students of the Department of Magic gathered, only a suffocating silence filled the air.

Amid the oppressive quiet, Louis’ lips moved with a hardened expression.

“Irene, did you cause some kind of trouble?”

“N-No…”

Louis’ nerves were on edge, while Irene had shrunk into herself, her shoulders trembling.

And…

Hostile gazes, full of open disdain, were directed at the two of them.

— Mutter, mutter.

— Who’s that? She’s giving me chills. — Ugh, why is that noble hanging around with something like that? — We’re supposed to take lectures with her? Disgusting.

‘…She’s done nothing, and they’re reacting like this. Even with me right here.’

Louis’ sharp hearing picked up on the murmurs from a distance.

He’d never experienced such treatment in his life, and he was so baffled that he couldn’t even be angry.

His eyes turned toward Irene with a questioning gaze.

‘…She does feel a bit off. She didn’t seem this way yesterday.’

Yesterday, she seemed normal. But today, there was something… unsettling about her. Even Louis himself had felt a slight sense of discomfort in the morning.

However…

‘Even so, it’s not like she’s some detestable person.’

“Just to be safe, don’t stray more than 3 meters away from me.”

Rather than distancing himself, Louis moved even closer to her.

He didn’t display the same overt hatred as the others. Instead, he recalled his own words from the previous day about protecting her and stuck to it.

This was possible because the unease he felt was a mere fraction of what others experienced.

It was thanks to the blood of Blézer that flowed through him.

The unique instincts of the Blézer family offset the “witch’s curse” that caused others to instinctively hate her, reducing its effect on him to almost nothing.

…If Esti knew about this, she’d be horrified at the absurdity of such a bloodline.

But Irene, unaware of all this, immediately clung to Louis’ side.

Her voice trembled, as if frightened by the hostile gazes around them.

“Y-Yes… okay….”

Of course, her “fear” was all an act.

Being hated by people was something she had long since grown used to.

The warmth she’d experienced while staying with Esti the day before had been an exception to the norm.

‘…Come to think of it, when I was with her, I didn’t get those kinds of stares. Not from the servants, not even that Schefor woman.’

Remembering Esti brought a faint warmth to her cold heart.

The day she’d spent with Esti had been one without scornful gazes, and it had felt… surprisingly nice.

This prompted Irene to speak up, her voice tinged with genuine concern—a rarity for her normally cynical self.

“By the way, is the princess really going to be okay…? She was looking forward to today’s lecture so much….”

“What am I supposed to do if she locks the door and won’t get up? I’m not about to break it down.”

“That’s true, but…”

No matter how much they knocked, Esti hadn’t woken up that morning.

So, the two of them had headed to the lecture hall on their own.

Even as the Imperial Princess, it wasn’t their place to force open her door.

Irene, who had been looking forward to dressing Esti in a fresh dress that morning, was visibly disappointed.

A sigh of mild dissatisfaction escaped her lips.

“Sigh… She was snacking on cookies so much last night, after all.”

“Wait, Esti was? How much did she eat?”

“I overheard the maids gossiping this morning. Apparently, she ate…” She coughed. “Eight cookies. Each one is as big as her hand.”

‘Actually, it was thirty, but if I told him that, it might ruin his image of her. Better to tone it down.’

“Hmm. I see.”

‘She’s paying attention even to idle maid gossip… She must be worried about Esti not waking up. Even the love between girls can be touching sometimes.’

The two continued to chat about Esti.

Each believed the other was Esti’s love interest, so they were both careful in how they spoke.

“By the way, Lord Louis. Don’t you want to see the princess in her dress again?”

“…? Well, yeah. If Esti’s wearing a skirt like she did yesterday, I’d sell my soul to see it again.”

“Hehe. Then…”

The two ignored the gazes of others, completely absorbed in their shared topic of interest.

At this rate, it seemed likely their conversation would last until the lecture started.

But their secret plotting was abruptly interrupted.

“———Are you talking about Princess Esti?!”

“…!!?”

The woman with tightly curled blonde hair suddenly barged in.

It was none other than Lady Schefor, the noblewoman who had hurled insults at Irene the day before.

“L-Lady Schefor…?”

“Yes! Schefor de Vernone, second daughter of the Vernone family!”

Her pride in her family was evident, as she elongated “Vernooone” with such grandeur that it almost echoed.

Both Irene and Louis blinked in disbelief.

Just yesterday, she’d looked at Irene as if she were a bug, yet here she was today, smiling warmly as she spoke to her. Their reactions were only natural.

But Schefor didn’t care and shamelessly pressed on.

‘She’s as annoying as when I first met her, but… for Princess Esti’s sake, I’ll endure!’

After all, she’d heard Princess Esti’s declaration that “this girl is my friend” with her own ears.

Why would she needlessly antagonize Irene after that?

Furthermore, if she could get closer to Irene…

‘If I befriend this girl, I’ll naturally get closer to Princess Esti too! I’ll keep pushing forward until I get to squish those soft, chubby cheeks of hers!’

If she could become friends with Irene, she’d have a chance to stick by Esti’s side as well.

Her love for small, adorable things was unparalleled, and a little discomfort was nothing if it meant being close to Esti.

Plus, as a veteran of high society’s social games, pretending to like someone she disliked was second nature.

So, she eagerly approached Irene with an affable smile.

“There’s an open seat here, right? Irene, may I sit next to you?”

“Huh? Oh, um…”

— Thud.

“Hehe. Thanks.”

‘Hey! At least wait for my answer before sitting!’

“Anyway, I heard the princess wore a skirt yesterday? Tell me all about it!”

Schefor’s lively voice filled the auditorium.

She spoke even louder than usual, deliberately drawing attention away from Irene.

The sharp gazes directed at Irene began to soften.

— Whisper, whisper.

— She’s kind of annoying, but… — Surrounded by the Blézer heir and the second daughter of the Vernone family… What kind of connections does she have? — I didn’t notice next to the prince, but noble ladies have a different aura entirely. — Yeah. Saying something careless around them seems like a bad idea.

‘These people…’

Though it hurt Louis’ pride a little to see his presence being overshadowed by a mere viscount’s daughter, he let it slide.

With the hostility toward her fading, Irene’s hunched shoulders relaxed a bit.

A sense of relief washed over her, as if she could see a path toward a more peaceful Academy life.

‘Judging by her gaze, she’s probably under the curse’s influence. But I guess she’s holding it in because I’m a “friend of the princess.” Good. This will make things easier.’

“Yes. Thanks to the princess taking a liking to me, I’ve been fortunate enough to live in the same mansion as her…”

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What…?! You’re living with… Princess Esti?!”

Seizing the opportunity, Irene subtly flaunted her relationship with Esti.

Her message was clear: “I’m someone favored by the princess, so think twice before picking on me.”

‘Alright, time to use that name to my advantage.’

“Yes. In fact, she even invited me to bathe with her.”

“W-W-Whaaaat?!”

‘Is this some kind of “she’s mine, so stay away” declaration?!’

Schefor’s face turned a bright red, and Louis pretended not to hear anything, quickly averting his gaze.

Their conversation about Esti seemed like it would go on forever.

But fortunately for Schefor, the endless bragging disguised as a friendly chat came to a close before jealousy could fully consume her.

“After we finished bathing together, I suggested we match dresses…”

‘Why… Why am I the only one who hasn’t bathed with the princess?! I could’ve gently scrubbed her soft skin with my hands…’

— Click, clack.

“———Silence.”

A sharp sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, cutting through Schefor’s thoughts.

A woman entered, her long red hair flowing like flames and her robe fluttering behind her.

She carried an air of elegance, with a stern presence that made it clear she was a professor.

…And her expression was frightening.

— Silence.

‘Wow, her face is terrifying.’

All the students, including Irene, Louis, and Schefor, immediately closed their mouths.

Her aura was one that clearly screamed, “Make a mistake and you’ll regret it.”

Standing on the podium, the woman finally spoke.

— Glare.

“I am Stella, an Imperial Court Mage and a newly appointed professor at the Imperial Academy. So, do not think you can challenge me.”

“…”

The atmosphere in the auditorium shifted into an even more frigid tension.

No, how could a professor’s first words to new students be “Don’t challenge me”?

Even with nobles like Louis and Schefor present, she’d said it without hesitation.

The cadets clamped their mouths shut, each one thinking they’d seriously drawn the short straw this time.

But the person responsible for freezing the room—the newly appointed professor, Stella—paid no mind as she scanned the auditorium.

‘Where could they be…? Hm?’

“Don’t tell me we have students late or absent on the first day?”

Stella’s gaze swept over the room, and her face grew twice as cold.

Even Irene, who had endured every kind of scorn imaginable, and Schefor, who was hardly one to be rattled, stiffened visibly.

It was Louis, the one least fazed, who raised his hand.

‘So that’s Esti’s teacher. She’s just as temperamental as I’d heard.’

“Professor Stella. The Third Princess is currently resting in her dorm due to health issues. We ask for your understanding.”

“Tch. Missing the first day, huh.”

“……!!!!?”

Instead of concern, Stella clicked her tongue in clear disapproval.

The entire room—even the noble students—was stunned.

Not only was it disrespectful, but it was shocking that a teacher would react like this to news of her own direct student’s illness.

Irene even found herself thinking, ‘Is she a witch too?’

But the real shock had yet to come.

— Whirl.

“The first class will be self-study. Use your magic as you see fit and leave when you’re done.”

“…What?”

With that, Stella spun on her heel as if she’d accomplished all she’d come for.

Even Louis, rarely caught off guard, let out a breath of disbelief.

———But if that were all, the room wouldn’t have been so stunned.

There were plenty of eccentric mages in the world, after all.

The real reason for their shock…

“I’m late, I’m late…!!!”

— Thud, thud, thud.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the distance. The light pitter-patter of short, fast-moving legs drew everyone’s attention.

— Squeak.

“I’m sorry for being late… huh?”

Just as Stella was about to leave the auditorium, in came the very person who’d supposedly been “too ill to attend”—Third Princess Esti.

— Beaming smile.

“Hehe, Teacher~♡ I’m a little late~.”

Out of breath, Esti’s words came out sounding more like “Teecher” than “Teacher” as she greeted her instructor.

Up until just a moment ago, Stella’s face had been twisted in irritation.

———But then, she swung her hand at the Third Princess of the Empire.