[3rd POV]
The library within Lavinia Academy was one of the greatest and largest libraries in the kingdom.
It was a four story building located to the left of the academy, with each floor filled with rows and rows of shelves with hundreds of thousands of books filling it as well as the walls that had been transformed into shelves to hold even more books in it. Aside from confidential files, secret documents, forbidden tomes, and historical artifacts, the library of Lavinia Academy holds an immense collection of the kingdom's history, may it be history, economy, agriculture, culinary, or even books about swordsmanship and magic.
Given how easier it was for them to access the academy's library compared to trying to get access for the library within the royal palace, many students, scholars and even court magicians would sometimes come and browse Lavinia Academy's library to find information for their research.
And to accommodate them in their research, large mahogany tables and cushioned seats were available in the reading area of each floor. There were also private rooms on each floor if they wish to discuss amongst themselves without disturbing other visitors, to have a meeting, or to simply have privacy during their research.
Amenities such as some snacks and teas were also available if they wish to prolong their stay within the library. And as each book had been enchanted with protection and preservation magic, there was no need to fear any of the books being damaged by them.
On the second floor of the library, the clacking sound of heels stepping against the marble floor echoed throughout the book-covered corridors. A beautiful, light-blue haired young lady walked gracefully through the halls until she arrived before a door to a private room.
She knocked and opened the door after a voice from within gave her permission to enter.
"Good day, Silium-sama. Thank you very much for accepting my request and coming here."
A handsome, crimson-haired man stood up from his seat and bowed elegantly.
"Good day, Varion-sama. It is my pleasure."
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
Keith pulled a chair for Evelyn to sit before he returned to his seat opposite of her.
As he returned to his seat, he couldn't help but observe the young lady before him.
Evelyn von Silium, one of the most famous young ladies known for her beauty, heritage, talent, elegance, and ever present smile.
Even when she was only sitting, she exuded a gracefulness and elegance that no regular noble lady could replicate. And yet, she was still humble, kind, and gentle towards others.
She was truly a lady who embodies the ideal noble woman.
But sitting before her, Keith simply couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He had known Evelyn since they were children. They've met on several occasions and events held by their families. And naturally, due to both of their fathers being dukes, they were acquainted with each other fairly well.
But even with that, Keith wouldn't know her as much as he would now if not for Alterisa. Evelyn was one of her best friends, and Keith was her brother's close friend who also secretly held feelings for Alterisa. Thus, they'd naturally encounter each other and get to know one another when they were to visit her.
And after years of coincidentally meeting each other whenever they visited Alterisa, they've come to know each others' true self simply by observing one another since they would always put away their masks in front of Alterisa. From this, a sense of trust grew between the two. It was not one out of friendship, and certainly not love, but one born after knowing each others' true self.
Perhaps because of that, Evelyn didn't really care to put up a perfect mask for him and let her eyes show her disinterest in this meeting that he requested. Or rather, she was clearly showing her annoyance...
"Once again, I'm truly grateful for agreeing to meet me in this private space."
As a child of high nobility, Keith knew the tainted history of these private rooms, and he knew that Evelyn would also be aware of it.
Many have abused the private nature of these rooms by arranging a romantic tryst within it in the past. It was not uncommon for student couples to reserve a private room to meet and show their love for each other in private.
But there have been times in the past when these romantic trysts have gone too far. Unacceptable conducts, including sexual activities between students or even secret relationships between a student and teacher that have escalated far beyond acceptable had been discovered within these rooms.
Rules and regulations regarding such acts have been established since and harsh punishments await those who cross it, including an immediate expulsion for students and an immediate termination of contract for teachers in the worst case. Magic enchantments to identify people entering and leaving the private rooms by their magic signature have also been developed and used to record logs of entry and exit more accurately.
Decades have passed since the first incident that revealed the scandalous usage of these private rooms, and there was still a stigma stuck to those private rooms.
Unless they were engaged, rumors would spread if a gentleman and a lady were to spend time alone within these private rooms. And these rumors would be even more severe if one was an instructor of the academy or an outsider.
Thus, student couples who weren't engaged would avoid meeting in these rooms, and instructors would always bring more than one of his students with at least one male and one female, if they were to use these rooms.
But Evelyn snorted silently to his words.
"Think nothing of it. I have visited these private rooms a few times in the past."
Keith's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Is that so? Was it perhaps... with Alterisa-sama?"
Was Evelyn already that close with Alterisa? They were both women, so suspicions on their activities within would be much less compared to a man and woman couple. Could it be... They've further their relationship to that extent behind closed doors?
"Unfortunately, no... Though I would love to one day..."
She shook her head in regret. The only times she had come here was for the AvLFC meetings. She had never come here with Alterisa.
"I see..."
Keith sighed in relief inwardly.
"Enough about that. May I ask you what you wish to speak to me about, important enough that I would have to decline an invitation to lunch from my Risa-sama, Varion-sama?"
"..."
The air around them seemed to have dropped a few degrees from the cold breeze brought along with her sweet voice.
"I apologize for asking for you at such an inopportune time..."
"Oh, think nothing of it~ But if possible, I do wish to end this conversation quickly and surprise Risa-sama with my attendance."
"...Very well. Then I shall go straight to the point."
Tenseness filled the air as Keith focused his gaze on her. But Evelyn was unshaken. She knew he would only request a meeting with her for something serious. Or rather, if it was not, she would make sure he paid for the sin of taking her away from spending time with her Alterisa.
"I wish to know about Alterisa-sama's situation and her connection with the commoner with the affinity to light element."
For the first time, Evelyn's smile disappeared as her eyes widened in shock at her words.
But she threw away her shock just as quickly and narrowed her eyes at him.
"What are you planning to do, Varion-sama?"
This time, she was not even hiding the iciness in her voice.
The situation was already delicate enough as it was. She and the Alterisa Fan Club have been protecting her and controlling the environment around her to make sure her happiness was kept.
This included trying their best to prevent the commoner from crossing path with Alterisa, observing the commoner to gain information on her actions, and subtly dismantling her plans that would harm Alterisa to any degree by introducing "coincidence" that made it "inopportune" for her to do it.
And they've been successful all this time thanks to their massive network of communication between members and their swift, stealthy, and meticulously executed plans.
But Keith's involvement could easily destroy that fine balance. After all, he was one of the many men the commoner had been eyeing.
If he were to do something unnecessary, such as confronting the commoner, it might cause the commoner to act more drastically, further increasing the difficulty of disrupting her plans without Alterisa's knowledge.
So depending on his answer, she might need to put him as one of the surveillance targets as well for the AvLFC.
"I simply wish to help. Although not as close as you, Alterisa-sama has also been my friend since we were little. I wish to help her as much as I can as her friend."
"Help... Is it?"
"Yes. I've noticed that Alterisa-sama has been... troubled within the academy. She excels in academics, combat, and magic, so I doubt it is anything related to her studies. Then, I heard from Luke that she seemed to be shaken in the presence of the commoner, enough that she would ask you and her other friends to always accompany her while she's in the school grounds."
Evelyn kept her eyes on him in silence, observing his every movement, expression, and voice. She wasn't surprised that Keith, the brilliant son of Duke Varion, would come to know such a thing, especially when it has something to do with Alterisa. But she was still hesitant to tell him everything.
Receiving her silence, Keith continued and pleaded.
"Please, Evelyn... Luke and I simply wish to protect her as well."
Her eyes narrowed. But hearing his desperate, pleading voice, she let out a sigh and relented.
"Ever since Risa-sama arrived at the Academy, she had always been wary of the commoner with affinity to the Light element. On the day of the matriculation ceremony, the commoner approached us while we were having tea in the garden. No, to be more exact, she approached Raeven-sama, who came to greet us and meet her sister. She was crude, loud, annoying, and unbecoming, someone unworthy to even breathe the same air as Risa-sama. She was not the kind of person Risa-sama should even pay attention to.
And yet, we noticed that she was shaken in that commoner's presence."
A tired sigh escaped her lips before she continued.
"And on the night of the matriculation ceremony, she invited me, Celine, Noir, Illya, and Valerie to her room and requested us to accompany her while she was within school grounds.
We happily agreed. After all, we got to spend more time with her. But when we asked why, she didn't answer. And we suspected it has something to do with her weird behavior around the commoner this afternoon."
"I see... Luke did tell me about the incident in the garden. He said it was the first time he had ever seen her react in such a way."
"Mm... It was quite concerning."
Evelyn nodded solemnly.
"That is why we bring this up to the Alterisa von Lorya Fan Club meeting to discuss a way to protect Risa-sama and nullify the threat of that commoner."
Keith's eyes widened in surprise.
"Alterisa von Lorya... Fan Club?"
"Indeed. It is a group of people who admire Risa-sama greatly and vowed to protect her happiness during her stay within the academy."
Evelyn smiled with pride as she looked down towards a small pin on her collar and touched it. It was a crest in the shape of a pure white snow lily and two light blue spears crossed behind it with the number "03" at the center.
She looked back up and saw Keith staring at her pink in shock.
"It is a group founded by Lily-sama herself, in hopes to protect her precious childhood friend. I suspect that she knew about this much earlier than any of us, given she found such a large group with a sophisticated communication network without even needing to be here. She must've planned it long before."
"Wait, her highness knew of this too?"
Evelyn smiled wryly.
"Of course. She is one of the closest people to her, perhaps closest second only to her family. And she has the ability to gain an immense amount of information from seemingly nowhere. She is a genius comparable even to Risa-sama."
"I see... That's right."
Silence fell upon the room as Keith fell into his own thoughts. And before long, he looked up to Evelyn once again with eyes filled with determination.
"How do I enter this group?"