Ch. 55.2
After the gathering at the cafe.
On the way back to the dormitory.
As Hong Bi-Yeon was heading towards the dormitory alone, someone called out to her.
"Bi-Yeon!"
She stiffened up.
A voice that felt all too familiar, like a sticker stuck to her ears.
But, it was also the voice she feared and despised the most in this world.
Slowly, she turned her head.
There stood a woman with bright red hair tied tightly behind her head. She looked nothing like her, and wore a relaxed smile on her face.
"... Princess Hong Si-hwa."
"Oh my, I told you to call me 'Sister.'"
Her half-sister, Hong Si-hwa Adolveit, whom she could only be forced into an antagonistic relationship due to the fate of being a legitimate child and a bastard.
She had come all the way here.
"What brings you here?"
"Oh well, I just came to see my little sister. Do I need a reason for that? Besides, there have been some interesting things happening recently."
It was a lie.
She never made a move without a reason.
"Don't give me that look. Well, yes, there is another reason. Recently, there's been a very interesting commoner at this school... And guess what, that commoner is carrying out the knight's conviction which has vanished from this world."
How does she know?
Such questions were meaningless.
Hong Si-hwa knew everything.
So, when Hong Bi-Yeon hardened her expression, Hong Si-hwa covered her mouth with her hand and imitated a polite young lady as she smiled.
"Oh my, even our little sister seems to be interested in that knight? It's only natural~ A knight who dedicates everything for the priest... Truly, isn't that every princess's romantic fantasy?"
Princesses' romantic fantasy.
At first glance, it might seem like they hadn’t lost their childhood innocence, but it was definitely a maneuver to lay the groundwork.
Anyway, both Hong Si-hwa and Hong Bi-Yeon were princesses, and to become a "queen," they needed to identify an outstanding talent like Baek Yu-Seol.
Moreover, if a commoner without a country, hometown, family, or affiliation possessed such overwhelming talent...
There was no reason to hesitate.
"Anyway, I have a tiny, really tiny bit of interest in that commoner. Can you introduce me?"
"If you want to see him, go and find him yourself."
"Ah, I heard that all the top-notch tower officials went to see him and came back empty-handed. That person seems completely disinterested~"
"......"
As she said, something was off about Baek Yu-Seol.
She recalled the incident with the Necromancer from before.
Many towers and organizations had sent him love calls. But strangely, he had rejected all of them.
At that time, she didn't think much of it.
But now, it seemed familiar.
In any case, it would be so easy for the path to open wide if he just revealed his name.
Why would he reject such an opportunity himself?
Baek Yu-Seol was undoubtedly a commoner.
It was suspicious how he desperately tried to seize all the wealth but made every effort to keep his name hidden from the public eye.
However, the problem was that no matter how much investigation was done, nothing could be found about him.
His past was veiled as if he was trying to completely erase his existence from the world.
"So many people went and came back empty-handed. It's truly scary~ Do you happen to know anything?" Hong Si-hwa asked.
"......"
When Hong Bi-Yeon turned her head without answering, Hong Si-hwa walked briskly and suddenly extended her finger in the direction where Bi-Yeon’s gaze was directed.
"So, you want me to introduce myself to that person! Right? Since you’re classmates, you must be close, right?"
"It's fine. Please take care of it yourself."
"Younger sister is mean~"
She playfully threw a tantrum, but Bi-Yeon didn't even pretend to listen.
Then, Hong Si-hwa spoke in a subtly mocking tone.
"Why is Hong Bi-Yeon Ongju so stubborn?"
At that moment, Bi-Yeon’s expression crumpled.
"...... I am not an ongju, but a princess with the rightful qualification to succeed the throne."
{TN:- "Ongju" is a Korean term used to address a prince or princess. It is a title used to refer to a member of the royal family or someone with noble lineage. The difference lies in the actual royal status and lineage. A "real princess" holds an official royal title and belongs to a recognized royal family, while "Ongju" can refer to someone of noble birth or someone who embodies regal qualities without necessarily having a royal title or lineage.”}
"It is so since your older sister died and all!”
Hong Bi-Yeon’s eyes reddened at Hong Si-hwa's obvious provocation but she quickly regained composure.
It was familiar.
The psychopath-like girl with no emotions, tears, or empathy, who used even the death of her kind and beautiful older sister, as a material for provocation.
"Stay calm. It will be resolved when I become the queen."
With that determination in mind, Hong Si-hwa did not follow as Hong Bi-Yeon left.
She simply stood far away, smiling like a mischievous child, as if something was lacking but still content.
After walking a while and completely distancing herself from Hong Si-hwa, Hong Bi-Yeon plopped down on a nearby bench, exhausted.
"Phew..."
"Princess, are you alright?"
"Yuri."
Yuri, dressed in a stiff suit, approached and handed her a cold drink.
Finally, Hong Bi-Yeon could relax.
Yuri was the only person besides Teacher Hameryl with whom Hong Bi-Yeon could confide.
They had been together since they were young.
"I was a little annoyed, but I'm okay. After all, you don't engage with crazy people."
"I apologize for not being able to be of help."
"It's fine. I don't expect you to be of any help."
As Hong Bi-Yeon was about to get up, Yuri seemed to remember something and took it out of her pocket.
"By the way, while investigating the commoner you mentioned before... I happened to come across this."
Yuri handed her an envelope with Baek Yu-Seol’s name written on it.
"It's a submission of Baek Yu-Seol’s student work for a certain subject. It contains information about his past. Unfortunately, it's a copy as I couldn't retrieve the original since it seems to be Stella's assignment."
"Oh, really?"
It was student work.
Well, there were assignments that required writing such content.
She felt a bit hopeful. No matter how much they investigated and dug, Baek Yu-Seol remained a perfect blank slate with no information whatsoever.
What could his past be like? Curiosity filled her as she tore open the envelope.