“Would you like to head back first? I’m going to stay to work on the punishment report.”
“Of course, Brie,” Damian replied tenderly, stroking her cheek after she spoke with a smile. “I’d like to have dinner together later.”
“Yes, I’d like that too.”
“You must come back quickly. My mother will be returning this evening.”
“I understand.”
Briseis loathed Damian now, but she loathed his mother far more. The Dowager Grand Duchess, Avenre di Mayze, was a woman who loved her son excessively. However, that love manifested as a nasty temperament toward her daughter-in-law. Briseis was utterly exhausted by the woman’s constant attempts to dampen her spirit and keep her on a short leash.
“Then, I shall see you later.”
“Yes, Damian.”
He looked at her as if parting were a sorrow, but he immediately turned around, took Delilah’s hand, and walked away.
“You should take this opportunity to have an affair too, Brie.”
“Ronald?”
“Wouldn’t that make things even?”
Briseis had spoken occasionally with Ronald, who was ranked 15th overall. He was the eldest son of a Count and possessed a rather bellicose personality.
“With whom?”
“Look around. If you declared you were looking for an affair, there would be a long line of men waiting.”
Ronald shifted his gaze momentarily as if implying himself, then looked back at Briseis.
“Who would want someone like me?”
When Briseis offered a gentle refusal, he let out a sharp exhale. “If a guy like Damian can find someone, who would turn you down? Even if you became a divorcee and looked for a second husband, the line would stretch out the door.”
As Ronald spoke, Calisten gripped his shoulder firmly and said with a grin, “Right? I think so too, Ronald.”
“Ah… Your, Your Highness…”
“Not Your Highness, Calisten. We’re all friends here.” Calisten curled one side of his lip and added, “You’ve got a good eye. Why should our Brie waste her life looking at a guy like that?”
“Stop it, Cal.”
Despite Briseis’s warning, Ronald simply laughed as if it were no big deal. The other students were pretending to pack their things while listening intently to the conversation.
“Let’s go, Brie.”
Since Briseis looked uncomfortable, Saturn and Evice urged them to hurry.
“I’m coming too.”
“I shall go as well.”
Calisten and Cassius joined them.
“Brie!”
“Yes?”
“If you have trouble with the report, tell me! I’ll help too.”
“Thanks, Ronald.”
Ronald knew Briseis was ranked 1st, but he found himself saying it anyway. Calisten watched him with a peculiar expression for a moment before following Briseis.
On the way to the library, Briseis whispered to Calisten, “Don’t do anything useless.”
“What counts as ‘useless’?”
“You know exactly what. Don’t you have a conscience?”
“Hmm.” Calisten shrugged as if he had no idea, watching her. “I’m warning you.”
He laughed at her warning and pressed his shoulder against hers. Since he kept crowding her, she moved further to the side to avoid the contact. They ended up walking diagonally, making the path to the library feel much longer.
Once they arrived, they began searching for materials related to criminal law. Briseis picked out books on the records of exile to Resis Island, the history of the Lamerdin region, and rebellions caused by economic hardship.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking at Calisten’s choices.
“Ah, don’t worry about it.”
The books he had brought were all related to divorce—the legal processes for nobles and even past newspaper archives.
“Calisten, why do you need those?” Saturn asked.
“I’m going to make my father get a divorce.”
He shut down further questions from Saturn and Evice with that absurd statement. Even though he said that, Briseis knew he was looking into it because of her.
“Your Highness, you should keep such things secret,” Cassius said with an awkward laugh. Calisten merely smirked at him as if he were being foolish.
“I do keep them secret.”
Cassius had picked out books similar to Briseis’s. Saturn and Evice, who had been heading in the wrong direction, saw their choices and picked similar ones as well.
“Since it’s twenty pages, shall we divide the workload? I’ll draft the outline,” Briseis said efficiently, her fountain pen already moving across a blank sheet of paper. Calisten watched her, seemingly entranced by the sight of her working.
“I already prepared some of this, so making the outline isn’t hard.”
She finished the outline in an instant and divided it into five sections.
“Why are you taking on so much?” Calisten frowned, seeing that Briseis’s portion was the largest. “If we’re going to suffer, we should all suffer together. Why only you?”
“Why should everyone suffer? I can just take more…”
“I think it’s better if we all share the load,” Cassius interrupted, noticing Briseis seemed accustomed to taking the brunt of the work. It looked as though she were resigned to losing out.
“Exactly, Brie.”
“We didn’t suggest working together for this. We wanted to work together because we want to be with you.”
Saturn and Evice agreed.
“How about this division?” Calisten suggested, re-partitioning Briseis’s outline.
“You’ll be doing too much, Cal.”
“I don’t mind the work.”
“I agree with that,” Cassius said, and Calisten smiled, calling him a loyal subject.
“I think this is good too.”
“Let’s do it that way, Brie.”
Briseis was relieved that her research load had decreased. It meant she could spend that time on other studies.
“Shall we have the research done in three days?”
“Sounds good.”
Everyone began organizing materials in their notebooks for their assigned parts. Calisten didn’t even look at the books the others had brought; he only focused on the divorce litigation texts, glancing up occasionally at Briseis. It was as if he looked at her every time he grew tired of reading.
By the time the study session ended and everyone was parting ways, Briseis spoke up.
“Cas, I’ll give you a ride.”
She knew Cassius didn’t use a carriage and usually walked.
“Then all three of us should ride,” Calisten stated.
“You go separately.”
“Sir Cassius.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“The three of us are riding together. That’s an order.”
“Yes, Sire.”
Seeing Calisten and Cassius immediately revert to a master-servant relationship the moment they left the Academy, Briseis glared at Calisten.
“You’re even pretty when you glare, Brie.”
“Be quiet.”
“If I watch you quietly, you won’t even know I’m doing it.”
He reached for her hand, but she avoided him and boarded the carriage first. Calisten followed immediately and sat right next to her. She thought about moving to the opposite seat, but didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Cassius.
“From now on, Lord Rosephel will serve as my guard and accompany us home.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Briseis frowned. “Is that so? I wanted to go home with just the two of us, what a shame.”
“I’ll take back what I just said. Lord Rosephel, I’ll send a separate carriage for you. Ride alone.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Briseis sighed. Realizing she couldn’t speak freely to Cassius, she stared out the window.
“Brie, what do you want to do after graduation?” Cassius asked, breaking the long silence.
“You can trust Lord Rosephel,” Calisten said, sensing her hesitation. “I’ll become the Emperor even if I have to kill my father.”
Once Calisten dropped that bombshell, it became easier to speak. He only maintained formality in front of people he didn’t trust.
“Well, that’s surprising. That’s a new fact,” Briseis said sarcastically, making Cassius chuckle.
“I plan to take revenge on the relatives who ruined my family. And I will reclaim our ancestral fief,” Cassius added.
“I see,” Briseis replied, feeling drawn in. “I am going to get a divorce.”
“What? But today…”
“Today was an act on purpose. I’m gathering evidence of Damian’s mistress. I need a lot of objective third-party testimony.”
Cassius’s eyes widened. “Gael’s family is my family. Gael once saved my life.” He looked Briseis straight in the eye. “I will help with whatever I can. If you need my help, please tell me at any time.”
Briseis gave a small smile. She felt a certainty that even if she didn’t bring up the topic now, he would eventually help her. As she looked at Cassius with relief, Calisten sensed a strange atmosphere between them.
“When I become Emperor, the Empress will be Brie.”
It was a warning, born of a predator’s instinct. Cassius already possessed the gentle and generous nature that Briseis liked, combined with a trustworthy uprightness and humility.