Chapter 12
“Ha… ha… haah.”
After laughing for a long while, Selina suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Luna had climbed onto Selina’s chest at some point and was pressing her soft paw against her face.
“What’s bothering you, meow?”
“Well… I was just wondering if I’ll be able to manage well at the Academy.”
“You’re the kind of human who could survive even if dropped on a deserted island, so there’s nothing to worry about, meow.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
“Of course it’s a compliment, meow!”
Seeing her puff out her chest proudly made Selina snort with a small laugh. She stroked Luna’s soft fur, then her expression hardened again.
“Lunius.”
“Why are you calling me, meow?”
“Tell me about the ‘original story.’”
“Meow? What’s with you all of a sudden? Asking something like that?”
It was the first time Selina, who normally refused to even hear the slightest mention of the original story, had brought it up herself.
“Now that I’m entering the Academy, I can’t avoid the main characters anymore. So I figured it’d be better to at least know the original story.”
“What do you want to know, meow? Ask anything! I’ll tell you everything, meow!”
“How did the protagonist become a noble again?”
“Meow~ The protagonist was originally an orphan, meow. But she was adopted by a marquis couple, meow.”
“She was adopted at age five, right?”
“That’s right, meow! And the protagonist is the same age as you, meow.”
“Hmm… then tell me roughly how the protagonist lived until entering the Academy.”
“Got it, meow! Leave it to me, meow!”
Luna grew excited, snorting in enthusiasm as she began reciting the original story. Her “meow meow” interjections came along with it.
The story she told was something Selina had heard many times before elsewhere. A tale of a female lead who was adopted by a marquis family and raised with love.
Of course, at first she clashed with the marquis’s biological children and was even ostracized, but eventually she became beloved by everyone.
“Oh! And the protagonist is revered as the next saintess, meow!”
“A saintess?”
“That’s right, meow! A divine revelation regarding the saintess was delivered at the temple, and the protagonist matched the criteria. So she’s practically the next saintess, meow!”
“Hmm… but why ‘next’ saintess? Couldn’t she just be declared the saintess outright? Is there a reason?”
“She hasn’t awakened yet, meow. She’ll awaken after entering the Academy, so it won’t be long now, meow.”
“A saintess… what temple is she affiliated with? The Moon Temple? Or the Sun Temple?”
“Ah… that part wasn’t clearly stated, so I don’t know either, meow.”
“What?”
At Selina’s bewildered expression, Luna protested indignantly.
“It’s true, meow! The book only says she became a saintess, meow!”
“…Who exactly wrote this? How could they leave out such important details?”
“That’s exactly what I think, meow. There were also many inconsistencies in the middle, so it was hard to read, meow.”
Though she didn’t know who the author was, they were certainly careless.
If they had written based on the protagonist’s life, they could have produced something far more accurate… Tsk.
Clicking her tongue, Selina listened as Luna continued.
“Oh! There’s also the crown prince, meow. The protagonist and the crown prince are engaged. It’s very well-known among nobles, meow.”
“The crown prince?”
At that moment, the image of a refined, handsome boy formed in her mind.
In the past, Selina had met the crown prince once, due to Luna’s interference.
She had met him at the age of twelve while sweeping the area around a building to help Stella.
Meow!
Four years ago, she had been gathering fallen leaves in front of the house.
“Oh? Luna!”
He had suddenly appeared after being missing all day yesterday and today. After all her anxious searching, he had been out instead.
Twelve-year-old Selina crouched down, looking at Luna, who was crying that he was hungry.
Worried, Selina stroked his body—only for her white hand to turn completely black.
“Where on earth have you been? Why are you so dirty? And what’s this?”
Because Luna’s fur was black, she hadn’t realized he was dirty.
Moreover, a pendant she had never seen before hung around his neck.
[Selina! Guess who I brought, meow?]
“Huh? No. Why are you speaking into my mind?”
Normally, since no one else was around, he would have just spoken aloud—but Luna had chosen telepathy.
[I brought the crown prince, meow! The male lead himself, meow!]
“Eh.”
The strange exclamation slipped out, and when she looked up, a boy with ordinary brown hair and eyes emerged from the alley Luna had come from.
As soon as he stepped out, his eyes met Selina’s.
The two stared at each other for a long moment. The first to look away was Selina.
Shaking Luna in a panic, she stammered,
“T-That person… is the crown prince?!”
[That’s right, meow! He’s currently using a disguise magical tool, meow!]
“Are you crazy?! Where did you bring the crown prince from?!”
[I just happened to lead him here while he was out incognito, meow! Now’s your chance to get along with the protagonist, meow!]
Luna winked, then climbed back toward the house, humming about being hungry.
Watching her leave in a daze, Selina trembled as a shadow fell over her.
“Um…”
The boy—no, the crown prince—had approached without her noticing.
“Y-Yes?”
“That cat earlier. Is it your cat?”
“Well… yes?”
Feeling his wary gaze, the crown prince awkwardly scratched his head.
“No, that cat stole something from me. Was there something hanging around its neck?”
“Ah… are you talking about a pendant?”
“Yeah. It’s something very important to me. Could I have it back?”
“O-Of course. I’ll bring it for you.”
Selina quickly stood up and brushed off her dirty hands. The crown prince, who had been staring at her, spoke again.
“By the way, why are you speaking so formally?”
“Pardon?”
“You seem about my age, so I was just wondering why you’re being so polite.”
“Ah…”
The words “Because you’re the crown prince” almost slipped out, but she swallowed them.
Luna had said he was currently incognito—this wasn’t his true identity.
And this was their first meeting. Naturally, she didn’t know who he was.
It was her mistake to speak formally just because he was the crown prince.
“W-We’ve just met.”
“Hmm?”
“I was taught to speak formally to anyone I meet for the first time, even if they’re younger or my age.”
It wasn’t a lie. Stella had taught her to speak politely to strangers regardless of age.
Though she didn’t always follow that rule properly…
Thinking she had brushed it off well enough, Selina hurried back into the house, retrieved the pendant Luna had stolen, and also gave Luna a light knock on the head.
Meanwhile, the crown prince stood rooted in place, as if struck by her words, mulling them over.
Then, seeing Selina rushing back with the pendant, he let out a small laugh.
After that, since the crown prince couldn’t find his way back, she had to guide him to the street.
On the way, he persistently asked her questions, leaving her flustered.
After that day, the crown prince visited several times—but whenever he did, she stayed hidden inside the house and never showed herself.
Fortunately, after she stopped appearing, he eventually gave up and stopped coming altogether.
Even in disguise, his refined, gentle appearance couldn’t be concealed.
If he had safely passed the age of thirteen, he might have grown into a true handsome man.
“Hmm… so the crown prince and the protagonist are engaged?”
“That’s right, meow.”
“At what age?”
“Probably since she was twelve, meow. Since the engagement followed a divine revelation, that must be correct, meow.”
“Is that so? Then the crown prince must be at the Academy too?”
“The crown prince is one year older than the protagonist, so he’s already attending the Academy, meow. The ones entering this time are the protagonist and her second older brother, meow.”
“Hmm.”
She nodded indifferently.
“Jealous, meow?”
Luna’s teasing voice came as she poked Selina’s cheek.
“What’s there to be jealous of?”
“Aren’t you jealous that the handsome male leads like the protagonist, meow? If only you had listened to me earlier, you could have been the protagonist instead and had male leads around you, meow.”
“That’s not it at all.”
Selina frowned seriously and clicked her tongue. Seeing that, Luna shrugged as if to say “fine, whatever.”
“Sigh… this is giving me a headache. I just don’t want to get involved with the protagonist.”
“Do you think you can avoid that, meow?”
“As long as you don’t interfere, it’s totally possible. I hate troublesome things. I just want to live quietly, like I’m not even there.”
Yawn.
Sleepiness crept in, and she yawned widely. Rubbing her eyes, Selina crawled under the blanket.
Luna tried to keep her awake since their conversation wasn’t finished, but Selina only blinked sleepily.
“Ah… come to think of it…”
With a drowsy voice, she asked Luna,
“What was the protagonist’s name again? Si… si… something…”
“Silvia.”
“Oh, right… that was it…”
Even though Luna didn’t add her usual “meow,” Selina didn’t notice and quickly drifted off to sleep.
“The protagonist’s name is Sylvia Hailers.”
Watching Selina sleep peacefully without a sound, Luna wore a complicated expression.
A new morning arrived. Bright sunlight streamed through the window.
The sunlight gently landed on Selina’s face, tickling her.
“Mmngh…”
Chirp, chirp.
Opening her eyes to the bright light, she saw a small sparrow chirping on the windowsill.
“Oh… today’s the enrollment…”
For some reason, it didn’t feel real. Even though she had been preparing for this day for a long time, it still didn’t feel like the Academy entrance day had actually arrived.
Meow.
A soft snoring sound came from beside her. Luna was curled up, sleeping at her side.
Gently stroking her soft body, the small form trembled slightly before resuming its steady breathing.
“Time to get ready.”
Leaving the sleeping Luna behind, Selina got up and prepared for the Academy.
