(this story takes place a few years after the original story's end)
A long time ago, in this academy, there was a beautiful princess from a fallen country and two excellent knights who protected her.
And the countess who was loved by those two knights.
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I stand now in a remote corridor of the old Arita Castle.
In front of me is a beautifully decorated door.
No matter how many times I touched the knob, I couldn't turn it. How much time has passed?
Today, behind this door, I will experience my first … "adult ceremony".
And that too … with the prince of the academy.
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My name is Amelia Lange.
I am 18 years old and attend the Imperial Academy in the former Principality of Arita, at the southern end of the Skynia Empire.
My father was a brilliant civil servant who rose through the ranks to become an administrator in the Empire, and I came to this region five years ago when my father was promoted.
In the Skynia Empire, the sons and daughters of the nobility of the vassal states and the center of the Empire all attend the Imperial Academy between the ages of 6-18, where they are trained to be useful members of society.
The culmination of this process is the "coming of age ceremony" at the age of 18 when a "partner" is chosen.
What's a girl like me, the daughter of a baron, who is as close to a commoner as you can get, participating in this ceremony?
I sigh heavily.
Not to mention my looks.
I pull a small mirror out of my pocket and look into it again.
My plain face, with big glasses, a grumpy expression, and my curly red hair tied up in tight pigtails.
Sighing again, I put the mirror back in my pocket, wishing I hadn't looked.
It has been 17 years since the empire's "pairing system" was introduced in this region.
Until just a few years ago, the pairs were clearly divided between the " Imperial faction," whose parents were dispatched from the center of the empire like me, and the " Principality faction," who were the children of noblemen who were originally from this land.
It is said to be a sign of the Empire faction's discrimination against the region, or to avoid a repeat of the "18-year-olds rebellion" from 17 years ago.
However, after the previous administrator was removed for wrongdoing and my father was sent here, thanks to the efforts of Administrator Weber, who is in charge of this region, the barrier between the Empire and the Principality has been gradually … become lower and lower.
It can be said that the conflict between Imperial and Principality students has been decreasing, though not completely, compared to the past.
As a result, a few years ago, little by little, the … Imperial students and Principality students have been able to mingle with each other.
"Oh, I can't. I still can't …”
I can't remember how many times I've said this to myself.
My partner is Wim Berger.
The student council president of our grade and the second son of the Viscount family of the Principality of Arita.
He is the best in the Knight course, but he has no pretensions at all, and he is cheerful and kind to everyone, even to the students of the Imperial faction. He has a sweet little face and dark blond hair that flutters in the wind as he rides his horse, and girls all over the school have been excited to see him.
That his partner has to be … me. God … how could he have such a cruel fate …?
I was told by the Imperial faction that someone had to join the student council, and I was chosen to be the secretary simply because I was good at detailed calculations, and I've been a member of the same student council for the past year.
Whenever I got within a two-meter radius of Wim, I would become completely suspicious due to his shimmering aura, and I would constantly make mistakes.
If he would say something like,
"Good morning."
I would respond with,
"It's really late to be saying good morning, President. Did you sleep in today?"
If he were to ask me,
"I wonder if this is the diagram on which this document is based."
Then I would respond like,
"You couldn’t tell? It’s easy to notice just by looking, President."
Too much dazzle sparked my self-consciousness, and I would always speak quickly and without expression.
I’m positive others consider me a strange woman.
And yet, today we have to have a sexual relationship.
"No matter how versatile the president is, it's impossible …”
I unconsciously looked at the ceiling.
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It is not only his personal qualities that make Wim Berger attractive to others.
There was also the fact that his older brother of five years, Adele Berger, was a bit of a celebrity.
Last year, he was invited to the academy's founding festival and performed a splendid performance as a representative of the Knights of the Imperial City (by the way, the academy's representative was, of course, Wim Berger).
Along with Julius Khan, the pair to the last princess of the Principality, Cornelia Arita.
After the foundation ceremony, I saw from a distance Adele Berger and his partner, Countess Tiana Klein- as well as Lady Cornelia, Lord Julius, and their children- walking together, laughing and whispering, looking very, very happy, and as someone who secretly enjoys romance novels about kingdoms, I was so excited.
I'm sure they're like that.
I'm sure they found a partner, had no problems, and became happy just like normal people.
But I-- no, I'm not the problem, what the hell did Wim Berger do?
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels sorry for him, I think I'll become a nun now.
"Hey watch out!"
Suddenly the door in front of me swung open and hit me directly in the face.
"Oh!! I'm sorry!!"
Light spills from the other side of the door.
Dark blonde hair, hazel eyes. He’s tall, slender, and has long limbs, like someone blessed by God.
"Are you okay Amelia!? Sorry, it was getting late so I thought I'd check on you."
In a hurry, Wim Berger helped me up to my feet.
As I was holding my bruised nose and huffing, I was led into the room. I was startled by the huge bed in the corner of the room and backed away, hitting the back of my head on the door I had just closed.
“Whoa! Are you okay Amelia? I'm sorry, I should've picked you up in the first place."
“No, I'm not comfortable with you doing that.”
As I spoke quickly, as if to cover my mouth, as usual, silence filled the room.
I want to die.
Then Wim Berger raised his beautifully shaped eyebrows and chuckled.
"Amelia, you don't like it … after all? Getting paired off with me?"
"No, not at all. The fact that the current president, who is the symbol of the Principality faction at the academy, and I, whose father is an Imperial administrator but not a symbol at all, are mated is, in a sense, a thawing of the relationship between the two factions, or a sign that the two factions will be further united in the future, and our actions will forever be remembered as a noble sacrifice."
Huh, Wim Berger laughs as if a refreshing breeze blows through.
"Amelia, why do you always use that tone with me?"
"Huh?! No, not only for the chairman, I'm also like this towards my creator."
The unexpected words make my ears red. I didn't know what to do, I turned down and looked up again, and Wim Berger's beautiful face came very close to me, and my heart was about to spill out of my mouth.
"I don't care about the Empire or the Principality."
He tilted his head to the side. It's all very picturesque.
"But I'm very happy to be paired with you, someone I always thought was interesting, excellent and cute."
As Wim Berger speaks, he begins to gently remove my glasses.
I was so confused that smoke was coming out of my ears, and with half tears in my eyes, I had to tell him what I had been thinking before I went to bed last night.
"Well, I don't really have anything to brag about, but the only thing I thought was that I was pretty strong against pain. This one time, I was reading a book when I stepped on a glass bottle, but I continued walking a few steps without noticing. You can do it just like that. You can leave your clothes as they are. Just close your eyes and jump off the cliff. Then the coming-of-age ceremony will be over …”
"For now."
Wim Berger put his elbows on both of my shoulders. His hands went to my back and he hugged me close, forehead to forehead.
With a slightly red face, he said.
“Can we start with the ...... kiss?"
In the past, there was a beautiful Principality in this region.
As soon as we were born, the children of the nobility of the Principality, which fell under the control of the Empire, were incorporated into the education system of the Empire …… the final step being the “coming of age” ceremony.
I swallowed and entangled many thoughts, and sometimes spread them out.
And now, again, there is a new relationship between us … that is not straightforward.
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