The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Finn and Lili (3)

***

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of the Princess's feet kicking the innocent bed echoed through the opulent, gold-adorned room, each thump a testament to her escalating embarrassment.

'I'm insane! Absolutely insane! How am I supposed to face Finn tomorrow after doing something like that?!'

"May I inquire as to the reason for Your Highness's… vigorous interaction with the bed?"

Marianne Florne, the Princess's maid, asked, her face impassive, her voice monotone.

Marianne, having heard about the tournament finals, was puzzled by the Princess's early return, and her pristine appearance. She had assumed a swift victory, and couldn't understand her mistress's unusual behavior.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"

The Princess, ignoring Marianne's question, continued her assault on the bed.

Marianne, fearing for the expensive furniture, offered a tentative explanation.

"…Is it because of Sir Finn?"

Normally, she wouldn't use honorifics with a commoner, but this was the academy, where worth was judged by individual merit.

And she couldn't address someone who was not only a knight, but also a member of the Princess's party, with disrespect. So, despite Finn being a commoner, she used the respectful title.

The Princess froze, as if struck by an arrow. Marianne, seeing her reaction, seemed to understand.

The Princess's gaze, now filled with a mixture of panic and embarrassment, met Marianne's, who asked again,

"What happened between you and Sir Finn… to cause such…"

"I… I kissed Finn… No, to be precise, I kissed him…"

Blink. Blink.

Marianne stared blankly at the Princess, as if she hadn't processed the words.

Then, a look of shock spread across her usually impassive face.

"D-Did I hear that correctly? Your Highness… kissed… Sir Finn?"

The Princess nodded, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Marianne clutched her head, a throbbing pain building behind her temples.

The Princess, the proud and aloof Princess, kissed a commoner?

It was an outcome she couldn't have predicted.

Who was this Finn? Originally known as Berry, a commoner who had dared to show interest in the Princess, despite her unwavering devotion to her fiancé.

She knew their relationship had improved somewhat after the recent incident, the Princess frantically searching for him after regaining consciousness. But she hadn't imagined it would progress this far.

'I heard he was a servant in the Imperial Palace… is that relevant?'

Even as the Princess's personal maid, allowed to enter the academy due to a special provision, her access to information was limited.

The Princess, believing Finn to be dead,

Had dismissed her previous entourage, the noblewomen who had encouraged her cruel treatment of Finn. Marianne Florne, a noblewoman with no prior connection to the Princess, had been appointed as her maid at the academy.

She hadn't chosen a commoner this time, her heart still aching for her lost attendant.

And she had chosen Marianne Florne specifically because of the academy's companion regulations.

First, the age difference between a student and their companion had to be less than seven years.

Second, only two individuals, including the student, could be registered for free access to the academy.

Third, companions could only assist with daily life, not academic matters.

Fourth, companions couldn't be replaced or added. If a companion died, they couldn't be replaced.

There were other regulations regarding magic registration, living quarters, and permitted areas, and Marianne Florne was the most qualified candidate who met all the requirements.

"If you're telling me this… it means you're… worried about something, right?"

The Princess nodded again.

And Marianne, for the first time, felt like she was fulfilling her role as the Princess's maid.

"Tell me everything, Your Highness, the Empire's only light."

***

With every step, I felt the weight of countless gazes following me.

It was a familiar feeling, but the reason was different, and it made me uncomfortable. I scratched my cheek, trying to ignore the stares.

"When is that prosthetic eye going to be ready…?"

I muttered, my fingers brushing against the eyepatch.

News of the Imperial Princess rejecting her fiancé and choosing a commoner had spread throughout the academy.

And I was the only swordsman wearing an eyepatch in the Knight Department. It was impossible to avoid attention.

But perhaps because I had defeated Ian, a fellow top scorer, in a single strike,

The other Knight Department students seemed to have accepted that my abilities were beyond their comprehension. Unlike in the main building, there were no whispers or gossip.

But they couldn't suppress their curiosity, their sidelong glances following me.

"Oh, Berry…! Good morning!"

Ian, our ever-cheerful protagonist, spotted me and waved, running towards me.

He should have been at least somewhat upset about losing so easily, considering his status as a top scorer, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

"You've become an overnight celebrity… So, how does it feel? Winning the heart of the Ice Princess?"

"Are you mocking me? I gave you the treasury access, and this is how you repay me?"

I knew why he was so cheerful. I had offered him the treasury access as an apology for breaking his sword, and he desperately needed Durandal after the Bifrons incident.

But his lack of pride, his obliviousness to my discomfort at being the center of attention, annoyed me.

He looked up at the sky, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Ahaha… no, it's just that Her Highness seems so happy… while you don't. Is this that saying? Fortune favors the bold… or rather, the handsome?"

"…Cut the crap, Ian. And besides happiness, I'm worried about Her Highness's reputation."

"Ah… right, she had a fiancé…"

He trailed off, finally realizing the implications.

I couldn't explain the situation to everyone, so our relationship, from an outsider's perspective, was a love triangle: Lili, her fiancé (me), and me.

While there was no actual problem, who would bear the brunt of the gossip? Me, the homewrecker? The mysterious fiancé?

Of course, it would be Lili, the most famous and vulnerable of the three.

And the fact that it looked like Lili was the one who initiated the kiss made it even worse.

The Princess, who had rejected countless suitors, suddenly abandoning her fiancé for a new man?

It was gossip gold.

That's why we had tried to maintain a semblance of propriety, a proper distance between a former attendant and a princess, a commoner knight and his future liege.

But our dear Princess, bless her heart, hadn't understood my intentions. Overcome by love, she had confessed and kissed me in front of everyone, in the middle of the arena.

And now, I had to be even more careful, to protect her reputation.

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