17. The Student Council President Role
The crown prince’s close aides, Berthold and Theselius, were popular in the academy. The reasons weren’t only because they were good-looking, talented, but also single.
The two chose to be single because Lydian’s recklessness could be the death of them. As a result, they were reluctant to get hitched.
Oblivious to that, the young ladies flocked to them, squealing loudly.
“—Since His Highness Lydian already has Lady Eleonora, he’s unapproachable, but these two are a different story! They’re so friendly!”
“—Besides, they aren’t engaged yet… I suddenly feel motivated!”
The young ladies had the gaze of a hunter on their respective faces.
However, there were people who were dissatisfied with the sight.
They were Baldi, the son of the knight captain, and Carter, the son of the treasurer.
A recluse no more, the two started attending the academy, but they were frustrated when nobody cared about them.
“Dammit. Berthold’s father is merely a vice-captain, yet he dares look down on me…! Even though his swordsmanship skill is inferior to me!!”
“I know, right!? Theselius is so ignorant, my father’s subordinates considered him a hassle! Even though I’m better at studying!!”
Carter bit his nails in annoyance.
These two peaked at the age of 8.
As a matter of course, Berthold and Theselius, who became Lydian’s closest aides, had honed their swordsmanship and knowledge with their whole beings, so the difference between them was obvious.
However, these two refused to look at the reality.
“Nobody sees the real me!!”
Out of self-deprecation, Baldi became a ruffian. He also neglected his sword practice.
When Baldi’s fiancée, Mellia, came to see him out of concern, he’d give her a hard time and even turned her away.
Let’s not forget about Carter, the son of the treasurer.
Even when his fiancée, Dellyrud, tried to comfort him, Carter only became more stubborn.
“—The real issue is, I, who was hailed as a child prodigy, was outsmarted by someone like Theselius! Do you have any idea how I feel!?”
To make matters worse, Carter also had a complex towards his own fiancée, who was known as a talented woman.
Rumors about the two spread like wildfire at the academy, but since Carter had an unlikable personality to begin with, people sympathized with his fiancée instead.
—As for Lydian, he said something along the line of, ‘It’d be easier if the incompetents were to drop out.’
“Furthermore, it seems that some high-ranking aristocrats are bribing executives to falsify their grades. Your mission is to weed them out. I’m going to stay in the palace for a while, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Lydian casually issued their mission.
By that time, the two had grown accustomed to his antics. Nevertheless, some missions were more dangerous than others, so it was difficult for them to relax.
“I’m glad, the mission doesn’t sound so difficult this time. If he’d told me to capture a magical beast like last time, I wouldn’t know what to do…”
“Well, it sounds easy, but… This is Lady Eleonora we’re talking about. I’m sure she’s one of the perpetrators. I’m afraid to tell His Highness Lydian the truth. After all, he loves her so much.”
“It’d become a scandal for the future queen…”
Their shoulders sank in dejection.
Thus, the two started taking turns investigating.
…Why, the very first thing they chanced upon was a scene where Eleonora’s vassals (people from the duke’s family) giving money and goods to a high-ranking professor.
They grabbed the two panicked vassals by the scruff of their necks and dragged them to Eleonora.
“Lady Eleonora, what is the meaning of this!? Did you bribe the professor!?”
Berthold glowered at Eleonora.
“N-no, you’re mistaken!! This is a bright yellow candy!!”
“…Why do you keep avoiding making eye contact? Lady Eleonora, are gold nuggets considered as sweets by the duke family?”
Eleonora was sweating fountain as the two confronted her.
“If you want us to keep this a secret from His Highness Lydian, please study honestly. Let’s hire Mr. Gendyfan, who is well-known for his strictness, as your instructor. As long as it’s for the sake of Lady Eleonora, His Highness Lydian should be more than happy to arrange for it.”
Theselius was smiling gently, yet his proposal was nothing but cruel.
As much as she loathed to do it, Eleonora surrendered. After all, she didn’t want her prince to know that she was cheating.
Thus, the strict Gendyfan became Eleonora’s exclusive instructor. Even Eleonora, who was confident in her mental resilience, was about to crumble.
“—Redo that again!”
Reaching her breaking point, Eleonora finally cried to Lydian.
Lydian patted Eleonora’s head and told her a rather sensible point.
“Eleonora, I know how difficult it is, but I want you to do your best and overcome it. Education is essential for ruling a country. I’m truly sorry.”
Is there any lovestruck maiden who’d still complain upon hearing that from her beloved?
In the end, Eleonora put up a brave front.
“T-this is nothing! I’ll do my best so that Your Highness’ reign will prosper!” She spoke enthusiastically.
Eleonora, who rose from 70th to fifth place without cheating, was a hard worker.
“A-at last… I’m finally freed from Mr. Gendyfan. I don’t want to study for a while…”
She was so exhausted.
However, Eleonora’s hardships didn’t end there.
Berthold handed over a thick booklet to Eleonora.
“What is this? No way, is this a form of celebration?”
“No, not really. Even if you rank higher than us, it’s nothing to be celebrated about since you’re only in fifth place.”
Berthold scoffed at her.
‘I’ve always had a vague inkling of this, but this man absolutely despises me… But since he’s the confidant of His Highness Lydian, I’ll let it slide!!’ (Eleonora)
Left with no other choice, Eleonora could only glare at him in defiance. Although the two were in her hit list, their strength far exceeded Eleonora’s knights. Moreover, they were trusted by her beloved Lydian, so she didn’t dare to lay a finger on them.
Humiliated, Eleonora stared at the two, who nonchalantly went on.
“I haven’t talked about it until now because it’s unrelated, but those with top grades automatically become student council officers. Our hands are full right now, so we’re glad that you joined even if it’s by chance.”
Berthold’s normally pure eyes narrowed softly as he grinned.
‘…He’s going to take advantage of me.’ (Eleonora)
Eleonora warily stared at him. She so badly wanted to lash out at him, but what if he told Lydian about it?
Eleonora’s bad premonition came true, and she was forced to sort out a pile of documents.
“Isn’t this the job of other members!? As a duke’s daughter, I shouldn’t be doing this!”
She had to carry a stack of documents, tie them up with string, and calculate the money for each item. To be honest, it was a chore.
“As you may know, the student council is extremely busy right now. Also, status doesn’t matter here. Everyone is equal at the academy. So, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do chores even if you’re the duke’s daughter. Do your best.”
As he spoke, Berthold was busy writing something.
He was determined to fix Eleonora’s personality as soon as possible.
‘We’ll be doomed if someone as evil as this becomes the mother of the nation. I must guide her in the right direction—to make the country a better place!’
—Such was Berthold’s patriotic motivation.
“By the way, I’ve already received permission from His Highness Lydian. So, there’s no point in crying to him.” Theselius added.
Eleonora worked hard, blushing because she wanted to be praised by Lydian.
…Suddenly, she realized something.
Ever since he welcomed the new students, the student council president was nowhere to be seen!
‘Come to think of it, there’s no vice-president or secretary either, right? If they were here, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble!!’ (Eleonora)
She immediately brought up the question to Berthold and Theselius.
“What are the student council president doing!? He neglected his responsibilities while I’m here suffering from stiff shoulders and lower back pain!! I can’t do this anymore! He shall suffer my iron fan of anger!!”
Eleonora’s anger was utterly justified. Without waiting for an answer from the two, Eleonora blew her top and stormed towards the student council president’s room.
Berthold and Theselius ran after her.
Of course, catching up with her wasn’t a problem. The iron fan in her hand was. When she threatened them, the two couldn’t get close.
They could subdue her, but considering Lydian’s extreme possessiveness, was it really all right to touch Eleonora so casually?
As a result, they could only watch as Eleonora furiously kicked the door to the president’s room down.
Eleonora’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her.
“Y-Your Highness Lydian…?”
In the student council president’s room, Eleonora’s beloved—Lydian—was stepping on the president’s head.
…The story went back a few hours.
Lydian, who came to the academy for the first time in a while, was called by Hildred, the student council president.
As Lydian also had a business with the president, he adhered, but Hildred let the power get to his head.
‘Haha! Even though he’s the crown prince, he can’t disobey me while he’s at this academy! I’m so awesome, even the crown prince is under my command!’ (Hildred)
Hildred was the type of person who only excelled academically. He was also often referred to as the son of an influential nobleman, while the student council members were his followers.
Therefore, he began to act condescending towards Lydian. Truly, it was the height of stupidity.
“Hey, I’ve been waiting for you. As you probably know, I’m Hildred, the student council president. Nice to meet you. In this academy, we’re all equal, so I’ll call you ‘Lydian.’ Now, sit.”
The arrogant Hildred acted as if he were the crown prince.
Unusually, Lydian let out a sigh in front of someone.
“Magical beast is a different story, but training a human from scratch is a complete hassle.”
“Huh? What did you say? Keep in mind that even if you’re the crown prince, my words are absolute in this academy. Do get used to it quickly.”
In a display of annoyance, Hildred scoffed and brushed his bangs back.
In the next moment, Hildred was kissing the carpet.
Lydian had kicked him down, and stepped on his head.
“‘The absolute’, you say? What a joke, considering you’ve committed a lot of misdeeds. Falsifying grades, abuse of authority, unreasonable expulsion… I didn’t expect to find so many things after just a little research.”
A person like Lydian wouldn’t come to that place for no reason. Condemnation was his main purpose.
Hildred paled as Lydian talked about his misdeeds in detail. Yet, old habits die hard, especially because he’d ruled as the president for some time.
“I-it can’t be helped, why don’t we make a deal? I’ll appoint you as the assistant to the student council president!! You have nothing to complain about now, right?”
Hildred tried to appeal to Lydian in order to somehow save himself.
Again, it was the height of stupidity.
Lydian looked down at Hildred, seeming somewhat taken aback.
“You seem to have forgotten, so let me remind you, disrespecting the royal family warrants capital punishment. So what if we’re at the academy? It’s not like this place is exempt from that.”
A chilling air hit Hildred, causing his skin to tingle.
There was no way someone as pampered as him could withstand Lydian’s murderous aura, he fainted, frothing from the mouth.
In the next moment, Eleonora barged into the room.
“I’m sorry for showing you something unsightly, Eleonora. Do you need anything?”
When Lydian turned to speak to Eleonora, his expression was as gentle as ever.
“No, uh, the student council is very busy, so I was wondering what the president is doing…”
Eleonora spoke awkwardly while looking at Hildred, who was twitching.
…She couldn’t exactly say she came here to give him a good beating with the iron fan.
Who would’ve guessed that Hildred was in the middle of passionately kissing a carpet?
“Oh, I see. Eleonora has become a member of the student council. That’s so amazing!”
“O-oh, my, Your Highness Lydian, it’s nothing much…”
Eleonora’s face turned bright red when she was complimented by her beloved. She was truly happy that her hard work had been recognized.
“I was about to discuss this with you, but I want Eleonora to be the student council president.”
‘…Ah, His Highness Lydian looks stunning today as well.’
But then, Eleonora let out a strange voice at the absurdity.
“Eh?”
“This man ruined himself by abusing his power at the academy. However, Eleonora is kind, so I’m sure that you’ll be able to lead everyone with your compassion. Think of it as a rehearsal for becoming queen?”
When he asked with that picturesque face, Eleonora answered without thinking.
“Okay…”
—Later, Eleonora wondered if she chewed more than she could swallow.
‘…But then again, I can just hand over the work to other students.’ (Eleonora)
In the luxurious president’s room (renovated by Hildred), Eleonora leaned on a huge throne-like chair.
“As expected of the president’s chair! They use superb materials! It’s a huge difference in the lecture room!! Ohohohoho!! This academy is now mine!!”
Elenora relished the sensation of sitting in a position of power, but her reign soon came to an end.
Two familiar people came as Eleonora was about to reveal her true nature.
“I’m Berthold, who’ll become the student council treasurer from now on. I look forward to your continued support, President Eleonora.”
“I’m Theselius, the student council secretary. I won’t tolerate any wrongdoing, so please do your best.”
The moment Eleonora saw their smiles, she had the look of an abomination on her face.
Sensing the end of her paradise, she glared at the two demons (though this is from her own perspective), sinking in humiliation.
Translator’s Note:
Gotta love how hardworking Eleonora is!
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Ehhhh? Is it over? Is it discontinued? Is this the end?
Thank you translator for publishing these chapters!