Chapter 148


The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 141: The Princess

After walking through the hallway for a while after leaving the classroom, I spotted a woman with light blue hair tied back and crystal-clear light blue eyes like unblemished ice walking toward me.

“Oh, Is! Long time no see!”

“It’s been a while, Your Highness the Second Princess.”

The one who spoke to me was Sharueina Ruzenia, the Second Princess of this country, who had greeted us as a representative of the students during the entrance ceremony.

“Haha! You don’t have to be so formal; you can just call me Shar-nee like you used to, you know?”

“Don’t joke around. I can’t call you that now like I did back then. Our relationship and our ages are different now.”

“That’s true. Back then, we were just kids, so it was all fuzzy back then.”

Sharueina was like a childhood friend; since her specialty in magic was ice magic, I had trained with my father back when I was learning magic.

That’s when we got to know each other, and being just a year apart, she treated me like her little brother, calling herself Shar-nee and me Is.

“How are Count Valentine and his wife?”

“They’re both doing very well. They came to the capital for the entrance examination, but they had to go back since they couldn’t leave our territory until after the entrance ceremony.”

“Really? I bet she cried when she left, didn’t she? She cared for you a lot,” I chuckled.

“She didn’t cry, but she did look like she might.”

“Ahaha, I can totally picture that. By the way, who are the two behind you? I’d love it if you could introduce them.”

While talking to me, Sharueina seemed curious about Fiera and the others who were quietly listening in behind me.

“Oh, they’re like my friends. The beastman on the right is Fiera, and the elf on the left is Shuvina.”

“Hello!”

“I’m Shuvina. Nice to meet you!”

“So, they’re your friends. I’m Sharueina Ruzenia, the Second Princess of this country. Oh, and you don’t have to be formal just because I’m a princess. I don’t really like that sort of thing. Plus, since I’m Is’s childhood friend and like a big sister to him, I’d be happy if you got along with me too.”

“Understood!”

“I’ll do my best!”

Fiera readily accepted Sharueina’s offer, but Shuvina seemed a bit bewildered by how quickly she was closing the distance, returning a stiff smile.

“Oh, but wasn’t Is engaged to the lady from the Pestelrose family? That’s not good! Even if polygamy is accepted, you can’t just leave that lady aside and hang out with other girls!”

“Yeah, we are engaged, but it’s not a deep relationship. Besides, with them, it’s not like that, either. Well, maybe they feel differently.”

“Hmm? … Ah, I see what you mean.”

After hearing my explanation, Sharueina nodded with an understanding look as she alternated her gaze between me and Fiera.

“You’re not to be underestimated, Is. So, now it’s just up to you to respond to their feelings.”

“I have no intention of that, though.”

“I see. It’s a shame since both of them are cute girls. Well, I should get going now. Let’s have tea sometime later.”

“Got it.”

“See you again! You two, let’s chat sometime!”

“Looking forward to it!”

“Understood.”

After calling out to Fiera and the others one last time, Sharueina passed by us and left the scene.

“El. You didn’t get mad.”

“Hm? Mad about what?”

“You didn’t get angry when you said we weren’t in that kind of relationship. Last time, when an elf prince said it, you were furious.”

“Hmm? … Ah, that time, huh?”

At first, I didn’t get what they were talking about, but thinking back, I did get pretty mad when I was called a love rival.

“Well, there were other factors involved back then. That person is different.”

“What do you mean?”

“That person is… a pitiful soul. So, if that person finds joy in such talk, then I might as well give them a bit of leeway.”

“A pitiful soul? Sharueina? She looked pretty cheerful, though.”

“If you’re curious, just ask her yourself. Maybe it’d be easier for you to talk to her since you’re both girls. Come on, let’s go.”

Saying that, I headed in the opposite direction from where Sharueina went and entered our assigned dorm rooms, laying down on the bed while leaving the rest to Miria.

(She’s still living so painfully, huh?)

Alone in my room, I couldn’t help but think about Sharueina, whom I’d seen in the hallway. Seeing her struggle to live just like before made even my deadened emotions feel a twinge of sympathy.

Currently, the royal family of the Ruzenia Empire had three princes and two princesses.

The first prince, the crown prince, is the son of the empress, the second prince is the son of the second consort, the third prince is the son of the third consort, the first princess has already married into another country, and the second princess Sharueina, who is currently attending the academy, is the daughter of the empress.

The crown prince is normal, for better or worse—he’s not particularly skilled in martial prowess or knowledge but is decisive and caring of the people, which earns him the support of those in the royal faction.

The second prince excels in knowledge but is physically weak by nature and has a timid personality like his mentally fragile mother, the second consort, and has already voluntarily renounced his claim to the throne.

The third prince is excellent in martial arts but is quite dim-witted, not to mention overly ambitious and a womanizer, making him a puppet for the noble faction that believes in aristocratic supremacy.

The first princess loathed the third prince and had already married into another country, thus was no longer in this empire.

As for the second princess, Sharueina, she possesses superior skills in martial arts, magic, and knowledge compared to the other royals but sadly lacks the right to inherit the throne simply because she’s a woman.

The Ruzenia Empire has about 2000 years of history, which might explain the customs that prioritize historical legacy, ruling that women cannot inherit family lines or the throne.

Thus, regardless of her exceptional abilities, Sharueina is disqualified from inheriting the throne, and those around her have continually voiced their sympathy for her unfortunate situation.

Feeling pity for her, the emperors had tried to give Sharueina a chance to escape the royal castle, allowing her to spend about two years in the Valentine Duchy under the guise of magical training.

However, as her abilities developed, the voices surrounding her only grew louder, and when Sharueina returned to the castle, they continued to speak mercilessly where she could easily hear them.

Eventually, she began to abandon her true self, adopting a boyish style of dress, and threw herself into martial arts and magic.

Yet, even then, there was no chance of her being granted the right to inherit, and she ended up as she is today, having lost herself completely.

“I feel some sympathy for her environment, but there’s no way I’m going to do anything about it. Besides, if I wait a bit longer, maybe the protagonist will sort it out somehow, so it’s best I leave her to him.”

There’s no reason to dive into a troublesome power struggle myself; it’s basically decided that I should leave such matters to the protagonist. So, I quickly pushed Sharueina out of my thoughts.

“More importantly, I’m going to visit that person tomorrow. I saw they were there during the introduction, so there’s no need to hold back. Hehe, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

I was excited to meet the person I came to this academy for and couldn’t help but smile.

After that, I spent the quiet night thinking about how I’d chat with them tomorrow and how we might become friends.