Raymond’s POV
With everything going on lately, it really felt like the academy was slowly collapsing right in front of us, piece by piece, like sothing you thought was solid but turned out to be held together by nothing but thin threads.
The rumors didn’t help.
If anything, they made everything worse.
Word had been spreading that people like us, those born without noble blood, were going to be kicked out of the academy. It didn’t matter if it was true or not. Once sothing like that starts circulating, it digs into people’s heads and refuses to leave. You could see it in the way everyone was acting.
Uneasy.
Distracted.
So weren’t even trying to hide it anymore.
A few people nearby were already crying, trying to keep it quiet but failing anyway. The sound of it carried, soft at first, then spreading like it always does when one person breaks and the rest start following.
And of course, it made sense.
Even if the first years weren’t completely breaking down yet, those who were in the higher years looked like they were about to lose everything they had built. Years of effort, of training, of pushing themselves past their limits just to stay here... all of that suddenly felt like it was hanging by a thread.
If we got kicked out now, then what was the point of any of it?
All those years would an nothing.
That thought alone was enough to make anyone feel sick.
I clenched my jaw slightly, trying not to let it get to too much. Still, the frustration was there. Sitting in my chest. It was very heavy and incredibly annoying.
I just wished the Princess would say sothing. Or anything. A proper explanation would’ve been enough to calm people down, even a little.
Instead, everyone was left guessing.
Grabbing onto rumors.
Hoping one of them turned out to be true in a way that didn’t screw us over.
"Good afternoon to all of you, Cadets of the Milham Academy of Magic Knights. This is your Council President, and also the Princess of Milham, Myrcella Odette Milham."
The voice ca out of nowhere, echoing through the entire area.
It was clear.
It was the kind of clearness that made it impossible to ignore.
I froze for a second, my attention imdiately snapping toward the source, even though there wasn’t really anything to look at. The voice was coming from the announcer system installed across the academy grounds.
Duncan, standing right next to , blinked a couple of tis before speaking.
"That’s the Princess, isn’t it?"
I glanced at him.
Seriously?
She literally just introduced herself, and he still needed confirmation. Sotis I wondered how this guy survived daily life. There had to be a hidden talent sowhere, because it definitely wasn’t in observation.
Still... sothing about the way she introduced herself stuck with .
She didn’t just say she was the Council President.
She made sure to say she was the Princess too.
That wasn’t her usual style.
She was doing it on purpose.
She was probably trying to grab everyone’s attention and make sure nobody tuned out halfway through.
"I know all of you have a lot of questions right now, and that’s completely reasonable. I’ve caused unnecessary worry because of my actions."
Her voice carried smoothly through the system, filling the space around us.
That announcer really was sothing.
If I rembered correctly, it was made by Leon’s company. Which was still ridiculous to think about. The guy was rich enough to not care about anything, and yet he still showed up to classes like the rest of us. Either he liked suffering, or he just had too much free ti.
Probably both.
Either way, it wasn’t important right now.
Everyone’s focus was on her.
"However, there is no need to worry. None of the rumors currently spreading are true. While it is true that the academy’s operations are not functioning properly at the mont, that is due to staff being unable to work. The families of the forr administration have blocked financial resources, preventing us from paying the professors."
Murmurs started rising around .
Low voices, confused whispers, and bits and pieces of conversations overlapping each other.
"So that’s why classes have been weird lately..."
"They’re blocking the money?"
"That’s ssed up..."
It made sense, in a frustrating kind of way.
Politics, money, power. Sa old story.
"Even so," she continued, her tone steady, "we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. A new group of administrators will take over, and within a few days, things will begin returning to normal. For now, I ask that all of you trust ."
Trust.
That word hit differently now.
It used to feel simple.
Now it felt heavy.
Because trusting soone wasn’t easy when things kept going wrong.
People around weren’t convinced. You could tell just by looking at their faces. So looked doubtful. Others looked straight-up annoyed. A few just looked tired, like they didn’t even have the energy to care anymore.
At this point, it felt like whatever trust people had in her was slowly running dry.
"I understand that trusting right now is difficult," she said, as if she could hear what everyone was thinking. "But I ask for your patience. At this very mont, I am fighting for the throne."
That got a reaction.
A louder one.
People started talking over each other, trying to make sense of what she just said.
Fighting for the throne?
That wasn’t exactly small news.
"That may not be sothing all of you are aware of," she continued. "The conflict has not escalated into open battle yet, but tensions are rising. We have been doing everything we can to prevent it from turning violent. So of you may have heard about the suicide bombers near the castle."
That part wasn’t exactly hidden.
"But I assure you, the conflict will remain within the capital. You are not in danger. What I ask from you right now... is your support."
Support.
That was what she wanted.
From people who were already unsure about everything.
It was a bold thing to ask.
"Right now, I am in need of your help," she said. "If you are willing to trust , then please... trust . And if you cannot, that is also understandable. I believe I have given you reason to doubt ."
The crowd quieted a little after that.
It wasn’t silence, but it was close.
Then there was a pause.
Through the speaker, I could hear her breathing. A slow inhale, like she was steadying herself before saying sothing important.
"But even so... I hope that I can still be accepted."
Another pause.
This one felt longer.
"That is because... I will beco the sovereign of this kingdom."
Everything around seed to freeze for a second.
My eyes widened before I even realized it.
The Princess... was going to beco the ruler?
Not just temporarily, not just as a figurehead.
The sovereign.
I didn’t even know how to process that.
Part of wanted to think it was a good thing. That maybe soone like her could actually change things.
Another part of hesitated.
Because trusting rulers wasn’t exactly sothing that ca naturally.
For years, people like us had been overlooked and completely ignored unless we were useful. It was always the sa pattern. Promises made from above, then forgotten just as quickly.
That kind of thing sticks with you.
It makes it hard to believe.
It was hard to accept that soone in power could actually be both capable and decent at the sa ti.
Still...
Maybe that was just being biased.
Maybe things didn’t have to stay the sa.
Maybe... just maybe...
If it was her, things could turn out differently.
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