Chapter 311: Ungrateful

The third day of the tournament finally arrived, and it had begun the same way the other two did. With a really, really loud trumpet blaring across the sky.

I sluggishly pulled myself awake as Carine, while doing so effortlessly as Feyt.

Carine really is a heavy sleeper, huh?

I stretched both of my bodies awake as I slowly made my way to the window as Carine, overlooking the academy grounds.

The streets were the same as yesterday, with various merchants and the stall owners setting up their stalls; some were prepping their cooking tools, some were counting their coins. Outside of them, several academy staff and what seemed to be student council members, along with volunteers, were running around.

It looked only slightly more hectic than it was yesterday, but I knew today would be no ordinary day.

The semi-finals and the grand finals awaited the third day of the tournament. The day everyone had been waiting for. There was a good chance the number of spectators would double or even triple compared to the last two days.

I had little doubt that the arena would be packed like canned sardines once the tournament started up.

Well, no time for dawdling.

Time for a jog.

After a quick refreshment and putting on appropriate clothing, I headed out of both of my rooms.

I took steady but slightly hurried steps down both hallways… until I abruptly froze on my fifth step; both of my eyes widened in shock.

In the lounge room just outside Carine’s quarters sat a figure. He was leisurely sipping tea, with a slice of cake placed neatly on the saucer on a small table beside him. The soft morning light slipped past the already tied curtains and hit his golden-blonde hair, framing him as if he were in a painting.

The first thing I thought was… who eats cake for breakfast?

The second thing I thought was… why the hell are you here, Third Prince?

“Your Highness…” I muttered.

Prince Julient paused mid-sip, his eyes lighting up as his head smoothly tilted upward. The moment he locked his dazzling gaze onto mine, he set down his teacup and unleashed a sharp, warm smile.

“Ah, Carine! You’re up early!”

Predicting a long-drawn-out conversation, I quietly headed back into my room as Feyt, as I walked cautiously approaching the prince as Carine.

“What brings you here, Your Highness?” I asked politely. “I believe the tournament wouldn’t be until noon? There should be no reason for you to arrive this early, is it?”

I stopped by the empty chair before him, standing beside it quietly.

“I am just here to check up on you,” he said with a warm smile.

Yeah, I’m sure that’s all there is to it.

“If it’s about my performance in the tournament, you may rest assured that I will try my best,” I said calmly and honestly.

He kept smiling as he slightly leaned back. “I have zero doubts about your performance, Carine. You made it to the semi-finals, after all. But that’s not really why I’m here, is it?”

Why are you asking me??

“If this is regarding Lord Nicholas and his recent scheme, I have already delegated the entire matter to my Mother and Father. If you are curious or require some kind of report, then I recommend—”

“Oh, no worries at all! I already got the gist of that little drama!” he waved a dismissive hand. “Besides, the Nineid family is being looked at quite extensively by my eldest brother as we speak, so it’s not really in my territory anymore, is it?”

I froze.

So what is he doing here then?

“Come, take a seat,” Prince Julient smiled, gesturing gracefully toward the armchair across the low table.

…But I really wanna jog tho.

I sat on a comfortable armchair. A cup of tea was served elegantly before me, poured by His Highness himself. I tried to stop him, but man, was he quick to shut me down.

If a single student or dorm matron walked past the open archway right now and witnessed the Third Prince of Setus acting like my personal butler, I’d be dead in an alleyway by the evening.

The Prince looked at me with bright, expectant eyes. “So, Carine. Tell me, how has your day been going so far?”

I don’t know. It hasn’t started yet, seeing as someone is interrupting it rather abruptly.

“It has been quite peaceful, thank you, Your Highness,” I replied, offering a polite nod.

Julient nodded thoughtfully, letting out a satisfied hum. “Good. That is good to hear.”

He reached out, picked up his teacup, and took a slow, agonizingly deliberate sip. He closed his eyes for a beat, seemingly savoring the aroma like a man who had all the time in the world, while I sat there feeling every passing second tick away my warm-up routine.

My god, he’s deliberately torturing me, isn't he?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Julient finished his sip. He lowered the porcelain cup, setting it onto the saucer with a soft clink. He turned to me, his warm smile now replaced with another smile, but one that didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

“Carine,” he began, leaning slightly forward. “Tell me. What is your honest opinion on Talents?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.

“In what manner?”

“Hmm,” he hummed before leaning back again. “Let me rephrase. What do you think of someone who, let’s say, bites the hand that feeds them?”

“You mean… someone ungrateful?”

“Indeed,” he said with a solemn nod. “Someone who was given a chance to shine, but chose to remain in darkness. Someone who was standing before a door of opportunities, but never opened it. Someone who… squanders their own potential.”

I stared at him for a second, my brain working overtime to figure out what he was talking about or what he was insinuating.

Biting the hand that feeds them? Squandering their own potential?

"I suppose… it would be rather infuriating to witness someone throw away their gifts.”

The dark, solemn shadow over Prince Julient’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a grin rivaling the sun’s brightness.

"Right?! Exactly!" He clapped his hands together loudly, leaning forward so fast I nearly flinched back out of survival instinct. "I knew you would understand, Carine! Ah, it is truly relieving to hear you say so!”

I blinked. “Uh… Pardon?”

Prince Julient sat back down properly in his seat and cleared his throat, toning down the enthusiasm. “Forgive me. I got a little ahead of myself.” Then, he turned to face me fully, his smile returning to that cold state. "Tell me, Carine, what if I told you... there is a person in this tournament who is quite… ungrateful?"

The moment he asked that, my ears perked up.

Is he talking about who I think he’s talking about?

Outside the gates of the Royal Knights Academy, a lone, unassuming carriage rolled to a smooth halt.

The carriage door cracked open with a soft groan, and a slender, frail woman stepped carefully down onto the stone pavement.

The wind blew past her, catching the hem of her modest dress. The bright sunlight caused her to squint her eyes instinctively, unused to being greeted by the noon sky. She looked almost ghostly against the crowd of people flowing in and out of the academy entrance.

Between two of her fingers was an envelope. The crimson wax seal was already broken; the letter inside had been read countless times out of disbelief, to the point that the parchment was creased.

It was a direct summons by the Third Prince of Setus, for the singular person of Lena Hailreid.

Lena didn't understand why someone such as Prince Julient would ever summon someone like her. The only reason stated in the letter was to clarify some discrepancies in her old academy records.

It was true she once enrolled in the Royal Knights Academy, though her Father pulled her back after only one year; she still questioned why the Third Prince would be the one summoning her.

Yet, as she looked through the towering iron gates toward the sprawling academy grounds, filled with tournament banners and visiting guests, she muttered a name.

“Lechter…”

She knew he was here. She knew that today, he would be stepping onto the arena grounds to fight.

Her rough, callused thumb gently traced the edge of the envelope.

“I hope I can see him today…”