"What's this? The princess herself taking part? Now that's not something I ever dreamed of witnessing."

A voice laced with arrogance broke the silence.

A boy with messy black hair and golden eyes stood there, smirking with that cocky tone only he could pull off.

Eula didn't even bother to turn her head. Her focus was fixed entirely on the book resting in her lap; she turned each page with graceful indifference.

The boy clicked his tongue in annoyance. He stepped closer until he stood just behind her.

"Haah… why do you always have to act so cold? Seriously, it breaks my heart."

He placed a hand dramatically over his chest, grinning wide like a performer on stage.

As his gaze wandered, he spotted the Soul Resonator floating near Eula. Two names were listed beneath it, the ones Eula had taken responsibility for.

"Huh?"

One particular name froze him mid-step.

Leon Valentine.

His smirk faltered for a second. Then, he chuckled and said.

"Why'd you take in this bastard?" Rowan muttered in irritation. "I mean… sure, it's rare for you to participate in these activities, but him? Of all people? Ohhh…"

His lips curled again into an irritating grin. "I get it now. You accepted because he's my brother. Understandable. So you do care about m—"

SLAM—!

The sharp crack of a book shutting echoed through the library.

Eula's cold, glacial eyes finally lifted from the pages and locked onto his golden ones.

"Rowan. Are your ears rotten?"

"What?"

"Did you not understand what I've told you before?" Her voice was low and steady, yet slicing deeper in Rowan's throat.

Rowan gritted his teeth. "Th—that…"

She didn't let him finish. Unbothered by the eyes now watching them, she made it loud and clear.

"I have no interest in you. I humbly request you stop this. My answer will remain the same."

Her words were like a dagger straight to his pride. His jaw tightened as rage swirled in his head.

"Hey now… at least give me one chance! I promise, I will take good care of you, and you can ask anyone here, I always treat women kindly—"

"Enough."

Her glare was enough to freeze the air itself.

"Don't test my endurance. It won't end well for you."

For once, Rowan fell silent. His fists clenched at his sides. Whenever he talks with Eula, he never once sees her as a second princess. To him, Eula was just another girl, someone he thought he could eventually bed if he kept pushing hard enough.

Eula, however, knew his true nature. Every word he said only made her skin crawl in disgust. Just being near him was revolting.

If she had to compare Rowan to Leon… there wasn't even a contest. Leon was a million times better than this arrogant, lecherous fool.

Smirking inwardly, she added fuel to the already raging fire.

"Learn from your little brother. At least he knows how to properly act in front of a princess."

The library filled with muffled gasps.

Rage burned hot under Rowan's skin. His chest heaved, and his golden eyes darkened. Also the whispers around him didn't help, it only made matter worse.

"D-damn, he got rejected again."

"Haa… I don't get it. Why does she keep turning him down? He's a Valentine! If I were her, I'd never let go of the chance to be so close to Lady Veronica…"

Some whispers don't even make sense.

Everyone was the same; even her own father thought that tying knots with a Valentine would be a great political move. Who wouldn't want to be a sister-in-law of one of the calamity heads?

Well, clearly not Eula.

"Pathetic," she whispered.

"Well, at least he's not as pathetic as his younger brother. The princess probably only accepted Leon's guidance out of pity." Someone whispered.

Rowan's shoulders trembled. His teeth ground together as he muttered under his breath, low enough for no one but himself to hear.

"Tch… I'll make you pay for this, you slut."

But Eula heard him, and she didn't bother to respond.

Fighting with him would only be a waste of breath. After all, no matter how much you scrub a pig clean, it will always crawl back to the gutter.

He turned away with heavy steps, seething.

Eula?

She had already gone back to her book, as though he'd never existed. Without lifting her eyes, she added lazily, "And tell the duke to stop approaching the palace with marriage proposals. It's starting to bore me."

The entire library seemed to erupt. Students, invigilators, even the librarian—all wide-eyed and whispering.

Rowan stormed out, the air of rejection clinging to him like smoke.

Meanwhile, Eula sat still, flipping pages with a serene expression. Occasionally, her gaze would flicker to the Soul Resonator.

[0%-------------------]

It stayed like that for fifteen minutes. In the world of the book, six hours had already passed, but Eula remained patient, unbothered, waiting for the right time to move.

(A/N: Time inside the book runs faster.)

Her eyes dropped again to the words on the page—

"Princess Eulaaa!~"

The cheerful voice rang out suddenly, breaking her calm mood.

Eula flinched ever so slightly. Her face didn't change, but her thoughts did.

Ah… today really is a bad day.

A soft cushion pressed against her head as someone hugged her from behind.

'So soft.'

Eula didn't mind her hug.

"You look so pretty today! Oh my goddess, it's such a blessing to breathe the same air as you!"

A girl with short height and waist-length hair leaned over her shoulder.

When Eula lifted her gaze, her eyes narrowed.

"Why are you here, Seena? Did you already finish?"

Still hugging her from behind, Seena buried her chest against her head.

"Mmmm~ those first years were all trash. Didn't even last three minutes."

"Oh? Why?" Eula asked, her tone dry.

"Haha, you wouldn't believe it. One cocky brat picked a three-star book, thinking he could claim it. Well… he didn't." Seena's grin widened. "I enjoyed their suffering, though."

"Haaah."

Eula sighed, tilting her head to shake free of Seena's hold.

Seena let go at last, only to lean in again with teasing curiosity.

"So, I heard you accepted one of the first years' requests. Is that true?"

Eula didn't answer. Instead, she gestured toward the Soul Resonator.

Seena followed her finger, reading the glowing names aloud.

"Nightson, huh. Interesting. So she enrolled…" She nodded, then her eyes widened at the second name. "Wait—Valentine?!"

She blinked again, as if the sight betrayed her.

"And it's the youngest one! Wait—wait—wait—what?!"

"Keep your voice down." Eula's sharp whisper cut her off.

Seena leaned closer, still flustered.

"Didn't you say you hated the Valentine brothers?"

Her words tumbled out rapid-fire. Question after question, until finally Eula gave in with the barest answer.

"He's different. The complete opposite of the elder one."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Seena tilted her head.

But what froze her more than the words was Eula's face. There was no disgust. Not even the usual indifference. Just a silence that made Seena lose her own.

"W–What? What did he do to you?"

"…"

Eula narrowed her gaze. There was no way she could tell her that Leon was dangerous. Instead, she diverted.

"Enough about that. Tell me, did any first years catch your eye?"

"Oh?" Seena straightened, flipping her hair proudly. "You bet. No one can escape my eyes. There's one boy. And also your little sister. Both are unique."

"So, you plan to enroll him and Rinna in the Disciplinary Committee?" Eula asked flatly.

"Of course. As the president, I have to look out for every suitable candidate, and both of them seem perfect." Seena nodded firmly.

Eula herself wasn't part of the Disciplinary Committee. She had been asked before but rejected it without hesitation.

The girl named Seena, who was acting oddly familiar with her, was someone she was familiar with. She was the current president of Eclipse and the only third-year who had ever held that position.

Her charisma was unmatched; not a single soul in the Institute could compare.

Well, in reality, she'd only been elected because Eula supported her. Out of all the candidates, Seena had been the only one who seemed genuinely honest in her eyes, and due to this, she voted for her and spoke in favor of her. Since then, the two occasionally spoke. And Eula didn't hate her for that.

But… sometimes Seena's behavior was questionable. She had a tendency to act strangely… like praying to her or overreacting in ways that made Eula uncomfortable.

There were even rumors that she ran some sort of cult, worshiping Eula as their idol.

'…'

Well, Eula didn't believe that, of course.

Eula raised a brow.

"Oh? Who's the boy you speak of?"

"His name is Ethan." Seena's eyes brimmed with excitement as she explained, "Apparently, he and his partner already pushed the book to twenty percent in just fifteen minutes!"

Eula's eyes widened slightly, not out of shock at the name, but at the progress.

"Twenty percent? You're sure it isn't fake? That number is absurd."

Normally, the book would take three hours minimum, five at most, to clear that much. To reach twenty percent in fifteen minutes? He'd be branded as a 'one of a kind' if it were true.

"No, no," Seena said quickly, shaking her head. "The invigilators verified it. It's real."

Eula blinked, still processing, when Seena asked, "Anyways, what's your progress?"

Together, they glanced at the Soul Resonator.

[0%-----------------]

Seena smirked. "Heh, poor kid—"

Before she could even finish, the progress bar shifted.

[||||||||||43%------------]

"…!"

"…!"

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