Chapter 42 – The Doubtful Princess
“Love and lifelong companionship aren’t things to be made fun of.”
John stared at me in a daze after hearing those words. His expression turned strange as he instinctively raised one hand to feel my forehead, and the other to feel his own.
“...What are you doing?”
“One of us is definitely running a fever,” John said with certainty. “Either I’ve gone delirious and started hallucinating, or you’ve lost your mind and started spouting nonsense. Either way, one of us needs to get checked today!”
“After just a few days, you’ve gone from a cuckolded sad sack to the champion of pure love? This is not right!”
“I’ve never been a cuckold. Quit it.” I slapped his hand away.
Honestly, even I found it strange how worked up I’d gotten over what was clearly just a joke. It was like some kind of line had been crossed.
Maybe I hadn’t gotten enough rest and was overly sensitive… or maybe, like John said, I hadn’t really let go yet.
“You said earlier that there’s someone else on campus as popular as Astrid?”
Perhaps realizing I was acting a little off, I gave a slight cough to cover for it and picked up where John had left off.
“Hah, I knew you couldn’t really not care about this.” John clapped me on the shoulder.
“You need to brush up on your general knowledge. I’m talking about the other campus celebrity whose popularity rivals Astrid’s…”
BONG…
A deep, resonant chime echoed through the arena from an ancient bronze bell.
Had the matches already begun?
I blinked, glancing at the open book on my lap, surprised by how quickly time had passed.
Although these were formal tournament rounds, their main purpose was data collection and testing—not duels, not rankings, not even real combat assessments. So, there was no host delivering a ceremonial opening—only the referee was present.
“It’s time. Match One in Arena 23: Bryn Kaido vs. Felicia Zorsha.”
“Oh-ho! Here we go!”
Hearing the names of the first match, John’s eyes lit up. He stretched his neck out like a giraffe, eager to see.
“Who?”
For once, I lifted my eyes from my book and immediately noticed the girl entering the arena—the dazzling center of attention.
Standing tall in the circular combat field was a glamorous young woman with long, noble amber hair and radiant orange-gold eyes. She wore a lavish high-waisted corset dress, her head held high and chest proudly outthrust like a queen surveying her subjects. Every gesture exuded effortless confidence.
Her amber locks were tied into flowing twin tails that cascaded to the tops of her smooth, fleshy white thighs. Below, she wore knee-high heeled leather boots.
The corseted dress couldn’t hide the ample swell of her chest, the deep cleavage plainly visible.
Her long legs were clad in black thigh-high stockings, matched with a short skirt that perfectly exposed the tantalizing “absolute territory” between hem and hose.
This was probably just her casual wear, yet she carried it like a ballroom princess. A pearl among pebbles, impossible to ignore.
She crossed her arms, her exquisitely flawless face the very embodiment of nobility. Her chin was lifted slightly, orange-gold eyes gazing down on everyone around her. The faint curve of her lips wasn’t arrogance—it was the innate confidence of someone who believed she would never lose.
“That’s Felicia Zorsha, Crown Princess of the Whiteglass Kingdom, known as the ‘Pure and Noble Whiteglass Knight Princess.’”
“She’s second in popularity on campus, right after ‘Silver Moon Princess’ Astrid… It’s a shame, though. If she weren’t, you know, that, her popularity would definitely be even higher,” John said regretfully.
Usually John was the most enthusiastic when it came to checking out beautiful girls. But now, even with a goddess-like figure in front of him, all he showed was frustration and sighs.
Naturally, that piqued my curiosity.
“‘That’ refers to what, exactly?”
“You really don’t know?” John looked at me like I was a caveman. “You are completely clueless when it comes to campus gossip. What the hell do you even do all day? Don’t tell me you actually live by ‘ignore the outside world, study the classics’ or something?”
“Anyway, it’s common knowledge that this Whiteglass Princess is… how do I put it…”
John glanced around, looking for some kind of prop.
Finally, he picked up a small twig off the ground and started bending it—just far enough to make it crooked without breaking it.
“Get it now?” He waved the bent stick in front of my face.
“…No.”
“Ugh, okay, fine! I’ll say it directly! That Whiteglass Princess—she doesn’t like men!”
“Who someone likes is their business, isn’t it?” I still didn’t see the issue.
“Oh my god, how dense are you?? I’m saying—this princess, she likes girls!”
“………Do you all even have proof for this?”
After a brief pause, I asked calmly.
“What do you mean ‘do we have proof’? Everyone on campus knows! Your intel is seriously outdated.”
“And just because ‘everyone knows,’ you think it’s okay to question someone’s sexuality without evidence?” I frowned.
“What’s the big deal? You think she doesn’t know people talk behind her back? And yet she’s never once denied it—it’s like she’s silently admitting it.”
“Besides, who says there’s no basis? She’s the Whiteglass Kingdom’s princess. No one would dare spread lies about her without some truth behind it. Everyone thinks Felicia’s bent because… well, it actually kind of has to do with you.”
“…With me?” I blinked. “I don’t even know her.”
“I mean, not directly. It’s more of an indirect connection… You know she once sent a love letter to your ex—err, I mean to Astrid?”
“……….”
I fell silent.
“And it’s not just that. Everyone on campus knows the ‘Whiteglass Knight Princess’ Felicia is actively pursuing the ‘Silver Moon Princess’ Astrid.”
John spoke carefully, watching my reaction.
“…Well, when it comes down to it, love is love. There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”
In fact, if this were true, and she was really risking everything for a same-sex relationship, then I thought such feelings deserved respect.
“But… this Felicia Princess’s private life is, supposedly, a bit… questionable.”
“Hmm?”
“There are rumors that she’s got quite a big appetite, if you know what I mean. They say she can, uh, play cards with five innocent girls in one night and still be bouncing with energy the next day… Of course, that’s just gossip. No way to tell if it’s true. But honestly? I think there’s some truth to it.”
“…………”
At that, my gaze toward Felicia gained a subtle trace of disgust.
Primitive. Base. If she really acted like that—satisfying her pitiful desires without fidelity, yet still having the gall to publicly chase another girl—then yes, that was pretty repulsive.
Of course, it was still just a rumor. No confirmation. But if it were true… then that was pretty gross.