The morning of a theology student at the academy begins with humble prayer.
For Tiana, life was a continuous succession of miracles.
Who could have known that a girl who had been herding sheep in a rural field barely a year ago would come to study divine providence at the most prestigious academy on the continent?
If this was not the grace of God, then what was?
Golden sunlight seeped through the window and shattered across the cross she held in her hands.
"All things are the grace and miracle of the Holy Fulfiller. Grant courage and wisdom once more today to this lost little lamb."
She closed her eyes, clasped the cross in both hands, and praised God. White sunlight fell upon the cross. Gold spread outward. Her heart filled to the brim with sincerity.
Tiana spent a lively morning.
Through theology lectures, she drew closer to Him and deepened her understanding of the scriptures.
She made new friends as well.
They were all kind and faithful people.
"Did you hear the news? Senior Ofilienne did something incredible!"
"Ah, the Professor Harsen incident?"
"I never could have imagined that professor was that kind of person."
"If it weren't for Senior Ofilienne, we'd have gone on following him without knowing a thing. Ugh, it gives me chills."
"His Highness the Crown Prince really is blessed. To take such a remarkable woman as his wife."
"Honestly… I think Senior Ofilienne is wasted on him."
"Can't argue with that."
…Of course, they gossiped a little too!
Good friends, all the same.
'So Mati's sister is His Highness the Crown Prince's fiancée….'
Tiana was slowly coming to understand the world.
It was an extraordinarily complicated place, and nothing in it was simple.
'He really is someone remarkable. Mati.'
Mati — the first friend she had made after leaving home.
Mati wasn't a typical noble. He was more endearing than elegant, more familiar than refined.
He reminded her of the puppy she'd raised back home.
And yet he was on close terms with the Crown Prince, of all people.
Tiana had grown up in a countryside with nothing to speak of, but she knew what an emperor was. A monarch who had sat upon the throne for a century, ruling the world. Emperor Friedrich the Great.
The idea that Mati and the Emperor were family didn't feel real. It was simply astonishing — and left her with a faint, inexplicable sense of distance.
'…Was I too rude to him?'
Hugging him without permission, calling him by name, patting his head.
Thinking back on it now, it all seemed like the wrong thing to do.
"…And with that, we have examined why salvation has not yet come to this world. Everyone, offer a prayer to God, and we will conclude the lecture."
The lecture ended.
The Cardinal opened his Bible.
A young Cardinal dispatched directly by the Holy See held the position of theology professor.
Her friends were practically fainting with awe, saying he was an absolutely extraordinary figure — but Tiana had no idea who he was, or even what a Cardinal was.
The theology students were in a flutter.
"He's so handsome…."
"He must have received every blessing God has to offer."
"Oh…! Lord. Please forgive me for my desires."
Contrary to the image one might typically conjure, the Cardinal was a young and handsome man. He cast a warm, smiling glance at the theology students as he recited the prayer.
Shortly after, Tiana finished reciting the prayer and rose to her feet. She set off toward her next lecture.
"….."
And as she did, the young Cardinal watched her quietly.
Tiana ate in the dining hall.
Short on money, she had a modest meal. Even so, it was freshly baked bread, soft cheese, and ham. She ate it with gratitude.
Back home, she had eaten less than this.
By any measure, this was a feast.
"Oh, where did Taibeon go?"
Joi sat down beside her.
Her meal was the same as Tiana's.
"Ah, Joi. Taibeon said he already ate with his friends and wasn't hungry."
"What about Mati?"
"Mati?"
Tiana paused her hand.
She pictured Matyos in her mind. Matyos was a high noble.
There was no way he would be eating in a place like this.
"…I don't know. He's probably eating somewhere else, isn't he?"
"Ask him on your Watch."
"Me…?"
"Yes. I'm not friends with Mati yet, so I can't contact him."
"Alright, I will."
Tiana turned on her Watch. She navigated to Matyos's contact and was about to send him a message — then turned it back off.
For some reason, she felt a distance between herself and Matyos.
"Mm. I don't want to bother Mati for no reason."
"…Well, nothing to be done about it, then."
Tiana and Joi finished their simple meal and parted ways. Joi's major was fine arts.
A fitting major for pretty Joi, she thought.
Crunch, crunch.
The academy grounds were filled with the vitality of early spring, just rousing from its slumber.
The freshly unfurled leaves held a vivid, pale green light within them, and the sunlight that filtered down between them broke into fine pieces and spilled across Tiana's shoulders.
Wrapped in the soft warmth that enveloped her whole body, Tiana gently closed her eyes. It was a small habit she had developed at some point.
When sight is cut off, the other senses grow sharper.
The green, grassy scent that brushed the tip of her nose and the breeze that tickled her cheeks felt almost like living things.
Beneath a clear, cloudless sky, she had once lain carelessly in the swaying grass and felt the sunlight on her skin.
If she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, this was no longer a strange and foreign land.
It was the place where an endless expanse of meadow stretched out and the peaceful bleating of sheep drifted on the air.
Being here like this — it felt just like being home. Like being on the Soren Plains…
Thud!
Walking with her eyes closed, Tiana's shoulder collided with something. The sudden impact sent her stumbling backward.
"Hey! What's your problem?"
Tiana looked up with a bewildered expression, and a girl with her face already twisted in irritation was brushing off the shoulder they had bumped. Around the girl, a group of upperclassmen looked down at Tiana with contemptuous eyes.
"I'm sorry… Are you hurt…!?"
It was Tiana who had fallen. She quickly dusted herself off and stood up, trying to check on the girl she had bumped into.
"Let me take a look—"
Smack!
The girl slapped Tiana across the cheek.
Tiana's head snapped to the side. Her wheat-field hair flew out around her. She staggered.
"Hey, first-year. Can't you watch where you're going? What were you doing with your eyes closed?"
"I'm sorry…"
The girl looked Tiana up and down. Unremarkable.
Not so much as a ring, a bracelet, or a single badge.
Just a plain cross hanging from her neck.
All academy students wore uniforms. Nobles and commoners alike were no exception.
Many nobles found that fact deeply disagreeable. They hated being treated the same as commoners.
So they draped themselves in accessories to set themselves apart, stubbornly proving that they were of a different breed.
By contrast, Tiana had so little on her that it was almost striking.
The cross was something every theology student wore.
In other words — she was a commoner with nothing to her name.
"Hey."
As if she had finished her assessment, the girl's lips curved into a twisted arc.
"Come with me for a moment."
*
When Tiana came back to her senses, she found herself in the shadowed gap between two buildings.
The group of upperclassmen who had bumped into her had backed her against a wall and stood surrounding her.
They spat foul insults and prodded at her body, here and there.
Tiana had no idea what was happening, and she stood there dazed, head bowed.
'W-what do I do….'
Her mind went blank.
The courage that had let her stand her ground against those ruffians on the train had long since worn away and vanished.
It was because she had come to know the world.
The Tiana who now understood how a noble's power could crush a person's life underfoot — how heavy the law and violence they wielded could be — had none of the brazen defiance she'd once had.
'He's acquainted with His Highness the Crown Prince….'
On top of that, these were no ordinary nobles.
They were close friends with the Crown Prince.
She had gathered that much from their own conversation.
"What is your name."
A hulking male student loomed over Tiana like a shadow swallowing her whole as he asked.
"…Tiana Pilrn."
It was Franz von Georg — eldest son of the Georg ducal house.
His father, Duke Georg, was a trusted confidant of the Emperor. Possessed of exceptional military ability, he had been entrusted with command in battle as well.
Franz had grown up playing with the Crown Prince in the palace since childhood, and their bond ran deep.
He was as good as the Crown Prince's right hand.
"I see… Tiana Pilrn."
Franz looked her up and down.
He took in her face and neck, her full chest and hips. A sticky gaze clung to her.
'Oh.'
There were three things Franz enjoyed.
Women, drink, and warfare.
Young as he was, he had inherited his father's talent and was considered a promising military mind.
Because his abilities were outstanding, no one said a word no matter how he carried on.
He was never punished for assaulting women, for violating them. Not even for harming people.
His father had even praised him for it, saying that was exactly how a soldier ought to be.
From that point on, Franz had lived however he pleased, without a care for what others thought. He had enjoyed countless women.
And even by Franz's standards, Tiana Pilrn was a remarkably attractive woman.
"How do you walk around with your eyes like that? You nearly hurt me. Tiana Pilrn."
"…But. I already said I was sorry…."
"You said sorry… Do you think you're on the same level as us? What has a lowborn wretch done to deserve talking back? Do you think we're a joke?"
"That's not what I—"
"Did you do something wrong?"
"…I did something wrong."
Tiana answered through trembling lips.
Grief came flooding out. She couldn't believe that such a small mistake had to return to her as this crushing humiliation.
Just as her vision blurred with tears, she caught sight of a familiar silhouette.
'Mati…!'
Matyos was standing there, motionless.
In that instant, Tiana felt the illusion of being saved.
If it was Matyos, he would rescue her….
'Ah.'
It came back to her.
The situation Matyos was in.
The tangled web of interests surrounding him.
Tiana lowered her head.
'…What am I doing. I can't even be of help to others — and now I'm about to cause him harm.'
She gripped her cross.
She would endure.
Endure and bear it.
If she did, then someday, someday….
"…."
How much time had passed? The torrent of insults and mockery cut off with an almost uncanny abruptness.
Tiana lifted her downcast eyes.
And she saw it.
Matyos's small, slight back.
*
"…What's this?"
Franz tilted his head to one side with a crooked air, hands shoved in his pockets.
He looked down at the small boy who had stepped into his path with an irritated gaze.
"Matyos. What do you think you're doing."
"I might ask you the same thing, Senior."
"I asked first."
A taut silence hung between them.
The two knew each other.
As members of the empire's rare great noble houses, they had crossed paths at social gatherings more than once.
That was all.
They had exchanged pleasantries, nothing more — never a proper conversation.
The Matyos of before would never have dreamed of doing something so reckless as blocking the path of the eldest son of a ducal house.
"Tiana is my friend."
"Is that so? Well, let me tell you something. That friend of yours ran into someone. Without even watching where she was going."
"Did she apologize?"
"She did, but that's not enough—"
"Then isn't that the end of it."
Matyos met the gaze of Franz, who stood a full head taller than him, head-on.
His grey eyes did not waver.
"She gave you a sincere apology. That should be sufficient. What more is there?"
"…You've changed quite a bit. Matyos. You didn't used to be like this."
Franz rolled his shoulder with a crooked air.
"So, an apology and it's over?"
Whoosh!
Without warning, Franz's heavy fist came hurtling toward Matyos's face.
In a split second, Matyos jerked his head back and slipped out of its path. A hair's breadth.
"Ah, my apologies."
Franz shook out his large fist with an easy, nonchalant air.
The savage curl at the corner of his mouth smoothed away.
Then, abruptly, his expression went flat.
"An apology and it's over? Matyos. I'm not going easy on you. I'm only letting this end here out of respect for your sister's face."
"…."
"Get lost. Whatever your friend is or isn't, I'm settling this today."
Franz jerked his chin, telling him to go.
But Matyos did not move from his spot. He stood as if his feet had been nailed to the ground.
From behind him, Tiana reached out with a trembling hand and tugged at his collar.
"…Go, Mati. I'm fine…."
Her voice shook uncontrollably, belying the words.
Matyos quietly patted her hand, then turned to face Franz with a smile so bright it was almost unsettling.
"Senior. Does His Highness the Crown Prince know?"
"What?"
The complete non sequitur made Franz's eyebrow twitch.
Matyos's smile deepened.
"About the roses. Does His Highness the Crown Prince know about the roses you've been sending?"
"!!!"
In an instant, the color drained from Franz's face, leaving it white as paper.
Shock and alarm flooded across his features.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"What is that Matyos saying."
"Franz, do you know what he means?"
The other noble sons turned to look at Franz.
Franz fixed Matyos with a murderous glare, then wheeled around as if fleeing.
"…Let's go. It's nothing. Insufferable. Mind yourself, Matyos. There's a limit to how far you can push things just because of your sister."
"I'll mind myself on my own, thank you."
"Tch."
Franz was gone. The noble sons departed without understanding a word of what had happened.
The storm of a group vanished, and silence settled in. The tension drained out of Tiana all at once, and she slid down the wall and sank to the ground.
"Are you alright? Tiana?"
"You…! Why did you do that!"
"Hm?"
"Why did you help me…! You nearly got yourself into serious trouble."
Tiana let out a cry that was half reproach, half sob, and threw herself at Matyos, wrapping her arms around him.
"Nothing serious happened, did it."
"Even so, even so… Hah. But how did you manage it? They didn't seem like the type to back down so easily after just a few words."
"Ah. That was…."
Does His Highness the Crown Prince know about the roses.
"Nothing much."
There was a woman the Crown Prince loved with all his heart. And Franz loved that same woman.
A love triangle.
And Franz had been sending her red roses time and again.
The meaning of red roses was 'ardent love.'
Naturally, the Crown Prince knew nothing of this.
If he found out, their relationship would be destroyed. In fact, this very entanglement carried the seeds of the empire's ruin.
'That was her goal from the start.'
The woman who had ensnared both the Crown Prince and the eldest son of the ducal house was none other than the Succubus Queen Belladonna.
The Succubus Queen was scheming for the empire's destruction — and beyond that, the ruin of the entire world.
She was an enemy who would have to be eliminated someday.
'Not possible right now.'
She had disguised herself as a human and secured a position of high standing. Above all, she was shielded by the love of both the Crown Prince and the duke's eldest son, making her difficult to touch.
He would look for an opportunity later.
"Those people won't be able to bother you anymore."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
As long as he held Franz's weakness, the man would never dare lay a hand on Tiana.
If he did—
'I'll blow the whole thing wide open.'
Then Franz and the Crown Prince would tear each other apart, and everything would go to pieces.
Who stood to lose more — Franz knew that better than anyone.
"Anyway, I should be heading to my lecture soon…."
Squeeze…!
Overcome with emotion, Tiana pulled me roughly into her arms.
Her hot tears fell one by one onto the top of my head.
She buried her face in Matyos's hair and, shoulders heaving, finally let out the sobs she had been holding back.
"Thank you, truly thank you. Matyos. If you hadn't been there, I really would have… hic."
The tender wave of emotion lasted only a moment before my face slowly began to contort.
"Tiana…."
"Yes, Mati."
After a long spell of tears, she seemed to have calmed somewhat — Tiana's voice returned to its usual brightness.
But more than that….
"…I can't breathe."
Tiana, I'm dying over here.