Louise fumed at his words.
'My dear fiancée.'
How dare he have the nerve to put those words in his mouth?
"Your Highness–"
He was still pinching her cheek when she opened her mouth to speak. He interrupted her and said,
"Ian."
"What?"
"Just call me Ian. "
"You don't mind?"
"I thought you were already a little familiar with the rules. "
He took his hand off her cheek as he calmly explained it to her.
"The status of the households has no meaning beyond these school gates."
Right. So she had heard. But she never thought she could ever call the crown prince freely by his first name.
Louise was suddenly aware how deeply integrated in the caste system she had become. The fact that one's status had no effect in this school was awkward to her. Ian pressed her again to make sure she understood.
"So, what should you call me?"
"Your Highness,"
Louise answered stubbornly. She didn't think so.
"To my regret, I haven't attended had the entrance ceremony yet, so I am not yet bound by the school rules."
"…I insist."
"It's best to pay attention to the rules."
Louise smiled at him challengingly. She wouldn't become so familiar with him. She had to protect her heart and life.
"Yes, the rule-abiding Louise. Since we're being so obedient, the infirmary is over there. "
He pointed to a white building diagonally from them.
"What?"
Louise didn't understand why he was pointing there.
"That's the the infirmary."
"Yes, I see that."
"…don't you have to go? "
"Who would go there?"
"Your future self."
"…did you put a curse on me in your hex class? "
"There is no such class."
Ian swept his palm between Louise's bangs as if to take her temperature.
"You feel cold."
He leaned down and looked at Louise eye-to-eye with an expression of concern on his face.
"The careful Louise always got motion sickness after riding in a carriage for a long time."
That was true. A carriage was a very inconvenient, uncomfortable way to travel. The hard wheels carried up the sensation of the rough ground to the inside of the carriage. While she would try to keep her body steady, she often found herself feeling sick.
"I didn't expect you to remember my condition."
Louise took a step back with a wary look and arranged her messy bangs back into place.
"Well."
He straightened up and brushed his hand that had been touching her forehead like he had touched something disgusting.
"I couldn't forget about it even if I wanted to."
He wanted to forget, but couldn't?
Louise blushed in embarrassment as she realized what he meant.
Once, at the age of thirteen, she had such severe motion sickness from riding in the carriage she hadn't been able to hold back her lunch.
She was ashamed of herself. Ian was there that time. She couldn't believe she had given her enemy a weak spot to target!
"You know, that's–!"
"I know, force majeure. It was inevitable. I didn't mean to make fun of you for it."
He gave Louise a playful grin and patted her head.
"I was just worried."
Was that what worry looked like? He looked as happy as a cat with cream.
He's a real pain in the neck anyway. What did the original Louise see in this guy? She had kicked up such a fuss about him.
The current Louise looked up at the man in front of her, blinking again.
'He's handsome though.'
It didn't matter in the end. He was a dangerous man who could drag Louise away from her flower path in one stroke. She wouldn't encourage the situation.
"You don't have to worry."
Louise looked around for a moment. All the other students for the entrance ceremony were entering a large building. She spotted someone who appeared to be a faculty member waving high in the distance, signaling that it was time to enter.
"Well, I'll be going now. Thank you for telling me where to go."
"It's no problem."
Louise bowed slightly and walked past him.
"Louise."
Just as she reached his shoulder he said her name again. The wind blew through her long blonde hair, causing her to turn her head away.
"If you really are sick, you don't have to go to the entrance ceremony. "
"You worry too much. "
"Really?"
He reached out and tucked a stray lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear.
"I just–"
He paused, then replied with an uncharacteristically serious face.
"I just want to prevent your tragic, embarrassing condition from happening again in front of the whole school."
This jerk!
Louise clenched her first. Her parents had taught her "If anyone insults you, don't hold back." It seemed like good advice to take today.
She debated whether or not to hold back the crown prince. Oh, didn't he say that status didn't apply?
"Your Highness, over the years you have become more vicious."
"And my elegant fiancée has become more violent,"
Ian added with a grin.
"You'll be arrested for insulting the royal family."
"Just for that? I could have said something worse like 'I'm annoyed,' 'I'm turned off,' or 'the record of earthworms surviving in the desert will be longer than the record of the kindness of the king.'"
"Alright, that was insulting."
Louise raised her chin at him and retorted,
"Didn't you say that status does not matter beyond the school gates?"
"Is that what you're going to say, Louise Sweeney, who didn't even go to the entrance ceremony yet?"
"Ugh…"
She forgot that she had said that.
In any case, nothing good could come from mingling with him so closely.
If someone mistook the two of them for being close, it could lead to unnecessary situations. Gossip had power.
"Now, please excuse me. It was a pleasure to see you. May we not meet often in the future. "
They had to go their separate ways, away from each other. Ian will fall in love with the female lead, and Louise will try to get good grades and graduate with the honor of being the top student.
"We may meet each other more often than you think."
"I don't think so. "
Louise shrugged, and he gave an unworried smile in reply.
"Anyway, after the entrance ceremony, I expect you to call me by my first name."
"Of course, only if we cross paths."
"Yes, I expect we shall."
After their verbal spat they turned and began to walk in opposite directions. Louise didn't understand why he was headed for the school gate, but she was glad not to accompany him anyway.
'Will I run into him?'
Louise smiled to herself.
In the original novel, soon after the entrance ceremony, Ian would start avoiding the annoying, clingy Louise in order to have a sweet relationship with the main character.
This time Louise will also avoid him, and the two of them will have a wonderful relationship of mutual reluctance.
The childhood engagement would soon be over now.
Completely over.