"50 minutes up!" the butler reminded. "Just 15 laps to go, and you need to finish them in 40 minutes according to the plan."
Yuka hummed in response, scanning the training ground. Besides those infantry students who had already finished their task and were waiting at the finish line to have a laugh, only five mecha students were still running, including Yuka herself.
Leading the pack was a tall guy with brown hair, followed by another boy who seemed like his sidekick, constantly handing him water and massaging his shoulders since the start of the run.
Then there was Ayoi, her face flushed red, gasping for air, and Yuka herself. To Yuka's surprise, a small, skinny boy she had noticed earlier was also persisting. He wobbled at the end of the line, looking like he might collapse any second.
Ayoi slowed down a bit, and when Yuka caught up, she panted, "Yuka, how come you're not, not sweating?"
Yuka calmly replied, "Uh… hmm… I have this pore issue."
Ayoi naively believed her, nodding and then asking, "Then, why, why aren't you out of breath?"
Yuka, feeling her non-existent conscience, continued to fib, "Though I only have C+ stamina, I was born with high lung capacity."
Enlightened, Ayoi responded, "Oh, I see. Let's run together, then."
Yuka looked affectionately at this sweet and naive girl, nodding in agreement, "Sure."
Yuka had already figured out her plan. At her current pace, she was sure to fail, but it would help maintain her 'fragile' disguise. Also, failing continuously in the future wouldn't raise any suspicions. Besides, this wasn't the only time she'd be graded; she could just score a bit higher in future tests to keep her average around 60%.
Lost in thought, Yuka noticed the brown-haired boy had lapped them. She overheard him mockingly addressing the skinny boy, "My dear little brother, you're as useless as ever."
"What makes you think you can ever surpass me?" the brown-haired boy sneered. "There's a reason why Father doesn't like you and your mother. You're such a loser."
His sidekick chimed in, "The empire has no place for you. Better join the space pirates already!"
Yuka frowned.
She was about to turn around when Ayoi grabbed her, whispering, "The conflict between the first and second princes is none of our business. Royal affairs..."
She stopped mid-sentence, but Yuka got the message.
In the Alliance, officially known as the "The Imperial Alliance of the Stars", royal rule had dominated for centuries until the insectoid invasion. After this event, the Alliance Army began to gain significant power, standing toe-to-toe with the royal family. The Alliance Academy, however, remained neutral throughout.
About a hundred years ago, following the eradication of the insectoids and quelling of rebellions, the Alliance Army started to close in on the royal family.
After a prolonged standoff, both parties compromised, resulting in the empire being renamed the "The Imperial Alliance of the Stars." The royal family retained significant power, but democratic systems developed rapidly.
Nowadays, people generally refer to their nation simply as "the Alliance," with only staunch monarchists calling it "the Empire." This context reveals that the brown-haired boy is Frederick, the current emperor's eldest son, and the boy he's bullying is Alexander, the emperor's second son from a different mother.
Their backstory was complicated: the emperor had a mistress and fathered Fred before marrying the empress. The empress, knowing about this mistress, married into the royal family and bore Alex, only to die soon after. She was the daughter of a former Admiral of the Alliance Army, a fact that made the emperor uneasy due to the potential threat of her family's power.
After the empress's death, the emperor made his mistress the new empress and legitimized Fred as the Crown Prince. His dislike for the late empress extended to Alex, and with the emperor's tacit approval, Fred never missed an opportunity to torment his half-brother.
A gasp from behind made Yuka turn her head. She saw Alex, the younger prince, knocked down by Fred's sidekicks. The boys' summer uniforms featured shorts, leaving Alex's knees vulnerable as they scraped against the rough running track, quickly becoming bloody.
Alex cried out in pain, struggling to get up. The sidekick, with a smirk, bumped him again, mockingly saying, "Oops, sorry about that. Didn't mean to knock you over. Can you still run? Probably not, right? Looks like you're going to score zero."
Fred, looking down from his height, spoke to Alex in a patronizing tone, "If you swear to give up your prince title and never return to the palace, maybe I'll consider dragging you to the finish line."
Alex clenched his teeth and firmly refused, "Impossible."
With a cold snort, Fred walked away with his sidekick.
Yuka turned and started walking back. Ayoi tried to stop her but, failing, let out a worried "Oh!" After a moment of hesitation, she followed Yuka.
As Yuka headed towards Alex, Fred crossed paths with her. He spoke up, "Pretty lady, are you sure you want to risk offending me—the future heir to the empire—by helping a fallen, worthless loser?"
Yuka stopped in her tracks, turned around, and smiled at him. Fred mistook this as a sign of interest and was about to invite Yuka to hang out. However, he was caught off guard by her words, "Sorry, but who are you, Mr. Shoe-Horn Face?"
Fred's face darkened instantly. As he began to identify himself, Yuka interrupted, "I don't care who you are."
She remembered her lessons in ladylike behavior from the butler and chose a simple posture: She lightly patted her skirt, lifted the middle part to reveal her knees, stepped back with her left foot, slightly bent her knees, and stood straight.
Her black, curly hair draped over her shoulders as she raised her eyes, "Before conversing with someone, introducing oneself is basic etiquette. Allow me to introduce myself—"
"My name is Taira Yuka. My father is Taira Hideki, the undisputed wealthiest person in the Alliance for twenty years, with businesses in various fields and a fortune exceeding a trillion astracredits. I am his only daughter and sole heir."
Yuka let go of her skirt, standing upright with her chin slightly raised. "The UUA is built on my family's land. I can reclaim it anytime I want."
Silence ensued.
Yuka's smile deepened. She thought, 'if it's about flaunting wealth and status, the declining royal family is no match for her family's fortune.'
Although revealing her wealthy background might bring unwanted attention, it would deter anyone from causing trouble. Weighing the lesser of two evils, she preferred to reveal her identity now.
The butler was tearfully moved, yelling, "Master! You were so ladylike, just be a bit more gentle in your wording next time. I never thought I'd live to see this day."
Fred was visibly shaken. His mother had prepared a list of potential brides for him, with Yuka's name at the top. She had advised him, "You must win her over! Lower your royal pride and make her like you! With her support, you could be the next emperor!"
Despite the surprise, Yuka continued her way towards Alex. "Can you stand?" she asked.
Alex, briefly stunned, awkwardly avoided her gaze and shakily stood up, leaning on his hands. "I'm fine," he whispered, "Just go, don't help me. Don't get on Fred's bad side."
"He wouldn't dare," Yuka replied confidently, fixing her hair and extending her hand towards Alex. "Give me one of your weighted sandbags."
Confused, Alex handed her a sandbag from his backpack. Ayoi, finally snapping out of her shock, murmured in disbelief, "Oh my stars, Yuka, your father's the richest man… That means you're the second richest person in the world. I had no clue…"
She took the sandbag from Yuka and stuffed it into Yuka's backpack.
Fred and his sidekick had left. Ayoi, realizing her family was aligned with the Alliance Army and that offending the royal family was inevitable, decided to help. "I'll carry a sandbag for you too. My name's Ayoi Beatrix," she said to Alex.
Alex blushed with gratitude. "Thank you."
The butler softly reminded Yuka, "Master, it's been 60 minutes."
"Okay," Yuka acknowledged and urged Alex and Ayoi to move.
Alex, with a superficially severe but not deep wound, limped along, finishing a lap behind Yuka and Ayoi. They reached the finish line after nearly two hours, scoring just over 40 points, while Alex scored in the 30s.
Half an hour later, Instructor Yonda announced the end of the exercise. Observing the upbeat infantry students and the disheartened mecha students, he declared, "Everyone scores zero today!"
He paused, then added, pointing at Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex, "Except these few. You barely pass with 60 points."
Yuka was baffled. 'How did I pass?'