It's a strange thing.
Maria, who was left speechless by Arwen's almost magical ability to bring tea in an instant, thought to herself. She had just seen her enter with the moving boxes, so how could she have done it so quickly?
However, despite the steaming white tea in front of her, Maria could not bring herself to drink it.
The reason was simple. Looking at the current atmosphere, no matter how great a person might be, they could not leisurely sip tea.
There was no problem with her bravely appearing before Veris and his group. She had only intended to scold their behavior with confidence, so why had she ended up looking like a sinner…?
"Is that so?"
At Cecilia's cold tone, reminiscent of the Saintess of Mercy, Maria swallowed hard.
"Yes."
"Very well. I suppose I cannot stop you from coming to express your gratitude for the incident."
Cecilia was known for her kindness. Although it was Maria's first time speaking with her, she was surprised to discover that she could also wield such a chilling tone.
What about the elf sitting next to Cecilia?
Wasn't she perfectly living up to her reputation of being skilled at hiding her emotions, making it impossible to read what she was thinking?
It was Veris who saved Maria, who was fidgeting for no reason despite having committed no sin.
"Why is everyone so prickly? I just came to say thank you."
"...That's right!"
Hearing Veris's words, Maria nodded like a frightened rabbit.
Of course, thanks to the cold glares directed at her again, Maria felt as if her head was spinning.
She had longed for academy life.
Thus, upon arriving at the academy, she had enjoyed using the transformation and perception-inhibiting magic she had trained tirelessly during her time in the palace, living under her new identity as 'Mari'...
But this feeling was akin to becoming an unfaithful woman who had betrayed her husband.
'Why am I…'
It was true that she had developed an interest in the man named Veris.
However, even so, if she had seduced him… at the very least, if she had held his hand, she wouldn't feel this unjust sense of grievance.
Zing!
As such thoughts crossed her mind, she subtly turned her eyes to Veris, only to be met with sharp gazes flying toward her.
Naturally, Maria could only tremble at the fierce looks from the two women.
"Um… excuse me, but…"
"Hmm?"
"Do you perhaps know me, Veris?"
As things progressed this way, Maria, unable to hold back any longer, decided to get to the point.
Do you know me, the daughter of His Imperial Majesty of the glorious Vera Empire, Princess Maria Theresa? …That was what she had intended to say, but what came out of her stammering mouth was a pitiful tone.
"Of course I know you. We're both in B-Class, aren't we?"
"Ah! You remember me… then?"
For some reason, she started with a high pitch, but due to the cold glares that followed, her tone dropped awkwardly.
However, whether Veris was aware of Maria's thoughts or not, he nodded at her with a natural expression.
"You're often seen with Lady Delia. We exchanged greetings not long ago, and we moved together during the incident."
"Then, you know my name too?"
"Isn't it Mari?"
"Then, why did you call me Maria last time?"
"…"
It was a bold question from Maria. Veris was left speechless, unable to respond as he stared at her in silence.
'Did I call her Maria?'
To be honest, it was unfortunate that Veris had no memory of such an event.
In reality, he and Maria were not particularly close, and since they had hardly spoken, he had no recollection of when he had called her Maria.
Whether she knew this or not, Maria was gazing intently at Veris with sparkling eyes.
"Did I? My memory isn't…"
Ultimately, Veris chose to play dumb.
He had no idea why Maria was attending the academy while hiding her identity, but he judged that there was no need to stir up trouble.
"This is quite the experience of deception."
"…?"
"Just kidding."
Having asked a question she was curious about, Maria felt her mouth go dry at the unexpectedly bland response from Veris.
Unless there was an issue with her hearing, she was certain she had heard him call her 'Maria' back then.
But for some reason, Veris seemed to be emitting a vibe that he was trying to hide the fact that he knew her true identity.
Maria pondered.
The three people sitting next to her were among the top talents in the entire academy. This meant that causing a scene here would only result in her own loss.
'Then…'
Soon, Maria came up with a clever idea.
Whatever the coincidence or fate, the mansion Veris had moved into was only a two or three-minute walk from the mansion Maria had settled in.
If that were the case, it might be better to retreat strategically for now.
Rather than resolving things at this moment, it seemed more advantageous to plan for the future.
* * *
The next day, Maria was staring at herself in the mirror in her mansion's room.
Her flowing pink hair, a symbol of royalty, and sparkling red eyes. Coupled with her snow-white skin, it exuded an undeniable nobility, presenting the face of Princess 'Maria' rather than her usual 'Mari.'
This appearance was in stark contrast to her belief of wanting to be a 'hidden princess.' However, Maria could no longer hold back her deep-seated curiosity, and she was plotting to test Veris…
Veris von Vitelbach.
'Why am I going to such lengths?'
That man had truly driven Maria crazy over the past few days.
First of all, his power was strong enough to easily overpower an academy professor. It was amusing that someone like him was merely in B-Class, which strangely excited Maria, making her feel that he might be of a similar ilk.
"Are you really going out looking like that?"
"Why?"
"I can't help but feel you're like a girl in love."
"W-What!"
"Hoho, you're really easy to read."
At the voice of Lady Hedel, her magic teacher and secret protector at the academy, Maria felt her face flush.
Love? Romance? Marriage?
Thanks to her father, who cherished her dearly, Maria had escaped the constraints of a political marriage. She had vowed to live a life of adventure by coming to the academy, so what did love and romance have to do with her!
"It's not like that."
Saying this, Maria shrugged on her coat, which made her pretty appearance seem insignificant, and pulled down her hood.
It looked like an ordinary green hooded coat, but in reality, it was a magical item worth its weight in gold.
It had the power to project the owner's input appearance outside the hood, and Maria intended to use this to test Veris.
The plan was as follows.
Plan One: First, under the guise of coincidence, she would go to the mansion where Veris had moved in and introduce herself as 'Maria.'
Plan Two: She would meet Veris and gauge his intentions. This robe had a third appearance input that was different from the 'Mari' she had been portraying. Maria expected that Veris would surely possess the power to see through magic.
Plan Three: She would casually bring up the events of the 'occupation incident.' What was the deal with the expert and Professor Theon, and how did he possess such strength… something along those lines.
Of course, the most crucial aspect of this cute plan was nothing other than luck.
Revisiting that not-so-neat plan in her mind, Maria nodded.
Yes, after all, she had nothing to lose. Since he already knew her identity, could her evaluation possibly fall any further?
Maria hurriedly began to move. It was just around noon, nearing lunchtime. It was the perfect time to set her plan in motion.
But…
"I'm not buying."
Bang!
"...Huh?"
Maria doubted her eyes and ears.
As expected in a commercial district, there were no fences or high walls around the mansions. So, she had dashed to the mansion where he had moved in, but what was this? A pretty-faced elf with a blank expression appeared and promptly closed the door.
"I'm not a peddler!"
Now, her cries sounded pitifully frail.
But no sounds came from the mansion, which surely had more than three people inside.
"I'm a student in B-Class at the academy! I've come to deliver a message from the… dean!"
In the end, Maria began to spin a web of lies.
She hadn't expected to be rejected so easily, so her quick thinking had kicked in.
Fortunately, it seemed her quick thinking was effective?
Creeeak.
The door opened again, and a face popped out.
It was a face she recognized well. According to her plan, it should have been either Veris or the elf guard or the Saintess who came out of this door…
"Who? Mari?"
But now, it didn't matter if that plan had turned to dust.
From within the hood, Maria, who had been scheming a bold plot, smiled slyly.
* * *
"Really, is there a way to deceive someone like this?"
"...I didn't do it with bad intentions."
"Still, it's really mean."
Arwen looked at the intruder with a sour expression during the conversation between the two.
The face she had shown earlier had used magic, for when she took off her hood, a completely different woman appeared.
It was a face Arwen had no memory of. But she certainly had an unusual appearance, looking like a woman of considerable noble status.
However, seeing her strangely reproachful tone toward Veris made Arwen feel a tightness in her chest that wouldn't go away.
Veris, too, seemed to have some guilt, as he quietly endured her complaints…
Regardless of Arwen's feelings, Veris could only click his tongue at this complicated situation.
'This is my oversight.'
Look at Arwen, who was expressing discomfort with a blank face, and Maria, who had a sulky expression.
In fact, Veris had a rather excessive penchant for confirming the abilities of others.
Thus, he had opened the door to the mansion without any suspicion, thinking she was someone sent by the dean, and had simply opened her status window.
'It's been strange since yesterday.'
The errand was a lie.
The one who had come to see Veris was none other than Maria.
Moreover, she had moved so meticulously that she had appeared not in her usual face but in her true form.
Even in that state, wearing a hood, the moment he had unconsciously uttered the name 'Mari,' Veris had already lost this duel.
It was nothing short of absurd.
No, it was a fact that Veris had also sensed that Maria thought her identity had been discovered.
But even so, who would have expected her to prepare a magical item and storm into the mansion the very next day?
Well, upon reflection, it wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, there had been rampant rumors about Princess Maria being on the list of new students this year, and since no one had seen her in person, it could be said that this was bound to happen eventually.
"I suppose I should introduce myself properly."
With those words, Maria stood up and took off her coat. As she did, a white, vintage dress and various dazzling accessories adorned her were revealed.
"My name is Maria Theresa von Winsburg de Vera. I am a…"
Her pink hair fluttered.
With it came a sweet fragrance, and Maria continued to gaze intently at Veris with a confident look in her eyes.
"I am a princess."
The hidden princess Maria.
This was the moment her true self was revealed for the first time at the academy.
[TL: If you can't wait on updates and want to read more, please support me to read the whole novel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/mythictranslations.]