“Torture...just pure torture!!!”

“I see that the Princess has finally made you move, my lord.”

“My goodness!! I don’t mind the physical moving...but those constant instructions from both Diana and Empress gave me nothing but a dose of headache!”

“FuFu~~ please be at ease. You will not have any dance sessions today.”

“Thank goodness the ceremony was today or, I might’ve fled to Ellen, bidding goodbye to Lady Fiona.”

“HAHA~~”

Yep...I’ve spent one week that had nothing but dance sessions in it. Though, I am glad that my dance skills stayed as polished as always...I swear to take revenge on that midget and the idiot prince someday.

With Sebastian back, I can at least be at ease...after all, he informs me immediately if anyone is making their way towards my hou-

“My lord, Duke Landon is here.”

*SIGH*

“Looks like I am not wanted here”, Duke Landon replied to my sigh.

“I bet you would do the same if you were as tired as me, Duke Landon.”

“HAHAHA~!! I am glad to see that the Princess has kept you occupied. Anyway, I hope you remember-”

“Duke Landon, this is the sixth time you spoke about this to me. Do not worry, Lady Fiona is in safe hands.”

Embarrassed, “I see I see...It’s not that I don’t have faith in you...but considering her situation-”

“Yes, considering her situation it’s going to be difficult for her to show her face in the ceremony. But it’s not impossible. Additionally, with me in the vicinity, no one will dare to touch her.”

“I...Is that so??”, Looks like he is still not convinced.

“My Lord, forgive me. But your standing isn’t great either. Most people...especially the students see you as incompetence and spineless prince. It’s important for you to stay cautious.”

“What Sebastion said is true, Arthur”

“Hmm~ Alright. I will”

[Jane.]

[Do you want all the situations Lady Fiona has experienced in the academy?]

[Ye...Yes.]

[Phew...Thank goodness I prepared these in advance. Anyway, the bullying she faces is quite bad. So to start from the basics, irrespective of the location, Lady Fiona and the other fiancees face constant harassment. Verbal harassments sometimes are even done by the teachers.]

[Teachers? What in the wor-]

“Arthur, is everything all right?”

Oh right, me talking with Jane leaves everyone else in silence…

“I am absolutely fine, Duke Landon. I would like to take some rest, so…”

“Oh...right. Be sure to pick her…”

“I will. Be at ease, your daughter will return your house with a happy smile.”

“Haha! If that happens, I have nothing to worry about.”

After Duke Landon left, I ordered Sebastian to send away anyone that comes to me.

[Now, Jane. Explain.]

[As I said, teachers too have something against the ladies. I don’t know why, but this probably because of Lily.]

[Lady Lily?]

[Stop! Do not use sweet words like Lady on that bit-]

[WOAH WOAH!! Calm down, Jane. What did she do to rile you up like this?]

[The whole academy is broken because of her...not only did she somehow charm the idiots, but at the same time she shoved all the blame on Lady Fiona. Even me, an outsider can’t help but be angry at this. Lady Fiona had her stuff stolen a multitude of times. Not to mention the amount of book she had to replace, because every time her books get either washed, stolen or simply vanish into thin air.]

[Hmm...anything else?]

[Oh my, Boss. This is just the beginning...these are mere pranks done by students who didn’t have the courage to do it in plain sight. But those who had courage…]

[What did they do?]

Alex would freak out if he comes to know such things happen in the academy…

[Apparently, for no reason...there is a massive fountain that sprays out cold water situated right in the middle of the educational block. And Lady Fiona has been pushed into it a multitude of times. There are even days where she had to take holidays...because of fever. There is a shred of evidence that the one who pushed her was Lily...but no concrete ones yet.]

[Th...This is crazy!]

That’s pure physical bullying...if anyone did this to me, I would probably break each and every bone in their body.

[Moving on…]

[There is more?]

[Of course! Cafeteria….or a place where all the assholes gather together…*sigh* while she goes to get her plate, Lady Fiona was made to trip several times. Mainly done by the girls who like your brother and also by the goons that follow Lily around.]

[And what did William do?]

[Ha! Do you mean the Crown Prince? According to my reports….nothing. Not even a single strand of his muscle moved to help Lady Fiona!! The only ones who helped her were the other fiancees. This is just a personal wish...but I really want you to teach something to the Crown Prince.]

[Wish heard...and soon will be made true.]

William...I get it that you have your own plan...but in process, that plan of yours hurts everyone around you. And for my own satisfaction...I want to beat you up.

[Oh and the other fiancces, do not have a partner. They are going to make an appearance with their escort partners.]

[They have it hard too, huh]

[They do. But a single factor does not add up. Why can’t Lady Fiona use Duke Landon’s power to shut them all up?]

[In the academy, everyone is identified as students...so she can’t really use her own position as Luxica’s founder or even Duke Landon’s title. She is in a tough position.]

[Is that so? But that doesn’t apply to you, right?]

[Of course~ I don’t mind being called an incompetent prince. It allows me to do whatever I want.]

[What a shameless boss I have...anyway, be careful. This ceremony is not your usual battlefield, after all, you can’t just shut people by slicing their mouth off.]

[Geez~ I know. I will stay vigilant. If that is all, leave. I will take a nap before getting ready for the ceremony.]

[Ughh...good night.]

So, taking everything Jane said in consideration...I have to keep my guard up. Or else, the one who is going to get hurt is Lady Fiona.

AH!! So troublesome!! I am going to apply extra charges on Luxica for giving me this headache…

“I hope the dress is ready…”

*************************

“....ur”

“....Arthur”

Wh...Who?

“WAKE UP, BROTHER ARTHUR!!!!”

“Uwah~ so noisy!”

Oh right...thinking on what to do, I might’ve slipped off to dreamland.

“Get up! Go take a bath and be in the palace in 15 minutes! Your dress is ready, Brother William is ready and he is about to leave in ten minutes!”

“Wo...Woah!! I am that late?!?”

“You stupid Brother!! MOVE!!”

“Ri...right”

Wait...isn’t it her fault for making me sleep that deep? I mean considering the dance-

“What are you dawdling on about?!? Lady Fiona is probably waiting for you!”

“I am moving!!!”

---------------------------------------------------

“Phew...just how many years has it been? Watching you in Prince-like clothes is more rarer than finding gold underground”

“Shut up.”

Despite whatever Diana says, this suit looks good on me.

The long coat made of pitch-black thread outlined with red and platinum blonde thread looks powerful. Not to mention the pants too follow the same pattern. These do not look glossy, but rather have a matte finish that looks black from all angles. 

“Platinum Blonde…”

Hearing my murmur, the Empress answered, “I wanted it to be special, so I designed this dress with you two in mind.”

“Thank you…”

True, the long coat is my preferred wear and additionally, it makes me look taller. 

The formal shoes too are coloured black with red outlining. 

Thank god, my eye colour is red…

“Arthur, do you have an ear piercing?”, the Empress asked with a smile.

Wh..why?

“I...I do”

“Great!! Brother show me your ear.”

I reluctantly leaned towards my relatively short sister, and I felt something hanging on my right ear.

“Done! And woah...you look amazing.”

The mirror in front of me reflected a boy having a solid rectangular ring. Again made of black with both red and platinum blonde waves running through them.

It looks amazing...but doesn’t it-

“As I thought, it adds points to your devilish look.”, The empress said while sighing.

“Ah come on, mother. The only he has up his sleeves is that devilish look. I can’t wait to hear whats’s going to happen in the ceremony. OUCH!!!”

“SO THIS EARRING WAS YOUR IDEA?”

I spoke with an imposing tone. This midget has been doing everything she wants without a care for the world. 

Hehe...I have a nice plan.

“Wh...what are you planning?! Your smile!! It doesn’t look good...what are you going to do?!?”

Letting go of her head, I confirmed my plan.

“Nothing you have to worry about~~”

“It’s time, Arthur. Well, you are already late...but I suppose this is better. You will be right on time for the dance.”, Empress spoke.

“Hmm...then I suppose it is time for me to move. After all, I have a lady to pick up~”

“Remember to take care of Lady Fiona!”, Diana shouted.

“Got it, Bye!”

Along with Sebastian, I made my way to the very expensive looking carriage. Instead of the Empire’s symbol, It had a massive black Raven decorated all over it. 

Raven…the symbol of Ellen. Though it looks simple…soon it will be a well-known symbol throughout the Empire.

“Despite being kind...her favourite bird was a Raven. Now then, off to Lady Fiona’s house.”

*************************

Beautiful…

Despite being unusually tall for a lady, Lady Fiona looks absolutely stunning in her dress. Even me, who does not care about looks...couldn’t help but gaze at her beauty.

Her black dress that is similar to mine in terms of design and colouring is in complete contrast to her platinum blonde hair. It oozes off a refreshing feel. She too has earrings similar to mine decorated on both sides of her head.

The long heels help in maintaining her majestic look. Her loose hair was decorated with a black hairpin that looks really stunning.

“You are late, Duke Arthur...again.”

I suppose today was my fault. Oversleeping is not a great idea.

“Haha~ please find kindness in your heart to forgive me, Lady Fiona.”

“When you say it like this...I don’t really want to, Duke Arthur.”, she glared at me.

With her current attire, her glaring does give off an imposing look. But...that doesn’t really work on me.

“Well well~ why talk about the past? You really do look stunning, Lady Fiona.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere...but it could be said the same to you. This kind of clothing really looks good on you.”

We both started walking towards the carriage. Duke Landon is nowhere to be seen.

“Father is on his way to the castle.”

“Is..is that so?”

Did I say it out loud?

I escorted her into the carriage and we started moving towards the academy.

“I can understand the importance...but these many carriages, are they necessary?”, Lady Fiona asked me with a troubled expression.

Well, we were accompanied by a total of ten carriages, all proudly carrying the symbol of Ellen. Five in front and five in back.

“Well~ I am a Duke. This much is necessary.”

At the same time, I wanted to convey a message to everyone present in the academy...if they touch Lady Fiona, the Ellen Dukedom will be on their tails dragging them to the pits of hell.

“And, I suppose Raven is the symbol of Ellen.”

“It is. It’s a bird that my mother loves. Don’t know the reason why.”

“Is that so?”

Thinking that she touched a sore topic, Lady Fiona fell completely silent.

She doesn’t have to mind though.

“Anyway, what happened to Luxica? Any improvement on those people I mentioned?”

Marquis Clifford, Count Byron, and Count Capell…

Those three anonymously smuggled money from Luxica, halting its growth.

“Even as we speak, I am moving against those three. And not to mention, Marquis Clifford’s son is someone who studies in the same year as me. And, he is quite hostile to me...so I have more points to move against Clifford family.”

“Great Great~~ I am looking forward to hearing the news of your complete victory, Lady Fiona”

“I will take care to not disappoint you, Duke Arthur. and...I think you can call me with just my name. After all...it’s quite annoying to see someone YOUNGER than me give me respect each time they speak.”

This girl…

“Is that so? Then from here on, please let me call you Fiona. And I suppose you too can call me by my name. Though I am at a HIGHER status than you, I don’t think it would be much of a problem to let you call me by name, Fiona.”

You reap what you sow…

“FuFu~ Thank you, Arthur.”

At this point, people from other carriages were able to here small cracking sounds rising from the carriage Arthur and Fiona travelled on.

******************

At the academy.

The building in which the ceremony is held was completely decorated. With an ample amount of light, greenery and furniture, any passing individual would easily be able to guess that this was a party held for the upper nobles.

Grand structures and massive parking area that were filled with carriages varying from different sizes to colours and finally to the symbols. The cost spent for this single day, could easily without any exaggeration, supply food for a family through multiple generations.

However, on this grand day...two important but simultaneous weird situations occurred.

One being, that the Crown Prince escorted a lady other than his Fiancee. A situation that mostly everyone was aware of. Most of the academy supported their relationship. The said Lady also had other important heirs at her fingertips.

The second situation, however, was someone no one even dared to imagine at their worst nightmare. Line of carriages baring a Raven, all black in colour outlined with an ominous red parked themselves in front of the building. Even among these grand carriages, one carriage stood out. Though it was similarity black in colour to others, it had both green lines and black lines running all over it. 

From this odd carriage, two faces emerged. One belongs to the most hated girl of the academy, Fiona Hastings. A so-called Villainess, despite committing no wrongs, she was unanimously named as a villainess, that even the Crown Prince has abandoned.

The second belongs to the recent talk of the Empire. A person who gave up his positions as a Crown Prince, fragged two baron son’s throughout the Empire and on the same day became a Duke, Arthur Ellen Zemira. However, contrary to his devilish appearance, most of the people in the Empire makes light of him, naming him as Incompetent and Spineless Prince.

The two individuals made their way to the building, where no one is aware of their arrival.

The interior of the building similar to the exterior was excessively grand, and it was filled to the bring with equally grand teenagers. All of them were noble children, apart from the direct heirs, most of them were ignorant of how the world works.

*Noise**Noise*

“First prince of Zemira Empire, Duke of Ellen, Arthur Ellen Zemira and the Fiona Hastings from Hastings Dukedom has arrived!!”

Just as the knight announced, the noise completely subsided. After all, no one expected both of them appearing here. Every head, all the way from the Crown Prince to the poorest Baron son, turned their heads toward the door, expecting for unexpected pair to show up.

 The door opened…

*Click* *Clack* *Click* *Clack*

The rhythmic sound of heels and boots touching the floor resounded all over the hall.

*Gasp*

Not a single person could help but marvel at the sight of them walking. A hated girl walking next to a spineless prince. That was the situation...however,

“Wow!”

“They look so good together!!”

“Is that the First Prince? I never knew he was this good looking!”

Everyone had a unanimous thought where they left those two’s titles behind and just purely admired their elegance and beauty.

Though almost all of the boys were aware of Fiona’s beauty, only a few had seen the face of the First Prince.

His tall body, accompanied by his blood-red eyes left a strong expression on everyone. The girls were captivated by his looks and unconsciously started blushing.

But despite the obvious commission, some of the students who are proficient with magic trembled at the sight of Arthur. Though few in number, these students did their best to stay away from Arthur’s eye-vision.

Unfortunately, a boy with bad-luck was caught shivering by Arthur. Though, Arthur was still by the door...he noticed the shivering boy and let out a smile.

*SHIVER* *SHIVER*

Seeing that smile, all colour ran out of his face. The boy quickly moved away from his partner, away from Arthur, to the far side of the building.

These particular students knew what this sign meant.

Stay put and don’t get involved in whatever is about to happen.

And they did just that, not moving a muscle. Quietly chatting with their partner, feigning ignorance.

“Quite the welcome. Isn’t it, Fiona?”

“Fufu~ I guess no one expected us two to be together, Arthur.”

*CHATTER* *CHATTER*

All of the students were bewildered. 

These two were on a first-name basis?

How? When?

A common state of confusion spread among the students. Even in this state, the Crown Prince had a weird smile that no one managed to notice.

“Good to see you, Duke Arthur”

A lady with dark green hair made her appearance in front of the mysterious couple. Following her, two other ladies with Auburn hair and Red velvet hair made their appearance.

“Good to see you too, Lady Hazel. Glad to see you two are doing fine Lady Cecily and Lady Louisa.”

As expected...these three don’t have a partner.

“Hello, Duke Arthur. But first name basis with Fiona? Hmm~~”, Lady Cecily spoke in a teasing tone.

Poking Fiona, Louisa spoke “Hehe~ Looks like you finally moved on from him. Isn’t it, Fiona?”

“My!! When have I ever been hung up on him?”, Fiona spoke in a tone louder than usual. Probably, intending to make sure everyone heard.

Though the atmosphere looks fun...I can see, ever since we entered...these guys have staring daggers at us.

“Well, why don’t we make an attendance with the Crown Prince.”, Arthur spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Well, why not?.”, Fiona too quickly accepted. While having everyone stare at them from a corner of their eyes, the two in question moved majestically with the crown prince as the destination. 

A path was made leading straight to the crown prince and of course the other four. The other four included Richard Longe - Son of imperial Army Captain, Leo Gray - Son of Magic Tower’s headmaster, Silas Hastings - Son of Duke Landon and finally Lily Dormer - A Baron’s daughter.

One might think, how this situation is possible. In the middle of some of the most powerful people in the Empire, she stood out of place. Her gaze falling on Arthur. A kind gaze. A gaze that made the three’s blood boil. These three were both angry and sad at the same time. Angry at Arthur for steeling her gaze, but sad for not being the person to receive it.

Looking at these four, the crown prince couldn’t help but grit his teeth and push forward. One misstep and all his plan and years of hard work would be wasted in the blink of an eye.

“You look good, William.”

“I can say the same, Arthur.”

A sour relationship...despite being brothers, at most they only speak a few words. It can be noticed that Fiona didn’t greet William. A sign indicating that she has no interest in him. A rude behaviour, yes….but the current situation warrants an excuse.

Arthur on the other neither greeted the boys nor the Lily...His action made clear that they meant nothing more than air to him. Unable to wait anymore, Lily attempted to greet Arthur.

“Good to see you again, Duke Arthur.”, a normal sentence. However, when said by Lily, it carried a kind atmosphere that soothes everyone. But despite her best effort to keep herself from stuttering, Arthur…

“Hmm...Yes.”, an uninterested reply. No interest ever showed up in his eyes, and one could say that he sees Lily as an annoyance. 

“Though, I knew this. Arthur, you unexpectedly have a high defence. Not joking, but more than half of the boys here are completely smitten with the look she gave you.”

“Is that so? But Fiona, just as you said...not everyone is attracted to this smile.”, Arthur said loudly while shooting a glance towards William. William too gave a short smile in response to Arthur. A smile that no one other than Arthur managed to grasp.

HoHo~ looks like my guess was on point...good going, William. I will do my best to support you~

Synced in. After half a decade, the two brothers, two princes of Zemira Empire are finally in sync. And all it took was a smile to finally click together.

“And you two are on a first-name basis? That’s rather quick~”, William spoke with an interested tone.

“*SIGH* What can I do? My fiance is courting another girl. I on the other hand have no one to lean on to.”, Fiona spoke with a tinge sarcasm mixed in. Not knowing what both the princes had in their mind, the genius young lady moved right into the trap of William.

Damn...William sure has a good way to move people towards his plan. 

“Lady Fiona. Please do not misunderstand...By no means do we both have that kind of relation. We both are good friends. Please do not misunderstand.”, Lily spoke while looking at Arthur.

*SIGH*

Fiona sighed at the obvious sign Lily gave to Arthur. 

“Why would I ever misunderstand, Lady lily? Misunderstandings only happen when I am interested in the relationship between you two.”

I have no interest, so please Shut up.

An obvious underlying message Arthur spoke. Seeing the now teared up Lily, the boys were shaken up and gave a bone-chilling glare towards Arthur. Arthur on the other hand, was completely cool, as though he was on a vacation.

“Though I would love to talk more, we have other places to be. Shall we, Fiona?”, seeing Arthur and Fiona walk away together, Lily bit her lips and murmured to herself.

Why?! Why are those two together?!?

While Arthur and Fiona were walking towards the three other fiancees, Sebastian relayed a very important and surprising message to Arthur.

[My Lord.]

[Sebastian?]

[Prince Alexander is here.]

[What?!?]

[He is and he is currently incognito.]

[Why???!!]

[I do not know...but it would best to not keep him waiting.]

[That bastard...inform him, I’ll be right there.]

“Fiona, please accept my apology. But I have to leave.”

“Why? Did something happen?”, though her voice was cold, she had a lady-like smile plastered over her face.

“*sigh*...The Crown Prince of Lysandra Empire, Alexander Lysandra is here. Waiting for me.”

“What?!? Such an important person!! Should I come along?”

“No need for that...that idiot is probably here for me. So, I will knock some sense into him. Please don’t worry and stay with the girls.”

“O...Okay.”

---

---

 

Yo Aritque here!!

Excluding this novel, what do we all have in common. It would be the hate on cliffhangers!! So I thought that I might finish the graduation ceremony in one chapter...however, the other half is only half complete. 

The next chapter will be out before the end of three days. Until then see ya!!

 

Oh and if you can please read my other novel...thought it might seem like it starts the same as this one, I have some other ideas for it.