Chapter 82

The three of them stood there, holding each other for quite some time before finally parting ways.

Well, there goes my sleep tonight.

Since it was the night before the exam, maintaining good condition was essential, yet Theo found himself wondering how things had ended up like this. In the end, all he could do was toss and turn through the night, unable to sleep.

“Theo, are you okay…?”

Marty who noticed his exhausted appearance in the morning asked with concern. But Theo only responded with a faint smile.

I’ll just take the exam quickly and come back to sleep.

It was one thing to be tired today, but he couldn’t afford to take all of his exams in this condition over the next few days.

Thankfully, he had already studied in advance by paying attention in class, so there wasn’t much need for extra preparation. The only reason he studied yesterday was because Iris and Estelle had asked him to help them.

“Good luck on the exam.”

After exchanging a brief farewell with Marty and stepping outside, he spotted Estelle and Iris standing in their usual spots.

However, both of them were visibly embarrassed. It was obvious from the way their bodies tensed, how they avoided making eye contact with him, and how their voices were quieter and more mumbled than usual.

“Anyway… let’s just hurry and head to the exam.”

Only after Theo spoke did the two finally start walking. They were still looking at the ground as they followed behind him at a slow pace.

It wasn’t just Estelle and Iris who felt uneasy; Theo was no different. He was worried about whether he could properly focus on the exam, and at the same time, the memories of last night kept creeping back into his mind, leaving him conflicted.

The exam ended sooner than expected, and the first person to finish and rise from his seat was none other than Theo.

Theo could have waited for Iris and Estelle, but he was simply too exhausted. As soon as he finished his exam, he headed straight to his room and fell asleep. Naturally, when the two finally finished their exams and realized Theo had already gone back without them, they couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“Sir Theo must have been really tired.”

At Iris’s words, Estelle nodded her head in agreement.

“Of course. Otherwise, there’s no way he would’ve left us behind.”

They could say with absolute certainty that they knew Theo’s personality better than anyone.

And so, the first day of exams came to a peaceful end, and Estelle and Iris spent the rest of the exam period studying together in the library.

***

The exams were finally over.

Grades would be announced later, but for now, the important thing was that the tests had come to an end.

Since the day I had hugged Iris and Estelle, nothing particularly eventful had happened, and the exam period had passed without any major incidents.

Well… to be fair, I might have been avoiding them a little, hoping they would focus on their studies.

“You both worked really hard during the exam period.”

With the exams officially over, I smiled and greeted the two of them.

“Sir Theooo, huuuh…! I really studied so hard!”

Estelle whined, stretching out her arms as if demanding praise for all the effort she had put in.

Meanwhile—

“You must have worked hard as well, Sir Theo.”

—The ever-composed and mature Iris simply gave me a calm and polite response.

Sometimes, the two of them seemed similar, but at moments like this, they couldn’t have been more different.

“Well, now that exams are finally over, how about we go on that outing we talked about?”

Of course, it was only the midterms that had ended.

There was still one more hurdle left before the holidays. It was the final exams. But since the midterms were over, it was only right to take some time to refresh and recharge.

“Where should we go first? Should we start with the amusement park this weekend?”

Of course, amusement parks on weekends would be packed with people, and just getting on a ride would mean waiting in line for hours. Still, since school was in session, the only option was to make time on the weekend.

“Wouldn’t it be too crowded on the weekend?”

“Well… that’s true.”

As I was discussing this with Estelle—

“Then I’ll rent out the entire amusement park.”

—Iris once again made an outrageously large-scale suggestion.

“Uh, wait… Do we really need to go that far?”

“I will do my best to ensure that you are not inconvenienced, Sir Theo.”

No matter how I looked at it, the idea of just the three of us wandering around a completely empty amusement park felt a bit… off.

Well, maybe it would be better than getting swallowed up by a massive crowd, but still… uh, hmm.

“Then how about inviting all the academy students to the amusement park that day?”

Thinking it would be better to have at least some people around, I came up with the idea and suggested it.

“If that is what you want, then by all means. There is no need to ask for my permission.”

Iris seemed to believe that anything I did was the right decision.

Well… being supported like this wasn’t exactly a bad feeling.

No, if anything, it was actually a good thing.

“Then I’ll handle the announcement. Iris, just make sure the amusement park rental goes smoothly~”

“There’s no need to worry about that. Have you forgotten who I am?”

“Pfft, as if being the Crown Princess is such a big deal.”

“Try saying that in the Holy Empire. Here, it absolutely is a big deal.”

The two of them were still bickering, but compared to before, their relationship seemed to have improved noticeably.

“You two seem to be getting along much better now.”

In the past, their fights had been downright hostile, but now, it just felt like playful banter.

“Well, of course. People who share the same man can’t afford to be on bad terms, can they?”

…Huh? Share the same man? Wait, was she talking about me?

“That’s right. I’m only being considerate for Sir Theo’s sake.”

Ah, so that’s how it was?

Honestly, it was both cute and amusing.

Rather than feeling tense or anxious about this situation, I felt at ease and almost happy. It was strange, really.

Not long ago, I had been so wary of how things were diverging from the original game’s storyline.

“Anyway, I’ll go ahead and contact the amusement park in advance.”

With that, Iris left first.

“I’m going to write up the announcement! See you later, Sir Theo!”

Estelle also walked off to draft the notice.

These were the same two people who, not long ago, wouldn’t do anything without me.

It seemed that the hug from before had helped push their relationships forward, leading to this change.

Hah… I wasn’t sure if things were really supposed to be going this way.

At this point, who cared?

Life never goes exactly the way you want it to, after all~

I give up~

***

[This weekend, all academy students are invited to the amusement park!]

The notice Estelle had written and posted caused quite a stir at the academy.

Not long ago, the entire academy had attended the imperial ball, and even now, people were still talking about it. But this time, the excitement was over the fact that Iris had rented out an amusement park exclusively for the academy students.

“Wow, Her Highness the Crown Princess is incredibly generous.”

“To think she would go this far for the academy students!”

“She must see the academy as a small empire of its own! She’s truly destined for greatness…”

Of course, the real reason Iris had rented out the amusement park was so she could have a comfortable date with Theo.

And so, the weekend of the private amusement park event arrived.

“Welcome!”

“We’re delighted to have you, academy students!”

The amusement park opened its gates, exclusively for the academy students.

“Wow, I’ve never been to an amusement park this empty before…!”

“We don’t have to wait in line for the rides!”

“I’m heading straight for the food first~!”

Excited, the students eagerly scattered in search of their own fun.

Theo and the girls were no exception.

“An amusement park that feels this empty… It’s kind of fascinating.”

“Sir Theo, have you ever been to an amusement park before?”

“I’m curious too.”

Iris and Estelle’s eyes sparkled as they asked.

They seemed quite eager to know whether they were the first ones to experience this with him.

Whether it was fortunate or not…

“No, this is actually my first time.”

For Theo, this was his first time visiting an amusement park. Both in this life and his past one.

“Kya! That means we get to be part of Sir Theo’s first amusement park experience!”

“Haha, is that really something to be so excited about?”

“Of course! We want to be the first in everything when it comes to being with you, Sir Theo.”

Estelle being dramatic was one thing, but even Iris was saying the same, making Theo feel a little embarrassed.

“It’s not exactly something to brag about, coming to an amusement park for the first time at my age.”

“‘At your age’? Sometimes, Sir Theo, you talk as if you’re way older than you actually are.”

“That’s right. The three of us are only twenty. There’s nothing embarrassing about experiencing something for the first time at our age.”

Besides, both Estelle and Iris had been busy fulfilling their respective roles in life, which meant they too had never had the chance to visit an amusement park before.

“And so what if everything is a first? Doesn’t that just mean we have more time to fill those experiences together?”

Estelle said with a bright smile.

“That’s true. Now that you mention it, I’m looking forward to making those memories with the two of you.”

Theo returned her smile just as brightly.