"What do you think, Ophelia-sensei? Wasn’t it perfect?"

Stella proudly straightened her shoulders.

She had flawlessly completed the homework that the teacher had assigned her.

Not only had she become friends with that delinquent, but she had also made Leo her friend by chance.

No matter how she looked at it, her handling of the situation was perfect.

"...Please don’t make it so obvious that you’ve never had friends."

"W-what...?!"

"Sigh, I thought it might be a bit awkward putting two people together who have never had friends, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad."

"That’s harsh! I made friends just as you suggested, Ophelia-sensei!"

She had intentionally made friends with two people in front of others so that the rumors would spread, and she had even gifted Leo a coat she had worn, which now carried the prestige of having belonged to a princess.

Selling it on the black market or second-hand could fetch a decent sum, and since people seemed to like items she used, it was a good improvisation to gain Leo’s favor by giving him something she was going to discard anyway. Yet, here she was being told not to show how inexperienced she was at making friends.

Stella couldn’t understand what she had done wrong.

"That’s why people without friends..."

"I don’t understand why I have to listen to this, Ophelia-sensei. If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’ll be upset."

"...Being friends means naturally growing close without having to say, ‘Please be my friend.’"

"?!"

"It’s not a formal matchmaking event, after all. Asking someone to be your friend in front of others..."

Is that how it is? But how do I know if that’s really true? Then again, there’s no reason for the teacher to lie about something like this...

Stella quickly realized she had fallen into a trap.

If she agreed with the teacher, it would mean admitting that she only had one friend.

But she couldn’t deny it either.

Ophelia-sensei wasn’t the type to lie about something like this.

The teacher was probably right that normal friendships develop naturally without a formal request.

But denying it would also mean admitting that she only had one friend and didn’t know how friendship worked.

And she had already asked someone to be her friend openly in front of others.

...Checkmate!

"Well, okay. Even though it’s only half-done, you’ve completed your homework."

"Th-then...!"

"Let’s move on to the next homework assignment."

"?!"

"Why are you so surprised? You only half-succeeded. Princess, you need to learn how to become more friendly with others."

Stella was well aware of this.

To survive, she needed to build a power base, and to do that, she would inevitably need to attract people, which required gaining their trust.

Stella didn’t think of herself as someone who could easily embrace others.

That’s why she was following Ophelia-sensei’s advice and working on building her rapport with others.

...But it was hard not to feel a bit demotivated when the task was called "homework."

What a dreadful name.

"...So? What’s the next homework?"

But she couldn’t refuse just because she didn’t like it.

Stella suppressed the urge to sigh deeply and asked about the next task.

Since she needed to build her influence, it was probably another task to create connections.

"Make another friend."

"The target?"

Just as expected.

Stella suppressed a smile.

She had done it once before, so it should be easier the second time.

"Anastasia, the Observer."

"...What?"

"The Observer. You know who she is, right?"

But the name that came out of Ophelia-sensei’s mouth made Stella’s face scrunch up.

"...Sensei, isn’t this too much of a difficulty spike? That’s impossible."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the relationship between the royal family and the Church is terrible! You must know that!"

That period ten years ago was marked by madness.

A Pope who kept provoking the royal family, seemingly senile.

An Emperor who responded unusually aggressively.

What started as a small dispute between two leaders escalated into war, leaving deep scars on those beneath them.

While the decision to go to war was made at the top, it was the people at the bottom who fought and died.

Although the two eventually realized that continued conflict would lead to mutual destruction and stopped the war, a deep-seated hatred had already taken root among their followers.

And now, the idea of a princess and an observer becoming friends?

It would be impossible unless someone had gone completely mad...

"Why? Shouldn’t you actually be pleased?"

"...What?"

"Think about it. What are you trying to achieve right now, Princess Stella?"

"What I’m trying to achieve...?"

Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to become the emperor to survive.

It’s the advice Ophelia-sensei gave me, so there’s no way I would have forgotten, right?

She cast a puzzled look at the teacher, who smiled and continued.

"You’re trying to overthrow your brother, the current power in the royal family, and become the emperor yourself. ...What do you think about that?"

"What do you mean, what do I think...?"

"Others may not know, but the royal family would see it as treason."

"...Ah."

Now that she thought about it, that was true.

Although she believed this was her only path to survival, from her brother’s perspective, it was undoubtedly an act of treason.

Of course, since the succession hadn’t been finalized, she couldn’t be charged with treason just yet, but her brother had control over the royal family.

It would be easy for him to fabricate a charge against her.

"So, what should I do?"

"What do you mean, what should you do? Just go ahead and commit treason."

"...Huh?"

"That’s why I’m telling you to become friends with the Observer. Treason needs a legitimate cause."

With a soft smile, Ophelia-sensei leaned in close and whispered to Stella.

"Overthrow the father who unnecessarily started a war and extend a hand of reconciliation. ...Isn’t that a good cause?"

"..."

"By becoming friends with the Observer, you could gain more support from the citizens."

...Maybe the teacher just wants to watch the world burn?

While she knew that couldn’t be true, the thought still crossed her mind.

It would be nice if the teacher could tone down the way she spoke.

Even though Stella knew the teacher wasn’t that kind of person, it still made her shudder.

"It makes sense, Sensei. But there’s a problem."

"...A problem?"

"While I might gain something by becoming friends with the Observer, what’s in it for her?"

Stella was willing to play the role of a lapdog for the enemy to achieve her goals.

But would the Observer be the same?

The Church is even more conservative than the royal family.

Why would the Observer want to befriend her sworn enemy...

"Why wouldn’t she gain anything?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry. Forget I said that."

Seeing Ophelia-sensei suddenly fall silent, as if she had misspoken, Stella narrowed her eyes.

Come to think of it, the Observer had visited the counseling room several times when she was playing chess with the teacher.

She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but could it be...

"Is there a reason why she needs to become friends with me?"

"...Ah, this is a secret."

"Don’t worry, Sensei. I’m very discreet. I swear on the honor of the royal family that I won’t tell anyone."

"Hmm... This is really a secret, okay? I’m only telling you because your life depends on it."

"Of course."

"You know you have to keep it secret that I told you this, right?"

What could be so important that she’s being so cautious about it?

Anxiety began to creep in.

It felt like I was about to hear something I shouldn’t.

Should I back out now?

...No, I couldn’t do that. Trying to befriend the Observer without knowing her true intentions could be incredibly dangerous.

I needed to know, no matter what it took.

"Alright. Here’s the secret..."

Gulp.

It’s always nerve-wracking to hear someone else’s secret.

Stella’s body tensed up involuntarily.

"The Observer is also unhappy with the Church."

"...What?"

Stella was hit with information so shocking she could hardly believe it.

Sure, it’s possible to be unhappy.

People can’t be happy with everything all the time.

But to bring up dissatisfaction with the Church in a conversation like this...

"T-treason...?"

"Well, is it really treason when it comes to the Holy See?"

Her mind started racing.

Since when? Why? For what reason? Is there a motive?

"Everyone tries to keep it quiet, but it was the Pope who started the war, wasn’t it?"

"...That’s true."

"I’m sure the righteous Observer is not happy with that... She wants to return the Church to its former self, but the Pope isn’t listening. She must be looking for help..."

The teacher whispered in a subtle tone.

The Observer could help Stella become the emperor, and Stella could help the Observer become the Pope.

They could help each other overthrow their respective leaders.

"...Ophelia-sensei, when will the Observer be visiting?"

"Hmm, she doesn’t come regularly, but she does visit the counseling room often."

"Alright. It seems I’ll be visiting you often, Ophelia-sensei."

"It would be my honor."

"I need to organize my thoughts, so I’ll take my leave. Thank you for your advice."

Stella hurriedly bowed to Ophelia-sensei and left the counseling room.

As a result, she didn’t hear Ophelia-sensei’s soft whisper.

"Well, it’s all lies, for now."

Leaning back in her chair, Ophelia muttered to herself.

"Now, what should I tell Anastasia..."