"Checkmate."

"···."

"Pathetic."

I smiled at Stella, who was staring at the board in disbelief, but of course, it was a smile full of mockery.

"Again! One more time!"

"Alright, though I'm not sure if you'll win."

"This time, for sure...!"

Maybe my taunting had gotten under her skin. Stella, her head in her hands, moved her pieces again.

The black and white pieces clashed on the board, taking each other down one by one. After some time, I declared to Stella, who was nervously eyeing the board while sweating:

"Checkmate."

"Gah...!"

"You haven't improved at all, have you?"

"What did you just say?!"

It was almost as if nothing had changed since the first time we played chess together. I sighed as I reviewed her moves. She had tried a few strategic adjustments, but even those were still within the familiar patterns of how she approached the game.

I had hoped time would help her improve, and for weeks I had been satisfied with just giving her occasional tips while playing chess twice a week. But now, there was no time left.

Stella needed to reach her full potential.

There was no other option. Normally, I would prefer she realize her mistakes on her own, but now I had to give her a crash course.

"Alright, let's review. Here, here, and here. What do you think about these moves?"

"···Aren’t they the best options?"

"Not quite. What if, instead of moving the queen, you moved the knight?"

"What?! But then the queen would be taken by the pawn! Even if I move the knight, all I can take is a bishop!"

"Just try it. Let’s assume I moved my knight. How would you respond, Stella?"

"···Hmm."

Reluctantly, Stella made her move, frowning as she placed her pieces defensively. Naturally, she chose the best possible moves to avoid the knight's attack.

I continued making my moves without hesitation.

"···Ugh?!"

"See? Do you understand now?"

"But, why...?!"

A shocked Stella reset the board and began moving the pieces again, trying to figure out what had just happened. But the result was always the same. As soon as the queen was sacrificed, and the knight advanced after capturing the opponent’s bishop, the position of the white pieces deteriorated rapidly.

"Your problem, Princess, is that you rely too much on your queen."

"Isn’t it natural? The queen is the strongest piece!"

"That's true, but the queen is still just one piece."

I wasn’t saying the queen wasn’t important. It was the key piece, stronger than both the bishop and the rook combined. But no matter how well you use the queen, it only gives you an advantage. Victory isn’t achieved by the queen alone.

After all, the essence of chess is in capturing the king.

Yet, Stella often seemed to prioritize her queen over everything, even more than the king.

"Don’t forget the objective of the game, and always keep it in mind. The ultimate goal is to capture your opponent’s king. It doesn’t matter whether you do it with the queen or even a pawn."

"···."

"Shall we try again?"

In the game, Stella had always evaluated people, treating those she deemed unworthy as if they didn’t even exist. She wouldn’t even think of helping those she hadn’t acknowledged. Sure, it’s normal to treat competent people better than the incompetent, but Stella often went to extremes, dismissing the latter entirely, earning herself plenty of enemies.

Her cold attitude toward those she didn’t favor even caused her to lose favor within the imperial family, leading to her current predicament, where her position in the line of succession had plummeted.

"Don’t touch the queen."

"Teacher?"

"When things get tough, you always think of the queen first. Try considering other options."

"Other moves...?"

Stella, who had instinctively been about to move her queen, paused and stared at the chessboard for a long time. Eventually, she put down the queen and picked up a pawn instead, glancing at me with a mix of uncertainty and triumph.

But I didn’t respond. No, I couldn’t respond. After all, I wasn’t very good at chess either.

The only reason I could beat her was because I had practically memorized her patterns.

And those patterns always involved heavy use of the queen, just as I’d pointed out earlier. But to see her move a pawn instead of relying on the queen—this was something entirely new.

"···Hmm."

But even though I was seeing new moves, I couldn’t just let myself lose without a fight. My pride as a gamer wouldn’t allow it.

I thought long and hard before cautiously making my next move.

"···."

"···."

"···."

Our silent battle continued for a long time.

And in the almost empty battlefield, where most of the soldiers had fallen, a small pawn finally brought its blade to the king's throat.

There was no escape, as the remaining pieces blocked all other routes. The white king raised a flag of surrender.

"Ah, I lost..."

"I won! Haha!"

Stella jumped up and down in excitement like a child, while I stared bitterly at the pawn that had delivered the final blow.

Even though there hadn’t been much strategy involved, losing in one go still stung my pride. I... I really suck at chess.

"So, you can't call me pathetic anymore, Teacher Ophelia!"

"...You’re still hung up on that?"

"Of course! You called me pathetic! That was shocking!"

No wonder she had been so focused. Could it be that being called "pathetic" had bothered her that much?

What I’d said as a mild provocation had turned out to be the fuel she needed to push her brain into overdrive.

"Hmm, I’m sorry. I just wanted to provoke you a little, but I might have hurt your feelings."

"It doesn’t matter, because I won! Now, it’s proven that you’re the pathetic one, Teacher Ophelia! Hahaha!"

"···."

So this is what it feels like.

Being called "pathetic" is more annoying than I thought. Now I understand why she had fought so hard to win. I’ll be more careful with my words next time...

"Well, well. Looks like you're having fun, Stella. ...Long time no see, Teacher Ophelia."

"Gah, you old hag!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? It’s Headmistress."

"Oh, Veronica! Hello, it’s been a while."

"Yes, it has. Good to see you."

Caught up in our game of chess, Stella and I were startled by the sudden appearance of Headmistress Veronica behind us.

I hadn’t even noticed her approach.

"What brings you here?"

"…Though I don’t like it, I’m here to deliver a message from the imperial family. The duel will take place three days from now, at the same venue as the last friendly match."

"You? Relaying messages? Couldn’t someone else have done it?"

Clink, clink.

Without responding to Stella’s comment, Headmistress Veronica casually walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the counseling room and pulled out a bottle she had hidden long ago for a "really tough day."

"If I let someone else do it, I wouldn’t get to deliver my own message."

With a pop, she opened the bottle. Without bothering to use a glass, she raised it straight to her lips.

"Ahhh, damn..."

"Even for an old hag, isn’t that a bit much? Drinking straight from the bottle in the academy? People might think you’re committing a crime."

"I’m an adult! And listen carefully—I’m not joking around. If you’re planning to run, today’s your only chance."

"What?"

The headmistress slammed the half-empty bottle down on the table and sighed deeply.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the academy can’t survive without financial support from the imperial family."

"That’s true. With the education fees being waived for most students, and donations and support covering the gap…"

"Just listen! ...No matter how strong I am, I’m still just a headmistress. Defying the imperial family, who control the academy’s finances, is not something I can do lightly."

Veronica had dedicated her life to the academy. She had even spent her own money to recruit the best teachers. But even so, she was just one person. The imperial family, who provided a significant portion of the academy's funding, couldn’t be ignored.

If she opposed them and they cut off their support, the academy would have to close its doors. Although they were unlikely to cut off all funding, even a reduction would have a direct impact on the students.

Veronica couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. As someone who had devoted her life to the academy and its students, she couldn’t afford to go against the imperial family.

But still... she couldn’t just abandon the insolent princess she had watched grow up.

"So, what now?"

"What I can do for you is limited to this moment, when not many eyes are on us."

That’s why she had made up her mind.

She would erase the entire situation.

"I found someone. A highly skilled individual who can permanently alter your appearance and body structure with magic."

"…You want me to go into hiding?"

"Yes. I know it’s not the choice you want, but this is all I can offer. With your abilities, you won’t starve. If you want, you can return as a new student next year. I’ll arrange everything."

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"I said I’m not going, damn old hag. Don’t make me repeat myself."

"It’s too dangerous! You know as well as I do that the situation—"

"I know. …But I have people willing to jump into this trap with me. I can’t just leave them behind."

"···."

Veronica stared at the princess in front of her, dumbfounded.

So, even this arrogant girl had made friends.

Friends willing to follow her, even into danger.

Without a word, Veronica downed the rest of the bottle in one go.