“Student council?”

“Yes, I’ve also received an invitation,” Charlotte replied, pulling out an envelope from her bag that resembled a wedding invitation.

“I’m not too familiar with the traditions of this academy, but... do they send these in order of academic rank?” she asked curiously.

“No, it’s not based on rank,” Alice answered, shaking her head.

“They send these based on noble status.”

“Oh, I see.” Charlotte nodded, seeming to understand the situation.

“So, I received this because I’m royalty.”

“That’s probably it. Do you know who the student council president is?” Alice asked.

Charlotte slowly shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m not well-acquainted with the nobles of this empire. I do know quite a few people from my own country, though.”

“That makes sense.”

Alice herself wasn’t too friendly with the nobility of her own empire, so it wasn’t surprising. Even those who had been personally granted titles by the emperor barely recognized Alice’s face, which spoke to how much she had distanced herself from the nobility.

Of course, the imperial authority was strong enough that it didn’t really matter.

“So, Sylvia, did you get one too?” Claire leaned on my desk with her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“No, I haven’t received one yet,” I replied.

“Maybe we came out too early to check?”

Despite Alice’s disinterest in maintaining ties with the nobility, she was clearly driven by a desire to earn the emperor’s approval. This was why she was already up and studying early in the morning.

And, unintentionally, I had followed suit, studying alongside her.

Not that I minded too much. I’d been sleeping soundly on a soft bed every night, and there were no late-night games keeping me awake in this world.

In many ways, my life in this world was much more comfortable than it had been in my previous one. Naturally, being the emperor’s daughter was a big upgrade from being an office worker.

“Seeing as Charlotte received an invitation, it’s likely that we have some waiting for us back at the dorm,” Alice said.

Claire’s eyes practically lit up. Her excitement was so intense that I wondered if it was even possible for someone’s eyes to shine like that without some optical trickery. It was... a bit overwhelming.

“Sylvia, are you planning to join the student council?”

“...”

I glanced over at Alice before answering.

“If Her Highness wishes to join, I suppose I will follow suit.”

“Then it’s settled.” Alice grinned confidently.

“I’m planning to become the student council president eventually. Considering I’ll take over for my father one day, it wouldn’t hurt to get some experience leading an organization, right?”

It made sense. The student council was made up of children from influential noble families, so building connections now would likely come in handy when Alice eventually had to run the empire. That’s why, in the original story, she had joined the student council even though she attended the academy alone.

As for Charlotte... she never showed much interest in it. From what I knew of her backstory, she probably received an invitation as well, but hadn’t cared to act on it.

After all, Charlotte was the picture-perfect princess. A student council full of power-hungry nobles might not have interested her much, especially since she was sent to the academy by the King of Belvur.

“Well, should I visit it too?” Charlotte asked, smiling faintly.

This world’s Charlotte seemed different, though. In the original, she had taken much longer to form a bond with Alice. But now, with Alice having let go of the inferiority complex she once had toward “the perfect princess,” things had changed. There was no reason for Alice to feel insecure anymore.

It was a positive shift.

“Oh? Are you interested?” Alice asked, turning to Charlotte.

Charlotte shook her head slightly. “Not particularly. But... perhaps.”

She smiled, and I could hear a few of the students nearby gasp quietly, especially the boys.

Even though the differences between our races were small, the fact that Charlotte was from another country gave her a kind of exotic appeal to the students here. With her soft Belvurian accent, she embodied the image of a “foreign beauty” to them.

Since ancient times, people have always been fascinated by beauties from other lands. It was often nothing more than an illusion, of course, but Charlotte’s mysterious aura, especially with her platinum hair, likely only fueled those fantasies.

“If it’s with friends, I think it might be worth considering.”

“I see,” Alice replied, smiling in return.

“I-I want to come too!” Claire suddenly interjected, trying to join the conversation.

“You too?” Alice seemed surprised this time. Going to the student council without an invitation would likely result in rejection.

In the original story, Leo had accompanied Alice to the student council room for the first time after being roped into it by her. But even then, Leo hadn’t been eager to go. That event wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another month, once the main story quest started rolling out.

It was unusual for the daughter of a baron to ask to go along with us like this. Alice, for all her talk of treating everyone as equals within the academy, was well aware that she and Claire were not considered the same “kind” of student.

“Is that... not allowed?” Claire asked, looking at me pleadingly.

Why was she asking me?

...Actually, this might be a good opportunity.

The student council was full of pretentious individuals who were deeply concerned with authority. Bringing Claire along could be interesting.

Imagine the reactions: Who is this girl? Why is the daughter of a mere baron standing between the princesses? Why is she talking to them so casually? We’ve never even seen her before!

Wouldn’t that be a refreshing turn of events? A bit of “justice served” against these snobbish nobles?

No, that wasn’t right. I didn’t want to see Claire get ignored or treated poorly.

Despite my teasing thoughts, I’d spent seven years waiting for each new installment of this game series. I had affection for all the characters, not just the setting. There were some characters I absolutely despised, but they hadn’t appeared yet, so that wasn’t relevant.

I didn’t want to see the characters I cared about struggling in painful situations.

If the student council members started looking down on Claire or Leo, I wasn’t sure I could hold back.

“...”

That’s what made this so complicated.

“...Um?” Alice made a curious sound, noticing my hesitation. Ah, was I thinking too hard about this? Hopefully, my thoughts didn’t show on my face.

“Why not?” Charlotte said lightly, breaking the silence.

“Is there a reason she shouldn’t come?”

“There isn’t, I suppose,” Alice agreed, seeming a bit relieved.

I felt relieved too. It wouldn’t do to break the character I’d been maintaining for ten years just because of a single awkward situation.

“It’s a bit strange that only those who receive invitations can visit the student council,” Charlotte mused, looking at the letter she was still holding.

“But aren’t we all equals within the academy? I doubt anyone would have an issue with Claire coming along.”

She looked amused, as if she had just thought of something fun.

“...Hmmm.”

Alice noticed the subtle shift in Charlotte’s expression. After spending ten years watching me remain expressionless, Alice had become quite adept at reading subtle emotions in others.

It was clear Charlotte had found something amusing and was also itching for a challenge. She hated people who set rules for others but didn’t follow them themselves.

That was part of why she didn’t care much for the student council.

“...”

Alice had grown a lot more confident than she had been in the original story, but her pride was still there. As the empire’s princess and the top student in the academy (albeit only because I intentionally scored lower), she had plenty of pride to uphold.

That’s why she was hesitating.

Was it more damaging to her pride to bring Claire along and expose the student council’s hypocrisy, or to make an excuse and leave Claire behind?

But I was sure of one thing.

With Alice’s combination of pride and confidence, she wouldn’t choose either option.

“Alright, let’s all go together,” Alice finally said.

Claire’s face brightened with joy.

Yes, that was just like Alice.

She would always choose to break the rules and do things her own way.

In the original story, Alice had been proud but timid. But thanks to all my encouragement—reminding her that she would one day succeed the emperor—she wasn’t like that anymore.

If there was something she didn’t like or something she was embarrassed to show others, she’d simply fix it.

After all, she had the power to do that.

It wasn’t me who helped her find that confidence. It was Leo, who had spent time with Alice in the original story and unknowingly encouraged her to grow stronger. By the end of the first game, she had even stood up to the emperor.

Now, Alice had already stood up to him once, when she convinced him to let me attend the academy. I didn’t know what had happened behind closed doors—Lucas never told me—but I doubted Alice had spoken to the emperor with a gentle voice.

“...”

Meanwhile, Leo, who had helped Alice develop this confidence in the original story, was now sitting quietly, trembling as he drank his tea. His sister, Claire, on the other hand, was far more composed—almost as poised as Alice and Charlotte.

And as we approached the student council room, I could see the current student council members watching us from a distance, their eyes filled with confusion.

It wasn’t strange to see me walking with Alice. Ever since I started attending the academy, I had been by her side every day.

Charlotte being with us wasn’t surprising either. She was a foreign princess, so it made sense for her to associate with the imperial family rather than the empire’s nobility.

But what about the two baron’s children?

Of course, being from a baron’s family didn’t mean one was insignificant. The Grace family had earned their title by serving the imperial family as their sword and had fought in numerous battles, earning great respect within the capital.

But among the student council members, made up of children from the highest-ranking noble families, the Grace siblings were seen as lower in status. That’s why they hadn’t received an invitation.

And now they were entering the student council room with two imperial princesses and a foreign royal. Naturally, the student council members were baffled.

The key here was that they didn’t know why. They couldn’t understand that Charlotte had suggested this as a way to have some fun at their expense, and that Alice had agreed.

That ignorance gave this moment its meaning.

“...”

Yet, no one seemed to have any idea how to break the awkward silence that had fallen over us.