[3rd Person POV]

After the fateful and scary run-in with the heroine in the midst of the Spring Festival, Alterisa could fortunately still enjoy the rest of the evening festival after a nice rest in "Swan Lake" restaurant that was owned by the Raeven family.

She was able to forget about the shocking meeting for a brief moment thanks to her beloved friends, but the moment she came home, scenes of the heroine seducing her friends and her attempt in ruining her and her friends' night resurfaced in her mind, preventing her from relaxing.

Even after trying her best to try and get her mind off it by relaxing in the bath, chatting with Anne, Maria, and Iris, and playing with Fubuki, she still couldn't get the image of Aria's glare out of her mind. The glare of the heroine who seemed hellbent on robbing her of her happiness...

Unable to stand it anymore, she decided to write a letter to Lily, telling her about the incident and her plight...

She knew Lily wouldn't be able to help her much since she couldn't easily come to the academy... But she just wanted to vent her emotions, her anxiousness, and unease.

She didn't want anything from Lily. Though... It would be nice if she could come. Just being in her company and presence never failed to bring Alterisa, or Akari, a peace of mind.

After writing the letter and sealing it with her seal, Alterisa went to bed and tried her best to forget about the incident that night...

...

..

.

A few days have passed since Alterisa's last Spring Festival outing. There were still many festivals being held in this week-long holiday, all building up to the final Spring Festival celebration day tomorrow.

During the last few days, Alterisa managed to return home and stayed for two nights before returning back to the academy and training for the upcoming annual tournament.

There were still two days before the end of the holiday, but many students have started returning back to the academy for the same reason Alterisa did.

They were all doing their best to at least break through the qualifiers, reach the main tournament, and not embarrass themselves during the prestigious annual tournament held by the royal academy, which would be watched by prestigious members of high society, including the royal family.

For the many who dreamed of becoming a royal knight or a royal court magician, this was their best chance to show their talent and skills to the high noble society.

And although Alterisa didn't have much interest in becoming a knight or a royal court magician, she was also doing her best to improve herself and push her own limits.

She wanted to win this tournament... More precisely, she wanted to beat everyone, especially Wilhelm, Luke, and Alexus! She'll definitely win against them and brag about it to her family and friends!!!

And as a side bonus, training hard with her magic also helped her forget about the incident a few days ago.

She hadn't seen the heroine much the last few days, but she still couldn't rest easy because she won't know when she'll come to attack her.

"Kyuuu...? Kyuuuu!!!!"

"Eh? Ah, Fubuki. What's wrong?"

"Kyuuuuu!!!"

Fubuki nuzzled herself in between her legs, trying to get Alterisa's attention. And when she got her master's attention, she was picked up by her into a soft embrace.

"Kyuuuu~"

The little fox nuzzled to her master's chest before gesturing at the clock at the far wall of the training grounds with her nose.

"Hm? Oooohh... That's right. It's almost lunch, huh...? Alright, that should be enough for now. Let's clean up, have some food, and rest up for the rest of the day, okay?"

"Kyuu!!! Kyuu~"

Fubuki nodded in excitement and escaped her embrace, only to leap up to Alterisa's shoulder, wrapping her body around her neck, and settled down, nuzzling her head to her neck.

"Ah, that rickles, Fubuki~ Fufufu~ You're such a mischievous little cutie, aren't you~"

"Kyuu~!!!"

"Hehe~ Then, let's go."

Alterisa turned around and snapped her fingers. And in an instant, the thick layer of snow, massive walls of ice, and spears of ice that pierced the ground shattered and dissipated into beautiful crystal and mist.

Leaving behind the training grounds, Alterisa began making her way back to her dorm room. And after taking a nice, long, relaxing bath, she left her room along with Anne, Maria, Iris, and Fubuki to find Lucas and ask him to accompany her for lunch.

"Risa..."

Just then, a familiar voice calling her in an intimate manner grabbed her attention. She turned and saw the golden-haired figure of her fiancee looking at her with a worried expression.

"Eh? Alex? Why are you..."

He approached her in a brisk pace, and before she could say anything, Alexus pulled her into his embrace.

"Did someone do something to you...? Tell me... Tell me who did it... I will make them pay..."

He tightened his arms around her, holding her ever so tightly as if trying to prevent her from going away. He was trembling. And from the sound of his voice, she could sense a twinge of anxiousness and fear in him.

"E-Eh?! W-What are you doing-"

"I heard from Lily... She said you had some sort of incident during your outing to the Spring Festival with your friends..."

Alterisa tried to push him away in embarrassment from being hugged out of nowhere. But the moment she listened to his words, she stopped and felt the strength left her body...

"Ah..."

The sight of the heroine's glare and the entire exchange between her friends and the heroine flashed across her mind, causing her to tremble for a moment. And it didn't miss Alexus's attention.

"What happened... Risa..."

"...Let's talk over lunch in my room."

"Alterisa-sama... If you wish, I can bring your meal as well as your highness' to your room."

Anne stepped forward, looking at Risa worriedly. She, as well as Maria and Iris, have been worried for her ever since it happened.

"Thank you, Anne... Then, I'll leave it to you. Maria-chan, can you go help Anne? And Iris, please protect them. At this point, I'm afraid she might target the three of you as well..."

Alterisa clenched her hand into a fist.

"If she did... Then I won't be merciful anymore."

If that fake heroine dared to hurt her beloved Anne, Maria, and Iris... Then she won't care about the plot or the flag of the Otome game anymore. She will make sure she pays with everything in her power."

""Yes.""

Maria and Iris both lowered their heads, and the three left after excusing themselves to their beloved mistress and the prince.

"Risa..."

A frown surfaced on Alexus's face. This... This was the first time he had ever seen such a cold expression on her face.

Hearing his voice, Alterisa let out a tired smile and separated herself from his embrace.

"Let's talk inside, Alexus..."

"Alright..."

Following Alterisa's lead, Alexus entered the female dorm and went directly into her room. Although it wouldn't be appropriate normally for a male to enter the female dorm, no matter if he was invited or not, Alexus was already officially engaged with Alterisa.

Moreover, the girls who didn't want to join the royal tournament still have not returned from their holiday. So at this point, the dorm was fairly deserted with only eight or ten female students currently there, most of whom were out training or having their lunch.

Arriving inside her room, Alterisa let him take a seat and brewed the both of them some tea.

"Here."

"Thank you."

He would normally be trying his hardest not to grin and smile widely if Alterisa brewed a cup of tea for him. But now, after seeing her tired and worried expression, he could only frown as he looked at her worriedly.

Alterisa sat on the opposite side of the small table and took a sip of the tea she brewed, hoping it could calm her heart no matter how slightly.

And after placing her cup back onto the saucer she held with the other hand, and placed them both back to the table, she looked up towards Alexus.

"Did Lily tell you everything?"

"...No. She simply told me that you encountered some sort of incident during your outing."

"I see..."

Alterisa kept her fingers on the handle of the ceramic cup and looked down, seeing her reflection on the clear, brown liquid.

"...What happened, Risa?"

"...Perhaps, it's better for you to know."

If he told her what happened, at the very least, he would know what sort of things and tricks the heroine would do to trick Alexus into liking her. And... if he knew how big of a target Alterisa was to the heroine, perhaps he might be able to help her... Somehow.

Thus, Alterisa began telling him the story of what happened on that afternoon when she and her friends met with Aria.

As she told the story, Alterisa could see Alexus's gaze becoming colder and colder. And the moment she finished, Alexus stood straight up, turned towards the exit, and began walking briskly.

"Eh? A-Alex, wait! Where are you going?"

With deft steps, Alterisa quickly caught up to him and held onto his arm.

"What are you going to do, Alex...?"

He was strong... Even though she was doing her best to keep him in place by pulling his arm, she could feel him slowly slipping by her clutches. And the only thing keeping her from letting go was the extremely bad premonition of what Alexus could do to Aria with such a cold expression.

"...I will have her be expelled for lese majeste for daring to threaten the future queen of Deruria."

"You can't! She could argue against that because she never really explicitly said anything to me!"

"Then I can charge her for threatening multiple members of nobility."

"She never threatened them that time since Valerie-chan and Wilhelm stopped her!"

"...Then I will have her expelled due to poor performance in the academy."

"That... That might work when the results of the mid semester exams are revealed, but you can't... If it's known that you were the one to cause her expulsion... You will be seen as petty and abusing your power..."

Finally, she could feel him stop, allowing her to relax her grasp on his arm. She looked up and saw Alexus looking at her with a pained expression.

He turned around and grasped both of her shoulders.

"Then what could I do to help you... Risa... I hate seeing you in pain... Please, let me help you... Let me share your pain..."

"Alex..."

Her heart clenched. Tears began to fill the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall, as she slowly raised her hands towards him and cupped his unfairly handsome face.

"Just be with me... Just stay with me, Alex... We just have to be patient... There will be a time when she self-destructs... So please. There's no need for you or any of us to dirty our hands for her..."

"Risa..."

His eyes softened as he stared at her beautiful violet eyes that sparkled like the most precious of jewels. Everything around him seemed to have disappeared, and only he and she exist in this world right now.

Alexus let go of her shoulders, grabbed the hands that were cupping his face, clasped them tightly in his hands, and kissed her fingers.

"Alright...... Alright... I won't do anything to her... yet. But, I will make sure you are safe from anything she might be planning."

Alterisa smiled and pressed her forehead against his hands that were clasping hers.

"Mm... Thank you, Alex..."

The two stayed in that position for a few moments.

Then, they returned to the table and chatted for a bit before Anne, Maria, and Iris returned with their meals.





AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please vote and comment your thoughts~!