Aravel

Chapter 96

While the whole fiasco went down in Kaze's classroom, something similar occurred where Lunaria was.

Since the thing about Kaze leaving was still on her mind, Lunaria didn't really have room to consider anything else for the rest of the day other than go along with the programme in place. When their teacher announced they would be doing a quick quiz to get to know one another's opinions through questions, Lunaria went along with it without much thought.

It wasn't until the end of class where the final question regarding her having a lover was asked that Lunaria was thrusted into an uncomfortable position. On one hand, she knew that admitting it was a cardinal sin in her relationship with Kaze, but on the other, she wanted so badly to admit to the world about Kaze. The level of stress she felt from Kaze's precarious position with Czech that could potentially end up ruining their love together had built itself upon the layer of foundation of guilt. Lunaria was the one who suggested what she knew was best for both nations and trust on the humans. If things went south, she could find no one to blame but herself.

"Lunaria-hime, do you have someone you are interested in or a secret lover?" The teacher asked the princess, immediately gaining Lunaria's attention.

"Whether or not the answer is yes or no, I don't think it is suitable for me to reveal that, would it?" Lunaria smiled politely. "If I admit it, then the reason it is kept secret in the first place is lost. If I say no, I worry that I'm giving people a false impression. As such, I shall choose to refrain from answering, thank you."

Unfortunately for her, the smooth cover-up that Lunaria had came up with didn't work as well as she wanted.

Just as she sat down, Lunaria noticed that everyone in class was looking at her with weird expressions. Some had smirks on their face, some looked bewildered, while the others merely smiled understandingly at her. Even the teacher had his hand on his hip with a sigh, stirring even more confusion within Lunaria. She could understand if her classmates wanted to tease her for her statement, but it didn't make sense if even the teacher joined in. This must prove that everyone, including Rena and Irene, who were both mixed in with the fray of smirks and grins, knew something that Lunaria wasn't aware about.

Her first reaction was to scan the area with her magic detection. It was something of a habit she gained from undergoing partial military training to raise her awareness against any form of surprise attacks. It gradually grew into a habit that Lunaria used constantly, an effective way to make use of her excellent magic sense, out of instinctive fear of getting ambushed. For example, her usage now was a way of justification she had developed to ensure that she was safe before going through the logical brain procession of information.

"Lunaria?" Rena, sitting next to the princess, lightly tapped Lunaria's hand when she didn't respond and stood there in silent. "Are you alright?"

"U-Uh, yeah," Lunaria nodded bluntly. "I should be the one asking why everyone is acting this way. Is something wrong?"

"Ahh... about that," Rena giggled, realizing what Lunaria was worried about. "I wonder if we should tell you now~"

"It's alright Rena, I will do it," the teacher stopped the elf with a wry smile. "Lunaria-hime, I think all of us here need to apologise, first and foremost, that we have been hiding things from you and one of your friends. We have all, all being the five classes that took in your friends, been under orders directly from the Emperor and Empress to secrecy about this until the final day. What we were ordered to do was to monitor you and that specific friend's status separately."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were talking about Kaze. Lunaria suppressed her rage before it leaked out as she knew she would be jumping to conclusions if she got angry at them for keeping something regarding Kaze a secret from her. As such, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for more bad news as her mindset was already assuming that Kaze screwed up or something.