The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 64: Not a Romantic Comic (2)

Finding interest in classes that were hard to follow was no easy task.

Astrid felt increasingly drained as the days went by. The thought: What am I even doing here? lingered in her mind, refusing to leave.

If only the academy days were more like her training cadet phase, filled with physical exertion, she would have preferred it. 

Astrid’s body seemed to have boundless energy and strength, making physical training a breeze.

Her prior military experience also made drills second nature to her, and as a squad leader, she carried her title with pride.

But things changed when the actual coursework began. Physical activities were limited to the daily physical education period, while the rest of the schedule was packed with classroom lectures. 

Most cadets found these “basic” courses easy, chatting and laughing about how they had already learned all this back at home. Meanwhile, Astrid felt utterly isolated.

“Astrid.”

Leopold’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Right—it was class time. They were in the middle of Foundations of Efficient Military Command Strategies and Tactics, one of the courses Astrid struggled with the most.

Professor Besmondo’s eyes were fixed directly on her, his slightly furrowed brow making it clear he had called her name several times. Astrid forced an awkward smile.

“The, uh… weather is just so nice today…”

“Would you still admire the weather if a monster appeared? You seem remarkably relaxed, Cadet Astrid.”

His words were dripping with sarcasm.

What am I supposed to do when I can’t understand a word you’re saying?

The real Astrid was silent—probably asleep, as usual.

“You didn’t hear my question, did you?”

“Huh?”

She hadn’t even realized he had asked one.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t hear it.”

“If your grades are the worst, you should at least pay attention in class to earn some points, don’t you think, Cadet Astrid?”

Her face burned with embarrassment as she felt the gaze of every other cadet land on her. 

Her overly sensitive senses made her hyper-aware of every single one of them, which only made it worse.

“Fine. Since the weather has you so distracted, I’ll be generous and repeat my question. If a mid-sized armored monster were to appear, what would be the most efficient way for a squad to respond?”

Astrid had seen such monsters before. Among them, the Hellveig—a giant dog-like creature—came to mind. That one had been pretty easy to deal with. With that memory in mind, Astrid confidently answered:

“First, block its charge, push it back to create distance, and then, before it charges again… draw a weapon and… finish it off…”

Her confidence waned with each word as Professor Besmondo’s expression twisted more and more.

“Cadet Astrid.”

The professor snapped his book shut and set it firmly on the lectern. Adjusting his monocle with an exasperated sigh, he fixed his sharp gaze on Astrid.

“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean others can. Your answer shows that you’ve absorbed absolutely nothing from the lectures so far, which I’ve been painstakingly explaining.”

He sighed again, longer this time.

Astrid couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Her head lowered slightly as she braced herself for whatever came next.

“If your grades are at the bottom, the least you could do is show some effort in class. Instead, you daydream, distract yourself with the weather, and fail to focus. Will you take this seriously or not?”

There was nothing she could say.

The professor wasn’t wrong.

Her grades were abysmal—even without a test, it was evident she was near the bottom. 

None of her other classes were going any better, and now even her attitude in class was being called out.

***

After lunch, Astrid often sat on the bench behind the classroom building, staring blankly at the sky. 

Occasionally, she would chat with other cadets, but most days, she simply sat in solitude.

Today was no different. Astrid tilted her head back, gazing at the clouds as a familiar thought plagued her.

What am I doing here?

The purpose of her coming to the academy felt increasingly distant. Initially, her goal had been to scour the academy library for a way to return to her world or, failing that, to earn Leopold’s hatred and annul their engagement.

Searching the library had been fruitless. She hadn’t expected much, given that the academy library was far smaller than the Imperial Library, where she had already found nothing.

Not a single useful text on summoning magic, spatial magic, or even tribal shamanic rituals.

As for earning Leopold’s hatred… that, too, seemed impossible now. Perhaps even she—

【Good morning.】

…Did you sleep well?

【I did. Wait, class is already over?】

Astrid couldn’t believe how carefree the real Astrid could be. While she struggled with everything, the real Astrid had the luxury of napping through it all.

Some of us are breaking our backs here while others sleep soundly in class.

【Finding a way back isn’t happening until we return to the north anyway. There’s no point worrying about it now, is there?】

The fact that this was true only made Astrid angrier.

“What are you doing here?”

The voice belonged to Violet, her short hair bouncing as she approached. Without waiting for an invitation, Violet plopped down beside Astrid, who didn’t bother to complain.

“Did you eat?” Violet asked.

“I did.”

“Is this about getting scolded in class earlier?”

“…Don’t bother with half-baked comfort.”

Such words wouldn’t lift her spirits. She knew she should study, but the truth was she didn’t want to. After all, any knowledge she gained here would be useless once she returned home.

Violet glanced sideways at Astrid, who remained silent. Deciding to change the topic, she said, “Speaking of Cadet Leopold…”

“Hm?”

Astrid, who had ignored every other topic, reacted immediately at the mention of Leopold’s name.

“Wow, you perked right up. You really like Cadet Leopold, don’t you?”

“…It’s not like that.”

“Sure, sure…”

Violet’s eyes narrowed as she grinned mischievously. Astrid, flustered by the look, glanced away and pretended to focus on something else.

“Astrid, Cadet Leopold is a man, you know.”

“Obviously. What kind of question is that?”

“Since he’s a man, he probably likes pretty girls. But do you know what the real problem is?”

“What?”

Violet poked Astrid’s head lightly with her finger. The touch wasn’t forceful, but the gesture irritated Astrid enough to make her frown.

“What are you doing?”

“Men don’t like airheads.”

“A-Airheads?!”

“Oops, my bad. It’s a sailor’s habit of speaking. Let’s say… men don’t like fools.”

“…Can’t you be more tactful? And I’m not a fool!”

Astrid couldn’t help but wonder if Violet had come here just to pick a fight. She had already been feeling down, and now this. And to say Leopold wouldn’t want to marry a fool? Astrid wasn’t a fool, damn it!

“Leopold is the Crown Prince, so he has to think about the empire’s future, doesn’t he?”

“Of course.”

“Even though I said I’d help you, if Leopold goes through with marrying you in this state, it’d honestly be insane.”

“…Do you want to get folded in half?”

Astrid’s face flushed red with anger. She hadn’t been expecting comfort or encouragement, but did Violet really have to rub salt in the wound like this?

“Even Akemilla, for instance—she’s the daughter of a merchant guild leader. She’s gotta have a good head for finances, right? If Leopold marries Akemilla, at least the empire’s economy would be in safe hands. 

Having the mother of the empire come from a merchant family would mean they could pull in capital from her connections in a pinch.”

“Hey, don’t talk about her like she’s—”

Astrid stopped herself mid-sentence. If she brought up some of the things Akemilla had said, Violet would undoubtedly lose her temper, and there was no hard evidence to back it up anyway.

“And then there’s Cadet Emilie. Her father’s that famous Mage of Magic Engineering. He developed the Magic Bracelet and leads the empire in magical and military engineering. On top of that, she’s a renowned magician in her own right. Marrying her would undoubtedly boost the empire’s military strength.”

“Well, but… the real flower of the battlefield is the Heavy Cavalry…”

Astrid’s voice faltered as she continued. Nothing Violet said was technically wrong.

“And even I,” Violet added, “if I were to become Crown Princess, I’d make sure the empire had impenetrable defenses both on land and sea. Sure, it’d be a shame to strain relations with the Miterien family in the north, but the empire’s military might could probably make up for it.”

“That’s… that’s just…”

“So, tell me, Astrid—what’s the benefit to the empire if Leopold marries you?”

The question left Astrid speechless.

But when she thought about it, she wasn’t completely without an answer.

“…Beautiful heirs?”

“Are you serious?”

Violet stared at Astrid, utterly dumbfounded. She wondered if Astrid was joking, but her earnest expression said otherwise.

For a moment, Violet was at a loss for words.

“…Anyway, we’ve got combat practice in the afternoon. Let’s go, Astrid.”

“Hey! Did you just sigh?! Hey! You sighed, didn’t you?!”

Ignoring Astrid’s protests, Violet turned and began walking away.

When it came to Astrid’s intelligence, Violet mused, perhaps the gods truly were fair.

The balance between Astrid’s natural combat prowess and her intellectual shortcomings seemed perfectly, almost cruelly, even to Violet.