The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 71: Those Who Dwell Near Ink Become Blackened (2)

“The reason our Einthafen Empire was ultimately able to unify the continent lies in the securely established supply routes… Are you listening, Astrid?”

It was a corner of an empty classroom. The sunlight streaming in was bright and clear, heralding the arrival of summer. A refreshing breeze swept in through the wide-open windows.

“…Mhm.”

Astrid was dozing off, resting her chin on her hand.

Even in her drowsy state, her naturally striking appearance made the scene almost picturesque. Leopold found himself staring intently at her.

Coming to this academy had significantly changed his impression of Astrid. He had discovered that their relationship wasn’t solely built on mutual dislike. 

New sides of Astrid, which had been vividly imprinted in his memory, were enough to overturn all his previous perceptions of her.

I guess I’ll have to take care of her, Leopold thought.

Her sudden decision to join the academy might not have been what he initially assumed. 

Perhaps she genuinely liked him and followed him here. As for why she had initially refused to come, he didn’t know, but he figured there must be a reason.

Leopold was well aware that Astrid was struggling with a lack of knowledge, making it hard for her to fit in at the academy.

As her fiancé, he felt he should at least stand by her side. He wanted to help ease her tension, if only a little, by being close to her.

Leopold had resolved himself to this stance.

Reaching out, he lightly tapped the hand supporting Astrid’s chin.

Astrid jolted awake, nearly hitting her forehead on the desk. She blinked around in confusion before meeting Leopold’s gaze, her expression flustered.

“Y-Yes, food is important… or something, isn’t it?”

“How can you fall asleep right in front of someone? I find that even more impressive.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

Leopold sighed, closing his book. From his perspective, Astrid really had no affinity for academics. 

Perhaps that was why some referred to her as a strong yet ignorant woman behind her back.

Of course, Leopold had taken immediate action upon hearing those remarks, but there was a limit to what he could do. 

To shed that stigma, Astrid would have to become a top student—or at least develop an interest in studying.

Given her current state, however, both seemed nearly impossible. Most noble children learned these foundational subjects before entering the academy, but Astrid barely understood even the basics. 

Moreover, she only seemed to care about topics that piqued her personal interest, which was frustrating.

“…Maybe we should stop here for today.”

“Good idea. Overstudying isn’t healthy,” Astrid replied with a cheerful tone, as if she had been eagerly waiting for those words.

Leopold let out another sigh, feeling a mix of exasperation and resignation as he looked at her brightened expression.

“Are you sure you’re not just… really bad at this?”

Hearing that from you makes me lose the will to live…

While he wasn’t a prodigy, Leopold had never been this inept at studying. 

He had been decent enough, not an honor student, but far from a failure. Yet now…

“How about some exercise? Astrid, what do you think?”

“Exercise? What do you mean by that…?”

“Hmm.”

Leopold pondered for a moment before breaking into a sly smile. 

Astrid, puzzled by the expression, was about to ask when Leopold spoke again.

“What do you think men and women do to work up a sweat together, hm?”

Astrid’s face turned red—no, crimson.

Leopold chuckled at her reaction, fully aware of what she was imagining. He considered clarifying but decided against it.

Standing up, he extended his hand.

“Come on, let’s go. It’s just some light exercise. Your help would be appreciated.”

“E-Excuse me? What?!”

Astrid alternated between looking at Leopold’s face and his outstretched hand, utterly flustered.

“Let’s go,” Leopold said, not waiting any longer. He took Astrid’s hand and gently pulled her along as he headed out of the classroom.

***

The academy, which prided itself on training the future knights of the empire, had excellent facilities for physical training. 

These included a large building filled with small training rooms designed for personal or small group use.

Leopold led Astrid to one of these rooms.

“What… What are you planning to show me? Let go of my hand already!”

Despite her protests, Astrid made no real effort to pull her hand away. 

Leopold wasn’t holding her tightly, and she could have easily freed herself. Yet she didn’t.

“If you don’t like it, just pull away. You’re strong enough, aren’t you?”

W-Well, yes, but!

Her real problem was that she couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

Astrid, genuinely flustered, allowed herself to be dragged to the entrance of the training facility.

The building was lined with doors, each equipped with a key hanging outside. 

If the key was present, it indicated the room was unoccupied. Leopold picked up a key from one of the hooks.

“Room 203. Let’s go.”

“What exactly are you planning…?”

“Hmm…”

Pausing on the stairs, Leopold released her hand and turned to face her. Standing close, he peered down at her face.

“Astrid, your face is bright red.”

“I-It’s just warm…”

Caught off guard by his intense blue gaze, Astrid averted her eyes, feeling overwhelmed.

“Do you even know what this place is?”

She didn’t.

Astrid had never needed to visit the training facilities before, so she had no idea what purpose they served.

“I don’t know…”

Leopold let out a small laugh, clearly finding her lack of knowledge amusing.

“Even as a cadet, you should at least learn the basic layout. This is a training center. These rooms are for small-scale exercises. It makes sense you wouldn’t know if it’s your first time here, but it’s good to be informed.”

The realization hit Astrid hard. The embarrassing thoughts she had entertained moments earlier returned to haunt her, making her cheeks burn even more.

“Your face is as red as a beet now. Anyway, let’s go. I’ll need your help today.”

With a small, charming smile, Leopold gestured for her to follow.

Once again, Astrid found herself frustrated.

Why does he have to look so unnecessarily handsome? It’s annoying.

“Sometimes, you’re really embarrassing, you know?”

“Let’s go.”

“S-Sure, let’s go.”

Now that it was just a training session, she had no reason to hesitate. 

Astrid followed Leopold up the stairs, neither aware of Veracien’s gaze trailing them.

***

So boring.

Grumbling to herself, Veracien wandered around the academy campus. 

She had already caused all sorts of trouble just to see how far the instructors would go to address it—or whether they would simply turn a blind eye.

She had tried major incidents, like the summoning of Hellveig, and gradually toned things down to simpler pranks, such as stealing from the supply storage or breaking seal orbs.

Yet, to Veracien’s dismay, the instructors’ responses had been underwhelming. 

Their intelligence gathering, reaction times, reporting system, and chain of command all struck her as woefully inadequate.

“See? We could start now,” Veracien had said.

“No, not yet.”

Astein, half-lidded eyes gleaming with an easy smile, simply shook his head. He kept repeating the same line—it wasn’t time yet.

“We need to lay more groundwork. Just wait a little longer.”

From Veracien’s perspective, the groundwork had already been laid ages ago. But Astein insisted they wait, and she was growing impatient.

So boring…

Boredom, amusement, entertainment—this single craving was what drove Veracien.

Known as the “princess” of the demon realm, Veracien had long sought to escape the monotony of her world. 

The demon realm was lifeless and devoid of any excitement. Then, one day, she sensed a summoning ritual—a rare and ancient spell—taking place somewhere. 

Intrigued, and convinced it might provide some fun, she had responded and appeared in the human world.

The summoner had been Astein. After hearing his objective, Veracien agreed to contract with him simply because it sounded entertaining.

But I didn’t think he’d keep me waiting like this.

Looking for something else to stave off her boredom, Veracien casually scanned her surroundings as she strolled through the campus.

“W-Wait! Leopold…”

“It’s not like I’m taking you somewhere strange. Just come along.”

Leopold, firmly holding Astrid’s hand, was leading her somewhere. Watching the two of them, Veracien’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Lately, those two had seemed increasingly amusing to her. In Veracien’s eyes, they were clearly attracted to each other but were desperately trying to hide it.

If I give them a little push, maybe… things will heat up.

Despite her long life, Veracien had never once witnessed a human mating ritual. It wasn’t for lack of curiosity—she simply hadn’t had the opportunity. For some reason, such scenes had always eluded her.

Now, seeing Leopold and Astrid together, Veracien was intrigued. If she could light a spark between them, perhaps she could finally witness the elusive scene she’d been curious about.

Let’s see… Should I give them a little nudge?

Smiling mischievously, Veracien began to follow the pair, savoring the thought of stirring things up.