"That was quick."

I couldn’t help but utter those words seeing Diana having packed her bag in less than a few minutes.

Initially, I had expected her to take more than an hour, which was the sole reason for asking her to be quick.

"I just had to throw them together, and that’s a done deal."

Hm?

"Throw them?"

"I mean... pack them. Of course, I had folded the clothes in the usual way."

"..."

I had never asked about the way in which she had packed them.

Though I still nodded my head as if understanding her point of view.

"The teleportation passage has been connected to the one at Namda, so please follow me."

A butler motioned us to follow him.

"Have you decided on your partner?"

Diana asked as she held the bag in her left hand and kept it at some distance from her body, as if the bag would end up polluting her.

"I have."

"Who?"

Diana moved closer to me, while pretending to shift her right ear in my direction.

Sigh.

It wasn’t like I was going to whisper the name in it.

"Ashlyn Levaith from fourth year."

My words were met with a brief silence, as Diana frowned slightly.

Though I observed her change in expression, I didn’t comment on it.

"Aren’t the Levaiths rivals of your house? Would you be okay partnering with their blood?"

Blood, huh.

That was a nice way to mention the eldest daughter of the Levaiths.

"It doesn’t matter to me."

"Hm? But it should."

Huh?

Diana’s tone felt a lot more aggressive than her usual way.

Or was it that she had grown comfortable with me due to our recent conversation?

Haa...

I didn’t really remember the relation that the original Kael had with Diana.

Though I knew the general details... the exact memories were still unknown.

So, I couldn’t exactly tell whether Diana had always been like this when she was around Kael.

For me, the change was unexpected but not unwanted in any way.

The more comfortable Diana could get with me, the better it was.

I hadn’t responded to Diana’s earlier words, resulting in her taking short glances at me from time to time.

"Wouldn’t people gossip about you, if you side with a Levaith? That would send a negative signal to everyone. Many would assume it as your way of supporting the Levaith princess in her fight for the position—"

"I am supporting her."

"Huh?"

Diana paused midway, making me stop in my tracks to look back at her.

"I am supporting her faction in the coming elections."

My words were met with raised brows from Diana, as she stared at me blankly.

"You really are a decisive one."

Hm?

Though this side of Diana felt a lot closer to me, I couldn’t help but feel a little different due to her choice of words.

They felt a lot more to the point than before... or was it me reading deeper into the situation again?

Haa...

Maybe it was my over analysis leading to such thoughts about Diana.

Was I still being cautious about the one who had suppressed my instincts?

Maybe that was resulting in my state of mind being in such a calculative mode.

Though the suppressive feeling on my instincts had disappeared... making me all the more certain that it was someone among the emperor’s men that was spying on me, to ensure the safety of their princess.

"Tell me—"

Pausing, Diana began to walk again, motioning me to do the same.

Now both of us were walking side by side, while the butler had somehow increased the distance between us, as if giving the princess all the privacy to finish her conversation with me.

He sure was a loyal one.

"Do you wish to see the destruction of your house?"

"..."

The surroundings turned silent with the only sound being that of our footsteps echoing through the quiet hallways.

The butler, as if knowing his place, increased the distance between us by another margin, as his figure turned smaller in my vision.

Without stopping, I turned my head to look at Diana, who had her eyes fixed on the butler before us.

"Why do you ask?"

I couldn’t help but be curious.

I knew that my fight against Victoria should have given Diana a fair understanding about my stance towards my family and House Frost.

But even after that, I had never thought that Diana would be the one asking me such a question.

"Just curious."

Diana replied without making eye contact with me.

It wasn’t like she was avoiding my gaze.

No.

It was more closer to her asking the question out of sheer curiosity with no emotions in it whatsoever.

Heh.

"I don’t know."

That was my answer.

The most strategic one, given the person who I was talking to.

I didn’t want to sound like someone who wanted to get back in the house, while at the same time, making myself look like an enemy of House Frost could put me in a disadvantageous position.

After all, Alicia and Victoria were good friends of Diana.

There was no way she would side with me over them... at least not yet.

"Is that so."

Diana simply hummed at my response, without showing much of a reaction.

"Should I support the Levaiths too?"

"..."

"In the coming elections I mean. Should I side with Ashlyn’s faction... along with you?"

That...

"There’s no benefit in that for you. Siding with Victoria would be more advantageous to you, as that will help you quickly climb up the ladder in the hierarchy of the student council."

"But won’t that make us enemies?"

Diana asked, after finally deciding to look at my face. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"It won’t."

After all, I wanted Ashlyn to win only because of me.

Though Diana wasn’t as strong as me... she did have her own supporters.

And when the first princess of the royal family supports a faction... that would only go on to boost the legitimacy of whoever Diana decided to stand with