If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 103

Chapter 52.2

The caretaker grew visibly uneasy when Ariel spoke to him so politely. He seemed to be aware of her status. Even though she dressed like any other noble student in her black uniform and acted as if she were one of them, he knew exactly who was supporting her.

“Please, drop the formalities, My Lady.”

“But I’m just a regular noble…”

“Even ordinary noble students don’t address me this politely. Please, I must ask that you speak casually.”

Ariel fell silent at the caretaker’s response. Since even royal students were expected to speak formally to professors and assistants, she had assumed it would be the same for a caretaker.

“Got it. I’ll speak casually.”

“Yes… Thank you.”

“Can you lend me the key to the annex?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

The caretaker, who had been acting timid and deferential, became unexpectedly firm when the annex was mentioned. Ariel couldn’t understand. What was it about the annex that made him so reluctant to give her the key?

“Why not?”

She couldn’t suppress her curiosity and asked. After a moment of hesitation, the caretaker finally replied.

“Young Master Solem himself locked the annex door.”

The caretaker uttered the name ‘Young Master Solem’ with a pale expression. And in the entire academy, there was only one person who could be addressed that way—Racine.

“We can’t go against his wishes. We must wait until he personally opens the annex door and comes out.”

“…Alright.”

Ariel gave a reluctant nod before stepping out of the management office. With the way he had put it, there was nothing more for her to say. Racine had made it clear that he didn’t want to be bothered. Forcing her way into the annex wouldn’t do her any good. If anything, his already non-existent favorability might just plummet straight into the negatives.

She trudged toward the central entrance, her steps heavy as she left the far end of the first floor, where the management office was.

It was disappointing, but there was nothing she could do. After all, she didn’t have the key.

‘It’s not like I didn’t expect this. Well, there’s still plenty of time.’

Ariel shook off her disappointment quickly. It was only April. She still had over two and a half years. Skylar’s situation was a bit precarious, but for now, it wasn’t an issue.

With that thought, she adjusted her course.

‘Since I’m already here, I might as well do something before I leave.’

Disappointing as it was, at least Lexius was in the same building.

Ariel reached for her phone to check his exact location, but just then, she heard a commotion nearby—the excited chatter of a group of female students. She immediately stopped in her tracks and glanced around. At the far end of the hallway, the large lounge area in the first building was crowded with people.

She cautiously peered inside through the wide-open double doors.

The room was adorned with stunning landscape paintings, all centered around a grand gray-white marble fireplace. A crowd had gathered around a deep teal couch.

‘Why are they gathered like that? Did they find a treasure or something?’

Ariel’s eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on. Snippets of conversation reached her ears, giving her some clues.

“He looks like a prince straight out of a novel… I saw him for the first time today.”

“How is it possible for someone to look so regal? He makes my brother look plain in comparison.”

“Isn’t this what people mean when they say not all nobles are the same? Maybe that phrase was inspired by the sheer presence of the prince’s looks.”

“Yeah! His looks are practically a weapon…”

Their voices were filled with awe, as if they were entranced by something divine. The female students, in particular, couldn’t stop gushing over his appearance.

For a moment, Ariel wondered who this so-called prince they were raving about was. However, since he wasn’t one of her targets, there was no reason to indulge her curiosity. She simply turned away and walked past the crowd, stopping in front of an empty classroom where no classes were being held.

There, she pulled out her phone.

『 A target has been detected far away. 』

『 Lexius Créssien

▷ Favorability towards you: ♥♡ (He feels favorably towards you and might even talk to you first.)
▷ Current Location: Academy Building 1 — Central Lounge, 1st Floor 』

After confirming Lexius’s exact location, Ariel tilted her head. His portrait had been hanging prominently in the hall she had just walked through—the one bustling with people. She then recalled the excited chatter of the female students in the hall, gushing about ‘a prince from a novel,’ ‘his regal looks,’ and how ‘his face itself is power,’ all in praise of someone.

‘There’s no way Lexius went there just to check out this so-called prince, right?’

Lexius was the grand prince of the empire, his rank even higher than that of royalty. There was no way people would be obsessing over some prince’s looks while he was around. Besides, it wasn’t like Lexius would ever be outshined in terms of appearance.

While speculating about the situation, she suddenly recalled a conversation from the past.

“Call me prince.”

The order Lexius had thrown at her during their rocky first meeting resurfaced in her mind.

Ariel mulled over his words from that moment.

“…Prince¹?”

Now that she thought about it, the Grand Duke of Créssien was technically a king within the principality under the empire. Since his people called him king, his son, the grand duke’s heir, Lexius, would probably be known as a prince there as well.

As the pieces clicked into place, everything started making sense. However, the realization only made Ariel’s expression grow more reluctant. Lexius’s portrait, standing tall in the packed hall, and the so-called prince the female students had been showering with praise.

‘Something tells me that so-called prince is someone I know…’

¹ [ Prince (왕자님) in this context refers to a prince of a principality, not a direct royal prince of the empire. Since Grand Duke Créssien rules a principality under the empire and is referred to as a king (왕) within his domain, his son, the grand duke’s heir, Lexius, would naturally be called ‘왕자’ (Prince) within that principality. ] ↩