Chapter 100

The girl walking at the center of the group of male students let her wavy, fluffy purple hair flow in the wind.

She was petite and cute, with a slender and feminine build. Her amethyst eyes were gentle, and her small lips were tinged with a rosy hue. The expression with which she smiled at the surrounding male students had a fleeting quality to it.

She clutched a book in front of her chest.

"Still, don't be so reserved, Fiorina."

From the sound of this call, it seemed the beautiful girl was named Fiorina. The male student walking beside her extended his hand to Fiorina as they walked.

"If I let you carry the luggage, the butler who gave me gentlemanly education will scold me. Here, give me that book."

"Cheating, Philip. Fiorina, let me carry it to the classroom for you!"

"You guys don't understand. A lady like Fiorina would never let someone else carry her things. It would be better to go ahead and open the school door and wait there."

Fiorina watched the boys argue with a modest smile. Suddenly, her gaze turned towards Claudia and her companions.

"…Oh?"

"Hey! Where are you going, Fiorina!"

Fiorina stepped away from the circle of male students and walked over to Claudia, bending down. A sweet, floral perfume wafted in the air.

"Hello, first-year. I don't recognize your face, but are you perhaps a princess from the Avianoria Kingdom?"

"Yes! Claudia Natalia Brightkreuz, ten years old!"

Claudia put on a bright smile and acted energetically. Fiorina, who had no way of knowing the real Claudia, smiled and squinted her eyes.

"Oh, how cute…! May I call you Claudia-chan?"

"Hehe. Noah, 'Claudia-chan'!"

"…"

Claudia was genuinely delighted by the new way she was addressed. Noah had an indescribable look on his face, but Claudia didn't mind.

"I'm so happy! Um, you are…"

"Hehe, I'm Fiorina Elma Sherwino. And that nice boy over there?"

"He's Noah, who takes care of me!"

Noah bowed silently, and Fiorina exclaimed, "Oh."

"Noah-kun. You look so handsome and dignified, I almost mistook you for a prince."

"That would be inappropriate."

"Yes, Noah is incredibly handsome! He's my pride and joy!"

"……That would be inappropriate."

As Claudia smiled, Fiorina suddenly hugged her tightly. Her lips approached Claudia's ear.

"Actually?"

Fiorina's voice whispered sweetly to Claudia.

"I'm also a princess, just like Claudia-chan."

"……"

Fiorina stood up gently, placed her index finger to her lips, and smiled.

"It's a secret, okay?"

"……"

Claudia mimicked the gesture, placing her index finger to her lips and responding to Fiorina.

"Yes, Fiorina-sempai!"

"Hehe. By the way, where are you going, Claudia-chan? If you'd like, I can guide you to your destination…"

At that moment, the male students who had been watching from behind called out.

"If Fiorina is going, we should naturally go with her!"

"Wait, a large group following her might scare Princess Claudia. I should take on that role…"

"I'll help Fiorina!"

"Oh, everyone. Please don't fight, and be friendly…"

Just as Fiorina tried to intervene, a male voice was heard.

"―Fiorina"

"!"

At that moment, Fiorina's expression became even brighter and more radiant.

"Lucas…!"

The male students around her grimaced in unison. The person walking towards them was a young man in the same eighth grade as Fiorina, wearing a blue tie.

The young man called Lucas had hair nearly black, with sapphire-colored eyes. He was tall and had a slender but well-proportioned build.

While the young men surrounding Fiorina were also handsome, Lucas's appearance stood out as exceptionally well-groomed.

"Are you here? Your homeroom teacher is calling you."

"Did you come looking for me?"

Fiorina, who was talking to Lucas, blushed while tightly hugging her book. A nearby female student passing by exclaimed at the sight of the two.

"Look, it's Lucas-sempai! How handsome he is…!"

"They look so perfect together, like a painting."

It wasn't just her. Female students who were spending their after-school time in various ways were seen admiring them from all over.

Claudia spoke to Noah in a small voice.

"They both look so beautiful, like a painting. Right, Noah?"

"The most beautiful is the princess, so I cannot agree with your statement."

Just as Noah firmly stated this, one of the female students spotted Claudia and exclaimed in surprise.

"Look. That first-year over there is so cute!"

"Oh, it's true!"

"!"

In an instant, many female students gathered around Claudia.

"Wow, she looks like a doll up close!! Hello, are you a transfer student!?"

"Wha?"

"Your eyes are so clear, your lashes are fluffy, and your cheeks are so smooth…! Even though you're a first-year, you're so small and cute…!"

"Your hair is so silky! When you grow up, you'll definitely be a stunning beauty. But even now, your cuteness and beauty are so perfect, you're a real beauty."

"I wish I had a sister like you! Hey, hey, do you want some sweets?"

"The more I look, the more beautiful you are. I want to dress you in all sorts of cute dresses…"

As Claudia blinked, the number of upperclassmen around her continued to grow. When a female student poked Claudia's cheek, Noah couldn't bear it anymore and reached out his hand.

"Princess!"

Noah was usually instructed to, "It's better if I'm seen as being restrained. When I'm treated like a child, try to stay calm and not intervene."

However, he couldn't stand by any longer and picked up Claudia. Recently, Noah had grown taller than the average adult woman, and with Claudia in his arms, she could look down at the upperclassmen.

But that didn't help.

The female students, who had been focused on Claudia, now saw Noah's face for the first time and were uniformly captivated.

"Wow, you're also so handsome…!"

"!?"

At that moment, Noah showed a truly bitter expression. But the girls ignored it and surrounded Noah, who was holding Claudia.

"Is that a fourth-year tie? So you're thirteen or fourteen!? You're already so handsome, and you still have room to grow!?"

"Are you Claudia-chan's knight? So cute…!"

(Oh, Noah is so popular with the upperclassmen.)

"Princess, permission for the teleportation spell…!"

Just as Noah made a small plea, a voice came from the crowd.

"Hey. You should stop teasing the underclassmen now."

"!"

The girls turned around to see the young man, Lucas, who had appeared earlier.