Helios and Lorraine (2)  

The terms of the deal were simple.

Helios wanted to score higher on his assignments and understand how Lorraine completed hers.

“Show me how you’re working on this philosophy assignment.”

“What?”

Lorraine looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“A philosophy assignment is just about writing your opinion.”

“But you choose your reference materials yourself. What’s your criteria for selecting them?”

“Well… I just pick them.”

“What do you mean by ‘just’?”

When Helios frowned, Lorraine sighed.

“Then shall we go to the library together?”

The philosophy assignment wasn’t particularly difficult. It was to read a book that had swept across the continent of Romancia, ‘Les Misérables’, and write an essay about what you thought of the protagonist’s actions in stealing bread.

Helios spoke as if it were obvious.

“Isn’t it an immoral act? He even went on to steal silverware afterward. Honestly, he should’ve been sent to prison.”

He then went to the library and began pulling out random books related to criminal law and legal systems.

“Of course, I think the punishment was too harsh. And the prison conditions were terrible. If I were king, I wouldn’t have treated prisoners like that.”

Helios also went to another section and picked up books about foreign welfare systems.

At this, Lorraine shook her head.

“You really think like a king.”

“What?!”

A startled Helios dropped the book he was holding. Lorraine picked it up and handed it back to him.

“I agree with your thoughts. And essays don’t have definitive answers. But Helios, you need to think about the grading criteria.”

“What do you mean?”

“The grading criteria. That’s the professor’s preferences.”

Lorraine led him to another section of the library.

“Professor Arisene always donates money to help others, even small amounts, and regularly volunteers at orphanages. So what kind of essay do you think he’d like?”

“…Oh.”

Helios finally realized why his essays always came in second.

Having grown up in the royal family, Helios wrote essays that evaluated the citizens from a royal perspective. To the professor, his writing must have seemed arrogant or off-topic.

“If you talk about how unfairly the state oppressed its citizens at the time, how economically disastrous it was, and how hard it must have been for the protagonist, wouldn’t that work better?”

“That’s too emotional.”

“The professor is emotional.”

“Oh…”

“But you can’t just write emotionally. Let’s look into the history of the Ariche state, the background of that country.”

When Lorraine pulled out a history book about Ariche, Helios nodded as if he were mesmerized.

***

The two grew closer, and sometimes they even made bets on their test scores.

Lorraine won most of the time, but occasionally Helios managed to win.

“This time, I won!!”

Helios proudly held up his test paper with a perfect score, beaming.

His bright, sunny smile almost made Lorraine smile back without realizing it, but she suppressed it and retorted coldly.

“It’s your first time. Don’t get cocky.”

“Exactly because it’s my first time, I have to celebrate, Miss Lorraine Fertel.”

His cheeky words and smile were enough to break her composure, and Lorraine burst into laughter. Helios immediately plopped down beside her.

Every time they had tests, the two would compete over their scores, usually betting snacks.

Helios, who had always lost and ground his teeth in frustration, was determined to finally win a treat from Lorraine this time.

“Since I won the bet on this test, you have to buy me something delicious now.”

Knowing Lorraine’s financial situation, he assumed she’d buy something like candy or chocolate. But what came out of her mouth was different.

“Want to go out for a meal?”

Lorraine chose a meal for a simple reason.

Helios had always lost and treated her to delicious food, but the prices had been exorbitant.

If she didn’t at least buy him a meal, her conscience wouldn’t allow her to rest.

Lorraine let Helios choose the restaurant, but Helios asked her for recommendations instead.

Of course, his decision took Lorraine’s financial situation into account.

After school, the two went to a reasonably priced Paletian restaurant and had dinner.

When they stepped out of the restaurant, the night sky was already sparkling with stars.

“Ah, that was good.”

“It’s already night.”

“Want to take a walk?”

Helios extended his hand, and Lorraine hesitated.

It was an instinctively natural gesture from the prince—a gentlemanly act of escorting a lady.

Although they had walked together many times within the academy, it had always been with books or stationery in their hands. This was different.

Lorraine’s eyes wavered slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

At Helios’s urging, Lorraine slowly placed her hand on his.

“That’s such a smooth, flirtatious move, Helios.”

“Oh, I was taught this from a young age.”

“To learn how to escort so perfectly… Impressive. If you attend a royal ball, even the famously beautiful Princess Lucellia might fall for you.”

‘Lucellia is my sister.’

Helios chuckled inwardly and asked Lorraine in return.

“What about you? There’s a princess’s birthday celebration coming up at the palace. Are you going?”

“No way.”

Lorraine smiled faintly and shook her head.

She spoke nonchalantly, but her eyes hardened slightly.

Helios easily read her true feelings in her gaze and felt pity.

‘She’s so beautiful.’

The thought came to him suddenly, but Helios wasn’t surprised. Anyone would agree with such an assessment.

In particular, Helios loved how Lorraine’s green eyes sparkled like dew on leaves.

They were so beautiful and precious that he felt they were priceless.

If she attended a ball, the number of men captivated by her gaze would outnumber the stars in the night sky.

The man who approached her first and was granted the honor of the first dance would surely be a blessed one.

‘I wish I could go with her.’

The thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes widened. Helios shook his head vigorously.

The two began walking through the town again at a leisurely pace.

“You can see the stars here, even in the town.”

“Couldn’t you see them where you lived?”

“Of course not. The palace is…”

Helios trailed off mid-sentence. Lorraine blinked in surprise.

“The palace?”

“Oh, no. I was just wondering if you could see them from the palace.”

“Do you want to go to the palace? You’ve been talking about it a lot.”

Lorraine tilted her head in curiosity.

“Who wouldn’t want to go to such a magnificent place?”

“…Not me. Earning money is more urgent.”

Lorraine shook her head firmly.

Helios’s reaction, however, was different. He clenched his hand slightly into a fist.

“I want to go. No, I will go.”

His blue eyes shone with a deep, burning desire.

For the first time, Lorraine was surprised.

Though Helios had been obsessed with scoring high on assignments, he had always been lighthearted.

Whenever he came in second, he would smile and say, “Oh well, I’ll do better next time.”

But now, for the first time, he showed a gaze filled with ambition.

The bottomless depth in his eyes convinced Lorraine that he wasn’t lying.

However, that blue light quickly subsided, and Helios returned to his usual self.

With a lighthearted smile, he shrugged his shoulders.

“This is a secret, Lorraine. I’m going to change this country.”

“W-what?”

Lorraine stammered in shock.

“I’m going to turn Madonia from a kingdom into an empire.”

She couldn’t say anything.

For some reason, she felt like he could really do it.

It was ridiculous, but she believed it.

As she hesitated, unsure of how to respond, Helios said something unbelievable.

“Lorraine, so… I’d like you to stand by my side when that happens. Will you?”

“What?”

“I want to build the empire together with you. You’re talented enough for it.”

It sounded like an evaluation.

It wasn’t something a peer, let alone a classmate who had only beaten her once, should say.

But under the starlight, Lorraine felt that Helios’s golden hair seemed like it belonged to the royal family of Madonia.

Her pride was crushed, but she couldn’t deny the overwhelming dignity of royalty emanating from Helios.

“You’ll stand by my side, won’t you?”

In the end, Lorraine turned her head sharply and spoke in the sharpest tone she could muster.

“Fine, if you really become that capable. But can you? You’re still just a perpetual second place.”

“Hahaha, just wait and see. I will.”

Under the beautiful night sky, Helios’s laughter rang out loudly.

***

“I never thought I’d end up standing by your side like this.”

Her recollection of their academy days ended. Lorraine smiled faintly as she adjusted her large earrings.

Today was the coronation day of the Madonia Empire.

Having completely absorbed Salita, Madonia was finally recognized as an empire, a step above a kingdom.

And standing beside Helios, the first emperor of the Madonia Empire, were Lorraine and Apel.

Years ago, there had been countless objections from the council, but now things were different.

Lorraine had helped govern Madonia alongside Helios, not as the mistress of the palace but as his partner, contributing to the empire’s growth and earning recognition.

“When someone says that, don’t they usually mean as an aide or a subordinate?”

“That’s what I meant back then.”

Helios smiled softly and gently placed his hands on Lorraine’s shoulders in front of the mirror.

Reflected in the mirror was the image of a beautiful empress and emperor, as if painted in a portrait.

“I didn’t realize I liked you back then. If I had, I would’ve kept you by my side much sooner. Honestly, I still regret it.”

Lorraine rolled her eyes and pushed Helios’s hands away.

“Shouldn’t you regret acting so obsessively instead, Your Majesty? Do you know how terrifying you were?”

“…Hmm.”

“Do you know how much effort the secretary put into erasing the record of the empress being a wanted criminal?”

“Well…”

Helios scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“There was no other way to find the empress than to issue wanted posters, was there?”

“There could’ve been a more polite way. You made me look like a criminal.”

“But back then, you ‘were’ a criminal.”

When Lorraine widened her eyes in disbelief, Helios grinned mischievously.

“A thief who stole my heart.”

“….”

Lorraine narrowed her eyes at his corny joke.

“You’ve really become boring as you’ve aged. Let’s go now. The Archduke is waiting.”

Speaking coldly, Lorraine stood up and adjusted her skirt. The expensive jewels adorning her outfit swayed beautifully under her touch.

But what shone brighter than anything else was her green eyes, sparkling like emeralds under the chandelier.

He had wondered who would capture those elegant, dazzling eyes, and it turned out to be him.

Helios thought to himself that he was the luckiest man in Madonia.

Perhaps that’s why Madonia had become an empire.

Overwhelmed by his fortune, he was momentarily speechless. Lorraine extended her hand to him.

“Let’s go, Your Majesty.”

“…Alright.”

Their hands overlapped as the doors opened.

This was the moment when the promise made under the night sky long ago would be fulfilled forever.

~~End of the Side Story~~