“Huh? Ruhir, what’s going on? Did she dump you already?”

“She didn’t dump me.”

“Then what brings you to the hideout? You haven’t come here once in the whole month since you started dating.”

Ruhir made his way to the hideout where he and his friends often gathered. Even without him, his friends came and went freely, and today they were all gathered and passing the time. Some were reading, some were playing cards, some were chatting.

They all greeted him warmly when he arrived. They had been surprised when he suddenly said he was dating a commoner, but since Lilian didn’t seem to have any objections, they couldn’t say anything either.

If Lilian had been opposed, they would have tried to talk him out of it, but she herself was completely unbothered.

“……”

“Ruhir. So what’s Jeanne like? You’re together every day, what do you two actually do?”

“Have you kissed yet?”

“Hey. Saying something so improper to His Highness.”

“He’s never dated anyone before, so is that even possible? And Jeanne Nova was obsessed with studying too, so they’re well matched.”

“You lot have been in and out of relationships since you enrolled at the Academy.”

“Well. That’s true.”

They were the type who had scattered all manner of romantic rumors in the name of dating. To think that these were the noble heirs who would one day support the empire. It was worrying, but the adults said it was natural at their age.

“Is it normal to just read books on a date?”

“What?”

At Ruhir’s words, everyone who had been lounging about turned to look at him at once.

Having never dated before, he had no idea what he was supposed to do. But if he asked the people around him, they would laugh at him. Still, the fact that they had gone to the bookshop almost every day since they started dating was weighing on him.

Was this, too much for a relationship? It felt less like being a couple and more like being reading companions.

When he told his friends that all they had done since getting together was go to the bookshop, they all stared at him with expressions of disbelief.

“What about conversation?”

“Just things like whether she had eaten, how her day went.”

“Are you her father?”

“Speaking as someone who has dated any number of boyfriends, you are the worst boyfriend imaginable.”

The friends who had been scattered around had, without his noticing, gathered and sat in a circle around Ruhir. Then they asked him what on earth had been going on for the past month.

What had been going on was that they had only gone to the bookshop. Walk to the Academy together in the morning, attend shared lectures together, eat lunch together, leave together, then go to the bookshop.

The friends who heard this turned serious.

“She likes going to the bookshop, so……”

“Liking it doesn’t mean you only go there. You should walk around the market district, go to the lake, go out and have fun together. I know you’ve never dated before, but to not even know something that basic.”

Everyone looked as though the world had gone dark before their eyes, pressing their hands to their heads. If left to his own devices, the second prince would clearly be dumped before long. They had all placed bets on how long the two would last, but not this soon.

And so they all gathered and began introducing him to good places to go on a date. He had felt a little awkward asking his family about something like this, so he was glad he had said something. Ruhir took out a pen and a notepad and began writing everything down.

***

“Jeanne.”

When he had mentioned that he had been dressing cleanly and comfortably, Rebecca had grabbed him by the collar and told him not to make her laugh. She had shaken him back and forth, saying that with a face like his, why wasn’t he making use of it. So today’s outfit was one he had put thought into, though still comfortable enough not to feel like too much to be around.

He had also woken up early and groomed himself carefully. Whether that effort had paid off, when Jeanne looked up and met his eyes, she stopped in her tracks and stared at him blankly for a moment.

Women liked boldness, they had said. He steadied his breathing slowly, smiled, and asked.

“I put some effort in today. Do you like it?”

“…… Yes. I already thought you were handsome, but today even more so.”

…… He hadn’t expected her to be so straightforward. Ruhir’s face flushed quickly, so he turned his head away for a moment to cool it down. Whether it was because it was their first weekend date, she had clearly dressed up prettily too. …… She was seeing him as a partner, surely.

“Jeanne dressed up today too.”

“Me? Oh, um. Well, I suppose.”

Jeanne looked the same as usual, but she agreed for the time being. The reason he thought she looked different was probably the change in her hairstyle.

She normally kept her hair neatly tucked behind her ears. But today her friends had suggested she try a different style, so she had done a half-updo.

Her clothes were the same neat style she always wore.

That aside, she had always thought Ruhir was handsome, but today he was a level above that. Maybe he put in more effort because there was more time on weekends. He looked handsome enough that anyone would take him for a prince at a glance.

To think that she was the first person this vibrant and youthful prince had ever dated. It was a stroke of luck to be by his side at his most youthful.

Men only grew more valuable once they came of age, after all. The thought that she could have exclusive claim even to the freshness of him just barely grown and just graduated made her glad all over again.

More than that, she could see many students around the Academy freely enjoying their weekend. Until she started dating him, she had only ever been inside the buildings, so it was a sight she had never seen before.

“We’re going to the bookshop together again today.”

“Actually, Jeanne. Today, instead of the bookshop, would you like to go see an opera with me?”

“An opera?”

“Yes. It’s the most talked-about opera in the capital right now. Would that be all right?”

“…… I’d like that.”

Since she saved most of her money, Jeanne had never paid to see an opera herself. That wasn’t to say she had never seen one at all. The Academy gave students various experiences during the semester, and attending an opera was one of them. They had been given tickets and taken to see it.

Thanks to that, she still remembered how completely she had been swept up the first time she saw an opera. She had often thought she would want to see one all the time if only she had the money.

“I know tickets to this performance are supposed to be very hard to come by.”

“The venue is run by a friend’s parents, so I was able to get tickets.”

This was why nobles were something else. He had gotten in a single stroke what she couldn’t easily get her hands on even if she tried.

She wasn’t angry. The thought that she would make thorough use of him simply bloomed further.

Jeanne smiled and reached out to take his arm.

At that, she could watch in real time as his ears immediately flushed red. It wasn’t as though he actually liked her, yet he was performing quite well. She figured it was because he had never dated before.

“How were you planning to get there?”

“…… I was thinking we’d take a carriage. The plaza is always crowded on weekends.”

“Sounds good.”

And so she walked with him across the Academy grounds toward the entrance. She could feel the stares of students on her, but Jeanne didn’t mind in the slightest. The rumors about them being a couple had spread widely, yet people still seemed to find it hard to believe.

When they stepped out through the entrance, a carriage was waiting for them, and they got in together right away.

“To the opera house.”

“Yes.”

Ever since enrolling at the Academy, she had always been short on money, but lately she had been feeling a sense of abundance. It was because Ruhir covered all the costs whenever they were together. At first she had felt a little guilty and tried to pay for her own share, but he refused right away.

What had he said then? Something about how she had become his partner through his confession, so it was right for him to take responsibility.

Hearing that hadn’t made her fall for him. She had only thought how insufferable it was. Of course he had plenty of money, being the second prince of a prosperous empire.

At any rate, from that day on, she resolved not to feel any guilt about Ruhir paying for everything.

“……”

“……”

The inside of the carriage was quiet. The road to the venue was so crowded on a weekend that they barely moved.

The seats across from each other were soft, so sitting in the carriage for a long time wasn’t uncomfortable or unpleasant. She was leisurely looking out the window when Ruhir spoke to her carefully.

“Thank you for coming to see the opera with me.”

“If there’s somewhere you want to go in the future, suggest it like this. Let’s go together.”

“Yes. I will, Jeanne.”

For one year, I will make full use of every privilege the upper class has to offer. That thought filled Jeanne’s mind. She wanted to do everything she hadn’t been able to do all the years she had been saving money.

They were using each other, and no matter how much money was spent, it wouldn’t even make a dent.

Go ahead and take that first place ranking, Princess Lilian. I’ll be spending the imperial family’s money and enjoying myself properly.

Thinking that, she nearly laughed, but she held it back and pressed her lips together.

“Does Ruhir like opera too?”

“Yes. My elder brother is very fond of it, so he used to take me and my elder sister and the younger ones often.”

“Your siblings are all very close.”

She already knew, since it was well known. It had been in the papers, and she had seen it herself while attending the Academy.

Usually when an emperor had many children, didn’t conflict break out among them. The fact that it wasn’t like that had always struck her as unusual.

The imperial couple got along well too, and there were no rumors of infidelity. She had read in the papers that the previous emperor had been so disreputable that the current emperor had worked hard not to follow the same path.

“So I’d like to go see things with Jeanne often from now on.”

“…… I’d like that. As often as you want.”

“Really? Not just opera, other things too? Like plays, or vocal concerts, or ballet and things like that.”

“Anything is fine, as long as I’m watching it with Ruhir.”