The one small comfort was that he showed little interest in others.

Unlike Michael, he never struck up conversations with people, nor did he try to build a following. It was simply that fools hoping to gain something clung to him on their own, forming a loose group around him.

The last candidate was Endymion Rhea Hydra, known for his genius-level magical talent.

His mother, like Erin, came from common birth. The difference was that Erin had been a dancer, while Rhea was an accomplished mage recognized for her skill at the mage tower.

Having inherited his mother’s talent, he made the cut as one of the emperor’s heir candidates, but he didn’t seem to be the sociable type, since he rarely went out.

Because of this, Rowen didn’t even know what he looked like. If only he wandered around like Michael or Tehern did, she might have learned his appearance by now.

Rowen had never once seen Prince Endymion, but she assumed he probably wasn’t so different from Tehern or Michael either.

What kind of man was the emperor of the Hydra Empire? He was a man who crippled an innocent person just to possess a woman he desired.

Was gripping absolute power and wielding it cruelly the very virtue expected of an emperor? What it meant to be singled out as suited for such a position was obvious without even needing to look closely. Didn’t it mean being placed on the same level as Tehern or Michael?

In any case, the best strategy was to hide as much as possible and avoid crossing paths with those three princes. Rowen made up her mind once again, imagining nothing but the day she’d finally survive to the end and leave for Atleta.

* * *

Rowen tucked a thick book under her arm and carefully stepped into the lecture hall. The professor hadn’t arrived yet, it seemed, since the only person in the room was a brown-haired man. Rowen glanced at the back of his head for a moment before hesitantly making her way to an empty seat.

Since the Crystal Palace functioned like a boarding school for princes, they could freely attend whatever classes they wanted. But to avoid drawing attention, Rowen had never taken a single class until now, quietly living by borrowing books from the library instead.

For reference, she’d taught herself the Hydra script by digging through the library after entering the Crystal Palace. The only two adults in her life were Noma and Erin. Noma couldn’t read at all, and Erin only knew the Atleta script.

But even Rowen, who wanted to live quietly hidden away, found herself wanting to take a class for the first time. It wasn’t anything grand, just a class on Atleta’s culture and history.

Since it was the land where she’d one day build a life with Erin after escaping, she wanted to learn more about it.

Fortunately, unlike subjects like statecraft, this class had almost no popularity among the princes. After hearing from the attendant managing the roster that no one had signed up for it, Rowen registered immediately.

But for some reason, when she showed up on the first day of class, a man already occupied a seat. At least no more people seemed to be coming in…

Rowen sat two rows behind the brown-haired man. Whenever she got the chance, she kept glancing at him.

Fortunately, the man seemed to have no interest in Rowen whatsoever. He focused entirely on what the professor said throughout the class.

Having sacrificed her first class to observe him, Rowen concluded that he wasn’t particularly threatening.

At the very least, he didn’t seem like the violent type who enjoyed fighting, unlike Prince Tehern. That much was clear from how he walked out the moment class ended, not sparing her a single glance.

It seemed safe enough to keep attending the class. Satisfied with her first lesson, Rowen left the lecture hall with light steps.

Although she’d missed quite a bit of the lecture content while watching the brown-haired man for signs of danger, she could always listen more carefully next time. Feeling good, she even broke into an uncharacteristic run when she noticed no one around.

And just as she jumped excitedly around a corner.

“Ugh…!”

Rowen collided with something solid and bounced back, clutching her nose. It throbbed as though she’d slammed her face into a hard wall. When she lifted her head to see what had happened,

“…..”

Rowen stood there with her mouth hanging open, speechless. Right in front of her stood a man with hair as red as blazing fire. He was so tall that she had to tilt her head far back just to see his face.

Of course, Rowen didn’t look at the man’s face for long. The moment she recognized him as Prince Tehern, she immediately dropped her gaze to the ground.

“Uh, ah. Sorry, I’m sorry.”

A scream almost tore out of her the instant she saw Tehern. But Rowen barely managed to swallow it down and apologized instead.

She could feel Tehern’s sharp gaze bearing down on her from above, even though there was no way she could actually feel a gaze on her skin.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry…”

While apologizing, Rowen worried the whole time that a fist might come flying at her face. She wanted to stay as calm as possible, but her body kept trembling. There was no helping it, though, because the man standing before her was the very Prince Tehern rumored to tear people apart with his bare hands.

Rowen had never believed that rumor until now, but seeing his massive build up close, she found herself believing it after all.

She’d even been running through the hallway and slammed her face right into Tehern’s body. If it had been anyone else, it might not have mattered, but falling out of favor with Tehern meant her life would be over that day. That was a fact she’d repeated to herself countless times.

Rowen trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“…..”

Just then, Tehern’s hand entered Rowen’s downcast field of vision. So he’s finally going to hit me. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself.

But instead of driving his fist into her face, Tehern shoved her chest lightly with the back of his hand. He didn’t seem to use much force, yet Rowen was helplessly knocked aside. With his path cleared, Tehern walked past without even sparing her a glance.

It was only after being pushed aside that she noticed two princes standing behind Tehern, clearly his followers. They looked disappointed, as though they’d expected Rowen to get beaten.

“This guy’s pretty short for a man.”

They mocked her as they passed, noting how much smaller she was than them. Their snickering left an unpleasant feeling in the air.

But the mockery lasted only a moment. Tehern and his two followers soon vanished from Rowen’s sight.

“…..”

Once Tehern was completely gone, Rowen stumbled and had to catch herself against the wall. If she hadn’t, she might have collapsed right there.

I really thought I was going to die…

Rowen felt along her own neck to make sure she was actually still alive. She checked her chest too, where Tehern had shoved her, just in case something like a blade had been left behind.

“…..”

But her body was completely fine, aside from her heart racing a little faster than usual.

Even now, Rowen still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. That she’d collided with Tehern of all people and survived unscathed. It might have counted as the single greatest achievement of her entire life.

* * *

“Hey, aren’t you the guy who ran into Tehern last time?”

Two princes blocked Rowen’s path as she walked down the hallway, asking the question.

Rowen searched her memory for who they were. Ah, she remembered now. They were the two who’d been sticking close behind Tehern the last time she collided with him.

She nodded cautiously, just in case.

“But why does this guy’s face look so girly?”

Just then, one of them suddenly grabbed Rowen’s chin and roughly turned it side to side.

Telling a girl her face looked girly. Since she really was a girl, the comment itself didn’t bother her, but it made her tense up regardless. Surely they didn’t actually suspect she was a woman, did they?

This prince, while not quite as strong as Tehern, seemed to have considerable strength of his own. Her neck ached from being jerked back and forth repeatedly. The pain eventually made Rowen wince without meaning to.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Making a face like that in front of your almighty older brother?”

“What a funny guy.”