Looking at Samantha and Cassandra, I could fully understand why the light elf, along with many other stufons, was so irritated. The two princesses were far too beautiful and talented, and in the eyes of those around them, had no business being near an ordinary half-elf.
The crowd, which had already begun to disperse, stopped once again, their gazes shifting between me and the princesses.
Suppressing a heavy sigh and trying to ignore the stares that felt as though they were trying to burn through my back, I couldn't help but think that by calling out to them, I had only drawn even more unnecessary attention to myself.
"I only just arrived. Wouldn't it be better if we continued this conversation without an audience?" I replied to her question, keeping my tone calm, though the feeling of dozens of eyes on my back was beginning to genuinely irritate me.
Samantha and Cassandra exchanged glances. By now, I had already realized they understood each other perfectly without words.
After giving each other a small nod, both stepped closer to me—one wrapping herself around my left arm, the other around my right.
"Let's go to the café. We'll be able to talk there without unnecessary ears listening in," Samantha said in her melodic voice.
All I could do was nod silently.
Under the gazes of the other stufons, we headed toward the staircase leading down to the cafeteria.
As we descended, we ran into my classmates. Many of them stared at me without looking away, while some passed by with obvious irritation.
Among them, I noticed my sister as well. She only cast me a brief glance before an expression of open disgust appeared on her face.
Her imagination had probably already painted plenty of unpleasant scenarios for her.
I merely shook my head.
Our next class was supposed to be Monster Studies, so after slightly quickening our pace, we descended to the first floor and headed into the cafeteria.
It turned out to be quite spacious. stufons sat at tables here and there—some discussing the lessons that had just ended, others eating lunch while staring tiredly at the table, as if they were already exhausted by the very first day of classes.
As we approached the counter, I noticed a young girl in the academy uniform. She was Marked and greeted every visitor with a friendly smile, but having spent most of my life in the palace, I could easily recognize smiles like that. Behind the outward friendliness was nothing more than a carefully practiced mask.
After choosing a few drinks, we headed for a table in the far corner, as far away as possible from the curious glances directed at us not only by the stufons, but even by the cafeteria staff.
The tables here were round, and the low chairs with comfortable backrests allowed at least a little relaxation.
Once we sat down, a long silence settled between us.
Samantha and Cassandra kept exchanging glances, as if silently arguing over who would begin the conversation first.
Growing tired of watching this wordless standoff, I let out a heavy sigh and decided to break the silence myself.
"So, who was that, Samantha?" I asked, looking directly into her eyes.
I noticed immediately that she was nervous.
Lightly tapping her fingers against her mug, Samantha took a small sip, clearly trying to calm herself before finally speaking.
"You mean Ke'Lun? He's one of those unhappy with the outcome of the duel," Samantha said, lightly biting her lip as she lowered her gaze to the table.
"Are you connected to him somehow? Why are you nervous, Samantha?" I asked, no longer able to ignore her behavior.
The princess raised her eyes. It was obvious from her expression that she was hesitating, unsure whether she should tell me everything.
But after taking a deep breath, Samantha finally began to speak.
"As you know, Cassandra and I both have duties as princesses, and marriage is one of them. I come from an ancient bloodline of light elves, and marriage agreements among us are often arranged almost from early childhood, allowing the children to become interested in one another in a more natural setting." Samantha's voice sounded sad, and there was a faint sense of detachment in her gaze.
Thinking back, I began recalling what my teachers had once told me—that light elves, like dark elves, choose a partner for life. That was precisely why their numbers were not especially great, though they always made up for it with quality rather than quantity.
Noticing that Samantha had gone silent and was looking at me as though waiting for permission to continue, I silently nodded and took a sip of my drink to show I was listening.
"When I was a child, I was introduced to Ke'Lun. He comes from a noble family, and his father is the treasurer of our kingdom. He has long sought to become part of the royal family, but for certain reasons, he was never able to accomplish that. Because of this, his son and I spent a lot of time together growing up, and later we even became friends. Eventually, his father proposed a marriage between us." Samantha fell silent for a moment, then took another sip of her drink before continuing.
"I wasn't against it. It's still better than marrying someone you know absolutely nothing about. The king and queen promised to give their final answer after I completed my studies at the academy. But then you appeared, along with the duel, which put an end to Ke'Lun's father's plans."
After finishing her story, Samantha drained the rest of her drink and looked at me without averting her gaze.
Listening to her, I understood that Ke'Lun was not truly the person worth blaming.
To most people, I was clearly the villain in this entire situation. In essence, I had ruined the marriage plans of at least one of the princesses.
Although, looking at the matter rationally, in five years they could simply restore everything.
By then, I would already have graduated from the academy, and the need to hide would likely be gone.
"You do understand that in five years, you'll still be able to be with him if that's what you want, right?" I asked sincerely.
After all, if I were still a prince, similar obligations would have rested on me as well.
"Do you really think anyone will believe that after five years, we never performed the wedding ritual?" Samantha asked, tilting her head slightly as a noticeable blush spread across her face.
I paused to think for a moment.
"I assume light and dark elves have some way of determining whether an elf has already bound their fate to someone or not," I replied, shifting my gaze from Cassandra to Samantha.
After my words, both princesses lowered their heads.
Such a method really did exist.
However, if after five years it were revealed that they had lied to everyone all this time, a scandal of such magnitude would erupt among the elves that it would be impossible to ignore.
"Trey, you do realize that once the truth comes out, every elf will be looking for you. Possibly even humans as well," Cassandra said, not taking her eyes off me.
I simply nodded in response to words that sounded both like a question and a statement.
I had no intention of telling them what might happen in five years.
Either they wouldn't believe me, or even if they did, it would only complicate things further.
Besides, traveling everywhere accompanied by two princesses would mean constantly drawing unnecessary attention to myself.
"Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" I asked, shifting my gaze to both of them.
The princesses exchanged glances, as though silently coming to some kind of agreement, before both turning toward me at the same time.
It was obvious from their expressions that they wanted to say something important.
"We need to come up with a plan for how often we'll meet in order to maintain the story that we've become your wives," Samantha said, her entire face noticeably flushed red.
Admitting all of this was clearly not easy for them.
Their lives had been planned out since the moment they were born. Both princesses were meant to become future representatives of authority in their respective kingdoms, continuing the lines of their dynasties.
And then I appeared.
Somehow, I had managed to attract the attention of both light and dark elves, and as a result, both princesses had become hostages to the situation.
They clearly disliked how their lives had changed by a full one hundred and eighty degrees, as well as the fact that they were now officially considered married to the same man.
"I suggest we don't go overboard with this. We only need to maintain the appearance that we're together. So we can simply spend time together both inside and outside the academy," I said, not seeing any serious issue in the situation at all.
Samantha and Cassandra exchanged glances.
I clearly saw the irritation flare up in their eyes, though I didn't entirely understand what had caused it.
"Trey, don't be an idiot. We don't just need to walk around like friends—we need to act like we're actually together. And simply talking isn't enough for that!" Cassandra practically hissed, glaring at me as though trying to burn a hole through me.
I thought for a moment.
"You can stay overnight in my room. It's spacious enough, and then no one will have any questions about what exactly we're doing as a couple," I replied calmly, still failing to see any particular problem with the arrangement.
The only irritating factor remained the other stufons, who kept occasionally throwing hateful glances my way.
Cassandra was already about to say something in response, but Samantha unexpectedly grabbed her hand and whispered something quietly into her ear.
I couldn't hear the words, but judging by the way Cassandra slowly nodded afterward, I understood they had come to some sort of agreement.
"Then wait for us at your room after classes today, darling," Samantha said in her melodic voice.
Rising from her chair, she pulled Cassandra along with her, and the two headed for the exit.
Letting out a tired sigh, I leaned back against the chair and began thinking about what to do next.
Sooner or later, the emperor and empress would undoubtedly receive information that their son, Aluric, had disappeared during the academy entrance process.