Chapter 72

Winter break and Christmas were spent throwing a party with the orphans at the orphanage. I smoothly got through the short third term, and the student council meeting also concluded successfully.

I will continue to serve as the student council president for this year as well.

The graduation ceremony for the current third-year students has also ended. At the graduation party, I will dance with Remy, who served as the vice president.

"Thank you for your hard work this year, Vice President. I'm sorry for putting you through so much trouble."

"No, not at all... I really learned what it means to 'work' from you, Your Highness. It was a great learning experience."

"You don't have to call me 'Your Highness.'"

"Please let me call you that now. The year I spent with you is a treasure to me. I can be proud of it for the rest of my life."

"Thank you, Remy..."

"You too, Your Highness. Please keep working hard until graduation for another year."

For the second dance, I danced with Olivia, who served as the treasurer.

"Thank you for your work as treasurer, Olivia."

"No, it was a straightforward job, so there was no trouble at all."

Olivia smiled.

"Regardless of the job, the real test of an accountant is how well they can hide double-entry bookkeeping, fraudulent accounting, and massive unexplained expenses—!"

"Are you really a student? What have you been up to?"

"A little bit of my father's work."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that... Congratulations on your graduation."

"Thank you, Shin. ...Once I step through the gates of this school, I have to call you 'Your Highness,' right?"

"You can call me 'Shin' in private. Forever."

"I'm so touched!"

For the last dance, I danced with Sera, who seemed a bit down. We danced quietly and solemnly.

"...Is something wrong?"

"...No."

When the song ended, she hugged me tightly.

"I was thinking that we might not be able to dance like this next year..."

If the villainess condemnation event happens as in the game, there won't be any time for dancing with the prince.

"It'll be okay..."

I hugged Sera.

"It will definitely be okay. I won't betray you. I'll protect you no matter what. I promise."

Sera nodded in my chest.

Glancing sideways, I saw that the heroines were dancing with Powell, Fried, and Picard in that order. I don't think that means they're ranked by affection, though.

During the last dance, the graduating drama club members were chatting by the wall. The last dance is supposed to be with your crush. If you skip it, it means you haven't decided who to pursue or are trying to keep your options open. It's a mystery.

One year left. It's crunch time.

Yeah, I'm getting excited. It seems better for my mental health to enjoy it.

"Sera"

"Yes?"

"Let's smile!"

Sera, who had teary eyes, was surprised.

"Instead of worrying, let's enjoy this situation. Even if we make mistakes or have to run away, it doesn't matter. We have a happy life waiting for us together. There's nothing to fear. I won't leave you alone. No matter where we go, I'll be with you."

"...That's right. Yes, that's right!"

Sera's hand, which she squeezed back with a smile, is now the greatest happiness for us...

And so, the third year began.

I am the student council president. I asked Hartis to be the vice president.

"Hartis, will you be the president?"

"No, no, no, no! That's impossible! I can't take the position over the prince!" He refused. There was nothing I could do.

Instead, I asked him to introduce someone for the secretary position.

"Can it be a member of the literature club?"

"Absolutely! Welcome!"

He brought a second-year male student from the literature club.

He gave a deep bow, saying, "Nice to meet you!" but I told him, "You don't have to be so formal. I keep saying that here, status doesn't matter."

I often go to the library, and since Sera is a member of the literature club, I've known him for a while.

His name is Cain Elphs. He's an intellectual type, similar to Hartis. He's a bit chubby and seems friendly. He's the second son of a baron's family.

For the treasurer, I boldly chose a first-year student, the top student in the entrance exam, Mithis Plain. She's also a baron's daughter, small in stature but very serious. I have high hopes for her.

"Eventually, both Cain and Mithis will be candidates for president, so I'll train you!"

"Understood!"

"Nice to meet you!"

The underclassmen are so cute!

I didn't join any club, and the two student council members were upperclassmen, so I don't have many close friends among the underclassmen. As a prince, I mostly interacted with older students at parties and tea parties.

According to Sera, in the game, the student council members are all the targets for romance. How is that possible? It's unrealistic. None of them, except Hartis, are capable of handling student council duties. Unless the student council was a salon like in Queen Eleonora Stradis's time, the current practical student council wouldn't have such a lineup.

Some not-so-cute people also enrolled.

"Brother! This school is a bit strange!"

It's my younger brother, Ren.

"Everyone calls me 'Midland' and no one calls me 'Your Highness.'"

What a cheeky thing to say.

"Didn't you see the sign at the school gate? 'All who enter this gate must abandon their status.' The king means it. I'm called 'Shin' by everyone here."

"Is Brother being mocked at school?"

Ren, who was spoiled because I was busy with official duties and couldn't play with him much, is a bit spoiled and naive.

"...If that were the case, I wouldn't be the student council president. Didn't you see me give the welcome speech as a representative of the current students at the opening ceremony?"

"...I understand. What should I call you at school?"

"President."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm the student council president, so half the students call me that."

"...Maybe I'll try being the student council president too."

"I've been the top student since first year."

"Wow."

Ha ha ha. The student council president used to be a honorary position until Eleonora's time, but it's different now. Study hard, okay?

The first task for the student council is budget allocation.

We have the activity records from last year's clubs, so we'll use them as a reference. We gather the club leaders and ask them to submit their plans and budgets for the year, then hold a meeting.

"We pooled 30% of each club's budget from last year. We'll do the same this year. Although last year's external activities were limited to one per club, we did achieve some results. This year, please include at least one external activity, such as participating in competitions, inter-school matches, or joint practices. We'll reallocate the funds from the pool for external activities. Thank you."

Since most students don't participate in clubs, those who do use more of the student council fees. They should work for it.

"Every time we go outside, the school's reputation goes down..."

"Music Club President, that's a matter of capability. Improvement starts with understanding the current situation. Instead of resting on our laurels as a noble school, we should learn to be respected and trusted by citizens and subjects."

"That's a high bar, President!"

Jack, the new leader of the swordsmanship club, complained.

"Those who don't work shouldn't eat. That's what citizens do."

"Okay, okay."

I haven't heard any rumors about the heroines since the second half of the second year. Since the water splashing incident, the bullying seems to have calmed down. It's like "no news is good news."

I thought Picard was the closest to the heroine, but it doesn't seem so. Picard is seen with different girls almost every day. While it's understandable that he's popular, I wish he would focus on one.

The musclehead has become quieter. Since the sword-drawing incident at the martial arts tournament, it seems unlikely he'll become a knight, and the girls have given up on him. In a school where half the students come from knight families, being branded as "impossible to become a knight" means being ignored. The girls are harsh.

Strangely, the heroine seems to be getting along well with the cool guy. I often see them together. It seems they've realized that Shin, Jack, and Hartis have no interest in pursuing her, and the main route, the prince route, requires the "villainess condemnation event" to reach the best ending, as Sera says.

Of course, to marry someone who is already engaged, you need to break the engagement.

To make the condemnation event successful, we need collaborators. We need to make all the other targets allies in the event, and have them present evidence of the villainess's misdeeds to condemn her.

If there are too few allies, the condemnation will fail, or the event won't even happen, leading to a bitter or bad ending.

In other words, even if it's not a reverse harem, we need to be friends with all the targets and have the highest affection with the one we want to pursue.

"Isn't this game too difficult?"

At the Colette family's townhouse, Sera and I were reviewing the strategy guide for the homemade game while having tea. It's nice to relax like this on our days off.

"To be friends with all the guys evenly, you need a great sense of balance."

"That's true. This game is quite sadistic. It forces the protagonist to be a flirt and play all sides."

"A duchess shouldn't use such words."

"Okay."

"But I think all the routes are almost impossible now."

Yeah, let's have a reflection meeting together.

Next: "72. Reflection Meeting"