The atmosphere was chilling.
Despite now sitting as the student council president, Astrid felt more like an ice princess than the cheerful, proactive student everyone had once known.
On the surface, she looked the same. But to those who had spent the past year with her, the sudden change was glaring.
“Uhm… Astrid?”
“Yes?” Astrid turned with a calm, serene smile. “Whatever is the matter, my dear friend Sophia?”
“….”
Speechless.
That was how Astrid responded to everyone now.
Screw her inner turmoil!
Sophia figured she was just nervous. Maybe she’d gotten it into her head to emulate the stereotypical student council president from one of the novels she probably read.
“Ah! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Sophia reached out and began shaking her. “Turn back! Turn back! This is so weird!”
“Sophia,” Astrid said gently, “we’re in a lecture.”
All eyes turned toward them.
Professor Vanitas, who had been writing on the board, paused mid-motion and turned toward them.
He tilted his head slightly and said, “Sophia, you’re free to leave the lecture hall if you wish. But don’t disturb your peers.”
“….”
The room fell into a hush.
“Tch.”
Sophia let go of Astrid with a quiet grumble and slumped back into her seat.
Astrid adjusted her posture, folded her hands neatly on the desk, and returned her gaze to the front as if nothing had happened.
The truth was, Astrid didn’t really know what she was doing either. She just felt the need to disassociate for a while.
Even if everyone had brushed off that supposed engagement between Vanitas and Irene as a joke… was it really?
Not only was it obvious that the two were secretly seeing each other, but the fact that her sister had kept it hidden from her of all people, left a painful ache in her chest she couldn’t quite explain.
From the outside looking in, what right did she even have to feel that way?
People had their own secrets. Astrid had her own secrets too. And this wasn’t the first time Astrid had been left out of the loop.
But still….
“….”
Her gaze drifted toward Vanitas at the front of the room. Her brow furrowed slightly. Then, with a sigh, she looked away.
Indeed, to those who had known Astrid for the past year, the change in her demeanor was painfully obvious.
And to those who didn’t?
“Good morning, President.”
There was no difference at all.
“A pleasant day to you, Senior Adam,” Astrid replied with a soft smile. “Congratulations on securing the position of Secretary.”
While she had grown used to the senior lingering around her during the campaign, he had also been particularly insistent on striking up conversation during the banquet. For some reason, though, his presence felt oddly irritating today.
A glance beside her showed Sophia chatting animatedly with Adam, clearly enjoying herself.
“Would it be alright if I join you two for lunch?” Adam asked, turning toward them.
“Of course, of course,” Sophia responded with a cheerful smile.
Adam was a well-known nobleman from the Oleander Earl Family. He was popular for being well-spoken, and handsome. It wasn’t surprising that Sophia was reacting this way.
Resigning herself, Astrid simply nodded in agreement. After selecting their meals, the three of them found a table and sat down for lunch.
As expected of noble decorum, conversation was kept to a minimum during the meal.
They didn’t have the luxury of going out for lunch today since student council duties would keep them busy.
Once they were nearly finished, Adam dabbed at his lips with a napkin before speaking.
“I took a peek at the council office earlier. Looks like it’s already been cleared out and prepped for renovation.”
Astrid set down her glass of water, nodding slightly. “Yes. Though, I believe it’s best not to go overboard with the design. If you and the other council members have any suggestions, feel free to share them during the planning session.”
Sophia leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “Can I recommend the color palette?”
“You’re not even part of the council.”
“Heh.”
After finishing their meal, Astrid and Adam excused themselves, leaving behind a dramatically pleading Sophia who insisted she could still “supervise aesthetics.”
Ignoring her protests, the two headed for the student council office.
As expected, several of the council members had already arrived and were inspecting the room as they took note of the space, layout, and what needed replacing.
Well, everyone except Ezra, who seemed to have been running late.
Of course, not everyone from their campaign party had secured a seat. In the end, only Astrid had won the presidency, with Ezra as vice-president, Adam as secretary, and Natalia as assistant secretary. The remaining positions had gone to representatives from the rival parties.
It was disappointing, but not unexpected.
Naturally, all eyes turned to greet the newly elected head of the council.
“Good morning, President.”
Astrid offered a polite nod in return. “Good morning, everyone.”
Her gaze swept across the room, taking in the worn furniture, half-emptied shelves, and so on and so forth.
“Let’s make this quick,” she said, clasping her hands in front of her with a smile. “Our focus today is to assess the current state of the office and finalize the basic renovation plans. We’ll discuss design choices later in the week. For now, take notes on what needs to be removed or repaired.”
“Yes, President,” Natalia responded promptly, already scribbling something into her planner.
Adam moved to inspect one of the cracked window panels while a few of the newer members wandered toward the dusty back shelves.
After a few minutes, the door creaked open and Ezra stepped in.
“You’re late, Vice President,” Astrid said, though a polite smile remained on her face.
“Yes, sorry,” Ezra replied casually. “Had some matters to tend to with Professor Vanitas.”
“….”
Astrid froze for a fraction of a second. Her expression remained dignified, but her hands stiffened at her sides. The name had struck a nerve, but she pushed the thought aside quickly.
“Y-Yes. I understand,” she said, recovering her composure. “But in the future, please inform us ahead of time. That applies to everyone.”
Ezra nodded his head and the other council members returned to their tasks.
Astrid turned to the wall and pulled out a folded chart from her bag, pinning it onto the board near the desk.
“These are the current assignments based on your roles,” she said. “We’ll keep operations simple this week until the room is fully prepared. Senior Natalia, please coordinate the supply orders. Senior Adam, handle the budget draft.”
“Yes, President.”
“Very well.”
Ezra moved to her side. “What about me?”
Astrid didn’t look at him right away.
“I’d like you to review the archived records from the previous administration. If you find any documents that might be useful moving forward, bring them to my desk.”
“Got it,” he said, nodding.
Since not everyone belonged to the same course, their class schedules and vacant hours varied. One by one, the council members began to leave for their next lectures, until only three remained in the room.
Astrid, Ezra, and Adam.
Astrid sat at the desk and was busy reviewing documents. Meanwhile, Ezra casually moved to Adam’s side, and his voice lowered.
“So, how’s it coming along, Senior? Confessed yet?”
“N-No…” Adam stammered. “I can’t find the right opportunity.”
“Need any help?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got it all covered.”
“Alright.”
Astrid seemed too detached to notice anything going on around her.
After another hour passed, the three of them decided to call it a day and left the council office together.
As they walked down the halls, they exchanged idle chatter. The conversation was casual and nothing of importance until Adam subtly nudged Ezra in the side.
There were no words exchanged, but Ezra understood immediately.
“Ah, I just remembered, I need to take care of something,” Ezra said and then he took a step back.
He gave them a parting grin.
But the moment he turned, the smile on his face slowly faded into something more bitter before he disappeared down the corridor.
Adam turned to Astrid, trying his best to sound casual.
“Do you have something to do, President?”
“Not really,” she said. “Maybe study in the library?”
“Then… could you spare me a few minutes?” he asked. “It won’t take long. Promise.”
Astrid paused for a moment, then gave a small nod. “Alright.”
They exited the main hallway and moved toward the side garden behind the administration wing.
Of course, nobility customs dictated the rules of engagement, some arranged from birth, others beginning with courtship. Adam knew all this. He also knew that Astrid wasn’t exactly bound by those traditions.
If anything, she seemed rather indifferent to traditions.
Given her status and beauty, she had probably received her fair share of engagement letters already.
And yet, at nineteen, she remained unengaged. That alone said a lot.
To Adam, it meant she likely wasn’t fond of the whole system. And that was fine. It made sense to take things slow.
“So,” Astrid said. “What did you want to speak about, Senior?”
Of course, Astrid wasn’t oblivious.
The signs were there. This was probably it. And truthfully, she found it frustrating.
She would undoubtedly refuse whatever confession he was planning. But that would make things awkward. They worked in the same council now. An awkward atmosphere would make everything harder for everyone.
Why the hell was he trying to ruin a perfectly good relationship?
Still, she thought, maybe it was best if he said his piece, and she could simply delay giving a clear answer.
Yes. Maybe that would make it easier for both of them.
“President—no, Astrid.”
“Yes?”
‘Here it comes.’
Adam inhaled deeply, as if summoning every ounce of courage he had.
“I know this might sound sudden, but I’ve thought about it for a while now. And I figured… if I kept waiting for the perfect moment, I’d never say it—”
“Ah, Professor!”
Astrid jolted, cutting him off at that decisive moment as a figure suddenly stepped outside.
Of course, it was none other than professor Vanitas.
“….”
Vanitas blinked once, and then turned to head back inside as if he hadn’t seen anything.
“Professor!”
At her call, Vanitas turned again, his gaze alternating between the two.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked, his expression as impassive as ever.
“A-Ah, n-nothing… in particular. S-Senior seems to want to tell me something,” Astrid stammered, clearly flustered.
‘Why is he here?! Did he see everything? How much did he hear?!’
Her thoughts spiraled. She didn’t want to be misunderstood, anyone but him!
Even if the situation was unfair, she didn’t want him to think there was something going on between her and Adam.
Vanitas, for his part, simply blinked, seemingly oblivious to her thoughts.
Sniff. Sniff.
“Were you… smoking?” Astrid asked.
“….”
Vanitas froze.
It was illegal to smoke on university grounds. He was probably heading out here to do so.
“I wasn’t,” he said after a beat, then turned away.
“Ah!” Astrid quickly rushed toward him, a teasing smile forming on her face. “You were, weren’t you? I’m telling the Headmaster.”
“She already nags me enough.”
“Even so!”
She followed him inside, her previous awkwardness toward him completely evaporating. For some reason, whatever tension had lingered between them just disappeared in her haste just to get out of that situation.
It was like the atmosphere had reset.
Vanitas remained characteristically indifferent to it all.
“…I’ve been set up,” he muttered under his breath.
It was true, Ezra had caught him smoking in his office earlier. But instead of reporting him, Ezra had casually recommended a “better, more discreet” spot.
It was clearly a set up. He probably knew Astrid was coming here.
This called for disciplinary measures.
Meanwhile, Adam remained frozen in place, staring blankly at the scene of Astrid laughing and smiling beside the professor, who looked like he’d had enough of her antics.
His hand lowered slowly, and his expression fell.
“….Astrid?”
* * *
“There didn’t seem to be any problems with her. She was speaking to me normally.”
“No way?”
Irene, once again seated beside Vanitas, widened her eyes in disbelief. She had specifically asked him to speak with Astrid, especially since her younger sister had been acting cold towards her lately.
But from what Vanitas was saying, there hadn’t been a hint of that. Whatever tension existed between the sisters, it clearly didn’t extend to him.
In any case, the car pulled to a stop as they arrived once more at the familiar underground building.
Irene could barely contain her excitement. She was looking forward to Vanitas sweeping the competition again today. Word was already spreading that he was being referred to as this year’s black horse candidate.
And that meant only one thing.
The mafia bastards running this whole operation wouldn’t be sitting still.
“Watch out,” Irene whispered, leaning closer to him. “These guys are known to play dirty.”
“You think I wasn’t?”
“….”
Of course this man was ten steps ahead.
* * *
Genius and wisdom were often mistaken for the same thing. But in truth, they were not.
A genius might possess wisdom. But a wise man? He wasn’t always a genius—at least not in the realm of absurd innovation or unorthodox thinking.
And lately, Lance Abelton, one of the Great Powers, known across the continent as the Scholar of Wisdom, had begun to take interest in something… or rather, someone.
In recent months, comparisons had started to surface.
Vanitas Astrea.
A name rapidly gaining traction. And now, there were rumors of him being a potential successor, or worse, a rival to Lance himself.
Someone who could one day replace him as the Scholar of Wisdom.
“Ah, haha…”
Lance chuckled dryly to himself.
It wasn’t just speculation anymore.
….Vanitas Astrea was actually being considered a potential future candidate for the Great Powers.