24 Cold As Ice

After looking at the bulletin board for a while, I decided to finally enter the auditorium. Upon entering the huge double door, my eyes immediately started wandering around the place. There are hundreds of chairs inside; Most are already occupied, but some of them are still empty. In the frontmost area, there's also a seemingly big platform, acting as the stage, and in there, you could see a large whiteboard or screen – resembling the one we used back in Earth when using a projector.

There are also decorations everywhere, some look grand, while some look simple but beautiful. And if you look up at the high ceiling, several shining chandeliers could be seen hanging.

"This place... is rich." Gaos suddenly said, almost whispering and I unconsciously nodded. It wasn't anything unexpected. Royal Academy is being supported by the Royal family, after all, it was even named after them.

"But it's not like I'm also not rich or anything, in fact, I am –" Ignoring what Gaos was saying, I started walking slowly as I look around, trying to look for a seat. There are already a lot of students inside, most are already sitting, while some are still either standing or walking around the place.

Other than my debutante, this is probably the first time I've seen a crowd of people this big. And now that I'm not really that worried about something, the fact that every person there is in this auditorium has different and unique hair color stood out to me. Green, Red, Yellow, Violet, Orange, and more.

It was a fascinating view, to say the least. In my world before, I mostly just see people who have blonde, black, brown, or red hair, and hair colors like violet, green and such, can only be achieved through hair coloring.

When I spotted an empty row in the middle area, I decided to sit at a chair near the wall. While waiting for the ceremony to start, I let my eyes wander around the place again.

According to the original plot of the Otome game, and if my memory serves me right, both Second Prince Anakin and Crown Prince Deor didn't attend the Academy's Entrance Ceremony. It was said that Prince Anakin decided to stay in the Academy's garden instead of attending, while Prince Deor was called back to the Palace for some unknown reasons.

And since Franco Louis is their Knight, naturally, he also didn't attend the Ceremony. He went to the palace with Prince Deor because it was ordered by the King that no matter what happens, the Crown Prince should always be his priority.

So right now, only the capture target, Percival Rosquaes, and Anastasia Clovis – the heroine are here. The two of them are supposed to be here right now, sitting somewhere... but I haven't seen them yet, which is natural since there's a lot of people here.

But If I have to guess –

I looked in front, but because I'm sitting in the middle area and there are other people sitting in front of me, I can't properly see the people sitting in the frontest area. And even If I do see them properly, the only thing I would see is the back of their heads.

– But if my hunch is correct, Percival Rosquaes is definitely somewhere in front while Anastasia Clovis is sitting somewhere in the back. Percival's character... is just like that. He doesn't like losing, which is the exact reason why he sees Anastasia as his rival in the original plot. At first, he really did kind of hate her, but in the end, he fell in love.

He may appear to be polite and poise at first because of his 'pretty boy' appearance, but he can really be cocky and rude, and no matter who you are, he won't back down or show any mercy. A very prideful character.

To me, If I would have to describe his character in one word – I would say that he's a brat.

However, the players love him because when it comes to the heroine, he's like a puppy that's willing to do anything. Basically, kind of a tsundere character. The players also liked the fact that his and Anastasia's story belongs to the enemies-to-lovers trope.

And Anastasia Clovis, If she's still the same character I remember from the original plot, I'm sure she's somewhere in the back. Before, I said she was a cool beauty, but also awkward. She can also be dumb and dense, but this applies more when it comes to interacting with people and her emotions. She's sharp and smart, and if I have to describe her in simple words, I'll say that her duality is somehow impressive.

And like me, she doesn't really like being the focus of attention, so my guess is that she'll be sitting in the back. In the game, it wasn't really specified where did the main characters sit because the focus of this part is Percival Rosquaes's speech as the representative of the first years.

I was thinking like that when I suddenly heard a voice just beside me.

"Excuse me?" The voice was deep, but somehow, it also sounds sweet and gentle. With a slight frown, I looked up only to freeze at the sight of someone. I unconsciously tried to hold my breath out of shock and nervousness as my pink eyes met bright, but cold emerald ones.

It was a girl my age and like everyone else who is here today, she's wearing the Royal Academy's uniform. Her blonde hair that just passed her shoulders isn't really something that uncommon or rare, but somehow, she still stood out.

Now that I'm finally paying attention to my surroundings again, I noticed that several people are stealing glances in our direction. Some are even whispering to themselves only to look away again after a while, as if afraid of being caught.

"Lady Euridice," Hearing her call me, I could only wait as the beat of my heart furiously speed up, "May I sit beside you?" She calmly asked with a blank expression and I simply stared back, not sure how to react.

There was a mysterious tension in the air. The sudden silence and murmurs here and there, becoming suffocating as we continue to look – stare at each other, her clear, emerald eyes piercing right through me as if refusing to back down.

The chances of something like this happening should have been as low as one percent – In the first place, this should've never happened, this is not how the original game went, but then again, who am I kidding? This is not something I have control over. In the game, Aksia didn't meet the Heroine in the Entrance Ceremony, their first meeting was supposed to be in the Academy's dining hall.

– But as if some God wants to continue playing with me, Anastasia Clovis appeared right before my eyes. Out of all the cliché scenarios that could happen... why this?

Perhaps my guess about her sitting location is wrong and it's just a coincidence that she decided to seat beside me, or maybe it is true that some kind of fate, destiny, or force is playing with me – there are just too many possibilities and what if.

Thinking about it again, the Anastasia right now that's standing in front of me a quite different from what I remember. Her appearance is the same as what I saw from the game's illustrations, if anything, I would say that she is more beautiful now that I actually see her in front of me as a living person. Her blonde hair, almost gold, although not rare, still shines beautifully as described and showed in the game, the same with her emerald eyes.

However, those eyes that are currently looking at me are cold – and cold, as if it's not even looking at another person, quite different from the heroine I remembered. Although the Anastasia in the game can also act cold, the Anastasia in front of me is very different.

Anastasia Clovis is supposed to appear like a serious and calm person, and yet, the person standing in front of me is just... cold. If I were to use an analogy, like how other authors would commonly describe this kind of character – she was as cold as an ice.

Calming my nerves down as I suppress the urge to take a large intake of breath, I nodded.

"Yes," I said as I look away, finally coming back to my senses as I calm down. From an outsider's point of view, perhaps it would look like Anastasia and I dislike each other. The awkward atmosphere and tension were quite obvious, and our interactions and exchange with each other certainly didn't help.

"Do as you please." I said as I look in front of me once again, trying to act as normal and calm as possible.

"Thank you." I heard her say as I felt her sit on the chair beside me and all I could think was – just then, I wonder what kind of expression did I have?