Slowly withdrawing the magic he had released, Colton finished his examination.

Sophia anxiously asked: "How is she?"

Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, Colton said with a smile:

"Just as Miss Mahee said, she probably just caught a chill, which triggered a series of symptoms. Besides that, there's nothing abnormal about her body."

"I see..."

Sophia still felt that Celitia's desperate refusal to let her approach was somewhat strange.

But hearing both of them say this, Sophia couldn't help but believe it.

Perhaps she was overthinking things, and that person was simply irritating.

"Your Highness seems quite concerned about her," Colton remarked with a smile beside her. "I thought Your Highness deeply disliked Miss Celitia."

Sophia jumped up from beside the hospital bed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Who, who, who—who's concerned about her?!"

Recalling all that had happened in the short span of an hour, Sophia's cheeks instantly flushed bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment was unclear.

"That irritating person! I would rather dine with Ariel than care about her!!"

Ariel was the Saintess of the church and also the adopted daughter of the current king, several years older than Sophia—her sister in name.

Their relationship had been fine in childhood, but in recent years, as the king's illness worsened, their relationship had deteriorated, nearly to the point of rupture.

For Sophia to compare someone to Ariel was quite a serious matter.

"Is that so," Colton didn't seem to take it seriously, still smiling broadly. "Your Highness, since you want to experience academy life, you should get along well with your fellow students."

Sophia was speechless for a while after this remark from Colton.

As the future heir to the kingdom, Sophia should have been spending all her time learning how to govern.

She had established Samuel National Academy in her name, indeed intending to expand her influence and counterbalance the "St. Cassia Academy" controlled by the church.

But her sudden impulse to come to the academy as a student was because Sophia, as a sixteen-year-old girl, desperately longed for the kind of life that ordinary noble youths had.

Going to an academy to learn, meeting various peers, laughing with them...

Even if only for a few months, Sophia wanted to experience such a life.

"I know already..." Sophia muttered softly.

"That's good," Colton looked pleased. "Why not start by getting along well with your roommate?"

Hmm?

Sophia suddenly raised her head, looking at Colton suspiciously.

"How do you know she's my roommate? Did you arrange this??"

Sophia thought to herself that she hadn't mentioned this to either of them.

According to the original arrangement, she should have had a single dormitory. Sophia still couldn't figure out what had happened.

If Colton hadn't suddenly mentioned the word "roommate," Sophia might have almost forgotten about this matter.

"Ah..."

The corner of Colton's mouth stiffened slightly. He had received a report about a certain worker making a mess and had rushed over urgently.

Unexpectedly, he had encountered Sophia sprinting along the way, so he had followed her.

"I wasn't fully informed before, but now I think this result isn't bad... let's just decide on this. Your Highness can consider it as my arrangement."

Taking the blame, the curly-haired young man adjusted his glasses, a pleasant smile appearing on his lips.

"Col-ton!" Sophia gritted her teeth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption. "Why wasn't I informed in advance about the changes? And I haven't agreed!!"

"Now, now, Your Highness, please calm down—getting upset won't do your beauty any good, you know?"

Colton maintained his smile but quickly stood up from beside the bed, stepping back several paces to the door of the ward.

"Since everything's fine now, I'll be going. Farewell, Your Highness!"

Before Sophia could explode, Colton greased his feet and ran away at lightning speed.

"Hey! You old fox!!"

Sophia shouted angrily behind him but was powerless against Colton.

Colton was an elder whom Sophia had invited through connections to preside over the academy, not her subordinate.

Despite being a princess, Sophia had no actual control over Colton.

Regarding his actions, Sophia could only glare helplessly.

Mahee, who had observed the entire process, also found it somewhat tragicomic.

"Leave this child with me," Mahee said gently. "If Your Highness is tired, please go back and rest. You can come to visit again tomorrow."

"Well..."

Sophia hesitated.

Her gaze moved downward, falling on the unconscious Celitia's face.

The girl's eyes were tightly closed, hiding those misty purple-gray eyes. Her unyielding aura had completely vanished, leaving only pale fragility.

Like this, she looked weak and helpless, docile and pitiable.

But thinking back, Sophia felt that perhaps she preferred Celitia with her eyes open, facing her accusations with full force.

Though that was also quite irritating.

This self-contradiction made Sophia increasingly conflicted.

After a long while, Sophia finally uttered softly: "It's fine... I'll stay here and keep her company."

Mahee was slightly surprised, gradually revealing a genuine smile.

She knew that Sophia had always wanted to have a few friends her own age.

Not those who deliberately flattered her for her princess status, but friends who were genuinely sincere.

Seeing how worried Sophia was, perhaps this was a rare opportunity?

Mahee stood up and bowed slightly to Sophia.

"Then, Your Highness, I'll go back to my duty. If anything happens, just call me, and I'll come immediately."

Thoughtfully leaving the space to the two young ladies, Mahee left the ward.

The room, which had been somewhat noisy just now, instantly quieted down.

Sophia looked at the girl on the bed, reached out, and gently touched her forehead.

Still so cold...

Celitia's entire body was as cold as an ice sculpture. Even covered with a blanket, she hadn't warmed much.

Is she really okay like this...?

Sophia grew increasingly concerned and couldn't help reaching her hand under the blanket, tightly gripping Celitia's hand, trying to transfer some warmth to her.

"...Mmm..."

As if sensing Sophia's movement, Celitia moved slightly, a very faint moan escaping her lips.

Even wrapped in a thick cotton blanket, Celitia remained tightly curled up, continuously trembling slightly.

In that uncontrollable dream, Celitia dreamed of many past events.

Even if she didn't want to remember again, even if she wanted to put it all behind her, those events still played over and over before her eyes.

Why she signed a contract with Kassy, why she was troubled by the curse, and why she was unwilling to set her free...