Haruto let out one final, resigned sigh. "Fine, fine. Have it your way."
The two of them sat together on the edge of the bed for a moment in comfortable silence before Serephin smiled softly, her expression turning a bit more thoughtful. "You know... the main reason I wanted you back by my side at the academy isn't just because I missed you. Everyone's been talking, and frankly, a lot of people are jealous that the King chose me as your fiancée."
Haruto offered a gentle, lopsided smile, his feminine voice softening. "Let them talk. Anyone who has a problem with it can answer to me."
Serephin's cheeks flushed a delicate pink, her eyes sparkling with affection. She quickly cleared her throat, slipping back into her playful, demanding queenly persona. "Well, if you really mean that, prove it! Now, get up and walk ahead of me. Open the doors for your master, maid Haruto."
Chuckling under his breath, Haruto stood up, dusted off his maid apron, and smoothly swung the heavy doors open, leading the way.
Later that day, the grand carriage bearing the royal crest rolled through the towering gates of the academy, coming to a smooth halt in the central courtyard.
As the carriage door swung open, Haruto stepped out first, adjusting his black wig and smoothing down his maid uniform. Standing in front of the academy grounds, he looked up at the familiar stone spires and sprawling courtyards. A strange wave of nostalgia washed over him—it felt like he was seeing the place for the very first time since everything had changed, a stark reminder of the days when he was just an ordinary student trying not to get bored.
The moment they arrived, dead silence fell across the courtyard.
Every single head turned in unison. Hundreds of students froze mid-step, their eyes locking onto the royal carriage—and more specifically, onto the stunning, mysterious "royal maid" stepping out right beside Serephin, with the Crown Princess herself stepping down with a proud, radiant smile. Whispers immediately erupted like wildfire through the crowd.
Haruto stood frozen in the center of the bustling academy courtyard, feeling the weight of a thousand stares burning into his soul. Panic flared in his chest as he thought, Oh no... how did I even let her talk me into this?! Everyone is staring right at us!
Then, a sudden wave of desperate comfort washed over him. Wait... relax. No one here knows it's actually me. With this magic wig, my real face, and this high-pitched voice, I'm completely anonymous. I'm just a random, mysterious maid!
Feeling a tiny shred of confidence return, he leaned in close to Serephin, his voice dropping into a frantic, high-pitched whisper. "Hey... listen, since everyone is staring, please just call me 'Maid' or something generic for now. And for the love of everything holy, please don't flex too hard about us!"
Serephin blinked, turning her head to look at him with an innocent, utterly unbothered expression. She flashed a bright, victorious grin and whispered right back, "Are you kidding? Today is my birthday, Haruto. Flexing is practically mandatory!"
Serephin stepped out of the carriage with an air of absolute grace, her head held high, while Haruto trailed a few steps behind her, keeping his head down and trying to blend into the cobblestones.
As they walked through the grand entrance hall of the academy, the heavy murmur of conversation instantly died down. Dozens of students stopped dead in their tracks, staring in shock.
"Serephin... she's back! She hasn't been seen for days!" someone whispered loudly.
But as quickly as their eyes landed on the Crown Princess, they immediately shifted over to the person standing behind her. Confused whispers rippled through the crowd.
Wait, who is that? Whose maid is she? She looks completely unfamiliar—is she from the upper division?
Haruto kept his mouth shut tight, keeping his posture stiff and avoiding eye contact with anyone. He prayed that if he acted invisible enough, they would just write him off as some background noble's servant.
Just then, a group of upper-class female students strode over, their eyes locked on the mysterious new maid. One of them stepped forward, squinting suspiciously. "Hey... I've never seen you around here before. Who are you?"
Before Haruto could panic or fumble for an excuse in his high-pitched magical voice, Serephin smoothly stepped in, wrapping an arm around Haruto's arm with a sweet, proprietary smile.
"Oh, her?" Serephin said coolly, letting her gaze sweep over the curious crowd with effortless elegance. "She's my new personal maid. She serves only me."
The group of girls gasped, whispering excitedly among themselves as they crowded closer.
"A personal maid? Directly serving Serephin?"
Soon, a flock of male students gathered around as well, their eyes glued to Serephin and her mysterious servant. Annoyed murmurs rippled through the crowd of guys.
Why did Haruto abandon someone like that?!Seriously, what is wrong with him? Serephin is amazing, and now she has this stunning maid...
Some of the boys stared longingly, but a few just sighed, completely past the point of caring. They had realized long ago that when it came to Serephin, ordinary students didn't hold any importance anyway—especially now that her engagement to Haruto was public knowledge.
Suddenly, the heavy doors at the front of the hall swung open with a sharp click, and Professor Elara stepped into the room. Her sharp, authoritative gaze swept over the gossiping crowd, instantly silencing the courtyard.
Professor Elara crossed her arms, raising her voice so everyone could hear. "Alright, settle down, all of you! As most of you should already know, Serephin is the rightful heir to the crown and an official member of the royal family. I expect all of you to treat her with the utmost respect and refrain from causing any disruptions or disrespectful behavior."
She paused, her eyes scanning the room before landing directly on Serephin—and right beside her, the disguised Haruto.
Professor Elara's gaze lingered on Haruto for a long, piercing moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she sensed something deeply suspicious about the posture and height of this supposed "new maid."
Instead of calling him out on the spot, a faint, knowing smirk touched the corner of the professor's lips. She turned her attention back to the class. "Serephin, once classes are finished today, report to my office. We have matters to discuss." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away to start her lectures.
The announcement hit the crowd like a shockwave. For the many commoner and lower-ranking noble students who hadn't been fully clued in on the high-end political shifts, the news came as absolute whiplash. Whispers of absolute shock echoed from every corner.
Meanwhile, the male students stood frozen, feeling an extra layer of awkwardness and bitter defeat as they watched the Crown Princess and her surprisingly intimidating personal maid take their seats.
The bell rang, signaling the start of classes, and the students settled into their seats. True to her word, Serephin had Haruto—still trapped in his maid disguise—sit right by her side as her personal attendant, much to the bewilderment of the surrounding classrooms.
Time dragged on until finally, the mid-day break bell echoed through the halls, and Professor Elara packed up her notes and briskly left the room.
The moment the professor stepped out, a swarm of students rushed over, completely surrounding Serephin's desk.
"Serephin! Is it true?!" a female student blurted out, her eyes wide with shock. "Are you really going to marry Haruto after everything that happened?"
Serephin blinked calmly, offering a light, composed smile. "Yes, well... more or less."
Before anyone else could press further, Kenjin shoved his way through the crowd, slamming his hands down on Serephin's desk with an outraged expression. "Serephin! What in the world am I hearing?! Some of the girls are saying you're actually considering this?!"
He glared across the room before pointing an accusing finger right at her.
"Haruto practically got himself exiled from high society! How can you even think about staying by his side after that?!"
Serephin's polite smile vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling, razor-sharp glare. She stood up from her chair, her voice cold enough to freeze the air in the room.
"Kenjin. Watch your mouth. Do you have any idea who you're talking about?"
Kenjin scoffed, crossing his arms and raising his voice so the entire classroom could hear.
"Oh, come on! Everyone in the noble circles is whispering about it already! The day after their engagement was held, rumors leaked out that he completely disrespected all his fiance, dragged you all into his own dirty fantasies, and then fled to the capital like a coward the very next day! You were probably mixed up in it too, but you don't need to protect him anymore. Look around—you're the Princess now, you don't need trash like him!"
Serephin's hand shot up, her palm glowing with a fierce, suppressed mana aura as she moved to strike Kenjin across the face.
Before her hand could connect, a gloved hand gently caught her wrist. Haruto stepped smoothly between them, his feminine maid voice calm and composed. "Please, Your Majesty... save your strength and keep your hands clean for someone who's actually worth it. After all, he's just a high-ranking noble."
Kenjin let out an arrogant, mocking laugh, looking Haruto up and down with a greasy, condescending smirk. "Well, well. For a mere maid, you've got quite a bit of sense—and you're surprisingly beautiful, too. Why don't you come work for me instead?"
Haruto stood there thinking, " I just taunted you, you fool."
Haruto's eye twitched under the black wig, but he kept his cool, replying flatly, "Sorry, but I'll have to pass."
Kenjin sneered, turning his gaze back to Serephin with a smug expression. "Sure, you belong to her right now, but once I make Serephin mine, you'll naturally fall under my command anyway."
The entire classroom went dead silent. Serephin's expression turned into absolute ice. "What did you just say?"
Emboldened by his own delusion, Kenjin puffed out his chest. "Serephin, I love you! Please, stay with me! I know Haruto mistreated you and put you through hell. Just leave him and be with me—I'll give you all the love and respect you deserve! And as for Lilith, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra... those poor girls that Haruto abused and dragged down with his filth—I'll save them, too!"
Crack!
Serephin didn't just slap him—she slammed her foot down onto the floorboards with enough crushing mana pressure to shatter the stone beneath Kenjin's boots, and with a blinding, lightning-fast motion, she whipped her hand across his face.
The deafening smack echoed off the walls, sending Kenjin spinning sideways and crashing hard into a row of desks.
Standing over him, her eyes burning with pure fury, Serephin pointed a trembling, wrathful finger straight at his face. "Watch your mouth."
Haruto stood just a step away, arms crossed over his maid apron, silently watching the chaos unfold with a deeply amused smirk. Man, where is the popcorn right now? This literally feels like a high-budget cutscene straight out of a game. It's way too entertaining!
Before Kenjin could even process the stinging slap that sent him crashing into the desks, he dragged himself up, clutching his red, swollen cheek. Instead of getting angry, his expression morphed into a bizarre, pathetic display of forced innocence.
"Serephin..." Kenjin whimpered, his voice trembling as he looked up at her with big, watery eyes. "I... I always looked at you with true affection. Every girl in class usually comes crawling to me, but you... you were always so distant. Seeing through that cold exterior of yours is what made me fall for you..."
Serephin didn't even blink. She didn't spare him a single glance of pity or hesitation. "Professor Elara called for us. Let's go."
Without waiting another second, she turned on her heel and walked out of the classroom, completely icing Kenjin out.
Haruto chuckled under his breath, hiding a grin behind his gloved hand as he trotted along right behind her.
As they walked down the hallway, however, a strange, lingering thought crossed Haruto's mind. His expression grew a bit more pensive. Wait... something about that guy felt off.
He replayed the interaction in his head. When Kenjin had talked to Serephin earlier, his eyes hadn't held any genuine warmth—it was all ego, obsession, and superficial validation. But the second Kenjin's gaze had shifted over to him—standing there in the maid uniform—Haruto distinctly remembered the heavy, unfiltered wave of raw lust in the guy's eyes.
Haruto shuddered, a look of absolute disgust crossing his face. Gross. Creepy bastard.
He muttered under his breath, adjusting his wig, Man, being born as a gorgeous girl in this world is way too dangerous.
As they turned down the corridor and headed toward Professor Elara's office, Haruto couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, giving Serephin a sideways glance. "Man, you hit him pretty hard back there, Your Majesty. Honestly, you didn't have to hold back quite so much for me."
Serephin paused, casually rubbing her knuckles with a light, unbothered smirk. "Are you kidding? I actually did hold back. That absolute idiot is lucky my hand stopped where it did."
Haruto raised his hands defensively, letting out a soft laugh. "Alright, alright, chill out—"
He stopped mid-sentence as Serephin suddenly shot him a sharp, warning glare. She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "Hold on. You're walking way too manly right now, and you're speaking way too casually for a mere maid."
Realizing his slip-up, Haruto instantly snapped back into character. He dropped his shoulders, softened his posture, and clasped his hands neatly in front of his maid apron. Lowering his voice back into that high-pitched, delicate magical tone, he bowed his head submissively.
"Oh! Right, so sorry, Mistress," he purred sarcastically, playing along with a wink.