Volume 1 Chapter 64-2 Mean Villainess, Attending the Graduation Ceremony
"More importantly, Rudger, were you talking to my mother earlier?"
As I asked this, Rudger's eyes widened slightly as he muttered, "You were watching me."
"I just caught a glimpse. Did my mother say anything strange?"
"Not really. She said she was friends with my mother."
"I see."
If she didn't say anything weird, then that's good enough.
I thought this while watching Rudger continue to nibble on his yakisoba bread.
Hmm.
Yakisoba bread...
Though I could only judge by my mother's attitude, it was almost certain that Rudger was a target character.
My mother had said something, though.
Yakisoba bread is the prince's favorite food.
Yet, I've never seen Prince Sven eating yakisoba bread.
"...Huh? Rudger's mother and my mother were friends?"
"Huh? Ah, it seems so."
Suddenly, I remembered a story my mother had told me about an old friend.
Now that I think about it, my mother had mentioned that her friend married the prince of a neighboring country.
If the prince who married her became king, then their son would be a prince as well...?
"Isn't Rudger's mother here today?"
"...Ah, my mother passed away a long time ago."
"...Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine."
That day, my mother had said sadly,
"She got married and had children, and then soon after, she passed away. I was her friend, but I couldn't be there for her wedding, her childbirth celebration, or her funeral."
...Could it be confirmed?
"Hey, Rudger. Aren't you going to dance?"
"What's with the sudden question? I'm a commoner, you know? I'm not good at this kind of thing."
"...Are you really a commoner?"
At my question, Rudger hesitated in his words.
I looked directly into Rudger's eyes.
If I truly focused and thought about it, Rudger's golden eyes were a rare sight in this country.
His hair color was similar to mine, a color often seen in this country.
"What made you think that?"
"Well, I heard from my mother about a friend who married a prince in a neighboring country, so I just thought there might be a chance."
When I answered honestly, Rudger chuckled softly.
He laughed meaningfully, but since he was firmly holding a yakisoba bun, it didn't feel too serious.
"I thought I could graduate without anyone noticing, but who would have thought I'd slip up here?"
So, Rudger was actually a prince from a neighboring country disguised as a commoner.
"I had no idea."
"If I had been discovered during school instead of today, I would have had to eliminate Elena."
It seems Flora could have genuinely been eliminated if she had gone down the Rudger route.
I narrowly escaped.
"You're saying something a bit scary, but that yakisoba bun in your hand is ruining the mood, Rudger."
"...Yeah, that's true."
We exchanged glances and chuckled together.
"Hey, was your research on the history and spells of this country really for some kind of undercover investigation?"
Like a spy?
I asked, and Rudger waved his hand dismissively while shaking his head.
"It was just out of curiosity. Well, it's true that I used the excuse of researching to get into this country's academy."
"Curiosity."
"My foster mother kept saying over and over that this country is a good place. That it was full of fun things."
"I see."
"I really enjoyed it. Especially with Elena and Rolus."
"I even bought you a yakisoba bun."
"No, it's not just that."
I managed to avoid being eliminated, and I made many fun memories, so I'm glad I became friends with Rudger.
"So, are you going back to your country after graduation?"
When I asked that, Rudger furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
He let out a low hum.
I wondered if he was troubled.
"Honestly, I'm a bit conflicted. I still haven't researched enough, especially about the spells."
"Ah..."
I had already stumbled upon the truth, like the cause of the fifth king's death.
But the way I found out wasn't something I could share.
"Maybe I'll stay a little longer."
"Then we can research together again or play games, right?"
"...Yeah."
If that's the case, we can still meet even after graduation, so I thought it wouldn't be so lonely.
"Yeah, I'll tell Elena my real name since she figured out the truth."
"Sure."
"My true name is Lucian Cody Lakes."
After the graduation ceremony, I reunited with my father, who had arrived late, and we headed home.
I wondered if he would cry, thinking it was a good ceremony, but that was the least of my concerns.
This was because my parents and brother were arguing.
I sipped the milk tea that my maid had prepared while watching the 3 of them from a distance.
"What should I do?"
Since I was the cause of the conflict, I couldn't just jump in.
It would only lead to more trouble if I did.
"Elena! You don't need an arranged marriage!"
...See, it's already a hassle without me intervening.
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