Emilia was of course well aware of the 'effects' that mentioning Randy would have on Crystal, which was why she had done so in the first place.
After all, the heroine had a very heavy competitive streak when it came to academics, and couldn't take being anything but the very best.
Emilia's intentions were good, because she had noticed that Crystal seemed to have become distracted recently, perhaps due to the hero's continuous harassment, but good intention didn't always have positive effects.
Instead of making Crystal focus on her studies, Emilia's words only ended up distracting her further after she left.
The heroine's gaze seemed to focus more and more on the growing eyesore 'Randy', and the more she looked, the uglier he became.
As a girl who was almost always so aloof and uncaring of others, Crystal's 'attention' of course did not go unnoticed.
Some girls couldn't help but approach her after class as they stood in front of her desk. "Crystal, actually, we know that you don't pay much attention to gossip, so you probably don't know, but…"
As her friend hesitated, the other girl cleared her throat. "Randy may look dashing and have good grades, but he's actually pretty much 'off the market', so you shouldn't pin your hopes on him."
Seeing how blunt her friend was, the first girl hurriedly clarified, as if afraid of a misunderstanding. "Of course, with how outstanding Crystal is, anyone who is available would be considered lucky, right? It's just that Randy is already together with Emilia—"
Crystal, who had so far looked uninterested and dull as she continued scribbling on her notebook, suddenly gazed at the girl sharply, making her breath hitch in fear at the ferocious look in the heroine's eyes. "What did you just say?"
But of course, the girl's mind had already gone blank, having never expected such an intense response from this 'exemplary' student. "I-I…?"
The other girl seemed to realize something as she tried to diffuse the situation. "We don't mean anything bad. We know you two are good friends, that's why it's better to not cause a misunderstanding, right?"
Of course, Crystal had already turned her dark gaze away from the two girls, and having been snubbed like that, they could only leave and go back to their seats in embarrassment, pretending to self-study.
No one knew how vengeful the heroine was, however, for she had already messaged Penny about the two girls slandering her princess and spreading malicious rumors.
Within minutes, the students of class A heard a 'stampede' heading towards their door before it was slammed open by a petite blonde girl with an absurdly long ponytail. Someone who used to look harmless and adorable, but had recently become the face of terror in the Imperial Academy.
Penny, the Royal Knight's Commander.
"Who the hell dared to slander my princess?!"
==========
The misfortune of the two girls wasn't anything unique, as they pitifully pulled at their ears and apologized in front of the camera, swearing to never spread false rumors about Emilia ever again.
It wasn't wrong to say that Penny had single-handedly curbed most of the rumors about Emilia and Randy thanks to the efficient usage of her royal knights. Of course, a few incidents such as these were unavoidable, but the swift punishment and clarification meant that few would believe that Randy was truly together with Emilia.
After all, if Emilia had truly agreed to his pursuit, would her loyal knights be going after everyone who talked about it like this?
In the students' minds, Emilia was someone who dared to wear her heart on her sleeves, doing whatever she wanted without fear or shame. And if she truly let Randy be with her, she would surely not bother having Penny go around like this, and come out to clarify the matter herself.
That she did not do so meant that she must not want to slap Randy's face, but it was still clear that they weren't 'together'.
This conclusion from the students was the same as what Crystal repeated in her mind. However, she couldn't help but have seeds of doubt sprout in her heart.
What if Emilia didn't even know about it, or simply didn't care?
After all, it wasn't necessary for her to react in an expected manner in every situation.
Did that mean… they were truly together?
Eventually, as the days passed by, Crystal finally realized something.
The hints were always there, she just refused to admit it.
How the boy's approach to her wasn't rejected. How the two of them gradually got closer and closer. How he even started 'teaching' Emilia at her home.
How could she still keep denying it?
Even Crystal had never been to Emilia's home! Never!
And could a boy and a girl stay in the same room for hours at a time, day after day, and not sprout feelings for each other?
The sharp stings at her heart made Crystal feel as if the world was a dark and dreary place, lacking any hope for the future. Everything looked dull.
What even was the point of it all, if she never got the happiness that she truly sought?
Moreover, as the days rolled over, Crystal noticed something far more insidious. Something she couldn't believe at all.
Insincerity from Randy.
Crystal didn't think he was going to betray her or anything, but with her sharp intuition, she felt like his gaze didn't contain enough lust for a boyfriend to be looking at his girlfriend.
How could he not want to fuck her?
In his place, Crystal would absolutely not be like that. That only goes to show that he mustn't truly love her.
His love was fake! Fake! He was only after her money!
She had to let Emilia know, somehow.
But as the exams approached, Crystal found herself more and more unable to bring it up.
Not only did Emilia seem to focus more and more on her studies, Crystal worried whether she could even bear to hear her response.