The Princess Sitting Next to Me is a Sweet Girlfriend Only in Front of Me
After a while, Stellafia finally calmed down somewhat.
In the meantime, however, she was deeply hurt by the amused gaze her father had given her.
She knew the cause of all this lay with herself, and she was in no position to complain.
“Anyway, I don’t particularly have an issue with your true identity being revealed, Stellafia.”
“R-really?”
“If this weren’t Heim, the scholarship student, things would be different.”
In short, a scholarship student is that special.
And…
“Well, to begin with, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have been able to prevent the memory-altering magic. In that case, it would’ve been the end of the matter.”
“I-I see…”
At the very least, there’s no other student in the current academy who can resist magic like he can.
“The biggest issue here is that you are infatuated with him.”
“L-love isn’t such a bad thing, is it?!”
“It matters. Just as you are infatuated with him, it’s likely he feels some affection for you as well.”
“W-wait—”
Stellafia was at a loss for words.
She never expected to be called out so directly.
Though… she didn’t exactly hate it.
“I’ll say this outright: a boy your age will never react negatively to being treated with your natural closeness.”
“R-really…?”
Fiorldia nodded firmly.
It was an affirmation filled with conviction.
Meanwhile, Stellafia began absentmindedly combing through her long golden hair—a typical reaction for a flustered girl.
“W-well, I mean… I am a girl, after all! As I’ve interacted with him, there have been moments where I felt he genuinely cares for me…”
“…Just be careful not to get too carried away when you’re around family. It’d be unfortunate if that caused him to lose respect for you.”
“W-what are you saying, Father?!”
Her polite speech faltered.
Clearly, she hadn’t fully recovered from her earlier agitation.
“At any rate, if you feel positively about him, don’t let him go.”
“W-why is Father so invested in my love life…?”
“A scholarship student is that special.”
—In those words, Stellafia caught a glimpse of her father’s strictness as a king.
Which meant his advice wasn’t motivated purely by kindness.
“Listen carefully, Stellafia.”
“Y-yes.”
“A scholarship student is a position granted only to those with the potential to change the history of magic in this world.”
“…!”
That was far greater than she had ever imagined.
Though Stellafia had always acknowledged Heim’s extraordinary talent, she never realized the nation valued him to such an extent.
Which meant…
“…Stellafia, though you are popular among the people, you are still the child of a concubine. In terms of royal standing, you are effectively outranked by your two younger sisters.”
“Y-yes, that’s true.”
“To put it bluntly, if you manage to win him over through your feelings and bring him into the fold of the nation, it would hold more value than your current position.”
Her father remained stern as a king.
He hadn’t forgiven the exposure of Stellafia’s true identity because of leniency.
It was only because it was Heim.
That fact carried significant weight for both father and daughter.
Stellafia now realized just how monumental her “romance” truly was.
