The Academy cafeteria was not what I expected.
Instead of plastic trays and stale sandwiches, it looked like a five-star banquet hall—golden chandeliers, floating food carts, and students sipping tea like they were born with monocles in their eyes.
I was trying to blend in, but when you're the Demon Prince who "accidentally" blew up a greenhouse last semester, people tend to keep a three-table radius.
Fine by me. More room to sketch my café floor plan.
"Alright," I muttered, sipping watery tea. "Counter goes here. Seating by the window. Maybe a bookshelf—"
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.
"I heard you've gone soft, Your Highness."
I looked up to see a tall guy with glacier-blue hair, polished armor, and the kind of smirk that screams "I'm definitely not a side character."
"…And you are?" I asked.
He dramatically flipped his cloak. "Sir Cedric Valenfort. Top of the knight class, hero candidate, and future champion of justice."
So… a walking light novel protagonist.
"What do you want, Cedric?"
He slammed a thick tome on my table titled '101 Heroic Duties and How to Smite Evil'.
"You're a prince of darkness! Yet here you are, sipping lukewarm tea like some retired librarian! This is unacceptable!"
"I'm also sketching a café," I added helpfully.
Cedric's eye twitched.
Before he could start shouting about honor and fate or whatever, the temperature in the room dropped five degrees.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of sharp heels on marble echoed as she walked in.
Jet-black ponytail. Violet eyes. A military-style dress uniform with silver embroidery. A presence that said, I could end your bloodline and still make it to afternoon tea.
"Princess Seraphina of Iskendria," Cedric whispered. "Why is she here?"
She didn't even glance at him.
Instead, her eyes locked on me like I'd personally insulted her ancestors.
"You."
I blinked. "Me?"
She marched up to my table, crossed her arms, and glared.
"I heard you were a threat. A demon prince with untold magical power. A cruel noble who tortured servants and burned villages."
I slowly put down my teacup. "I don't even like stepping on bugs."
"Hmph!" she scoffed. "This has to be a trick. Playing the harmless fool to catch us off guard. I'm not falling for it."
"Okay… do you want some tea?"
She blushed furiously. "Wh-What makes you think I'd drink your tea?!"
"Because you've been staring at it for five minutes?"
"I-Idiot! Like I'd ever—! I mean—! Tch. Whatever."
She sat down across from me. Uninvited. And took the cup.
I looked at Cedric, who gave me the universal look of "what the hell is going on?"
I shrugged.
So now I had two new problems:
A tsundere war princess who might stab me for being polite
A hero-in-training who wants to drag me back into the plot
All while I'm just trying to figure out how to make foam art.
Welcome to my peaceful café life… I guess.