It was hard to tell whether it was the fine texture of the silk gloves or the heightened sensory perception he'd gained as a Wind Arcane Mage.
But the moment that small, delicate hand — far daintier than his own — truly fell into his palm, Linen's very first thought was:
Hysteria's hand… it's soft. And smells nice...
That single touch stunned not just Linen — but also the group of students who had been barely holding back their rage.
If Hysteria had snubbed Linen with one of her signature scoffs, not only would he have lost face, the entire Zijinghua Empire would've been embarrassed by extension. The students would've been humiliated too.
But the hot-tempered, proud-to-a-fault imperial princess — the same girl who'd practically rolled her eyes at a teacher — had calmly, obediently... placed her hand in his.
In an instant, the image of Linen in everyone's minds shifted from "simping disgrace" to "unfathomable mystery."
Wait... was this all part of his plan?
Pharaoh, who had just been mocking Linen moments earlier, suddenly wore a grim expression. One of the boys beside him hurriedly whispered:
"It's gotta be a fluke. And even if he's a prince too, he lowered himself to be someone's escort. That's not dignity — that's just pathetic."
"Yeah, he's clearly just trying to curry favor with Hysteria."
"What are you two going on about?! Do you really think His Highness is that kind of person?"
As things started to spiral toward infighting, the female teacher who had earlier been humiliated by Hysteria let out a visible sigh of relief. She patted her ample chest — which drew a synchronized twitch in the gazes and hearts of the nearby male students — and murmured:
"Thank goodness for His Highness Linen. If there had been a fight with the imperial princess on her first day here, we all would've been in serious trouble."
The moment those words left her mouth, every on-the-fence student immediately came to their senses.
She was right. If Linen hadn't stepped in just then — if he hadn't blocked that powder keg with a smile — someone from a wealthy background and a hot temper would definitely have picked a fight with Hysteria by now.
And then what? Who cared who won? It would've been a full-on diplomatic disaster.
Sure, the law might not punish everyone — but would the Academy really dare discipline Hysteria?
Would the Flame Rose Empire let that slide?
In fact, in the original story, after Hysteria beat down a dozen freshmen on day one, the Academy had to punish everyone except Linen to appease Flame Rose's fury.
Thinking about it now, several students broke into a cold sweat.
"Some of you need to shut up. You keep badmouthing His Highness like he's nothing. If you've got a problem, go challenge her yourself!"
"Exactly! The Ain Society doesn't cause trouble — but we're not afraid of it either!"
"The what society?"
"Just founded it. Got a problem?"
"...Nope. I'm in."
"If you've got nothing useful to say, don't speak!"
Watching as their group got shoved to the sidelines, Pharaoh muttered to his underling in a low voice.
One of his lackeys quickly chimed in:
"Don't be mad, boss. What's the big deal with that guy? He's clearly using shady tricks because he can't win a real fight. Cheap parlor games — nothing more."
But what was said casually struck a nerve.
Pharaoh's expression shifted — from frustration to sudden clarity.
Others might not know, but as the son of the Northern Duke, Pharaoh was well aware that Linen was a magical dud — a so-called royal "waste."
By contrast, Pharaoh himself had nearly reached Tier 1 Arcane level. He could already cast a Tier 1 [Fireball] before enrollment.
At his age, that was serious talent — he probably wasn't far behind the so-called "genius princess."
A real Arcane Mage versus a flower vase prince?
No contest.
Why waste energy competing for attention now?
With that thought, Pharaoh relaxed. A smirk curled at his lips as he glanced at the crowd now fawning over Linen.
Let's see how they react once they find out their precious prince is nothing but a powerless fraud.
Unaware that his reputation was now ping-ponging between extremes, Linen was currently leading Hysteria up the stairs, hand-in-hand — too distracted to appreciate the soft warmth in his palm.
All he could think was:
Why didn't she reject me?
How could she just accept?
Doesn't this break her entire character arc?!
But then their eyes met — just briefly.
And instead of her usual arrogance or impatience, he saw… a slight flicker of expectation. She was even urging him onward.
And just like that — Linen had his revelation.
I wasn't wrong. The one at fault here… is this woman.
His Good Bro Plan was flawless — in theory. It only failed if the target wasn't a normal person.
And Hysteria?
She was absolutely not normal.
As a princess, she was surrounded by servants her whole life. As an Arcane prodigy, kids her age either feared her or kissed up from a distance.
In her world, the concept of "boys and girls shouldn't touch" probably didn't even exist.
And now, on her first day in a foreign empire, she'd encountered someone of similar status… who tolerated her tantrums... and even looked good doing it.
This dumb bunny had skipped the whole trial period and fast-forwarded straight to "besties."
Wait. Am I her… girl best friend now??
Linen fell into brief, horrified silence.
Sure, it was technically a win — his relationship-building was ahead of schedule. But why did it feel so hollow?
Because he knew.
This "friendship" came fast, but it would vanish just as quickly.
If he ever upset her, she'd drop him like a hot coal.
All the groundwork he'd laid? Gone. One misstep and it'd collapse like a house of cards.
The Good Bro strategy might not work on her long-term. I'll need a new plan for milking system rewards...
He was deep in thought when sudden laughter rang out from the upper floor.
Two girls came dashing around the corner mid-chase, giggling uncontrollably. One of them accidentally slammed into the maid helping carry Hysteria's luggage, knocking her off balance.
The maid lost her grip. A suitcase tumbled down the stairs, scattering clothes across the floor.
The two students didn't notice anything wrong. They gave a few hasty apologies and kept running — right toward Linen and Hysteria.
There was no time to dodge.
Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped through the corridor — sharp and fast. A [Wind Blade] sliced a [Fireball] clean in half. The shockwave knocked the two girls back onto their butts.
"An instant-cast [Arcane Spark] and [Wind Blade]?! That's impossible!"
This time, it was Pharaoh who cried out first, eyes bulging in disbelief.
"Has he been hiding his power all along?!"
Linen calmly released Hysteria's hand and glanced at the faint flicker of flame dancing in her palm.
"I apologize for the mess, Your Highness. But casting Arcane spells inside the dorms is forbidden."
"Oh? And if I don't stop?" Hysteria narrowed her eyes, red irises flaring with an inner blaze. "You're quite something, you little bottom-feeder. Been hiding your claws, huh?"
Just as Linen opened his mouth to respond, something stopped him.
A glowing system panel popped up in his vision:
[Congratulations. You have successfully been rejected by Hysteria…]
Wait. That counts?!
I've got a plan!
"Well, in that case," Linen sighed dramatically, voice calm but unwavering, "as a member of the royal family, I can't just stand by and let Your Highness harm one of my citizens."
Wind gathered in his palm — a subtle swirl of elemental power.
And all of it — his stance, the gathering mana, the unwavering defiance — was witnessed by the girl who had just arrived at the dormitory after chasing them down…
Elena.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Is this... the real Prince Linen?