What Happened When I Gave Everything to the Girl Who Sold Herself as a Prostitute After Losing It All - Chapter 8.1
Chapter 8.1
The Empire Academy Library was still ridiculously intimidating as always.
The main building was made of white stone, with reading wings stretching out to the left and right.
Above the entrance sat a crest that combined an open book with the empire’s emblem.
If someone turned the words “quiet” and “wisdom” into a building, this is exactly what it would look like.
I didn’t hate it.
But if you asked whether I liked it, the answer was kind of iffy.
Mostly because every time I came here, the librarians would smile way too nicely and say things like, “Your Highness, we haven’t seen you around here lately.”
“Your Highness Leonhardt.”
Sure enough, the second I stepped inside, someone called out.
It was the elderly chief librarian, Bernard.
His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
He had a gentle way about him, but he showed zero mercy when it came to due dates.
“It’s unusual to see you here.”
“Rude. I come sometimes.”
“Your last visit was two months and eleven days ago.”
“You don’t need to remember that.”
“I am a librarian, after all.”
I almost nodded without thinking.
Annoying.
“What brings you here today?”
“I want to use the governance theory section. Including the restricted parts.”
“If it’s Your Highness, of course.”
Bernard said that much, then looked at Fine standing beside me.
The glance lasted only a second, but it carried a lot of information.
Who is she, how far is she allowed to accompany me, what level of treatment does she get.
He was measuring all of it.
Well, makes sense for the chief librarian.
“This young lady is…”
“Fine.”
“The new transfer student, I see.”
“You already know?”
“There are days when rumors arrive faster than new books.”
So it had even reached the library.
The academy really is small.
“Give her the same reading assistance as me.”
“Same as Your Highness?”
Bernard’s tone didn’t change.
But he was clearly confirming the meaning.
It wasn’t just “let her tag along.” It was an order to temporarily expand her access rights.
“Yeah.”
“Understood.”
He answered right away.
Nice.
This is when being royalty comes in handy.
“Thank you.”
When Fine said that, Bernard gave a small bow.
“No need for thanks. It is His Highness’s command.”
“Even so.”
“…I see.”
The chief librarian narrowed his eyes just a tiny bit.
Yeah, he got it.
This girl isn’t just standing behind me.
“In that case, we will prepare the third restricted room. Governance theory, close-aide theory, noble law, imperial court customs collection, around there?”
“Plus records of past debate events.”
Fine added.
“The ones hosted by the student council, preferably the last three years.”
“We have them.”
“Materials that show speech tendencies by the academy’s main factions.”
“We have them.”
“A list of evaluation criteria used in public debates.”
“We have them.”
“…This library has everything.”
When I said that, Bernard nodded calmly.
“Whatever the academy needs, we generally have.”
Scary.
It felt like knowledge-based violence.
Once we were shown into the third room, Fine started moving before she even sat down.
She lined up materials on the desk,
sorted them into piles by category,
arranged the writing tools,
and even decided my seat on her own.
“Hey.”
“What is it?”
“My seat got fixed so naturally.”
“It’s best for both lighting and checking the entrance.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Your Highness tends to get restless, so a spot where your attention doesn’t easily wander outside seemed better.”
“Isn’t that harsh?”
“It’s the truth.”
“…Hard to argue with that.”
Fine placed a few books in front of me.
“These are for Your Highness.”
“That’s a lot.”
“I narrowed it down.”
“You call this narrowed?”
“Yes.”
“Scary.”
I checked the titles.
‘Imperial Governance Supplementary Theory – Volume One’
‘Family Status and Ability in the Appointment of Close Aides’
‘Selected Biographies of Imperial Family Assistant Officers’
‘Debate Tendency Summary Records’
Whoa.
She was serious.
Way more serious than I expected.
And every single one hit exactly the annoying spots.
“The theme was ‘Which is more necessary for a ruler’s close aide — talent or background,’ right?”
“Yeah.”
“Taking it head-on would be dangerous.”
“True.”
“If I simply say talent is enough, I’ll get attacked for ignoring order.”
“Mhm.”
“If I admit background is necessary, I lose my own position.”
“Mhm.”
“So instead, I’ll break the two-choice structure itself.”
“Hm?”
Fine scribbled quickly on a sheet of paper.
Talent.
Background.
Discipline.
Loyalty.
Judgment.
Sustainability.
“A close aide isn’t decided by a single card.”
“Card.”
“Evaluation item.”
“Your wording is ruthless.”
“In a debate, structure matters more than emotion.”
“Don’t talk like the student council president.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I don’t dislike it, but it’s a bit of a pain.”
“Because it’s the academy.”
There it is.
“Academy” really is a convenient word.
“The core of my argument will be this.”
Fine turned the paper toward me.
“Background contributes to initial trust.”
“Yeah.”
“Talent contributes to practical ability.”
“Yeah.”
“However, the most important thing for a close aide is the judgment to continuously balance the ruler’s interests with order.”
“…”
“So instead of background or talent,”
“I shift it to a discussion about judgment.”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
That was strong.
It wasn’t about throwing away one side, but moving up to a higher concept.
Plus, by bringing in order, it would be harder for the nobles to openly push back.
“Furthermore,”
Fine flipped the page.
“Background is not a guarantee against betrayal.”
“Whoa.”
“Talent is not a guarantee of loyalty either.”
“Whoa.”
“Therefore, treating the cards at the time of appointment as absolute is actually dangerous for governance.”
“That one stings pretty well.”
“It will sting.”
“Watch your wording.”
But I got it.
On the surface, this topic was meant to test Fine.
But if you dug a little deeper, it touched the very pride of the noble children.
If background was treated as absolute, they would feel good.
That’s exactly why you needed real backbone to cut straight into it.
“Your Highness.”
“What?”
“How much will you speak during the actual event?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“I’d rather keep it to a minimum. It’s your stage to prove yourself, right?”
“Yes. But please don’t make it zero.”
“Why?”
“If Your Highness stays too silent, people will interpret it as me not being protected.”
“Ah…”
“On the other hand, if you talk too much, it will look like I’m relying on Your Highness’s authority after all.”
“What a pain.”
“Because it’s the academy.”
“That’s the second time.”
Fine gave a small nod.
“So I would like Your Highness to say one clear thing as backup.”
“What?”
“I place people based on results.”
“Short.”
“Short is fine.”
“Why?”
“If it’s too long, the focus of the topic will shift to Your Highness.”
“I see.”
“The main subject in the actual event should be me.”
…She really is strong.
And while she’s making herself the subject, she’s still calculating my position too.
She doesn’t just want to step forward.
She’s carefully choosing the meaning and angle of stepping forward.
“Your Highness.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you listening?”
“I’m listening.”
“You looked a little spaced out just now.”
“I was thinking you’re stronger than I thought.”
“Thank you.”
“I was praising you.”
“I know.”
“You’ve gotten pretty good at answering calmly even after being praised lately.”
“I learned.”
“Scary.”
Reading through the materials went faster than I expected.
Or more accurately, Fine pushed it forward.
I picked up the necessary parts from the side, gave opinions now and then, and got pulled back whenever I started to wander.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“That page is a collection of political satire poems.”
“…”
“Why did you stray from governance theory?”
“The title looked interesting.”
“After the debate.”
“You won’t let me read it?”
“After the debate.”
“Are you my guardian?”
“I’m your manager.”
“Even scarier.”
By evening, the desk had taken on a pretty solid shape.
Organized points.
Anticipated counterarguments.
Arguments Serena’s side might use.
Replies to those.
And even what to prioritize depending on which way the mood in the venue flowed.
“Is this really your first time?”
When I asked, Fine tilted her head.
“It is my first time participating in a debate.”
“You’re suited for it.”
“Am I?”
“At least more than me.”
“Your Highness is strong in a different direction.”
“That doesn’t feel like comfort.”
“It’s the truth.”
“That reply is really convenient.”
Fine straightened the papers in her hands, then lowered her voice a little.
“But…”
“Hm?”
“I think I will still feel nervous during the actual event.”
“Oh, you admit it.”
“There’s no point in lying.”
“True.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“Are you scared?”
“A little.”
“Do you want to run away?”
“No.”
“Then you’ll be fine.”
“That’s pretty sloppy.”
“It’s not sloppy. It’s mostly right.”
Fine looked at me.
Her gray-silver eyes softened just a bit.
“Your Highness sometimes hits the core with surprisingly casual words.”
“Are you praising me?”
“About half.”
“And the other half?”
“Room for improvement.”
“No mercy, huh.”
On the way back that day, right as we were leaving the third room, we ran into Serena.
Or more precisely,
she had probably timed it.
“You’re working hard.”
The student council president stood there with her usual cool face.
“I’m impressed.”
“Are you monitoring us?”
When I asked,
“It’s confirmation,”
Serena answered calmly.
“Confirming whether Your Highness will really not be absent.”
“Is my credibility that low?”
“It’s based on past results.”
“This woman always comes in with a jab.”
Fine gave a quiet bow.
“Student council president.”
“Have your preparations progressed?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have confidence?”
“I do.”
“Hmm.”
Serena raised her eyebrows with a bit of interest.
“For a first-time participant, you seem quite calm.”
“I am nervous inside.”
“You don’t look it.”
“There’s no benefit in showing it.”
“…I see.”
Serena narrowed her eyes for a moment.
Ah, she liked that.
She seemed to enjoy this kind of reply.
“Then I look forward to three days from now.”
“Yes. So do I.”
“How reassuring.”
Right before we passed each other, Serena spoke in a voice only I could hear.
“Your Highness.”
“What?”
“It’s getting a little interesting, isn’t it?”
“When you find something interesting, it never ends well.”
“Because it’s the academy.”
“You’re saying that too now…”
The student council president gave a tiny smile and walked away.
While watching her back, I let out a sigh.
“What a pain.”
“Yes.”
“Really a pain.”
“But…”
Fine said from beside me.
“It’s not bad.”
“You don’t hate this kind of thing, do you?”
“I don’t hate it.”
“Thought so.”
“Because it’s a good wall to climb if I want to stand beside Your Highness.”
“Your words are always so heavy.”
＊＊＊
And then three days later.
The central auditorium was more packed than I expected.
…No, it was way too packed.
Upperclassmen, lowerclassmen, even some teachers mixed in.
Public debates were already popular events, but today was clearly aimed at something else.
The new transfer student on her first day.
The girl the third prince had brought out publicly.
A direct nomination from the student council president.
That was more than enough bait.
“Wow…”
The sound slipped out before I could stop it.
“There’s a lot of people.”
“Yes.”
Fine answered.
“There really are.”
“Nervous?”
“I am.”
“You don’t look it.”
“There’s no point in showing it.”
“How many times have you said that?”
“It’s convenient.”
“Don’t admit it.”
Inside the auditorium, there was a semicircular seating area with a podium in the center.
Discussion tables on the left and right.
A host seat and record-keepers on the raised front stage.
And right in the middle of the front row sat student council president Serena Wilhelmina.
She looks right at home, damn it.
Places like the center of the room seem made for her.
“Your Highness.”
“What?”
“Just one thing.”
“Yeah?”
“You remember the promise from earlier, right?”
“I place people based on results, right?”
“Yes.”
“I remember.”
“Thank you.”
Fine let out a small breath there.
It was close to a deep breath.
Yeah, she really is nervous.
“Fine.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be okay.”
“That’s sloppy.”
“You like that, don’t you?”
“A little.”
“Then good.”
The opening was announced.
The teacher acting as host stood up and read the format and theme.
“Today’s topic is — which is more necessary for a ruler’s close aide, talent or background.”
The auditorium grew quiet.
“The debaters are two representatives recommended by the student council, plus one special participant.”
There, the teacher’s gaze turned to Fine.
“Transfer student, Fine.”
The air stirred.
But Fine didn’t waver.
She stood up smoothly and walked toward the stage.
The moment I saw the way she walked, I felt a little relieved.
Her steps weren’t shaky.
Her gaze wasn’t lowered.
She had the face of someone who was properly stepping forward.
The two student council recommended representatives were:
One was Benno Edfeldt, the third son of a marquis family.
A logic guy and a regular at debates.
The other was Mireille Solte, a count’s daughter.
Strong in etiquette and political history, the type who tightens the opponent with a soft manner.
…Nasty combination.
They weren’t obvious villains.
They were genuinely excellent and highly regarded inside the academy.
That’s exactly why winning here would mean something.
The debate started with Benno.
“A close aide is someone who supports the ruler’s judgment and sometimes acts in their place. Therefore, what is needed first is background.”
Just as expected.
The logic held.
People from high-status families receive education from a young age and understand the weight of political responsibility.
They have things to carry.
So they won’t act recklessly — that was the argument.
“Talent is of course important. But talent can run wild. Background gives that talent a frame and responsibility from the very beginning.”
Smooth.
It wasn’t simple bloodline-ism.
He wrapped it in the language of order.
Mireille followed up beautifully.
“In addition, a close aide must also act as a bridge not only to their lord but to those around them — nobles, bureaucrats, military, and common people.”
“Bridge.”
“Yes. In that process, background becomes a common language. The speed at which trust is built is different. Governance does not run on ideals alone.”
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