Chapter 23: Princess Mia... Makes a Speech

The student council election was a large-scale event that took place over twenty days. Due to the perpetual absence of any candidates in the running aside from Rafina, a shortened version that finished in five days had become the norm, but this time, things were different. With the appearance of a foolhardy challenger in the form of Mia, the event reverted to its original format and length.

The beginning of the election was marked by an Opening Mass in the cathedral, which also allowed the candidates to introduce themselves. With the entire student body gathered in the cathedral, the Opening Mass was an extremely formal ceremony that observed the highest standards of ritual and custom, and the candidates, as the center of attention, were expected to present themselves in a fashion suitable for the occasion. Consequently, the clothes involved were of a fundamentally different make than usual. Candidates were required to don holy garments, whose chaste design functioned as a gesture of respect for the sacred service. The first piece of the ensemble was a thin veil made of a pure white material, which was to be worn over the head. In keeping with the theme of chastity, hair was to be kept loose. No ornaments — not even simple hairpins — were allowed. Next came the dress, which was a long white robe that hung from the shoulders down to the ankles. An equally white belt was then fastened around the waist, a small dolphin embroidered along its length served as the sole source of aesthetic variety.

Clothed in simple attire with all forms of ostentation strictly prohibited, the candidates sat directly in front of the priest presiding over the ceremony, where they faced all the students of the school. Having been born a princess, Mia was used to feeling the gazes of crowds on her, and she was fairly confident — perhaps too confident — in her own good looks. But even a seasoned being-ogled veteran like her couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the ceremony’s austere air and stoic treatment of its candidates. Making things even worse, of course, was the presence of the other candidate beside her who, on any other occasion, would be the only person people paid any attention to.

“How strange. I feel as if it’s been a long time since we’ve spoken, Mia.”

Rafina smiled gently at her from the adjacent seat.

“H-How strange indeed. O-Ohoho. I guess we’ve both been busy...”

She replied in kind, except her smile was more nervous than gentle. The day she brought Bel to see her was, in fact, the last time they’d seen each other. She’d been avoiding Rafina like the plague ever since. She had no idea how a conversation between them would develop, and the thought of finding out terrified her to the point of dashing past corners and dodging behind bushes on a daily basis. Granted, if Rafina asked to see her, she was prepared to comply — ignoring a direct request would be going too far — but otherwise, she’d rather avoid having any interaction altogether.

Try as she might, however, she couldn’t escape the inevitable coming of this day, and she could already feel the beginnings of a cold sweat at the thought that she’d have to keep sitting here beside Rafina for the next hour.

“I must say, Mia, I didn’t expect you to join me on this altar. I was hoping you’d come work for me in the student council. I did want you to be the next president, you know? So I thought it would be a perfect chance for you to learn the workings of the council. That way, I could have helped you along...” she said as she looked down at her lap.

“Miss Rafina...”

Mia felt a pang of guilt at that saddened, downcast gaze, but Rafina’s expression quickly reverted to a smile again.

“But this is plenty exciting for me as well. After all, the fact that you don’t wish to work under me means you have other ambitions for the council, right?”

“...I do?”

“If you believe you can lead a council that surpasses my own, then I certainly welcome the attempt. It would ultimately be to everyone’s benefit. Isn’t that right, Mia?”

And that was when Mia realized... the smile on Rafina’s face reached only halfway; the humor in her lips was not shared by her gaze.

Eeeeek! R-Rafina! She’s mad at me! She’s really really mad at me!

Every fiber of her being trembled in terror.

“I’m looking forward to hearing your speech, Mia. I do wonder what campaign promises you intend to make.”

Mia felt the blood draining from her face as if cowering from the smiling horror beside her.

The ceremony began with the lighting of the cathedral’s candles and a reading of the Bible. Next, all the students rose to sing the sacred hymn before a passage of prayer was recited. All of this was done with everyone’s gazes fixed squarely on the two candidates.

This... is pretty stressful. Even if Rafina wasn’t sitting right beside me...

After all, it was very likely that the students currently saw her as an idiot who thought way too highly of herself and decided to pick an unwinnable fight against Rafina. Those gazes she felt, if not pitying, were probably vicarious embarrassment. The more she thought about it, the sorrier for herself she felt.

Ahh... Everyone’s looking at me. I know they are. They’re all secretly laughing at me for making a fool of myself. Ugh, this is terribly humiliating.

Objectively speaking, there certainly was no shortage of people who shared her deprecating opinion of herself. However, there were also plenty of people who found her an enchanting sight to behold. Her pure white clothes resembled a wedding dress, and there was an intrinsic appeal to young women in bridal gowns that amplified her charm. Furthermore, an entire summer break’s worth of horse shampoo treatments had thoroughly invigorated the luster of her hair, and her skin was positively radiant, owing to Anne’s diligent care. The thin veil then added a layer of translucent mystery, showing just enough of her natural beauty to tantalize the imaginations of her audience.

The human mind is a fanciful thing. In terms of raw, textbook beauty, Rafina had Mia beat hands down. It wasn’t even a contest. However, whereas Rafina’s frequent appearance in the various ceremonies throughout the school year afforded spectators ample opportunity to see her in holy garments, this was Mia’s debut in the sacred white attire. Her rarity was off the charts! She was an SSR!

Naturally, the students’ attention was drawn to the less familiar sight, and a roomful of eyes focused themselves on the veiled beauty before them. As the ceremony continued to progress, the time came at last for the climax — the election speeches.

“Now then, candidates, please swear your oaths before God.”

Rafina rose and spoke her oaths in a resonant voice that carried throughout the cathedral. When she was finished, Mia stood up and looked out across the sea of students. Ranks upon ranks of eyes were focused on her, and she thought for a moment that she might pass out on the spot. Slowly, she cycled a breath to calm herself. Then, she spoke.

“I, Mia Luna Tearmoon, hereby announce my candidacy for the student council presidency and swear that I shall conduct myself in accordance with the principles of fair and honorable competipition—”

The silence after she fumbled the word was deafening.

“...Throughout the duration... of this election...”

She finished her sentence with a mortified grimace. For the record, the God of the Central Orthodox Church was a benevolent deity, so there was no official penalty for stuttering or pausing in the middle of a speech. There were, however, the countless pairs of eyes and ears that just wore witness to her flub, and she hadn’t the nerve to look them in the face after that.

Hnnngh... I want to go home. Back to my room in the imperial capital... and sleep for a week.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but fortunately for her, no one could see them through her veil.