The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)

MARIUS

I walked back to the student council room with light footsteps.

I got the job done. The art club was going to hold an exhibition, which, according to the president, should please the ’special guest.’ I was curious about the identity of this guest—who was so important that the Academy had to plan its festival around satisfying her tastes?

Once I arrived, I saw President Mikael and Secretary Hilda sitting at the meeting table, going over some documents that were laid out on it.

"Oh, you are back, Marius," the president said.

"Have you talked to the art club?" Hilda asked immediately.

"Yes, and their answer is ’yes’."

Mikael’s face lit up, and Hilda seemed very surprised.

"Blanche agreed to it?" Hilda asked to confirm.

"Yes, she agreed to hold an exhibition."

"That is fantastic news! Well done, Marius," Mikael praised me.

"What did it cost?" Hilda asked, seeming impressed but also concerned at the same time.

The way she phrased our deal as a ’cost’ bothered me a little.

But she was right. I made a deal with Blanche. She made a concession, and so did we.

"The art club will have full control over what they exhibit," I said, truthfully delivering the facts.

"Wait—" The president raised his hand. "Marius, that could be problematic. Especially knowing Blanche and her tendency to be a maverick."

"I’m not sure about this deal, President," Hilda added.

I could understand their concern, but given the context, I felt my judgment was the correct one.

"The deal was made in good will and good spirit. I don’t think Blanche or the art club would do anything to sabotage the festival or the Academy’s image," I said.

"You cannot predict Blanche," the president stated.

"President, Blanche agreed to the idea on the principle that this was something that would make the members of the art club happy—to give its members a chance to show their work, be recognized, and be happy," I explained further.

"That sounds too wholesome to be Blanche’s idea. Was it you who framed it that way?" Hilda probed.

The president sat and stared at me, studying my expression carefully to see how I’d react.

"Yes. I made a plea on behalf of her club members. She accepted."

"Liesel, that must be it," Mikael said, tapping the table once with his palm.

Hilda gave it some thought.

"If Blanche objected every time, Liesel could go through her entire time at the Academy without holding a single exhibition. No matter how odd Blanche may be, Liesel and Blanche are good friends. I can, to an extent, believe that Blanche agreed for the sake of Liesel," the president concluded.

"Is that really the case, Marius?" Hilda asked me, still skeptical.

"I can’t say exactly who it was for, but she did agree to it for the sake of the club members," I gave my final explanation.

I left Skylark out of my report—it was unnecessary to bring him up. And knowing that Blanche had compromised for a member who had just joined might make her decision even more questionable. The deal was done, and what was left was to execute it as agreed, not quibble over her reasoning, which neither of them would fully understand anyway.

It was then that there was a knock on the door, and upon Hilda’s permission to enter, the door opened and Beatrice walked in.

"Good afternoon." Beatrice bowed politely and identified herself. "I’m Beatrice de Lannoy, and I came here on behalf of the drama club. I hope I’m not intruding."

"Welcome to the student council. We are always open to listening to any students’ concerns," Mikael said in a friendly voice.

"Thank you, President. I came here to ask for approval for an inter-club budget transfer."

Hilda and Mikael exchanged a look, with Hilda’s eyes silently saying, ’I will handle this.’

"Could you please explain?" Hilda asked Beatrice.

"The art club has agreed to produce backdrops and props for the drama club’s performance, so we’d need to give them a budget to purchase the materials needed. I have been told that budget transfers between clubs must be approved by the student council."

"The art club agreed to it?" Hilda asked, surprised.

"Yes."

Mikael whistled and said, "What is happening today with Blanche?"

"She’s up to something," Hilda blurted out, almost in a hiss.

"Could we not just accept it as her being helpful?" I asked the president and Hilda.

"A plan you approve without knowing the intention or reason behind it could be dangerous," Hilda said cautiously.

"If I may speak—the art club was indeed being very helpful. We are grateful for their cooperation."

"I see," Mikael said, and turned to speak to Hilda. "These freshmen are quite something this year, don’t you think?"

Hilda paused for a moment, then simply nodded.

"Excellent work, Marius, Beatrice. It seems we are on the right track for this festival."

That was the president’s final verdict.

"We will do our best," Beatrice and I said together.

After that, Beatrice and I left the room together.

"It seems that lady, Blanche, has a bit of a reputation for being difficult to work with," Beatrice said first.

"Maybe. Her relationship with the student council seems strained—it feels like a long-standing friction. But from my experience, she has been great to everyone," I said.

"I saw some interesting pictures that Leo drew while I was at the art club," Beatrice mentioned casually.

"They were quite funny, weren’t they?"

"Indeed. They were interesting. But it made me wonder..."

"Yes?" I asked her as she paused for a bit longer than was natural.

"Why were only you not in the picture where he drew everyone gathered together?"

"Skylark being silly as usual, I suppose. Besides, I don’t think you can control what you see in your dream. It’s not like Skylark decided to dream that way," I said.

"But it bothered me. Leo is close to you, from what I see." She turned her head to look at me for a few steps while we walked side by side, then looked ahead again to say, "So it is strange that everyone—even people he’s not that close to—was there, but not you, Marius."

Beatrice had a point, although neither of us knew what it could mean.

But do dreams have any meaning at all anyway?

Probably not.

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