In My Previous Life I Was a Saint, but Now I Want to Cut Corners

Seriously? You’re going to blurt out that I’m your cousin? At this inopportune moment… I mean, yes, My mother is the current King’s half-sister. However, it was virtually forbidden for her to be recognized as much in fear of the current Dowager Queen. Not to mention since my mother’s father is the late king. Mother is only referred to as the Marquise of Sheridan since the Dowager Queen has tried to erase her existence as the princess.

I had earnestly hoped he wouldn’t bring up we were cousins, especially with Angel in earshot… But I guess it’s unavoidable now… He’s said it out loud, and he’s fascinated with Aria. I have no doubt that Prince Cecil is aware that I have been given an Aerial as my guardian… But how can he see Aria? Only those close to me in emotional ties or magical powers can see Aria… I’ve never met the prince before… So the only thing I can come up with is he’s either just as strong or stronger in magical power…

While racing in my mind about the endless possibilities, I noticed a blue creature next to the prince. Well, maybe blue isn’t right… It’s a more purple to blue hue in a color that matched our tanzanite eye color. However, most Undines are a solid blue color. Maybe this is unique to the royal bloodline? It is often said that royalty retrieves undine when they go through the trial.

To everyone else, Aria is invisible, that’s why the students turn their attention towards the uniquely colored Undine guardian and are now paying attention to the tension between the prince and me.

“I… I… Uhm… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I decided it was best to pretend I didn’t know anything.

“What? What do you mean you don’t know anything?”

I could tell the prince was getting a bit frustrated but realized all eyes had been turned on him as if he was about to do something dramatic or unbecoming. Taking a swift glance around the room, he stood up and gave his award-winning fake smile, and took me hard.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sheridan, I was mistaken… I would like to openly apologize for my mistake. I truly apologize.”

After apologizing, he swiftly got on his knee and kissed my fingertips lightly. Without fail, small “oooohs” and “aaaahs” with girlie gasps could be heard inside the classroom… Still, on his knee, he deadlocked his eyes on mine.

“Again, I apologize for my behavior. It’s nice to meet you, cousin. My name is Cecil Ray Eltria… Since we will be studying together, I thought it may be good for the both of us to study together and perhaps get to know one another better?”

Every fiber of my being jolted with anxiety, I wanted nothing more than to respectfully reject his offer… But… I don’t think I can… There are way too many eyes on me waiting for my reply… I can already hear what everyone is thinking. However, none of them needed to speak because Angel took all their combined thoughts and displayed them in a high pitched insufferable tone of superiority.

“What? Is she really the daughter of the Sheridan Family… Wow! She is such a plain and boring person! No way! I thought she’d be more like a princess! Why would the prince even talk to such a plain girl!”

I was baffled… How could someone speak to another student like this? I couldn’t help but feel upset about what she said… But… There was someone who was infuriated with her statements…

“How dare you… How could someone who is considered a would-be saint be so blatantly rude? Even if you do actually earn your title, your outburst against my cousin is completely unacceptable. In fact, I’m not even sure why you are here in the first place. Wouldn’t it be better for you to return to the church so you can learn how to be a decent member of the church before entering the academy? If your behavior meets the standard requirement to become a saint, I feel personally we should rethink our relations with the church as a whole.”
//TLNOTE: GO PRINCE CECIL GET EM!

Prince Cecil’s gaze was cold and pierced straight through Angel. Hearing what the prince said, Lloyd jumped out of his argument with the teacher and swiftly apologized to the second prince.

“M-My lord… I’m incredibly sorry for her behavior… You see, today’s saints are generally commoners and have not learned the basic etiquette to fit in the nobility… That’s why we send them here instead of teaching them at the church…”

Lloyd, who was shaking in anticipation of the prince’s reply, you can tell he was a nervous wreck…

“Then she will learn amongst the commoners no exceptions.”

“Yes… I understand your highness.”

The prince once again gave a cold, piercing glance towards Angel, who still hasn’t picked up that the prince did not like her, started turning red as she gave him a flirtatious look. Apparently, she didn’t realize that a cold stare was not one of affection.

I couldn’t help but think about my previous life… I don’t think she would have survived as a saint back then… For something like this, she would be tried and most likely hanged in court that same day. I really wonder what the other saints of my past would have thought about this. They literally sacrificed themselves daily. I could only imagine the contempt they would have against Angel.

“Come on, Angel… let’s go. We shouldn’t disturb the class anymore.”

Lloyd forcefully grabbed Angel’s hand and started walking away. Before they could exit the classroom, Angel stopped and glanced at the prince and asked.

“Uhm… Your highness, can we meet again?”

When she finished talking, the prince only replied with an obviously fake smile in annoyance.

“Since we are at the same school, I just want you to know. My name is Angel Parker. I will definitely become a saint just for you… So please wait for me! So we can marry!”

While it’s true if a commoner becomes a saint, they can marry into the nobility, but that’s if you pass. However, Angel is currently only a commoner who can become a saint and hasn’t actually met the title’s requirements. Besides that becoming a saint doesn’t guarantee your marriage with someone in the nobility, let alone the royal family. So what she was saying was outrageous.

In a complete panic, Lloyd pulled Angel’s arm harder and left the classroom as quickly as possible.

“I’m so sorry for the disturbance, Your highness! Please forget this! Angel, let’s go!”

“Wa-Wait Lloyd! I’m still talking to… Ah! Don’t pull me so hard! I am a saint!”

The echoes of Angels arguing could be heard down the hall as the room had been left in a complete trance about what happened. The entire nobility class was speechless about what just happened. I couldn’t even believe the things that Angel busted out in confidence. Mr. Marcus, our teacher, was also left speechless.

“Ahem… Sorry about that, Miss Sheridan Please… Uh… Have a seat…”

I quickly sat down so that we could move on with class without delay.

“Oh, okay….. With that out of the way… We are going to start class. First, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Marcus Hamilton. I will be you’re your guide in the world of magic for the next year. I welcome you all to class. Now, let’s start with ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”

Finally, after two hours of intro lessons, the school bell rang. We were finally able to leave. I got up, but before leaving, Aria and I heard the mumbling of Prince Cecil.

“Become a saint for me? Wait for you? Marriage? Bah! A saint is supposed to be someone who wants to save others, even if it means risking their lives. Ah! Now it’s just greedy people wanting nothing but personal gain. Has the church fallen so low? To think a girl like her could become a saint… This is a mockery of her memory…”

What did he just say….