Vol4 Chapter 1 The Right to Refuse Refused

A short while later, Amos stood outside the faculty office.

“Come in.”

Amos opened the door. Professor Selene looked up from her desk.

“Mr. Kyros.”

“Professor.”

She glanced at him for a moment.

“You look like you've come here for something.”

“I have.”

“Trouble?”

“No.”

“An assignment?”

“No.”

“A complaint?”

“No.”

Selene smiled.

“Then what is it?”

“Clubs.”

“Clubs?”

“Yes.”

Amos walked over and sat in the chair opposite her.

“I was told I should choose one.”

Selene nodded.

“That would be a good idea.”

She opened a drawer and took out a thick booklet.

“The academy has quite a number of them. Take a look.”

Amos accepted it.

He flipped through the pages.

His eyebrows slowly rose.

“There are a lot.”

“More than Sixty, officially.”

“Sixty?”

“Some are larger than others. Some are barely more than a handful of students with a shared interest.”

Amos continued flipping through the pages.

Magic, alchemy, swordsmanship, historical studies, artifact research, various academic societies, social organizations, noble societies, and even a few clubs Amos wasn’t entirely sure could be called clubs.

He frowned.

“Do I have to choose only one?”

Selene looked at him.

“No.”

Amos stopped.

“You don't?”

“You can join several, provided you can keep up with your responsibilities.”

Amos glanced at the booklet, and everything shifted. At first, he’d been trying to settle on just one activity he could stand. Now, he realized he could choose a few.

“That makes this easier.”

Selene smiled.

“I thought it might.”

Amos flipped through the pages again.

“Is there a tea club?”

Selene paused.

“A tea club?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Amos looked disappointed.

“None?”

“Not that I'm aware of.”

“That seems like an oversight.”

Selene laughed.

“If you really want one, you could always start it yourself.”

Amos looked up.

“I can do that?”

“Of course. Student clubs can be proposed and registered with the academy.”

Amos considered this.

“What do I need?”

“Other than a reasonable proposal?”

“Yes.”

“You'll need members.”

“How many?”

“At least five students to establish it properly.”

Amos immediately began counting in his head.

Elena.

Confirmed.

Well—

Not willingly.

But that was a minor detail.

Estelle.

He could probably guilt-trip her into it.

Elodie.

Easy.

Edith.

Also easy.

And himself.

He counted again.

Five.

His expression brightened.

Perfect.

He could already picture the club—tea, quiet conversations, maybe some books, and more tea.

This was becoming the best idea he'd had all week.

Selene noticed his expression.

“You've already found four people, haven't you?”

“Yes.”

“That was fast.”

“I know people.”

Selene smiled.

Amos continued scanning the list.

Then he remembered why he'd come in the first place.

“There is something else.”

“What is it?”

Amos hesitated.

“How should I handle it if someone invites me to join their club?”

Selene raised an eyebrow.

“That sounds like a very specific question.”

“It is.”

“Who invited you?”

Amos looked away.

“The princess.”

Selene was silent for a moment.

“Princess Evelyn?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she invite you to?”

“She said I should join hers.”

Selene leaned back slightly.

“Ah.”

That single sound immediately made Amos nervous.

“What?”

“Did she tell you the name?”

“No.”

Selene gave him a knowing look.

“Then you should probably know what it is before deciding.”

Amos nodded.

“That is precisely why I'm asking you.”

Selene reached for another document.

“She is most likely referring to the Fredias Youth Society.”

Amos blinked.

“The what?”

“The Fredias Youth Society.”

Selene explained calmly.

“It is essentially a society associated with the imperial family. Royalty and noble families participate, and talented students are often invited as a way of building connections between the younger generation.”

Amos slowly lowered the booklet.

“Connections.”

“Yes.”

“Between nobles.”

“Yes.”

“And talented students.”

“Yes.”

Amos stared at her.

His face gradually became one of profound concern.

“...Yikes.”

Selene laughed.

“That is one way to put it.”

“So it's a political networking club.”

“More or less.”

Amos immediately began reconsidering every word Evelyn had said.

You should join mine.

He had assumed she was just inviting him to an ordinary academy club.

In reality, she was bringing him into a society where imperial royalty and noble families mingled with promising young people to forge connections.

“I don't think I should join.”

Selene looked at him.

“You could refuse.”

Amos brightened slightly.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

“But I wouldn't recommend doing so casually.”

“Why?”

Selene folded her hands.

“Because she is a princess.”

Amos stared at her.

“That shouldn't make refusing illegal.”

“It doesn't.”

“Then why does everyone keep making it sound like it is?”

Selene smiled.

“Because when a princess personally invites someone to a society like that, there is usually a reason.”

Amos became quiet.

Selene continued.

“And while you technically have the right to refuse, you should understand that a royal invitation carries considerably more weight than an ordinary student's invitation.”

Amos sighed.

“So I don't really have a choice.”

“I wouldn't say that.”

Selene paused.

“I would say you have a choice.”

She smiled.

“But you probably don't have the freedom to make that choice without consequences.”

Amos stared blankly ahead.

“That sounds exactly like not having a choice.”

Selene laughed.

“Perhaps.”

Amos leaned back in his chair.

He slowly rubbed his forehead.

Elena.

Estelle.

Elodie.

Edith.

Five people.

His expression brightened a little. At least the tea club was still an option.

Then he remembered the Fredias Youth Society.

His expression fell again.

Why couldn't the princess just invite me to drink tea?

He looked at Selene.

“Professor.”

“Yes?”

“If I join the tea club, can I spend all my time there instead?”

Selene smiled.

“I suppose that depends on whether you can convince four other people to spend all their time drinking tea with you.”

Amos nodded seriously.

“I think I can manage that.”

Selene watched him leave with the booklet under his arm. She shook her head.