The Girl Who Unknowingly Became Harem Queen! 17 Accusation

"Why do you refuse? Is it that you are too scared to face me?" taunted Elsa, acting all arrogant as she stood before Maria, who was going to answer with a 'yes' if a certain blonde didn't step up to defend her.

"As if Maria would ever be scared of you, Icy! Maria, don't let this Ice Princess get to you! Use your Celestial Summon and show her who's boss!" cheered Mai

'Mai, I love you, but please stop talking!' silently begged Maria, hoping the ground under her feet would just open up and swallow her and her friends

"Since your friend talks so big, why don't you face me? I refuse to let some who's untalented and weak be so close to Richard-sama! So, Maria Rosendrey, either you face me..." Elsa held out her hand; a small whirlpool of water formed, giving Maria a bad feeling. "...or I will make you. Aqua Iaculator!" she threatened as projectiles of water shot out from the whirlpool. Maria was lucky to have dodged, pushing her friends out of harm's way.

"Listen, I don't want to fight you!" shouted Maria, but Elsa was no longer listening, calling out the water spell that took out the cheetah. Maria ran, lucky enough to dodge the attack while hearing Mai rooting for her in the background. 'c.r.a.p! Just how did I land myself in such a huge mess? Elsa is no longer listening to me. I hardly believe that I can win against her,... and Mai, put away those poms-poms!' From where she hid behind a beech tree, Maria was able to spot Mai on the sidelines with Julian, waving a pair of pom-poms in the air, cheering her on.

"If you won't come out and face me, then I'll make you! Flagellum Aqua!" Elsa summoned forth a whip of water that lashed out and sliced the tree Maria was hiding behind.

"Master, if you do not give me an order, and quickly, I fear that you may suffer real damage. This girl's ability is on a whole different level compared to you three." Ruby floated nearby Maria's head, speaking in a serious voice.

"I really don't want to fight her, but I guess I have no choice. Ruby, the next time she attacks, I want you to attack as well, but... I also don't want you to cause her any serious harm." Ruby looked down at her little master, going over the orders she just gave to her and thought,

'Little Master, your heart is truly too kind; even though those are your wishes, your enemy does not share the same.' When Elsa tried to attack again with her water whip, Ruby interfered by summoning her own fire whip, which dismembered Elsa's water whip, leaving a scorching mark on the ground where she stood that frightened the ojou-sama as she fell on her bottom. Icy blue eyes immediately glared at the ruby-eyed pixie that she just now took notice of; Maria stood a few feet in front of her.

"I did not wish to fight you but you forced my hand." Maria hoped that this was enough to get Elsa to walk away as she truly did not wish to drag this battle out any longer. Bangs casted a cold shadow over the Beauty of Winter's face; hands buried themselves in the dirt as she balled up her fists.

"I refuse to back down like this... I refuse to be defeated by a foolish girl like you, Maria Rosendrey!" Maria stumbled back at the frosty look Elsa shot her way, feeling a cold chill run down her back as Elsa stood up. A cold aura was being emitted from her body; ice, taking the form of a rose, appeared in front of her. Upon seeing that beautiful ice rose, warning bells were ringing inside of Maria, who took a cautious step back.

"I refuse to let you steal Richard-sama away from me!" screamed Elsa as the ice rose scattered into shiny ice petals that hurled in Maria's direction. With nowhere else to hide, Maria felt cold dread seep into her heart as Mai and Julian cried out to her. Eyes opened wide as those ice-petals raced closer towards her, only to have them blocked all of a sudden by Ruby, who used her dual crimson fans to summon forth a large tornado of flames that erupted from the ground, engulfing all of the ice-petals that metaled into nothingness.

Both girls were caught by surprise, eyes glued to the tornado of flames, only to be hit next with a sensation of fatigue, legs losing all strength, knees. .h.i.tting the ground at the same time. "Looks like you both have reached your limits, Little Master." Ruby flew over to Maria; emerald eyes widened in shock when she saw that Ruby's body was sparkling and turning transparent.

"That girl most likely has never seriously tapped into her Bloodline Magic. Bloodline Magic requires a lot of practice and concentration. You, on the other hand, share a connection with me as I draw my powers from you. When it comes to Celestial Magicians, those with a large magic reserve can unlock the true potential of their Celestial Summon. Though those with little magic reserve are limited and can not unlock their Celestial Summon's true potential," informed Ruby. Those in the area were unaware of the attention they gained from the other students who were nearby and saw the blaze of flames; there was even a few who misunderstood and only oversaw the last few seconds of the battle.

"There is also the fact that those with little magic reserves cannot control their Celestial Summon all the time, putting a strain on the magician and if carried on long enough, will cripple the magician. Making it so that they can never use magic again or in a rare case, turn against the magician and kill them," Ruby expressed severely. Hearing this only then did Maria understand her mother's reaction and warning as Ruby continued on with her explanation.

"So those with a large magic reserve are lucky while those with little magic reserves are not?" inquired Maria

"In this world, there are only a few who possess Celestial Magic, and those who do are unable to unlock their Celestial Summon's true potential. The reserve of magic that lies within you is unlike anything I have ever seen, but at the moment you are still too young and untrained to deeply tap into it." Right before Ruby disappeared, she said to Maria,

"I see unlimited possibilities that lie in store for you, Little Master. If ya ever are in trouble again, just give me a call. I'll send all your enemies ablaze!" The only thing that remained of Ruby was sparkling tiny red stars. Maria felt strength draining from her body, eyelids getting heavy, though right before she could close them, she caught sight of the Crown Prince standing close, silver eyes glaring down at her.

By now, both Mai and Julian had rushed over and knelt down beside her, worriedly calling out her name. The Crown Prince opened his mouth and said to Maria, "I will be reporting your actions. Be thankful that I will not push for you to be expelled." These words greatly confused Maria, though before she could question what he meant, darkness consumed her world.

♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️

When Maria opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a bed that was located in a room that reminded her of an infirmary. Just as she sat up, she jumped a little when she finally took notice of a stranger who was sitting beside her bed. The figure was that of a handsome man who looked to be in his early thirties with raven hair and had a hint of blue and obsidian-colored eyes. He was wearing a stylish and sophisticated dark suit as he coldly looked at Maria, who, frightened, couldn't help but think, 'This man reminds me of a certain anime character.'

"It has been brought to my attention that you have broken one of this academy's sacred rules by attacking one of your fellow cla.s.smates during a training exercise." Even his voice was cold when he addressed her, yet when Maria heard that she was being accused, she immediately spoke out,

"But I wasn't the one who attacked first! I only retaliated when there was no other choice!"

"Multiple witnesses have stepped forward and confessed to only seeing you attack Ms. Snow. Not only that, the one who brought forth this report was none other than the Crown Prince of our country. Now just which side should I believe?" He penetrated Maria with a cold narrowed gaze; the girl on the bed paled when she heard how it was the Crown Prince who had made the report.

'There is no way around it. Those who were witnesses must have only seen the last few seconds of the battle which only ended up backing the Crown Prince's report. If one was stuck between believing a Daughter of a Count or the Son of the Emperor, they would choose the latter. To save themselves from bringing forth the attention of the royal family, someone must take the blame.' Maria depressingly stared down at the white blanket that covered her, feeling hopeless at the situation she found herself placed in.

"Now, what can you possibly say to keep this academy from expelling you?" Maria felt as if another bomb was dropped on her upon hearing that the academy was even thinking of expelling her. Just the thought of how disappointed her parents and onii-san would be, did not sit right with Maria. Never did she want to see such looks, yet what could she possibly say?

"That's not true! Maria was not the one who attacked first! That stupid Crown Prince doesn't know the true facts!" Barging through the open door was both Mai and Julian, both wearing angry and determined faces. Seeing those two faces, Maria felt hot tears burn her eyes and a little hope returned back to her.