At first, perhaps only Iver had intended to come find Isabel, but the group had gradually grown larger and larger.
First came Lily and David, then Yulia and Master Nobel—and afterward, they ran into Master Yanis as well.
Iver was even a little worried that Isabel might suffer another bout of social anxiety after meeting so many people at once.
But when he saw Isabel with his own eyes, he realized that he had been worrying for nothing.
Or rather, he had underestimated how serious the problem was.
Isabel seemed to have been reduced to her original state—the withdrawn state that Iver had never witnessed personally, only heard about from the conversations of their other classmates.
She responded when they knocked and even told them to come in. But once they entered, they found Isabel huddled in the corner of the room. She did not greet anyone, and there was no smile on her face.
She looked as though she was completely absorbed in drawing, as if she were so focused that she had no attention to spare.
But Iver could tell at a glance that Isabel was not drawing at all—she was merely scribbling meaninglessly. She drew something she did not even know herself, then covered it up with other colors.
It was not sadness, but confusion and fear.
Iver saw it immediately: Isabel's mind was in complete chaos. Her brain had practically stopped working.
The Princess clearly was not as optimistic and strong as she usually appeared. She had merely been trying her best to forget the nightmare... and now, with Prince Andrew cursed to death, the nightmare had found its way back to her.
It was like being harassed and attacked by someone long ago, with the other person's intent being kidnapping or murder... then moving far