Peder is Miri’s 15-year-old childhood best friend and love interest. He is the son of Doter, a quarry woman who is well respected by the villagers for her wisdom and strength, and the older brother of Esa, who becomes one of Miri’s close friends at the academy. Peder is gentle and soft-spoken, but he enjoys Miri’s playful personality and jokes. At the beginning of the novel, the two share a close and comfortable friendship, though Miri is just becoming aware of her new romantic feelings for him.

After Miri starts attending the academy, Peder realizes that he also harbors romantic feelings for Miri. This makes their interactions awkward at times, particularly when Miri becomes unsure of what she wants from her future. Peder grows jealous of Prince Steffan, especially since Miri does not immediately dismiss his concern that she might want to marry the prince. Despite his frustration, however, Peder remains loyal to her, proving his devotion by answering her quarry-speech call for help and rallying the other villagers to help her and the other girls at the academy.

Peder is also a skilled craftsman. He uses linder to carve intricate objects, especially for Miri. He makes a linder hawk for her, which she later uses to incapacitate Dan, the bandit leader. Initially, Peder feels conflicted because he knows his father expects him to make a living as a quarry worker. However, with the economic boom in Mount Eskel, Peder is free to pursue his artistic inclinations.

Britta is a 15-year-old lowlander who lives on Mount Eskel at the beginning of the novel. She joins the princess academy because she claims that she is staying with family, but it is later revealed that Britta is a nobleman’s daughter. Her father sent her to Mount Eskel after learning that it would be the place from where Prince Steffan would choose a bride.

Britta and Steffan were childhood friends. She grew up in an estate in the lowlands, and Steffan spent summers in the neighboring estate. They became friends due to their adventurous, easy natures and enjoyed pretending to be peasants and eating from the vegetable gardens. Over the years, Britta fell in love with him, and her father wanted the two of them to marry. However, Britta isn’t sure if she’s good enough for Steffan, so she holds back her feelings.

Miri initially misjudges Britta, perceiving her as arrogant, rude, and dishonest. However, as she gets to know her better, Britta shows herself to be kind and shy. She pretends that she cannot read because she does not want to draw attention to herself and to discourage Olana from playing favorites with her due to her being a lowlander. Britta wants to be treated as the other girls’ equal and does not mistreat anyone based on their status or their place of origin. In addition, she also starts a vegetable garden in Mount Eskel, which she asks Miri to tend at the end of the novel.

With Miri’s encouragement, Britta overcomes her fear of rejection and presents herself to Steffan. He immediately chooses her to be his bride, and she goes to live with him in Asland before their wedding.

Olana is a royal tutor who is originally from Asland. She is tasked with educating the eligible girls of Mount Eskel in reading, writing, history, etiquette, diplomacy, and commerce. Olana is a stern, authoritarian woman who enforces the rules of the academy with an iron fist and gives the girls harsh punishments for disobedience, such as locking them in a dark closet, lashing their palms, and denying them meals.

Olana is also classist, seeing the girls from Mount Eskel as uncivilized and inferior compared to lowlander girls. However, when the girls use their diplomacy lessons to demand better treatment, she reluctantly agrees, showing that she is ultimately fair and bound by principles.

She also gives praise to the girls when it is due, expressing pride in Miri when she is chosen as the academy princess and in Britta when Prince Steffan chooses her as his bride. Olana is also somewhat humbled when she is forced to stay in the village for the winter, eventually contributing by skinning rabbits and assisting with the village academy. She is also terrified of the bandits, which is a moment that humanizes her. Despite her harsh teaching methods, she later reveals that she wanted to push the girls to achieve their full potential. In the end, she recognizes Miri for being the academy princess.