When the morning sunlight of the next day slanted through the window into the dormitory, I was still curled up in a ball under my duvet, sporting slight dark circles under my eyes.
I was already awake.
Actually, to be precise, I had barely slept all night.
Because whenever I recalled the events of these past few days...
“Ugh...” I buried my face in my pillow.
No.
I can't think about it anymore.
Otherwise, the direction of my life is going to get a bit weird.
Before long, Misha also got out of bed. After our conversation last night, she had returned to her usual state.
She had that slightly timid, hesitant air again. Once I finished washing up and prepared to leave, she trotted to keep pace with me.
We should be able to go back to our previous friendship...
Right?
Anyway, as I walked, I pondered another matter.
How should I properly handle the situation with Liliana... Even though I've explained things, it doesn't mean I'm innocent... Well, maybe I have a good idea.
My bottom line is that we must absolutely not become enemies.
...
The scene shifted.
Quite a few people were already sitting in the cafeteria.
When the villainous daughter of the Aldheim family carried her tray to a seat by the window and sat down, Misha followed beside her, while Shirune stood a few paces away, leaning against a pillar with her ears twitching slightly.
Everything looked no different from usual.
But in reality, from the moment this villainous daughter stepped into the cafeteria, gazes had been darting toward her.
Of course, most of them were freshmen.
They weren't looking up at her with the usual awe of “Ah, it's the noble Lady of the Aldheim family,” nor were they fearing her with “That villainous daughter is here again.”
Instead, it was a more subtle, gossip-hungry look.
Three tables away from Miss Loris, several freshman girls from the Magic Department huddled together, their heads practically touching their trays.
“The version I heard yesterday is—Miss Loris and that commoner have been together for a long time!”
“Huh? Really?”
“Really, really! Someone said they saw them holding hands behind the dormitory building last week!”
“B-but isn't Miss Loris the Crown Prince's fiancée?”
“What does that matter? For nobles, political marriages are political marriages, and the one you love is the one you love. They're two different things.”
“Wow...”
The girls gasped in unison, but their eyes sparkled with a light that had absolutely nothing to do with shock.
It was the blooming of lilies.
On a side note, beware of rumors and spreading misinformation.
On the other side of the cafeteria, a girl with long, wavy dark brown hair leaned back in her chair. She spun a small silver spoon in her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Margaret Horn.
Sitting across from her was Vera Klein, the little fake-innocent girl whose face Loris had pinched on the first day of school. At this moment, she partially covered her face with a fan, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“I really didn't expect this.”
Margaret set down her spoon. Her voice was very low, yet it couldn't suppress her sheer schadenfreude. “To think the eldest daughter of the Aldheim family would actually do such a thing.”
“And in front of so many people, no less.” Vera let out a soft snicker from behind her fan. “Heh, thanks to our hard work spreading the word all night, rumors are flying everywhere. Now, there's no way she can pretend to be all high and mighty anymore, right?”
Margaret sneered. “You're right.”
The two looked at each other, their smiles deepening in unison.
“Her reputation now is even worse than when she first enrolled.”
...
— Magic Department, Freshman Class A Classroom —
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
Liliana was sitting in her seat, her hands placed under her desk as she propped her chin up, slightly lost in thought.
Ever since she returned to the dormitory yesterday evening, she hadn't been able to focus much, constantly feeling lightheaded.
Whenever she closed her eyes, that scene would appear—
Golden bangs hanging before her eyes,
those eyes close enough that she could see her own reflection in them,
and that one sentence—
Liliana blushed with embarrassment again.
Such intense possessiveness.
Could it be... that this was the reason she had been targeting her all along? How on earth did Miss Loris view her?
Liliana's thoughts were a blur. She could only quickly lower her head and pretend to read the textbook spread open on her desk, but not a single word registered in her mind. Her gaze drifted across the pages like a little bird unable to find a place to land.
“...Liliana?”
“Huh?!”
Startled by the sudden voice, she practically bounced in her seat, nearly sending the textbook in her hands flying.
Fiona stood in front of her, tilting her head as her dark-red curly hair slid off her shoulder.
Her eyes were full of concern.
After this incident happened last night, Fiona had done plenty of complaining on her behalf, grumbling non-stop in the dormitory.
“You've been dazing off for a while now.” Fiona pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, leaning in to look at her with concern. “And your face is so red—did you catch a cold?”
“N-no, I didn't!”
Liliana quickly fanned herself with her hand, as if she could fan away the heat on her face. “It's just a bit hot... The weather is really nice today... Ha, haha...”
Fiona obviously didn't believe a single word. Her expression was even a bit odd, wondering if this girl had gone stupid.
“Hot? It's only April. The windows are open, and it's quite windy outside.”
“...”
Liliana opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Out with it.”
Fiona spoke with a righteous tone, “How do you plan to resolve this? I'll definitely help you. After all, we're friends. You should know I was so worried I barely slept last night, and so was Sarah!”
Just as she finished speaking, another voice chimed in from the side.
“I was not so worried that I couldn't sleep.”
Sarah had stood behind Fiona at some point, pushing up the round-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose.
“I merely looked up some relevant information.”
“What information did you look up?” Fiona asked, turning her head.
“The Noble Code of Conduct and Campus Disciplinary Regulations,” Sarah said solemnly. “According to Article Thirty-Seven of the Academy Charter, 'Students shall not engage in any form of insult, bullying, or other behavior that damages the dignity of others.' If Liliana wishes, she can submit a formal complaint to the Academic Affairs Office.”
“...A complaint?” Liliana was stunned.
“Yes.” Sarah nodded. “From a legal standpoint, Loris von Aldheim's behavior yesterday can be fully classified as 'unconsented physical contact' and 'public humiliation.'
“If there is conclusive evidence, she will receive at least a demerit or a warning.”
“Just a warning?” Fiona was somewhat dissatisfied.
“After all, that behavior is hard to define as physical violence,” Sarah said, pushing up her glasses.
“No, no, no!” Liliana waved her hands in a flurry, her voice rushed and panicked. “That... that won't be necessary... I think... um... Miss Loris probably didn't do it on purpose...”
Fiona and Sarah looked at her at the same time.
“Not on purpose?” Fiona's eyebrows shot up high. “So she accidentally slipped her foot and then accidentally kissed you?”
“...It sounds so weird when you put it that way.”
“You're the weird one, Liliana.”
Fiona sighed and poked Liliana's forehead with her finger. “If you're being bullied, you have to speak up. You can't just swallow your anger every time, can you?”
Liliana pursed her lips.
“She didn't bully me... I think.”
“...Huh?”
“I mean... maybe she... just wanted to embarrass me?” Liliana's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if she wasn't quite sure what she was saying. “But... she didn't actually hurt me either...”
Fiona and Sarah exchanged a look.
“Liliana,” Fiona's tone turned serious, dropping her previous playfulness. “Listen to me. Regardless, do you know what the people outside are saying about you right now?”
Liliana shook her head.
She had rushed back to her dormitory in a hurry after Waldenburg supported her yesterday afternoon. She didn't even go to the cafeteria for dinner; Misha had brought it back for her when she passed by—though Misha's expression had been a bit strange at the time, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
“They're saying—”
Fiona raised her fingers, counting them off one by one:
“Version one: Loris is bullying you, you're the victim, and it's pitiful.
Version two: You and Loris have a master-servant relationship, and you're the one being toyed with, which is even more pitiful.
Version three: Loris is jealous of how close you are to Waldenburg, so she purposely came to disrupt things, leaving you caught in the middle, which is the most pitiful.”
“...I'm so miserable in all three versions,” Liliana muttered.
“That's exactly what I'm saying!” Fiona slapped the table. “You have to think of something. You can't just let people treat you like a pushover, can you?”
“But... what can I even do...” Liliana lowered her head, her fingers starting to wring her skirt again. “Miss Loris is the daughter of a duke, and I'm just a commoner... Even if I file a complaint, no one will stand on my side...”
Fiona opened her mouth to argue, but she swallowed her words before they could leave her lips.
Because she knew Liliana was telling the truth.
In this academy, the gap between nobles and commoners was not something that could be bridged by a mere 'sense of justice.'
Sarah fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “Then at least tell us what on earth happened yesterday.”
“Weren't you talking to Waldenburg? How did Loris suddenly rush over?”
The scene from yesterday afternoon replayed in Liliana's mind.
“...What Waldenburg?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“Don't play dumb. He came specifically to find you yesterday. The strongest freshman in the Swordsmanship Department, with a mana capacity of Level Ten, a cool swordsman who never looks twice at anyone—aren't you curious why he came to find you?”
Liliana was taken aback.
Why...
She indeed hadn't thought about that question.
Yesterday, Waldenburg had asked her about the cafe, asked her about Alden, said a few words, and then Loris had suddenly rushed over.
So she actually had no idea what his real purpose was in looking for her.
“Maybe... he was just passing by?” Liliana answered tentatively.
Fiona looked at her as if she were looking at an innocent little animal.
“Passing by the Magic Department's teaching building by chance, stopping in front of you by chance, and asking you a few questions by chance—do you think that explanation is reasonable?”
“...Not really.”
“Of course it isn't!” Fiona slapped the table once more. “He clearly came specifically to find you! That means he's interested in you!”
Liliana's face flushed a shade redder.
“D-don't talk nonsense... We've only known each other for a week... And with his personality... maybe he just had something to ask me...”
“What could you possibly have that would warrant him coming to ask you in person?”
“...”
Liliana couldn't answer.
She truly had nothing about her that would warrant the genius of the Swordsmanship Department making a special trip.
“So you see,” Fiona spread her hands. “Waldenburg comes to find you, and Loris comes to disrupt it. There must be some connection between those two.”
“Stop right there. Don't steer this into romance novel territory,” Sarah added expressionlessly from the side.
But Fiona refused to back down, about to continue her grand discourse and lecture them on her reasonable speculations.
Listening to the conversation between the two, Liliana was already distracted, her mind involuntarily drifting back to her recent encounters.
To say Loris hated her, yet Loris would explain difficult problems to her in class, help her in that casual, almost-charitable manner, and even give her—well, a one-gold-coin tip.
To say Loris liked her, that was even more impossible.
Loris was the eldest daughter of a ducal house and the Crown Prince's fiancée. How could she possibly harbor those kinds of feelings for a commoner girl?
Liliana had pondered all night and still couldn't find an answer.
However, one could only say that thanks to Loris's hard work these past few days, if they had followed the original character setups and plotline, they would have already become irreconcilable archenemies by now—with no help, no tips, and only humiliation and rivalry in love.
Now, Liliana could still wander in uncertainty.
...
“Anyway,” Sarah's voice pulled her thoughts back. “No matter what Loris's goal is, you have to face her today.”
“You two are desk partners. There's no escaping it.”
Liliana's body stiffened.
Right.
Desk partners.
She and Loris were desk partners.
This meant—
When Loris walked into the classroom in a bit, she would sit next to her just like usual.
“I... I want to go to the restroom...” Liliana stood up.
“You already went once just now,” Sarah said.
“Then I'll go get some water—”
“Your flask is full.”
“Then I—”
“Sit down.” Sarah pressed her hand on Liliana's shoulder, pushing her back into the chair. “Running away won't solve any problems.”
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