A few days later.
If there was one rule in this world that not even the gods could alter, it was likely this—no matter how earth-shattering a storm you kicked up at the royal ballroom the night before, at eight o'clock the next morning, you still had to be sitting, immovable as a mountain, at your desk at the Royal Academy.
“My Lady, it is time to wake up.”
Ugh, groan, moan, whine...
Forgive me, but I really don't want to get out of bed.
...
The mornings at the Barton Royal Academy maintained their usual tranquility.
Sunlight filtered through the tall maple trees in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the white marble-paved avenue.
Misha walked beside me along the school path.
Students in small groups walked together, exchanging flawless morning greetings like “Good morning” and “Good day” while softly discussing their upcoming classes.
If one were to ignore the excited, whispered rumors about “that night's mysterious platinum-blonde handsome youth” that occasionally drifted into my ears,
today would indeed be a perfect day to slack off.
“Have you heard? The Drama Club and the Disciplinary Office searched for two whole days and couldn't even catch a glimpse of that boy's shadow...”
“No kidding. Didn't you hear what Class A's Klaus and Alden said? That young master entered through the main gate carrying a recommendation letter from a secretive elder. Right after dancing, he left in a carriage bearing an ancient illusion-attribute crest. How could they possibly find him...”
At the corner of the corridor, the whispered gossip of those students made me look over. In my mind, I silently gave Klaus and Alden massive credit.
Good, good, using rumors to cover up the truth.
After being profoundly “educated” by me (along with Shirune's physical threats), those two idiots had displayed the greatest playwriting skills of their lives.
They not only pushed the blame onto an elusive, hidden grand family, they also claimed with absolute certainty that they had personally witnessed the handsome youth vaulting over rooftops under the moonlight.
Since it involved high-noble secrets and there was no substantive property damage (aside from my dress that had been physically exorcised, which had already been discarded as trash anyway), the Disciplinary Office, with the tacit consent of Student Council President Leonhart,
ultimately had no choice but to hastily close the case as a “harmless, romantic anecdote of high society.”
It was a blessing in disguise.
No one found out that the peerlessly handsome youth was actually me, wearing height-increasing insoles and, for the first time in my life, feeling glad that my chest was flat enough to pull it off.
However, some subtle rifts from that night had become completely irreparable.
For example, those two once-inseparable nouveau riche best friends.
“Uh, morning, Klaus.”
“Don't talk to me, dumbass.”
“Ah... sigh.”
Klaus completely ignored Alden, slapping away the hand trying to drape over his shoulder before walking into the academic building.
On the other side, Alden—the idiot who let his lower half do the thinking—stood alone, clutching a thick stack of magic documents, his eyes filled with helplessness.
The two of them were no longer walking together.
To be precise, since the night of the ball, these two childhood friends who had grown up together had completely cut ties.
The stubborn Klaus, upon realizing that Alden had played him for a fool, said, “Screw your brotherly friendship, I don't have a shameless bastard of a best friend who sells out his brothers for a woman,” and severed the friendship on the spot.
As for Alden, not only did all his plans blow up in his face for nothing,
but he hadn't even touched a single finger of Margaret's or Vera's. Instead, he had been made a laughingstock by the two wicked women backstage. Now, his social life in the academy was thoroughly dead, and his luck with women had completely evaporated.
“Good morning, Student Klaus.”
I greeted him of my own accord as I walked past. I had no other intentions; I just wanted him to tone down those rumors.
The way those rumors were going, it sounded like the sky over the Royal Capital was about to fall.
Klaus's face stiffened. Then, understanding my meaning, he threw me a tragic, heroic look that practically said, Don't worry, I will take that secret to my grave.
...Forget it.
But what truly made me feel a bit guilty in my heart wasn't the falling out of those two clowns.
It was... the student council Secretary, Meretskov.
Let us rewind time slightly.
—The morning after the ball ended.—
“Lady Loris, please wait a moment.”
I was on the tree-lined path heading toward the central library when a gentle voice called out to me.
I stopped and turned around.
There stood Secretary Meretskov, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, standing beside a marble statue. A faint exhaustion was written in his eyes behind the lenses.
“Secretary Meretskov.”
I lifted my chin slightly, playing the domineering act of a Duke's daughter to a solid ninety percent. After all, he had splashed wine on me at the ball, so I had to maintain my attitude.
Cough, cough.
“If this is about you ruining my dress with red wine at the ball... His Highness Leonhart has already apologized on your behalf.”
“What is it? Does the esteemed Student Council Secretary need to personally read his letter of repentance to me?”
Meretskov looked at me, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes behind the lenses. Then, he slowly bent his waist, performing a formal apology that was extremely standard and utterly flawless.
“No, Lady Loris.”
“As the party involved, my irrationality and impulsiveness in the ballroom caused me to spill wine onto your gown while attempting to stop you. It was indeed an irrefutable breach of etiquette.”
His voice was neither too high nor too low, carrying no personal emotion as he spoke calmly:
“Afterward, I submitted a self-reflection report to the Disciplinary Office. I am only here today to officially offer my most sincere apologies to the eldest daughter of the Aldheim family and to you personally, Lady Loris, in my own name.”
“Please do not let my rudeness lead you to doubt the justice of the student council, My Lady.”
“Oh, is that so?”
I tapped my palm lightly with my folding fan and replied coldly, “Since the Secretary is adhering so strictly to the rules, pursuing this further would make me, the Duke's daughter, look petty.”
“This matter ends here. I accept your apology.”
“Thank you for your tolerance, My Lady.”
Meretskov bowed slightly, then turned and walked away down the path at a measured pace.
On the surface, this matter was indeed solved seamlessly.
The grand noble lady forgave the student council officer's accidental slip, the Secretary took the proper punishment, and the political relationship between their families suffered no substantive damage. A perfect peace.
But...
Looking at Meretskov's straight, receding back, I let out a soft sigh in my heart.
In the original otome game, the bond between Secretary Meretskov and the heroine, Liliana, was largely established on a united front of “jointly fighting against the bullying of the villainous daughter” after the ball.
According to the original plot, the scene of the Secretary protecting Liliana at the ball was completely gone.
And in the upcoming second half of the semester, the two of them should have drastically increased their favorability through frequent student council administrative interactions and private heart-to-hearts, finally welcoming a beautiful plot CG before the final exams!
But what about now?
Because on that night, the act of Secretary Meretskov accidentally splashing water on me and even trying to turn the tables on me was very terrible and ungentlemanly.
Thus, Liliana didn't end up dancing with him.
And Meretskov, an extremely logical man, after being accused by the heroine with that upright and disappointed look, seemed to have retracted his overly impulsive protective desires.
To this end, not only did he make no effort to get closer to Liliana, but he even treated this commoner with a purely professional, business-like attitude when handing over reports at the student council.
How should I put it—the string was broken?
The red string of fate between these two had become an untanglable knot in that grand and absurd finale of the ball.
Well, maybe this world can only support pure romance? With so many male leads, some of them really ought to drop out. After all, for an otome game, male leads are the one thing never in short supply...
Not to mention what came next.
My first semester was about to end. After all, the Summer Ball took place in May, and once the final exams were over in June, I would be liberated and able to welcome summer vacation.
The end... who would have thought it would come so quickly?
It passed in the blink of an eye.
A normal summer vacation would definitely be spent huddling at home playing video games... Unfortunately, there are no video games in this world. I'll probably have to study non-stop.
But at this moment, I still didn't know that the devilish final exams were right around the corner. It wasn't a theoretical exam like before, nor was it some superficial practical test. It was a first-year exam that truly forced one to grow.
Its name was...
—“Wilderness Survival Practical Training”!—
...
—Inside the Magic Department Class A Classroom—
Still, there was still some time before the final exams.
Arriving at the classroom, I sat in my seat and experienced the daily sensation of being surrounded. I suppose this counted as classmate camaraderie. In front of me were the cheerful Liliana, Fiona, and the others.
It was morning, so doing anything felt normal.
Since it was free time before the morning classes started, the classroom was filled with the sound of chatting and the rustling of textbook pages.
Liliana was leaning slightly to the side, quietly double-checking last night's Potions notes with Fiona.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, a rapid pounding on the front door shattered the peace of the Class A classroom, followed immediately by a shout.
“Student Liliana—! Is Student Liliana here?! This is an absolute emergency!!”
It instantly shattered the elegance maintained within the room.
I looked toward the sound. The somewhat noisy classroom fell into an eerie silence in that very instant.
Everyone stared at the culprit standing at the door with shocked expressions that said, Where did this country bumpkin come from?
He was a boy who perfectly embodied the image of a “single-celled jock.”
His fiery-red short hair spiked up wildly and arrogantly, and his wheat-colored skin radiated a healthy glow.
Though he wore the uniform representing the Magic Department, his form-fitting jacket—which was supposed to be buttoned tight—was thrown open, revealing the exaggerated chest muscles packed beneath his tight-fitting undershirt.
The guy was desperately clutching a stack of crumpled parchment documents.
Ryan Valhalla.
He was an incredibly bizarre student in the first-year Magic Department. On paper, he was a magic student who manipulated body-reinforcement magic, but in reality, the combat style he demonstrated in close-quarters combat classes was pure, fist-to-fist, barbaric brawling.
Chanting? Spell formulations? In his eyes, none of that was as practical as a heavy, friendship-shattering punch to the face!
To put it simply, he was a muscle-brained idiot.
“Eh? Student Ryan?” Liliana froze for a second. Blinking in confusion, she turned around in front of me.
“Oh! I found you! So you were here!”
The red-haired boy's wildly amber eyes lit up. Disregarding the disdainful looks from the surrounding noble students, he took heavy, vigorous strides and marched into the classroom like a whirlwind, stopping precisely in front of Liliana.
Standing in front of Liliana with his impressive height of nearly one hundred and seventy centimeters, he was like a moving red hill, instantly casting a shadow over the girl.
(Note)
Probably due to her student council work, Liliana had crossed paths with him. And in fact, that was indeed the case.
“Liliana! That application to establish the Unrestricted Super-Gravity Fighting Club that I submitted to the student council, and the approval for maintenance funding—did they pass yet?!”
As if grabbing a lifeline, Ryan waved the crumpled stack of parchment before Liliana with a loud rustle. His voice was so booming it sounded like he was charging on a battlefield:
“That deadpan guy with glasses from the student council (Meretskov) kicked me out this morning with a dead-fish stare that said 'keep away from me, we're strictly professional'!
He said that without your signature and final confirmation as Assistant Vice President, he absolutely won't approve this funding! It's seriously so annoying!”
“Uh... Ryan, please calm down first. You're too close...”
Liliana, forced to take a half-step back by the overwhelming pressure and wave of heat rolling off him, looked utterly helpless.
Apologizing to the surroundings with a glance, she quickly took the stack of documents and sighed softly:
“Regarding the approval... Since the reason you wrote on last week's application was 'physical body collisions for the sake of maintaining campus peace,' the Secretary felt it was a disciplinary hazard, so he held it back for now.”
“But don't worry. During lunch break today when I go to hand over the reports to the student council, I'll explain it to him again on your behalf.”
“Ooh! As expected of Student Liliana! You are simply our savior! Once the funds clear, I'll treat you to the best roasted beef legs at the best barbecue joint in the Royal Capital! Two of them!!”
The red-haired idiot's mood instantly went from cloudy to sunny. Excitement nearly drove him to perform a backflip on the spot in the classroom. His red hair shook back and forth with his movements, making him look like a giant, tail-wagging husky.
Sitting in my seat, I rested my cheek on one hand and casually tapped the desk with my folding fan, watching this play out with cold eyes.
The male leads in this world really were popping up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain—poke any spot and you'd find one.
In the original otome game, this Ryan was also one of the captureable male leads.
He followed the classic “hot-blooded idiot/loyal dog tank” trope.
However, given the current rate of plot derailment... Secretary Meretskov had already bowed out early due to a “snapped thread of reason” and taken the strictly professional route. Could this red-haired idiot, under the influence of various butterfly effects in the upcoming Wilderness Survival Practical Training, also end up as another losing male lead in Liliana's romantic route?
Poor guy...
I didn't want the future I knew to keep changing either. I just hoped I could really survive until the day my death flags are completely cleared.
“Student Ryan, if you have no other business, please leave the Class A classroom immediately. The bell is about to ring,” Fiona said from the side, crossing her arms and speaking in an extremely disgusted tone to chase him out.
“Got it, got it! Thanks, Student Liliana! I'll take my leave first! See you this afternoon!!”
Ryan waved his right hand carelessly, turned around, and rushed out of the classroom like another gust of wind.
Looking at that fiery-red figure rushing away.
Oh well. Whether the male leads ended up as losers in love or not, what did it have to do with a villainous daughter like me who held the antagonist's script?
What was more pressing right now was the upcoming month of June.
Just how was I going to spend my wonderful summer vacation?
Rate on N.U.
