When I turned my head, I saw familiar faces.
My eyes instantly filled with displeasure at the sight of them.
“Hey, I heard you studied hard to get into level 4 just to meet the guy who likes Leila?”
“Using a good brain like that is quite a talent in its own way.”
“What did Leila and the young duke of Posilia do to become the protagonists of such strange rumors because of you?”
Their sneering voices couldn’t provoke me.
To me, they were just at the level of ‘stupid people talking nonsense.’
As far as I knew, every time there was an exam to reassign levels, they had bribed a teacher with a large sum of money to steal the exam papers and maintain their levels.
This was because the level reassignment exams weren’t as strictly guarded compared to the preliminary exams.
More precisely, it was the academy’s consideration for students, assuming that educated people who had studied at the academy wouldn’t resort to bribery to pass exams….
The academy had been backstabbed by teachers and students, that’s all.
Why don’t they understand that those who are educated and privileged often do worse things?
So I looked at them as if they were insects before turning away.
Then Voltu roughly grabbed my shoulder as I was about to enter the classroom.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Grace, who couldn’t stand watching anymore, shouted at them, but they ignored her and began spewing unspeakable words at me.
It seemed they had come down to the first-year classroom specifically to get revenge for being embarrassed at the party because of me.
“That’s why your mother died.”
In the midst of spewing curses, Belsanne began to bring up my mother.
Bershua, Rembro….
What exactly and how much did you tell these people?
“I heard you’re the child who ate your mother and was born. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to leave the house.”
When I heard those words, I felt something snap in my mind.
Right, I was about to get stressed about the strange rumors anyway, so thanks for giving me something else to focus on.
You. You people are worth less than an ant.
I roughly shook off Voltu’s hand that was holding my shoulder.
Then slowly, with a smile spreading across my face, I walked toward Belsanne.
“…What?”
When I stood in front of Belsanne, he pushed my shoulder back with a look of displeasure.
“What are you going to do about it?”
The moment he pushed my shoulder again, I grabbed his hand and flipped him over backward.
The sound of a grown man with a larger build being thrown onto the corridor floor echoed throughout the hallway, and children who had been interested in this commotion began to peek their heads out of the windows one by one.
“You… you….”
Belsanne, whom I had treated this way, turned red in the face, pointed his finger at me, and struggled to get up properly.
I ignored him and turned to face Voltu and Signet who were standing behind me.
“If you’re going to do this kind of thing in the future, bring Bershua along too. I’ll flip him over as well.”
The two people who heard my words looked at each other as if confused.
And then, the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, and Camilla, with her hair tied up, was looking at us with a bewildered expression.
Following her, teachers who had heard the strange sound of Belsanne falling began to gather in the corridor one by one.
“…What’s going on here?”
When they asked us, we all looked at the three pathetic men as if by agreement.
This is the first-year floor, you fools.
“…You don’t look like a new student, so would you explain to me why you’re lying on the first-year corridor like this? And not alone, but with three of you rushing in like this.”
Hearing those words, Belsanne’s face turned red again.
“Well… that….”
It must be quite troublesome.
How could he honestly tell the teacher that he came to bully a first-year girl but ended up being thrown down himself?
“This person just tripped and fell in the corridor by himself.”
Just as I was keeping my mouth shut and watching Belsanne, Grace, who was standing next to me, spoke up.
The three pathetic men glared at her when they heard that, but Grace nodded her shoulders and looked at them as if they were worthless.
It was a look that said, ‘Then tell the truth yourself~’
“Is that true? Belsanne?”
With no other option, Belsanne nodded while grinding his teeth in shame.
“Well… you look like a sixth-year student, but it’s problematic to cause a disturbance on the new students’ floor. All three of you, come with me to write down your names. I’ll impose penalty points. Everyone else, please return to your classrooms quickly.”
With those words, the teacher turned around and headed back to the staff room.
And I gave Belsanne, who still couldn’t get up, a snort before entering the classroom with Grace.
Or rather, I tried to enter.
If only I hadn’t made eye contact with Delian Posilia, who was looking at this situation with a bewildered gaze, before entering the classroom.
From his demeanor, it seemed he had been watching this entire situation from the beginning.
I signaled to him by showing three fingers and mouthing ‘back garden.’
He seemed to understand my signal and nodded.
* * *
3 PM.
I made my way to the garden located behind the building, as I had told the young duke.
When I arrived at the garden, I saw the young duke waiting for me.
That’s when it happened.
I saw an unexpected figure approaching the young duke who was standing there, and I quickly hid behind the building.
The person approaching the young duke was Leila.
“Young Duke, what are you doing here?”
Delian, uncharacteristically, looked at Leila with cold eyes.
“You called me here because of that rumor, right? Sister Rowenloa must be having a hard time……”
Hearing that, Delian gave a hollow laugh.
“Yes, and thanks to that, many people following you have appeared in the academy, Lady Leila.”
Leila flinched at that response.
“That’s……”
“Last time, you proposed to me. You said that if I spread rumors about liking you, Lady Rowenloa would pay attention to me. I clearly remember refusing at that time.”
Leila composed her expression and smiled at him.
“So, why did you refuse?”
……Leila?
“Young Duke, you must fall in love with me. Sister Rowenloa needs to remain the bad person who stole you away from me.”
At those words, the young duke let out a hollow laugh.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Don’t worry, soon you’ll come to like me too, won’t you? Because this world revolves around me. Soon everyone will come to like me. People couldn’t possibly like that girl who only knows how to act superior and do whatever she wants.”
Delian looked at her with an appalled expression, but Leila continued speaking without concern.
“It seems the crown prince is currently infatuated with that girl…… but surely he wouldn’t marry such an insignificant girl. Well, if Sister Rowenloa becomes the crown prince’s concubine, that would be an ideal situation for me. These days, strangely, Brother Rubert also…… anyway…… you don’t think you can defeat His Highness the Crown Prince, do you?”
Leila slowly approached him as she spoke.
“If you keep refusing me, I’ll have no choice but to create a connection with that imperial family member who claims to like me and follows me around…… But I’m more drawn to the kind young duke. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Hearing those words, the young duke pushed away Leila who was approaching him as if he felt disgusted, then grabbed my wrist as I was hiding behind the building and moved to a different location.
After walking for quite some time, he finally stopped when we reached a place I didn’t recognize.
“……Um, Young Duke Posilia?”
At my call, the young duke turned to look at me with a startled expression.
“Ah, I apologize, lady. That…… I didn’t mean to show you such a scene……”
The young duke fidgeted nervously while sweating profusely.
I took his flailing hands and calmed him down.
After some time, he was able to compose his breathing and continue speaking.
“You see…… I was certain that Lady Leila had spread this rumor. Lady Rowenloa, you might not know since you only stay in that building and all your friends are in level 4, but as someone who has friends in the regular building, I’ve known for quite some time that strange rumors were spreading.”
To summarize the young duke’s story, initially rumors circulated that Leila and the young duke of Posilia had fallen in love with each other.
At that time, many children envied and were jealous of Leila, but soon rumors began to spread that she was in danger of being abandoned by the young duke, which created sympathy for her.
And then, rumors spread that I was the person trying to steal the young duke away.
Naturally, those who hate me would easily develop a liking for Leila, and that’s how she gradually expanded her influence.
Today, thanks to that rumor, I discovered a new side of Leila.
It was evidence that she wasn’t kind, and justification that my anger could be directed toward her.
And at that moment, the young duke of Posilia looked at me with a rather serious expression.
“……I want to apologize first for saying this in such a situation, Lady Rowenloa.”
At the young duke’s words, I tilted my head and looked at him.
What does he want to say that requires an apology…….
“I think I like you, my lady.”
This…… seems like too sudden a development.
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Meldean_1
Yh we don’t accept that at all. First it would definitely confirm the rumors even if they aren’t true; second wdym by “I THINK” nahhh you should be sure cause how long now have you supposedly like her and 3rd we already have a man that she hit in the head with a book and her was okay with it😂 but aside from all that he’s a sweet guy so I pity him😕