Chapter 14: Expression of affection

The distance between us closed.

Panic set in. My usually brilliant mind was useless.

One nagging question surfaced.

These noble ladies weren’t afraid, even after I revealed my status. They must have something up their sleeves.

This was a Mage Association academy, their domain.

But to openly assault a princess in broad daylight?
It was reckless, unless they had a good reason.

What made them so confident?

Were they simply crazy, psychotic lesbians?

If so, mentioning my family name wouldn’t help.

I decided to test the waters.

See if they had a plan, or
if they were truly insane.

“Do you think you can get away with this?”

I forced my voice steady, projecting confidence, suppressing my fear. This was a battle of wills.

Showing weakness would make me easy prey.

“We told you, Elena. Whatever happens here will be dismissed as a petty squabble or a display of affection.”

One of the girls approached, a sly smile on her face.
She licked her lips, her mind already picturing… unpleasant things.

I shuddered.

“That’s not what I’m asking. Are you truly that stupid? I pity you if you are.”

I put on a sweet smile and taunted her, hoping to provoke a reaction.

Dealing with someone irrational was easier.
I could even manipulate the Knight Captain with my sharp tongue.

I’d learned this through countless sparring sessions, but I never thought I’d use it like this.

As expected, one of the girls bristled, ready to pounce.

“Haaa…just imagining you begging me to stop in that haughty voice… I can’t wait!”

Seriously? Saying that out loud?
What was wrong with their sense of decency?

I instinctively clutched my clothes and smoothed my skirt.
They were losing control, but in a strange way.

As the tension escalated, the blue-haired girl stepped forward, stopping her companions.

“Sigh…you weren’t like this before. This is all your fault, Elena.”

Finally, someone reasonable.
She seemed to be the leader. Perhaps I could finally get some answers.

I ignored her blaming me.
It’s pointless to listen to someone shifting blame.

“I’m a Duke’s daughter. Do you think you can antagonize House Estelle and get away with it, just because you’re with the Mage Association?”

“Hee hee, you think you can get away with this because of the Mage faction’s power? You’re even more interesting than I thought, Elena. I like you even more now.”

She wasn’t just a crazy lesbian.
Then what gave her such confidence?

“You still look confused. Fine, I’ll let you in on a secret. Unlike these ladies beside me, I’m not affiliated with the Mage Association.”

I didn’t understand.

Not part of the Mage faction?
Then…

The blue-haired lady leaned closer and whispered,

“I’m a noble, just like you.”

My mind went blank.

A noble like me?

To challenge me like this, she had to be at least a Duke’s daughter.

I finally noticed her beautiful, flowing blue hair.

A blue-haired Duke’s family.

House Estelle’s eternal rival.

With such distinctive hair and elegant appearance,
she must be from House Drayce. Was she a princess too?
I knew nothing about them except their hair color.

“I love seeing that confident expression crumble.”

“Why would a noble lady do this?”

“I didn’t know who you were at first. I never imagined you were the rumored second daughter of House Estelle.”

There was no escape.
They’d surrounded me, physically and mentally.

Now, there was only…

“So, you came without your lackeys today?”

I hid my fear, probing their strength.

“Hee hee, too many onlookers would be inconvenient. It’s just the three of us today.”

Right. Whatever happens, it’s just a petty squabble or a display of affection.
That’s how things worked here.

“Sara, she’s smiling.”

“Leave her be. She must be imagining what’s about to happen.”

They approached, smug and confident, like cats toying with a mouse.

I was out of options.
Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat.

Besides, it was just a petty squabble, a display of affection.

Wham!—

I lunged at the closest girl, slamming my elbow into her solar plexus. She gasped and crumpled to the ground.

I hadn’t wanted to resort to violence.
Hitting a girl, especially,
felt wrong, shattering something within me.

But…I’m a girl too. It’s okay, right?

I quickly accepted the change within me.

I moved to the next girl.

Two left.

Unable to accept defeat, I decided to fight back.

****

“Sigh…”

Linne walked back from the professor’s office, her mind troubled.
She was glad Ellie hadn’t come with her.

Was Ellie back in the dorm?

Thinking of the grumpy, cute Ellie, Linne quickened her pace. She needed Ellie’s presence to soothe her troubled mind.

“Ugh…”

A moan made her turn. She saw a group of girls collapsed near a building wall, out of sight.

“They were ambushed…”

“Are you alright?”

Linne rushed over and spoke to the blue-haired girl, who seemed to be in the best condition.

“Gasp, you’re…”

The girl flinched and tried to avoid her.

Did they fight amongst themselves?

Linne was reminded of her school days. Why did her friends always fight when she wasn’t around?
She could have stopped them.

If it weren’t for you, Seoyeon wouldn’t…！

She’s mine! What gives you the right…

Her friends always seemed close in front of her, but fought behind her back.

These students reminded her of them.

Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t leave them.

“You’re hurt. I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

Linne carried the seemingly conscious girl on her back and supported the other two, heading towards the infirmary.

It should be around here, based on the game.

Thanks to her strength-focused build and gravity magic, carrying three people was easy.

“Why are you being so kind? You saw what we did…”

Did “what we did” refer to their earlier fight?
She was still holding onto that.

Though Linne hadn’t seen anything.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Friends fight sometimes.
At least, that’s what Linne believed.

“Th…thank you. Could you tell me your name?”

As Linne checked on them at the infirmary,
the blue-haired girl looked at her with the same longing gaze Linne’s friends used to give her.

“Call me Linea. I hope you recover quickly and make up with your friends.”

“Wait…!”, one of them said

Linne had lingered too long. They seemed to be okay, so she waved goodbye and hurried to the dorm.

Ellie and Nina were probably waiting for her, hungry.
She quickened her pace.

As she reached her room, expecting it to be empty,

“If it weren’t for you…!”

“She’s mine! You have no right to Linea…”

She heard arguing inside.

Burglars?

But the voices were too familiar.

How did they get in?

She remembered she hadn’t locked the door this morning, as usual.

But why were they in her room, and
why were they fighting?

She opened the door, and
a shocking sight greeted her.