episode_0006

‘So he really… wants to go there, huh?’

Lizley ground her teeth inwardly, watching Ras, who sat a seat away from her.

Ras’s ‘rebellion’ on Saturday, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be a one-time event. Everything, starting from his swaggering attitude despite her cold demeanor, displeased her.

Receiving Emma’s greetings with a smirk, or leading conversations with girls in a playful manner… These were all things she had subtly taught him not to do, deeming them ‘improper.’

Lizley wondered if Ras’s attitude was perhaps a clumsy tactic to provoke her jealousy. After all, the awkward, smarmy dancing and brazen attitude he’d displayed at the meeting plaza on Saturday had been aimed at the girls.

However, when Ras brought up their ‘engagement,’ she couldn’t help but be certain that he genuinely held a grudge against her. He’d used his sibling as an excuse, but she knew that the person whose appointment had been broken that day had no engagement ceremony or anything of the sort. It was merely a veiled hint of deep dissatisfaction, casually mentioning a topic she usually kept forbidden.

In her own way, she pondered why such a ‘rebellion’ had occurred after their Saturday appointment fell through. Lizley considered Ras to be passable, but too embarrassing to reveal as her fiancé… She had merely thought of him as a suitable accessory, but with the accessory poking her in the face, she couldn’t simply ignore him.

In the end, whether she liked it or not (and she intensely disliked it), Lizley’s destined fate was to deftly manipulate and train Ras into a compliant husband.

Of course, she had a secret lover besides her fiancé, but that was truly temporary and could never mean more than a very dangerous flirtation. The social status gap between Lizley and her lover was immense, and her lover also already had a destined marriage partner.

What if their affair was exposed? Not only Lizley, but also the insignificant Gracia family, could be ground into dust, leaving not a speck behind. Her lover’s fiancée was a high-ranking noble capable of such a feat, and there was no reason for the lover to protect Lizley, who was merely a casual dalliance.

‘Ugh… I’m really tired, so tired…’

Of course, Lizley’s affair wasn’t solely born from a yearning for status. In Lizley’s eyes, her lover was objectively a wonderful man, regardless of his status. Even discounting his overwhelmingly noble lineage, he was a man whose fundamental charm was entirely different from a mere simple-minded fool like Ras…

A slight gaze caught her attention, and when she turned her eyes, she saw her flirtatious partner and his fiancée sitting side by side. No intimacy beyond distance was felt between the two, and there was no particular conversation. Conversely, when he was with Lizley herself, there was no such awkwardness or estrangement.

She was satisfied with that fact, yet simultaneously felt very bitter. If that seat were hers, if it could be that way even now… But that was a vain wish that couldn’t possibly be fulfilled.

Wink– When their eyes met, Lizley’s lover gave her a playful wink. Lizley, with an anxious gaze, accepted the wink with a very slight smile.

‘Haa… even so… being so blatant… aren’t you enjoying the thrill a bit too much?’ It was then that she felt a pang of guilt and tried to compose her uneasy gaze.

“Ra… Ras… here’s bread and milk… but they didn’t have chocolate bread, so I bought mint chocolate flavor…” A disheveled, rustic-looking girl, exhausted, came panting, calling out to Ras. She clutched a bag filled with cheap bread and milk that noble children wouldn’t even touch, even if given for free.

She was tall for a girl, with a rustic ponytail tied tightly, tired and pale skin, and oddly large, dull breasts. Irha Livingston. As an orphan, she was subtly looked down upon, unable to fit into any group, and was an outsider who drifted alone. She always walked around with a bad complexion and a slightly pale face, and after the academy ended, she would hurriedly disappear somewhere. There were bad rumors about her: that she had come from the orphanage and caught a bad disease, or that her poor complexion meant she was busy doing ‘that kind’ of work.

Irha was a timid girl who couldn’t even properly speak to Lizley, the queen bee of not only their class but the entire grade, and always had to watch her every move.

Ras sent such a timid girl on a bread errand? Such things were typically undignified acts that commoner boys would do among themselves to establish hierarchy. If one had even a toehold in the noble world like Ras, one would rather not engage in such strange behavior.

Furthermore, Irha Livingston was hardly suitable to be used for status display, such as through physical altercations or public bullying. Lizley stared at Ras, dumbfounded and speechless by the utterly bizarre situation…

“Damn it..! Who eats this stuff!!! You eat it all!!!” He yelled, dumping the bread and milk, bag and all, onto Irha. To others, it would have just looked like a bad-tempered guy throwing a strange tantrum… But Lizley, who was deeply engaged in her affair, twisted this thought one step further. (Furthermore, Lizley didn’t know what mint chocolate bread was, so she didn’t realize Ras was truly annoyed.)

‘In front of me… he’s flirting with another girl, and… is he perhaps taking care of her? That girl from the orphanage?’ To her, it was an incomprehensible and utterly ridiculous situation. From Lizley’s perspective, Irha was a pauper who would likely fall head over heels with a little attention, be it money or food.

‘But why her of all people? Ah… is that it? Because he can do whatever he wants? Trying to gently coax her with money to get something?’ Recently, Ras’s image flashed through her mind, how he’d been subtly watching her, then complaining that their relationship as lovers lacked too much physical contact.

Only then did the reasons behind Ras’s strange actions click into place in her mind like puzzle pieces. ‘Right… he’s been so childish that I forgot you’re a man too. Well… men that age are all pretty similar, I suppose.’

Her noble lover, too, was uninhibited and demanding when it came to various physical contacts with her. Lizley dared not refuse such touches, and in fact, had no intention of doing so. Whatever it was, she herself was a vigorous young woman in her early twenties, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

So, Ras acting that way specifically towards Irha must have been merely a protest for show. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare do such a thing openly in front of Lizley.

‘In the end, was he trying to provoke jealousy, perhaps to get a kiss? Hah… fine, I guess I’ll have to pretend to care a little more.’ The method was so pathetic and trivial that Lizley, for the first time in a while, found Ras ‘cute.’ Of course, it wasn’t ‘cute’ in a good way.

“Whoa… bread… and milk too… *nom nom*… *munch munch munch*…” Meanwhile, watching Irha stuffing her face with bread, emitting a strange minty smell, Lizley felt a surge of irritation.

*

An amusing spectacle was unfolding before my eyes. A bread errand, a trivial pastime for commoners, was taking place in the middle of the classroom. Both the ill-tempered commoner raging in that farce, and the dirty commoner cowering in response to it. It was like watching a role-play of clowns, interesting and entertaining.

Sometimes, watching a cheap play could also be refreshing and enjoyable.

*Squawk!* Look at that commoner, glaring and flinging those cheap bread and milk-like trash at the commoner. In my opinion, such an action could only stem from treating the other person like a garbage can.

‘Ras Etgard… he’s unexpectedly a commoner who knows how to have fun. Or perhaps he’s so stressed because of that, that he’s taking it out on a commoner?’ Despite being a surprisingly noble existence, I know quite a lot about that unremarkable commoner. He is the lover of Lizley de Gracia, the flirtatious partner I am currently putting effort into ‘breaking and taking.’

What could have been between them? Etgard, I’ve heard the name—a mere merchant guild. But for Lizley, a daughter of a somewhat reputable noble family, to be with the son of a wealthy merchant family? From my perspective, it’s as unbelievable as a cheap urban legend.

In that case, are they meeting because of ‘love,’ something only found in storybooks? Unlike the hollow relationship between me and this suffocating woman sitting beside me…

In fact, from my perspective, Ras, who always wagged his tail like an excited dog, undoubtedly ‘loved’ Lizley. But conversely, did Lizley truly ‘love’ Ras? I was curious about that, and to confirm it directly, I approached Lizley.

Aside from her status being a little lacking compared to mine, she was a woman with decent looks, grace, and ability. However, the intrinsic and extrinsic qualities of Lizley de Gracia actually held little stake in my reason for approaching her. What was important was that she wasn’t originally mine. Because she was someone else’s lover. And because she was the lover of Ras Etgard, who always seemed genuinely in love, wagging his tail. That’s why I wanted to break her and take her.

At first, she pushed me away with various excuses, but it seems her love for a commoner wasn’t that deep after all. As I gradually seduced and coaxed her, she soon stopped resisting me. Now that I had adequately turned both her body and mind to my possession, all that remained was to plunge the love-struck amateur into despair.

To adequately display the scene of me taking her to Ras, I sent a messenger to him last Saturday. I instructed the messenger not to reveal who her lover was, but simply to convey that Lizley was enjoying a secret rendezvous with another man. The messenger was his dorm roommate. Just the fact that I, a noble being, had spoken to him and given a command, made the fellow feel honored and agree to obey.

So I had planned to show Ras the intimate scene of Lizley and my secret rendezvous… Regrettably, Ras did not show up at the evening primrose garden that day. When I asked the fellow who had acted as messenger, he said that Ras had burst out, sobbing, claiming Lizley would never do such a thing.

It was a little disappointing, but this too was enjoyable in its own way. The fact that that insignificant commoner, despite knowing everything, denied the harsh reality.

In that case, perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to provoke the other side this time. Instead of the kid who denies reality, what if I provoke the woman who walked a tightrope with her questionable actions? How will Lizley de Gracia act when she realizes Ras knows about her affair? I’m also looking forward to what excuses and alibis she’ll prepare to conceal her infidelity.

Will she simply beg for forgiveness? Or will she casually end the relationship since her partner is a commoner? Either way, it’s sure to be quite amusing, isn’t it?

Ras, that absurd man, even knowing his woman’s infidelity, the best he can do is… haa… ‘Looking again, he’s complaining to his lover. Are you saying, “Since you had an affair, I’ll take a girl on the side too”? Hmm… but then, what’s the point of taking such a commoner on the side… I guess I’ll have to introduce him to a suitable woman myself.’

It seems he tried to provoke his woman’s jealousy with a woman, and he acted strangely, but… his taste was truly dreadful. I’m seriously considering introducing Ras to a temporary affair partner who could provoke Lizley’s jealousy. Is there no one suitable? A woman with good enough looks to provoke jealousy, decent status, and a somewhat proper demeanor.

The first person who came to mind was my sister. But that ill-tempered woman would immediately point a sword at my head if she heard about it.

Hmm… but I can’t very well introduce my fiancée to him, can I? Even though I have not a single speck of love for this woman, whatever is ‘mine’ cannot be lent out even for a moment. I must grasp all things in the world entirely within my hand, owning them without a single gap for them to leak out. Even if it’s a hypocritical and stale lover devoid of love. For I am Leontidas Valdebron da Sephiroth, the Crown Prince of the greatest empire under heaven.

*

Anyway, he keeps glaring at me, that gay-looking bastard. Even if someone glances my way, I can catch their gaze as if I have eyes on the back of my head. My body returned to that time when I regressed, but the accumulated experience doesn’t just disappear entirely. Experience, skill… these things usually remain in both the body and the soul.

For someone like me, it’s a big problem if he stares so openly, practically drooling. In other words… I might get very upset and hit him hard later, kiddo.

Leontidas Val… anyway, that Crown Prince with an annoyingly long name is a moron occupying the very top of page 1 of my hit list. He’s a lunatic with a bizarrely twisted personality, and combined with his immense power, he’s a highly dangerous, top-tier criminal.

In my previous life and this one, that guy on April 7th ordered my roommate. He made him act as a kind of messenger, telling him to inform me that there was a report of Lizley having an affair with some man. In my previous life, that is, ten years ago, I heard that news and ran off panting, without looking back. In hindsight, it was just an endlessly flimsy ‘rumor’ that one might have doubted, but back then, being foolish, I truly lost my mind and ran…

Regrettably, in the unnamed garden I arrived at that day, an actual flower of infidelity was blooming, and I, having witnessed it in real-time, collapsed. Looking back, I was a pushover back then, utterly incapable of saying anything disagreeable or fighting, but I was so enraged that I actually dared to challenge the Crown Prince. Cheating, adultery, affair… back then, those words were so foreign and awkward to me, yet I uttered them.

“Both of you are engaged, yet what kind of filthy acts are you committing? “I’ll expose your dirty relationship to the entire world,” or something like that, wasn’t it?

Of course, I didn’t have the guts back then to do such a thing immediately. Lizley, while preparing quick behind-the-scenes schemes, also pleaded in front of me with a piteous look I’d never seen before, which softened my resolve… As I dawdled, I fell into a trap, and from my body onwards, I quickly became a mess in rapid succession.

It was only just before being expelled from the academy that I belatedly blurted out the facts I’d seen, calling it an exposé… but by then, I was already in the depths of despair, so it was useless. I nearly faced immediate execution for blasphemy against the imperial family.

Anyway, the same ploy came again this time. Actually, I have no feelings for Lizley other than disgust, so even if I had gone to that affair garden and witnessed their antics in real-time, I wouldn’t have lost my mind. But the… scene itself wasn’t pleasant to watch, so I didn’t go because I found it disgusting. In front of that treacherous roommate who acted as a messenger, I merely pretended to sob and walked out. That guy, upon hearing it, probably just thought, ‘Damn it… he didn’t come again, what a bore?’ or something similar.

But he’s inherently a stubbornly persistent guy, so he’ll probably try to perform ‘Yeah, I stole your girlfriend,’ more overtly in the future.

So, couldn’t I just humor that lunatic and ignore him, or pretend it doesn’t bother me? I have, in fact, considered that option. But he’s persistent, and especially if the target doesn’t act as he wishes, he’ll sequentially bring out psycho Plan B, C, D, E… In short, from the moment I become his target, he won’t stop until he sees me completely collapse.

Furthermore, even if I’m the son of a merchant guild leader or whatever, I’m just a commoner’s plaything. If I were the son of a duke or a marquess, someone whose circumstances he might consider, he’d probably torment me a bit and then stop, but with me, he’ll probably go all out. A significant reason for my thorough humiliation in my previous life was ‘daring to rebel by raising my head high, despite being just a toy.’

And this time, probably… given that Crown Prince bastard’s personality, instead of me, who shows no reaction, he’ll provoke Lizley. After lowering his voice considerably, he’ll probably spew lines like, ‘It seems Ras has found out about your affair. So—what will you do?’ And then, won’t he just cackle while watching Lizley, her mental state shattered, go wild?

Ugh. Anyway, he’s a useless and bothersome guy, no matter how you look at him. Since he happens to be the Crown Prince, applying a simple solution like, ‘You had an affair with my fiancée?? Then die,’ from the start is a bit difficult.

Of course, if his antics go too far, there’s no other way but to kill him. Honestly, humoring that Crown Prince or despairing and becoming frustrated as he wishes are not options, so it’s only natural. Besides, everyone dies in ten years anyway, so there’s no need to think too much about the future. If I’m really unlucky and things get severely twisted, I’ll just die a few years earlier, I guess…

Furthermore, he’s not someone who only torments me; he’s a sword dance villain who performs a wide-area sword dance. The Crown Prince, while tormenting me, didn’t keep the tip of his sword focused only on me, and his blind slashes had cut off the head of the Etgard family. A dynamic season where the fates of various families fluctuated wildly is fast approaching. In the upcoming struggle for imperial succession, the Etgard family was targeted in the midst of it, becoming the first family to turn to dust and vanish.

Just thinking about what path Leontidas will take this time, from my position of having to stop his antics, already made me tired.

“*Nom nom*… *munch munch munch*…” Watching Irha stuffing bread in her mouth, emitting a minty smell from behind, I couldn’t help but sigh.

Well… she didn’t poison me and cripple me out of malice or anything. She’s not someone who would harm me if I just nudged her in the right direction and told her to go away, so I don’t hold any particular ill will towards her. So, from today on, you’re my minion even after school, kid.

As soon as Irha finished her bread and milk and hummed a satisfied tune, our class’s homeroom professor slipped into the classroom. The professor who taught first-year basic magic, her name was probably Tiria, right?

Upon entering the classroom, Tiria sniffed slightly, then frowned a little as she spoke. “Hmm…? Did someone perhaps eat toothpaste in the classroom? Why does it smell like this…?”

I instantly raised my hand and tattled. “Professor-nim. Irha Livingston ate mint chocolate bread in the classroom. She is a bad child.”

“Oh…!” The girl seemed not to have expected him to tattle, and she flustered. This is revenge for the chocolate bread, kid.

“Irha, don’t eat such strange food. Anyway… you all know you have a team evaluation next week, right? The teams have been announced.” Professor Tiria took out a short wand and waved it casually in the air, and paper bundles, one for each student, were *whoosh*-ed into existence. It was a team roster, tightly packed with information on who was teamed with whom.

“I adjusted the balance as much as possible when forming the teams, so don’t ask to switch members. The test content will be announced after Wednesday. The tight preparation period is also part of the evaluation.”

I propped my chin and stared intently at the paper. It didn’t particularly matter how many groups there were, who the other team members were, or even how many people were in my own group.

Group 3. Leader: Ras Etgard. Members: Irha Livingston, XXX, OOO… (omitted below). In my eyes, the team roster would be organized like this anyway.

Ten years ago, in this team evaluation, Irha Livingston was instigated to poison me and cripple me. The instigator was Lizley de Gracia. My former fiancée, whose affair had been exposed.