episode_0010

I quickly fled the rooftop, meaning for those crazy kids to tear each other apart.

I knew there was a very high chance I’d continue to get entangled with those lunatics, but I wanted no part of it during this peaceful lunch break.

I avoid something because it’s dirty, not because I’m scared of it [a proverb indicating avoidance due to unpleasantness, not fear].

Especially Leon; while his behavior patterns are easy to predict, they always turn out for the worse, making him an extremely tiring person.

How much will the things that will happen to me and around me be the same as the past, and how much will they be different?

As I continued thinking, a headache suddenly came over me.

Would it be easier to just chop off all their heads?

No, then there’d be no meaning in having gone to all the trouble to come back to the past.

But for now… having eaten lunch and being in my healthy student days, I’m just sleepy.

Zzz….

Suddenly overcome with post-meal drowsiness, I soon began to nod off…

“Um… umm… Ras…”

A timid, seagull-like voice spoke to me, startling me awake.

Before my eyes, my cute minion Irha was looking around nervously.

As if she’d eaten something delicious for lunch, her complexion looked a bit brighter.

Looking at her like this, she’s actually quite pretty.

“Oh. Look who it is. If it isn’t ‘Headbutt Girl’ Irha?”

Irha had, in the meantime, earned the endearing nickname ‘Headbutt Girl.’

It seemed the forceful headbutt she delivered to Lizley had made quite an impression on everyone.

“Ugh… Don’t call me that… T-Take this…! This time I bought the right thing!”

Irha suddenly pulled out a chocolate bun and milk from her arms and earnestly offered them.

As if she’d been carrying them tucked away warmly, they were somehow warm.

“Bread? Milk? Why this, suddenly??”

When I asked you to buy something, you brought something weird, but when I don’t ask, you suddenly buy the right thing?

She’s such an oddball, anyway.

“Well… I’m grateful, and I’m your minion…!!”

It seemed this kid was incredibly grateful for my help.

Indeed, her circumstances were quite pitiable, so even a small favor would feel very significant to her.

She’s a bit stupid, but when I see things like this, she’s truly kind.

But… even so, isn’t your voice too loud? The other kids will misunderstand that I’m bullying you.

What do you do if you declare yourself my minion in such a loud voice there…?

And my small worry soon became a reality.

“Ras, you shouldn’t bully and exploit your classmates just because you’ve become good at fighting. Especially for a noble to a commoner….”

A beauty with a soft and rather resonant voice, and an impressively elegant and delicate appearance stood before us.

Brown hair is often considered common and ordinary, but when she has it, it only looks sophisticated and beautiful.

Marisa Adelard von Valencia, Crown Prince Leon’s fiancée and Lady of the Valencia family.

Marisa, during her academy days before the regression, was called by nicknames like ‘the true queen of Leone’ and ‘the perfect superhuman.’

However, after both their lives plummeted into ruin, Marisa, who became close to me when they coincidentally got entangled again and continued their connection, was more flawed than she seemed.

I chuckled, thinking of old times, and replied to Marisa.

“Irha has grown strong under my guidance. A piece of bread is hardly anything. And, I’m not a noble, I’m a commoner. Aren’t you too uninterested in your classmates?”

“Ugh… Th-That’s right. I received some advice, hehe… Thank you for taking my side anyway, Lady Valencia?”

With my irrefutable rebuttal and Irha’s support, Marisa made a blunder and was put in an awkward situation.

Finally, Marisa let out a groan… then lowered her head slightly askew and spoke.

“Ahem ahem, I apologize for needlessly meddling. I wasn’t close with Ras, so I didn’t know at all. My apologies.”

There was no need to be that apologetic, but true to her straight-laced personality, she apologized.

“However, Irha. Here, I’m just a classmate too, so I’d appreciate it if you’d speak to me comfortably. Not as the Lady, but as Marisa.”

“Ah…! Yes… No, wait, yes…! Marisa!”

Meanwhile, she didn’t forget to display the traits of the so-called ‘Formal Speech Bully’ who always uses formal speech herself but insists others speak informally to her.

That sight overlapped too much with her appearance before the regression, so I could only laugh.

My second love, Marisa.

In my life before the regression, I only caused you trouble, but this time, I’ll try my best to ensure you can be as happy as possible.

“Anyway, everyone, perhaps you’ll exchange greetings more often from now on? Ah… Lizley would dislike it, so perhaps I shouldn’t do that. In any case, I’ll be going now. Enjoy your bread.”

Having heard Irha’s informal speech, Marisa returned to her seat with a satisfied expression.

When you see her like that, she’s kind, but also strange.

But Irha kept hesitating and lingering in front of me, as if she had something she wanted to say.

Her expression was also hesitant; did she have something she wanted to say?

Ah, looking closely again, I roughly understood why she was doing that.

“Minion, you were great earlier.”

“Hehe…”

It seemed she fought well earlier and must have wanted to hear even a short compliment from me.

Having heard even a casual compliment, she giggled, looking incredibly happy, and scurried back to her seat.

Everything shows on her face, and she even loudly announced what attack she would use…

Irha, seen up close, is a fool, but I like this type of person.

Rather than slyly hiding things like Lizley or Leon, it’s better to just be honest.

If even they, from my first life, had been a little more honest and had some human goodness, they wouldn’t have met such a terrible demise.

Thump- thump-

As I was organizing my thoughts, I heard completely drained footsteps, different from her usual haughty strides.

Lizley, who had grown pale in the meantime—what on earth she had talked about with the Crown Prince—sat down next to me.

The usual confidence she displayed and the condescending air of superiority she directed at me were completely gone.

She desperately tried to maintain her composure and act as if nothing was wrong, but in my eyes, her true face was visible.

The Crown Prince must have mentioned that I had found out about Lizley’s affair with him.

And judging by Lizley’s demeanor, there must have been a conversation on topics beyond that.

Did the Crown Prince mention that he knew our relationship was more than just ordinary lovers?

Whether he spoke knowing the exact truth, or was merely probing based on conjecture, that was a story that could drive Lizley insane.

Because it meant that Leon held the hilt of the knife and could stab her to death [an idiom for holding ultimate power] in their relationship.

What path would Lizley choose under that interrogation?

Would she choose to eliminate me and everyone around me, as she did 10 years ago?

If not that, would she make a slightly more humane choice this time?

‘Yeah, even so… if possible, don’t cross that river this time [a proverb about reaching a point of no return]… It would leave a bad taste in my mouth.’

I genuinely hoped that she would make at least a humane choice this time.

Regardless, I would simply react according to her choice.

If she made the right choice, I could let it pass, but if the same situation as my previous life repeated, I would send her on a long journey [an idiom for killing someone] without hesitation.

Moreover, if a fight were to break out, I had no intention of giving her a merciful punishment like simply taking her life.

Usually, if you truly want to torment someone, it’s better to keep them alive rather than kill them.

Because pain always accompanies life, not death.

So Lizley said nothing with a serious expression throughout the afternoon classes, and as soon as class ended, she disappeared, leaving only a brief greeting for me.

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but it didn’t really matter what it was.

I was simply giving her a chance, and if she missed that chance, it wouldn’t be me who lost out, but Lizley.

Even if it wasn’t about Lizley’s situation anyway, I had a lot to do to prepare for future events.

Thinking that I needed to make proper future plans, I too left the empty classroom and headed for the dormitory.

“Uh… but, I feel like there’s something I need to do but haven’t…??”

Meanwhile, I felt like I had forgotten something important, but I just couldn’t remember it.

Bah, if I can’t remember it, it probably isn’t important..!

*

“Haah… haah…”

Inside her dark dormitory room, Lizley awoke, dripping with cold sweat.

After the conversation she had with the Crown Prince on the rooftop, she had no memory of how the afternoon classes had gone.

She was only open her eyes, but her mind was repeatedly replaying the conversation she had with the Crown Prince.

‘Ras wasn’t the only one who learned a new fact. Lizley, why did you hide your engagement to Ras from me?’

That voice and those words, never before so cold and ruthless, had terrified her…

It was completely different from Leon during their usual secret meetings, who was playful and smooth-tongued.

‘It might sound ridiculous coming from someone who also committed a transgression, but don’t we have different positions? I have little to lose, but you… you will lose everything.’

As if amused, his touch as he caressed Lizley’s cheek was like the scarlet, cold tongue of a venomous snake.

‘I didn’t know much about the Gracia family, as I had little interest in them, but it seems your family’s fortunes are quite troubled. To the extent of selling their daughter to a mere commoner family…’

After that, Leon, with just simple deductions, quickly pieced together the situation Lizley and the Gracia family were in.

Since he himself was engaged, he knew what kind of situations and how they unfolded, and his judgment was even swifter and more accurate.

Though in reality, there was no special information about their engagement.

Originally, Ras and Lizley’s engagement was carried out quite quietly and secretly, at Lizley’s request, through Ras’s strong appeal.

The Gracia family actively supported it, as it was obvious that the rumor in the noble world would be that they had ‘sold their daughter,’ and they didn’t want to reveal this engagement.

The Etgard family head was displeased, but since both were young and Ras pleaded so earnestly, it was simply overlooked.

Of course, the fact of their engagement was documented with a formal certificate and left behind…

Anyway, what started as a casual prod turned into a true thrust, and as Leon began to press her with conviction in his judgment, Lizley knelt.

She had no intention of deceiving him, she just liked the Crown Prince she admired so much, and Ras and the engagement were too stifling… Lizley rattled on and on, giving nothing but excuses.

Looking down at Lizley, who was kneeling, Leon felt a great thrill and pleasure for the first time in a long while.

To watch someone whose weakness he held begging and pleading in front of him was always a joyful thing for him.

Leon knew better than anyone that the people Lizley should be begging for forgiveness from were Ras and Marisa.

Because he knew, it was all the more delightful.

Because of the extreme sense of depravity he felt watching Lizley desperately cling to him, who was merely an accomplice in her transgression.

Now that he had witnessed the woman’s abject display, it was time to simply grasp her in his hand and tighten his grip on her throat [an idiom for completely dominating or suffocating someone].

Leon transformed from a ruthless interrogator into a merciful ruler, extending a hand to Lizley.

‘Lizley, what do you plan to do from now on? Do you intend to bow your head [a gesture of deep respect or submission] and apologize to Ras and Lady Valencia? Conscience and shame are always boring, so I might be disappointed…’

He didn’t state what he would do regarding Lizley’s choice, but it was precisely for that reason that the non-threat felt even more terrifying.

Terrified, Lizley trembled and clung to Leon.

‘I… what should I do…? How can I satisfy you…?’

Leon smiled and undid the collar of Lizley’s shirt.

Then, as if imprinting a master-slave mark, he left a deep hickey on Lizley’s neck before continuing to speak.

‘Discard your conscience completely. Give up on being human. Then I will personally forgive you and keep you by my side. It won’t be that difficult. Despite how I might seem, I have quite a talent for writing scripts…’

‘……..’

With that, Leon gently stroked Lizley a few times, who was trembling with pale blue lips, overwhelmed by the atmosphere and situation, then turned away.

‘I hope you make a wise decision. Personally, I hope we can have a pleasant discussion about the stage where Lizley de Gracia will star. The choice is yours until midnight…’

Along with the Crown Prince’s last words, something flashed past, piercing Lizley’s hazy and blurred vision.

Ras Etgard.

The man who purely loved her. Her fiancé. Stifling. Apology and guilt…

Marisa Adelard von Valencia.

The woman she admired. The affair partner’s fiancée. Apology and guilt. And jealousy….

Gracia Family.

Her tiresome and repulsive family. A burden. Shame. Stifling…

And all of these things melted and mixed together, grotesquely distorting.

Should I prostrate myself before Ras and Marisa, and honestly beg for forgiveness?

Should I rely on their pity and grovelingly plead with them?

If so, what about her family? And what about herself?

Into the grotesquely distorted landscape, the last thing to blend in was Crown Prince Leon’s image.

Fear, but just as fatal, the temptation of a poisoned apple.

As all sorts of things mixed together, Lizley’s vision soon dyed jet-black.

The woman who opened her eyes was no longer the woman who had been agonizing over her conscience and humanity just moments before.

Lizley took a deep breath, then took out a communication magic tool and wrote a short message.

The recipient was Crown Prince Leontidas.

[I will follow you. Whatever stands in my way.]

Towards a direction from which there was no return, her second destiny began to flow.

It was midnight.