Chapter 19: Harvest

Smack-

Every time the sound of flesh striking flesh echoed, my head turned sideways along with it.

I couldn’t see it myself because there was no mirror.

But my cheek was probably stained red right now, too.

Not due to being embarrassed or shy, but simply because of the bruising.

‘I wish it were due to girly shyness.’

‘Then at least it wouldn’t hurt.’

Even if the strange sense of emptiness from having completely become a woman, both body and mind, arose.

At least it wouldn’t hurt.

Smack-

It hurt.

Every time my head turned, every time I heard the sound of friction against my skin.

A metallic taste of blood began to fill my mouth.

It seemed that the blood started flowing along with the swelling.

I didn’t find it strange.

My body was weak to begin with.

I should probably consider myself lucky I didn’t faint like this morning.

If I fainted just from being slapped a few times, all the lies I told at the infirmary earlier would become meaningless.

“Hey, are you ignoring me now?”

“…”

“Why bother talking to her? Look at her eyes. They look like rotten fish eyes.”

Various voices continued to buzz in front of me.

Mostly expressing annoyance that I was ignoring them, asking if I wouldn’t open my mouth even after being hit like that.

I knew.

The reason the people in front of me were directing malice towards me.

Combining it with what was said before, their identities must be the followers of Heroine 2.

They were people who disliked me—no, Lee Seo-yeon—from the beginning.

People who hated Lee Seo-yeon for being Kim Soo-ho’s childhood friend despite having no abilities, even without Christina’s influence.

And now that they have this opportunity.

They were probably acting like this, thinking they caught me red-handed.

For them, the risks involved in this incident were practically non-existent.

Because I was weak, and they were strong.

Even if I told others about this incident.

The belief that Christina—no, the Imperial Princess—would protect them.

That baseless belief was inflating their confidence.

…Of course, I had no intention of telling anyone either.

The reason for not telling anyone was simple.

Because even if I did, nothing would change.

If I told Christina, whom they followed, I might regain peace for a while.

Since she accepted me as a party member, Christina would likely impose some sanctions, at least for the sake of the group assignment.

But that was all.

Once the group assignment ended. Once the connection with the Princess, however brief, was severed.

What happened after that… well, it goes without saying.

Wouldn’t the sense of loss from not being able to torment me, even temporarily, push them even further?

As I said before, I didn’t want that.

I didn’t mind being continuously bullied.

As long as it wasn’t too severe, it was bearable.

Because the time I had to endure would decrease as time went on.

As long as the fact that the end was determined and final, I could endure this much, however long it took.

Smack-

Ah. That one hurt quite a bit.

Perhaps that last slap wasn’t within the bearable range.

Judging by how my gaze, which had been directed at the legs of the people hitting me, was now aimed at the unlit ceiling light.

I felt dizzy.

Maybe because I was hit too much, or maybe because I collapsed so suddenly.

The metallic taste of blood that lingered in my mouth had now spilled outside.

“Isn’t she bleeding?”

“Blood? I didn’t hit her that hard……”

“……Ha.”

A dry laugh escaped me involuntarily.

At the fact that I was being bullied by people like this.

At the fact that I was suffering like this at the hands of people who knew absolutely nothing about me—no, about the person named Lee Seo-yeon.

By their standards, it was true they hadn’t hit me hard.

Because at least there was no mana imbued in the relentless hands swinging towards my cheek.

If mana had been involved, it wouldn’t have ended like this.

Maybe I would have been flung all the way to the wall back there.

They probably controlled their strength to some extent as well.

Since their goal wasn’t to injure my body, but to break my spirit.

However, my body was weaker than they thought.

And as proof, blood was flowing from my mouth.

And just then.

“……What do you think you’re doing?”

“……Your Highness?”

Although I couldn’t see from my upward-facing view, I heard the voice of Heroine 2.

“Your Highness, this is……”

“I believe I asked what you are doing.”

Moreover, Christina sounded quite angry.

‘Did something happen while she was away?’

‘Christina, who dislikes me, wouldn’t get angry just because I got hit, so there must be some reason.’

“…”

Soon, I tucked that thought away.

‘What do I care?’

‘If Christina is angry, she’s angry.’

It had nothing to do with me.

I just needed to be happy.

Just revel in the sense of liberation that I wouldn’t be hit anymore.

That was right for me. No, for Lee Seo-yeon.

That was right for the protagonist’s extra childhood friend.

The person who was hitting me the hardest answered, sweating profusely.

“……Well, that **** stole Your Highness’s clothes.”

“Seo-yeon stole my clothes?”

“…”

With difficulty, I lifted the sportswear I was holding.

None other than the activewear Christina had made me wear this morning.

The activewear she made me wear, asking how I could exercise in a skirt when I showed up wearing one.

Soon, Christina’s cold voice followed.

“……Those are the clothes I lent to Seo-yeon this morning.”

“What? Your Highness lent them?”

“Yes. I lent them so we could train together for the group assignment……”

‘And you hit Seo-yeon without even knowing that?’

Christina’s voice was cold, so cold.

The dorm floor I was currently lying on couldn’t possibly be any colder than that.

“……We apologize!”

Even I, a third party here, felt this cold; how cold must they, the targets, feel?

“I will hold you accountable for this later, so all of you may leave now.”

“……Understood.”

“Disappear from my sight immediately.”

Several shadows vanished from the dormitory hallway.

A fitting end for typical villainous lackeys.

Gosh. To think it would end so easily.

Maybe I should have called Christina sooner?

As I felt a strange sense of emptiness, Christina’s voice, much calmer than before, reached me.

“……Seo-yeon, are you okay?”

“……I’m fine.”

Of course, I wasn’t fine.

If there were a mirror, I wanted to see the state of my face right now.

But I couldn’t.

“I’m sorry.”

“……Pardon?”

“This is my fault. Because I couldn’t pay attention to my people……”

Because Christina Valentine apologized to me.

In the original story, and this reality I was experiencing now.

Christina, who had tormented me—no, Lee Seo-yeon—the most, apologized to me.

“……Ha.”

Another dry laugh escaped.

“……Seo-yeon?”

“Your Highness doesn’t need to apologize.”

“Pardon?”

“You knew, didn’t you? That I was being bullied by other students.”

Barely moving my unresponsive arms and legs, I stood straight before Heroine 2.

“Surely you’re not going to say you didn’t know? You, who tormented Lee Seo-yeon—no, me—the most.”

“I have never done such a……”

“If Your Highness has never done such a thing, then whose followers are those people who just slapped me at least five times?”

“…”

Christina moved her lips as if wanting to say something, but in the end, those lips stayed shut.

“They are Your Highness’s followers, aren’t they? Whether Your Highness accepted them willingly or had no intention of accepting them.”

Honestly, I wasn’t even curious.

Even if she spoke, it would probably end with excuses like ‘That wasn’t my intention,’ or ‘I didn’t do that.’

“Don’t apologize to me.”

“…”

“Just like now, just like you’ve always done. Just torment me instead.”

“……But.”

“Even if Your Highness apologizes earnestly, I won’t accept it.”

Christina’s expression, after hearing all my words, was one I had never seen before.

Should I say she looked like she was about to burst into tears any moment?

It was ridiculous.

I don’t even know if she wanted to cry right now.

I had forgotten how to cry, hiding behind my emotionless face all the time.

Who are you to shed tears?

Who are you?

Truly.

It was funny.

“Thank you for taking me to the infirmary. Honestly, I was surprised too. It was my first time fainting.”

“…”

“I’ll follow whatever Your Highness says for this group assignment, too. Whatever the intensity of the training, however the assignment proceeds.”

“……. Seo-yeon.”

“But I hope you know, our relationship ends there.”

“…”

“Don’t you prefer that more, Your Highness? You never liked me much anyway.”

So, let’s end our relationship once the group assignment is over.

I didn’t continue speaking.

It might have been a baseless assumption, but I felt that if I uttered even one more word, tears might fall from Christina’s eyes.

‘And besides, I won’t live long anyway. So best not to worry about it.’

I felt like, if I uttered the last words lingering in my mouth, that I might come to regret it later on, which never really happened to me before.

“……Right. Thank you for lending me the clothes, too.”

“…”

“They got a little dirty, but I tried my best to make sure my own clothes got dirty instead of yours, so please forgive me for that much at least.”

Although I felt a little uneasy, Christina would surely understand.

Since the ones who caused the clothes to get dirty were her followers, not me, in the first place.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“…”

“You should go in and rest too, Your Highness.”

And so, I turned and walked away.

This time, too, I didn’t hear the sound of any footsteps following me

It was a good thing.

It must’ve been.