episode_0002

I’m twelve years old.

My father, who has no patience for my attempts to run away four times a week, kidnapped me to the academy.

“Sigh….”

My father is so unreasonable.

How could he do such a thing to his adorable daughter?

He sighed heavily, tapping my forehead and shaking his head.

Now that I’m at the academy, the option of escaping is no longer available.

Running away is not allowed as it is considered an obligatory education for nobles and those from noble backgrounds.

If I cause trouble here or try to escape, both I and my father will be punished.

“That’s why I didn’t want to come to the academy.”

I don’t like the idea of my father being punished if I mess up.

I wanted to run away before even enrolling in the academy.

I resent my father for not understanding my deep sense of duty.

“…It can’t be helped, I’m already at the academy….”

In that case, maybe I can avoid the male lead as much as possible and, if I do meet him, not give him any openings.

This is giving me a headache.

After tossing and turning on the bed, I got up and left the room.

The academy dormitory was quite luxurious, probably because it’s where nobles reside.

At least there didn’t seem to be any major issues with staying there.

By the way…

“Where is the dining hall…?”

My stomach felt empty.

And I knew exactly why.

It must be because I haven’t eaten anything for two days since my father kidnapped me in such a crude manner.

I thought it would be okay to start planning after having a meal, so I straightened my messy hair and walked aimlessly.

There weren’t many people around the academy at the moment.

Since this era doesn’t have cars or airplanes.

The academy scheduled the enrollment period for one month, considering the distance, and my father forced me here as soon as it started.

Maybe I arrived too early.

“But seriously, isn’t forcibly shipping your daughter off a bit too much?”

I kept thinking about it, but no matter how much I thought, it seemed excessive.

Sure, my father was angry because I tried to run away four times a week, but there could have been a gentler way to handle it.

Lack of delicacy, indeed.

“…I’m hungry.”

Will my cute daughter, starving to death due to her father’s lack of delicacy, realize her crime?

Clutching my hungry stomach, I wandered around for a while, unable to find the dining hall, so I decided to ask for help.

“…Excuse me, pretty lady? Do you know where the dining hall is?”

Approaching a short-haired adult woman wearing glasses, I spoke as gently as possible.

She wasn’t exactly pretty, but since the people here are at least commoners, and considering the average person here is a noble, it was only natural that I used formal language.

“Me, me?”

“Yes, miss.”

“Are you not a girl?”

“Oh, sister… Yes, sister.”

It had been over two months, and I still wasn’t used to the titles, correcting myself, the woman scrutinized me a few times and then spoke with a puzzled expression.

“It seems like you’re a new student, finding your way around the academy isn’t easy… The dining hall is to the right from here, and when you go there, you’ll reach a fork in the road, from there…”

“…If you’re not busy, could you show me the way?”

“Well, I have time now anyway. But why are you in pajamas?”

“They’re comfortable.”

“Sigh… Fine.”

She seemed like she wanted to say something but ended up sighing instead, extending her hand towards me.

What’s this?

“I don’t have any money.”

“No! Hold my hand! If you can follow along well, don’t say anything!”

Ah, is that so?

Well, I am only twelve years old after all.

A child who should be protected.

With a gentle heart, I reached out my small hand like a sprout and grabbed the woman’s hand, sticking close to her side.

It seems like you’re a kind person, and I’m glad.

I don’t know why it takes 15 minutes to walk to the restaurant.

Thanks to that, we were able to have various conversations while walking.

They said there are many giants among this year’s incoming students, and that you guys are blessed. If you become friends with the giants, or even if you just show a good side, they said you won’t have to worry about making a living for the rest of your life. They said it almost enviously, but to me, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to hear.

I know exactly who they are talking about.

More importantly…

“… It’s too worldly to say in front of a ten-year-old.”

“… Sorry.”

The woman who flinched at my words apologized while shrinking back.

Since she apologized properly, I accepted it readily.

But she was quite talkative.

Even though it’s something you would say to a ten-year-old, she was openly revealing such thoughts.

“It’s only because I’m nice that I’m saying this. Don’t say such things lightly elsewhere. The giants would feel really bad if they heard it.”

If you go around harboring thoughts of using them, your image won’t improve by directly spitting out such words.

“Aren’t you ten…?”

“I am indeed a cute and adorable ten-year-old.”

Showing all ten fingers and acting cute, the tired-looking woman grabbed my hand and led me into a building that seemed to be a restaurant.

The smell of food wafted heavily, and as saliva dribbled down my mouth, the woman took me inside and explained how to use the restaurant.

The menu changes daily, and meals are free during meal times. You have to pay for food outside of meal times.

“Well, I have something to do so I’ll go first. Your parents might miss you, but academy life won’t be so bad.”

“My mom isn’t here, and my dad sent me to the academy because he doesn’t like me, so it’s okay.”

Leaving the woman frozen in place for a moment, I bought food with the money in my pocket and settled in a secluded spot according to Korean customs.

Well-cooked beef with brown sauce, bread, potatoes, and salad.

This should make for a great meal.

Nodding my head, I chewed on the steak and thought about the woman who had kindly guided me just moments ago.

Giants…

There’s no doubt they’re talking about important characters in the novel.

Just those two alone, the male lead is a prince, and the sub-male lead is the youngest son of the Northern Duke.

That’s enough to call them giants, but there were quite a few other characters as well.

Characters that appear in romance fantasy novels so frequently that it’s almost a given, including villainous young ladies.

…Wait a minute.

Villainous young ladies?

“Oh…”

A good idea came to mind.

The reason the villainous young lady disliked the female lead?

Because she liked the prince too much, and the female lead was monopolizing the prince’s attention.

In that case, what if I pushed the villainous young lady into the position I vacated as the female lead?

If I teach the villainous young lady what made the prince fall for the female lead, although not in detail, I roughly know.

And if I behave in a way that the prince would dislike?

“…Am I a genius?”

By completely losing the prince’s interest, there would be no need to actively turn the villainous young lady into an enemy.

Reaching out, I stroked my own head.

I really like this genius idea I came up with.

As for the sub-male leads, they’ll eventually leave on their own, so I won’t need to deal with them.

“…Is it really good?”

“What’s so good about it?”

Turning my head at the sudden informal speech, a guy who had come over with food caught my eye.

Some other new students besides me must have arrived as soon as the enrollment period began.

It wasn’t surprising that there were other new students besides me.

Rather, why is he eating next to me?

He seemed like a friendly kid.

“Oh, I just had a good idea, that’s all.”

“…Using informal speech?”

“At first glance, he seemed like a noble.”

His clothes were luxurious, and it wasn’t just because he was a child with exceptionally smooth skin; it was evident that he had received good care.

His golden hair glistened, and his blue eyes held a depth not typical of a child.

Even at a glance, it was clear he was at least a noble.

“…You’re strange.”

“There’s nothing strange about it.”

In a class-based society, showing respect to those of higher rank is not unusual but rather common sense.

Although he may not understand it yet due to his young age, he will come to know when he grows up.

“…But why pajamas?”

“Changing clothes is bothersome, and it’s comfortable, isn’t it?”

“I see….”

Somewhat puzzled by the boy’s behavior, who sighed like the girl who had led me to the restaurant, I tilted my head in confusion. The boy sat beside me and began to eat.

“Since we’ve met, shall we exchange names? I’m Leah.”

“…No last name?”

“Yes, I’m a fallen noble.”

“Don’t you feel ashamed?”

He shrugged.

Nobles each possessed unique abilities. However, sometimes these special abilities suddenly disappeared for various reasons. When such abilities vanished, they were no longer suitable to be called nobles. Their titles and privileges were confiscated. That’s a fallen noble. But so what?

“I didn’t fall from grace due to my own fault.”

I have nothing to hide. The boy looked surprised by my response, then smiled faintly.

“Okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But you revealed your name, while I haven’t. Please tell me yours.”

I couldn’t keep calling him ‘boy.’ It might slip out as a rude word. Crossing my arms, I raised my head slightly, striking a confident pose.

“What’s with that posture…?”

“A pose of confidence.”

“…You’re really weird.”

“…Well, if you don’t plan on telling me, forget it.”

It was fine if he didn’t want to tell me. It was just a matter of watching my words. As I pondered in disappointment, wondering if my actions seemed so odd, the boy asked a question.

“What happens if you don’t tell me?”

“It’s just a pity, and that’s it. What’s there?”

“My name is Deron, Deron Asilia.”

…There was a brief silence as I processed this sudden information. Then, I swiftly executed the best course of action.

“…Ah, it was an honor meeting you until now. Let’s not meet again.”

“Suddenly?”

“Goodbye!”

Shoving food into my mouth and hastily leaving the table, as if fleeing. Why was the prince already appearing? “Oh, come on!” He may look pretentious, but he definitely didn’t seem like a prince! Are you telling me to recognize him as a prince just because of his blond hair and wall-like presence? Is half of this world blond and wall-like? Well, then, nothing goes right from the start.