episode_0025

I thought we would meet someday.

Well, they were students at the academy even before their return.

That is to say, it was an unavoidable fate from the moment I decided to go to the academy.

But when I actually encountered it like this, I found myself feeling something different than I had expected.

-Listen! Arrest this villainess right now!

Since that happened, I thought my blood would run cold if I saw it again… .

‘Surprisingly, it’s fine.’

No, more than that, the crown prince, who was considered the best groom among the noble ladies, felt terribly unattractive.

‘Ah, it’s thanks to Eugene.’

It was not the crown prince who had changed, but herself.

Because I realized true love and found out what was truly valuable.

In the past, when I was drunk on ambition, I came to know facts that I had not been aware of.

‘He was a more insignificant person than I thought.’

The crown prince was nothing more than an insignificant being who couldn’t even reach Eugene’s toes.

‘And the same goes for that woman.’

Aria turned her gaze to the red-haired woman arguing with the Crown Prince.

Before the return, the woman the Crown Prince was so obsessed with and the woman Aria wanted to destroy so badly.

Rachel Hope.

‘But now I don’t feel any emotions.’

I was surprised at myself, and wondered if this was what the human mind could be like… .

To her now, they were no different from tiny specks of dust.

It’s annoying when you see it, but you don’t feel the need to go to the trouble of cleaning it… .

An existence of exactly that level.

‘Well, I guess there’s no need to get involved. I’m busy having a good time with Eugene, so there’s no way I’d have time to waste on them.’

While thinking that, I was trying to avoid them and enter the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held.

The brown head next to him looked towards the still noisy crown prince.

“What are you doing on the first day of school?”

The next moment, the brown head burst without Aria having a chance to stop it.

He headed towards the man and woman blocking the entrance to the auditorium.

“You know, how about doing it that way? The other person might not like it.”

At this, the crown prince looked at the brown head with a dumbfounded expression.

“You really meant that to me?”

“Who else is there besides you? Please let the girl go and move aside the entrance that is blocking it.”

“… Hey, do you know who I am and why are you talking like that?”

“Don’t you know that the academy rules that all people are equal regardless of their social status?”

At the unexpected conclusion, a blood vessel popped out on the crown prince’s forehead.

“I am of this empire…!!”

Eventually, the crown prince was about to vent his anger.

Aria, who had been watching from behind, had no choice but to step forward.

‘Why are you doing such useless things?’

I really didn’t want to get involved, but if something goes wrong with that brown head over there, Eugene will be sad.

“How about you refrain from any actions that could lower the dignity of the royal family? Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“You are… Aria Floris?”

“Oh my, I didn’t know you remembered me. Should I say it’s an honor? I guess we only met a few times in passing.”

Aria wore a fake smile like a mask on her face.

The crown prince responded in disbelief.

“Your wicked temper was so bad that I could hear it. You haven’t been seen in social circles lately, but did you come to the academy?”

“Yes, well… I started to feel like it was useless, so I stopped walking. Right now, I’m spending my time with my precious fiancé.”

“I don’t care what you think or do. But you know who I am, and you still stand in my way?”

“As I said, I am giving you advice because I am worried that Your Majesty’s actions may be a threat to someone in the royal family. Look around you.”

The crown prince turned his gaze at her words and only then realized that a large crowd had gathered around them.

“If you keep making a fuss like this, the academy faculty will come, and His Majesty’s disgrace will reach his ears… .”

Are you really okay with that?”

As for who this person is referred to here, no one else but the Crown Prince would know right away.

“… Tsk, you’re meddling. I’m losing interest. And I’ll personally remember you two. ”

As expected, when the Crown Prince brought up the subject of that person, he immediately turned away and left.

However, just before leaving, he left some useless words to the red-haired woman he had been entangled with and the brown-haired man he had been talking to.

The brown-haired man looked at the back of the crown prince with a look of disbelief.

“What, what? That guy was the crown prince?”

“… Please, show some self-restraint. Why are you thinking so thoughtlessly about hurting Eugene?”

“Huh! I didn’t know, so there’s nothing I can do!? Just be careful next time, right? Right… ?”

“Sigh… .”

Aria placed her hand on her forehead at the sight of him worrying about the aftermath after doing something.

“Excuse me… Thank you. I was in a difficult situation.”

At that moment, the red-haired woman who had been arguing with the crown prince just a moment ago approached them cautiously.

“Ah, yeah. I’m glad you’re okay.”

The brown-headed man responded to her gratitude naturally.

Aria kept her mouth shut, not wanting to talk to her.

“My name is Rachel of the House of Hope. If you don’t mind, may I know your names?”

The red-haired woman… the brown-haired one answered Rachel’s question.

“Oh, I’m Julian Dustin, and this guy here is… .”

“… Countess Aria Floris, is that right?”

“What the…? You knew it?”

“Yes, well… your name came up in our conversation earlier.”

Finally, Aria, unable to bear the pointless conversation any longer, sighed.

I just don’t feel as much hate or anything like that as I used to.

Still, the red-haired woman… the fact that Rachel Hope was an awkward person remained unchanged.

“If you’re going to keep having such useless conversations, can I go in first? I’m already wasting time because of you guys.”

I wanted to see Eugene’s face as soon as possible.

So Aria passed them both and went straight into the auditorium, and the brown head hurriedly followed her.

“Hey! There’s still time before we start, what’s the rush… Anyway, it’s rude! ”

And so the two disappeared into the auditorium like the wind.

“… … Was there a character named Julian Dustin in the original? It feels different from what I knew about the villainess Aria Floris.”

Rachel’s soliloquy, left alone, filled the empty space between the two.

***

The entrance ceremony was held as scheduled without any problems.

“Lastly, our academy promises to provide you with unsparing support for your growth… .”

The dean’s final declaration, repeated for the umpteenth time, flowed out again.

‘That dean had a lot to say even before he returned.’

Aria barely managed to suppress the drowsiness that was creeping up on her and turned her gaze to the area behind the Dean.

At that moment, she noticed Eugene yawning as he was standing in line with other faculty members.

‘Ear, so cute… .’

Aria thought there was a cuteness that came from that moment of carelessness when a ferocious beast, unable to fight off sleep, opened its mouth wide and yawned.

It may not be understood by the world’s universal sensibilities… No, in fact, only she wanted to know.

So I hope no one understands.

‘Come to think of it, raising wild animals was a huge trend in the past.’

I heard that there was a time when nobles and wealthy merchants would purchase wild beasts and raise them as pets.

Well… eventually, the trend died out after everyone except for the few who knew how to protect themselves became food for wild beasts.

Aria wanted to make a strong appeal that there was a charm that could only be felt from ferocious beasts, enough to make such an eccentricity popular.

“… Hmm, hmmm.”

While I was thinking about that alone.

The moment the pink-haired woman standing next to Eugene was about to fall asleep, he gently grabbed her by the arm and supported her so she wouldn’t fall.

The moment she witnessed that scene, a spark of jealousy flew from Aria’s eyes. If it weren’t during the entrance ceremony, she would have barged in right away.

“Okay, next, the student council president will take charge of the meal order. Selena, please come up to the stage.”

Finally, the dean’s long speech ended and he called out a student’s name.

A woman stood up from the front row of seats where students were sitting and walked toward the podium.

What was unusual was that the woman who was the student council president was wearing a pure white mask over her face.

Of course, it would have been possible if the academy had given permission in advance… but the students who didn’t know that couldn’t help but be in an uproar.

‘Oh, there was someone like that.’

Because she was such an unusual person, Aria, who rarely showed interest in others, also remembered her.

One, from what I remember, she had the grand title of student council president.

He graduated after spending his time at the academy relatively quietly, without any special reforms or anything.

‘Well, I guess you don’t have to worry about it. He’s not related to me or Eugene anyway.’

At that time, I swore that I had no intention of wasting my precious time with him.

“Ah, I’m Selena, the student body president. First of all, as a representative of the current students, I would like to sincerely congratulate the new students on their admission.”

The masked student council president who stood on the podium started the ceremony with a boring greeting.

“First of all, I would like to inform you in advance that there was no separate top student for the entrance exam this year.”

The students looked puzzled by the sudden remark, but Aria had heard about this from Eugene beforehand.

-It’s embarrassing, but when I took the test, the faculty and staff who watched the video seemed to have become more discerning in many ways.

Before the regression, the top spot in the entrance exam was held by one of the followers who gathered around the queen bee named Rachel Hope… .

Due to Eugene’s performance, this time, unlike last time, he did not catch the attention of the faculty and staff.

“Therefore, I will be in charge of the national anthem and the oath, so I would appreciate it if you could follow me and sing it. Everyone, please stand.”

After that, the entrance ceremony proceeded without any problems as the student body president led the proceedings.

“Now, we will conduct the class placement test for the new students along with the introduction of the remaining faculty and staff.”

Time flies so fast.

“Then, I will invite you to the stage. Everyone, please welcome us with a loud round of applause.”

The time Aria had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“This is Instructor Eugene Everhart who will be administering the exam.”

In his past life, he had defeated the Demon King but was not recognized for his achievements.

Eugene, a fiancé who deserves everyone’s respect.

This is the moment when you come to the forefront.