episode_0076

At first, it was curiosity.

The notorious Darius Trevant, known for his rebellious nature.

Verdi was genuinely curious about why Berdy was bending over backwards for this odd-looking Sian.

So, he followed them.

Hiding his presence, Verdi trailed behind Sian, who was leading Darius to the backyard.

When Verdi first overheard their conversation, he couldn’t contain his shock.

“A guy who looks like a parasite, is he really the same person as Brace Kingdom’s Sian?!”

What on earth had happened in the past few months?

Unless he had been reborn, it was unbelievable.

Where did his protruding belly and chubby cheeks resembling a toad disappear to?

Except for his golden eyes and jet-black hair, he seemed like a completely different person.

“I can’t miss out on such a scoop!”

Verdi, always quick-witted with words, immediately spread rumors throughout the school.

Even if he didn’t personally share the news, the gossip-loving nobles below him would surely spread it around.

As expected,

“Sian, who ranked first overall in the assessment, is the same Sian from Brace Kingdom…?”

“How could a person undergo such a transformation?”

“He must have won the lottery. More importantly, how did he change so drastically…”

Sian quickly became the center of attention this month.

—

“Are you the prince of Bahatla Empire?”

“That’s right! Now I remember! Hehe.”

Verdi chuckled softly at the now-recognized Sian.

“What brings you here?”

“What brings me here! Oh, how disappointing, aren’t we old friends who used to have fun together?”

“….”

Sian fell silent at Verdi’s words.

He had to tread carefully. He was talking about parts of memories that didn’t exist from Sian’s perspective.

But Verdi interpreted the situation differently.

“Why isn’t he responding? He used to be so receptive before…”

One of Verdi’s eyes widened in misunderstanding, making his face look even more menacing.

“Could it be that he’s pretending not to recognize me because I lost some weight?”

At that moment, Sian asked, “How… how did we have fun together?”

“Huh? Can’t you remember? We had a great time~ Haha.”

Approaching Sian, Verdi whispered, “We had fun with those lowly girls who wanted social advancement. Remember? We had a good time, right?”

“….”

As soon as Sian heard this, his expression stiffened.

Unaware of Sian’s reaction, Verdi continued, “Hey, Sian. Some good medicine has arrived this time… Shall we play together like last time? Even if your face is slimmer now after dieting! You might not be as popular as me, but…”

“I apologize, Prince Verdi. I have urgent matters to attend to. I must take my leave now.”

“Huh…?”

Sian hastily left the scene.

Despite hiding his emotions from Verdi, once out of sight, his expression turned to one of disgust as he quickly walked away.

“What the…”

Left alone, Verdi watched Sian walking away.

—

“Did I… No, did the previous host of this body really do such things…?”

I quickened my pace towards the dormitory, lost in thought.

What kind of life had I been living?

I had only expected minor mischief like tormenting Cain and occasional indulgence in drinking…

“Having fun with lowly girls who want social advancement…!”

“Hey, Sian. Some good medicine has arrived this time, just like last time…”

“Ugh….”

I felt nauseous.

The previous host of this body was probably only fifteen years old at most, yet they indulged in debauchery, even resorting to drugs.

Disgusting.

The more I learned about this body’s past, the more uncomfortable I felt.

“…Sian!”

“Sian?”

“….!”

Lost in thought for a moment, I found myself staring at the familiar twin figures blocking my path.

Dark, long ponytail neatly brushed, a small and pretty face.

Beside her was a flowing golden-haired girl with crimson eyes…

Aria Silvesta and Lucy Amelia.

“…I’m tired right now, let’s talk later.”

“Later…?”

“When exactly is ‘later’?”

Aria blocks my path once again.

And she speaks bluntly.

“Why do you keep avoiding us? You’ve never asked us to do that!”

“……”

Next to me, Lucy also looks at me with a worried expression.

“Xian, our friend… right?”

“……”

Seeing Lucy’s face, my heart sank heavily.

‘…It’s cheating to approach like this.’

I sighed.

And pretending to give in, I said, “Everyone, let’s move-”

“-Hey! Xian! Huff, huff….”

“……?”

Both she and I suddenly turned our heads towards the direction where a sound came from.

Someone large was running towards us.

With tiny eyes as if beans, a prominent nose, yellowish and chubby appearance.

‘Prince Verdi? Why all of a sudden…’

I looked at him questioningly. As he approached, he said, “Huff… You’re walking fast. There’s still something unfinished… huh?”

Prince Verdi alternates his gaze between Lucy and Aria.

And then…

“Huff…!”

“……?”

He stops at Aria, staring at her intently.

Aria, puzzled, looks back at Prince Verdi. Then she asked me, “Xian, who is this? Is he a friend?”

“Oh, oh! Isn’t this the famous swordsmanship lineage, Lady Aria of the Silvesta family? I have heard rumors. I am Prince Verdi of the Bahatla Empire.”

“Excuse me, Prince Verdi. Just a moment…”

“Oh, Xian. Aren’t they having a private conversation? Please don’t interrupt.”

“……”

Why is this person suddenly acting like this?

“You seem to be quite close with Xian.”

“Of course! We’re the closest! Xian and I used to play together often.”

Prince Verdi suddenly puts his arm around me.

“Right? Xian, say something!”

“……”

“Just a moment.”

At that moment, Lucy, noticing my discomfort, intervened.

“It seems Xian is uncomfortable. And we were talking first. Please talk to him later.”

“Huh? Would that really happen…?”

“Please leave.”

“Huh?”

Prince Verdi blinks his eyes stupidly at me.

…I pushed his arm off my shoulder with one hand. Then I said, “We were in the middle of an important conversation. Will you leave now, Prince Verdi?”

“……”

Silence fell.

Lucy and Aria glared uncomfortably at Prince Verdi.

And I, too, stared at him with an expressionless face.

Feeling the pressure, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Well, it seems you were having quite an important conversation. I apologize for intruding.”

Having grasped the atmosphere, Prince Verdi uttered those words before awkwardly shuffling away and disappearing.

…He was a strange person.

Honestly, it was burdensome.

I didn’t know him well, but somehow, he seemed like the type who would become as annoying as Cain if involved.

His demeanor, his carefree attitude… in many ways, it didn’t sit right with me.

I sighed and said to Lucy and Aria, “Shall we change locations for now?”

***

“This is unpleasant… so unpleasant!”

Verdi chugged a high-calorie fruit drink, grumbling.

“What a trivial matter, what’s the big deal! Can’t anyone cut me some slack?! Ugh!”

Grumbling with unwashed, messy hair, Verdi, kicking a nearby trash can, sent it flying.

-Crash!

…Some passing students frowned at him.

It was only natural for them to react that way. A badly dressed man, not taking care of himself, vandalizing public property as he walked by.

Ignoring what he was doing wrong, Verdi gulped down another high-calorie fruit juice without caring about the stares around him.

“Gulp gulp… Damn, definitely feeling lighter after shedding some weight. That trash from the Gongguo… Took him around because his gaming style was somewhat similar, and he stabs me in the back like this?”

Tossing the empty cup to the ground, Verdi made his way back to his dormitory.

Upon reaching the dormitory, his aide was waiting for him.

“Have you arrived, the one and only radiant Verdi of the great Khan Verdot…”

“Forget it! Albert, bring me a stitch.”

“To whom would you like it sent?”

“Just get it without unnecessary chatter!”

“…Understood.”

His aide disappeared quickly, bowing strangely.

“Damn it, still pisses me off thinking about it! That rascal, Gongja, damn it!”

Verdi had been captivated by Aria’s beautiful appearance at first sight.

In a word, he had fallen head over heels.

It was a natural reaction for a man of his age.

A well-groomed, haughty cat-like pretty face. Dramatic eyes like blue ice crystals.

Aria’s appearance could easily be considered a cold beauty standard even at the Academy.

Trembling with excitement, Verdi thought to himself.

‘I was completely drawn in by my gentlemanly attitude and rhetoric… Damn!’

Verdi was firmly convinced.

He had sent himself away out of fear that Cyan might steal Aria from him.

“Sigh….”

Verdi calmed his heart and once again recalled Aria’s image.

‘…She was quite stunning. From her impressively full chest to her firm thighs, far beyond her age.’

Unknowingly, Verdi found himself swallowing hard.

“I have brought it, Prince Verdi.”

“Quickly, hand it over!”

As soon as his aide brought the stitch, Verdi began scribbling something with a feather pen imbued with magic.

The first paragraph began with the lovely Sylvester family’s darling, Aria.

Roughly selling Cyan’s name to foster camaraderie among those close to Cyan.

‘When she first met me, she had an unusual look in her eyes. This is definitely fate!’

And the next day.

After a good conversation with Cyan, Ariana restored their relationship.

She rushed to Cyan’s training ground and blurted out.

“Cyan! Stitch came from that person yesterday!”

“…Huh?”

For Cyan, who was wielding a sword, it was a bizarre piece of news.