episode_0082

The sudden commotion involving Verdi.

As a result, the crowd curious about the next situation all headed to the dueling grounds together.

Aria’s words, “If you beat me, I’ll go out with you.” It was essentially a roundabout way of rejecting him.

Verdi, unaware and purely believing in Aria’s words, led me to the dueling grounds with eager eyes… and the outcome was as expected.

With the disinterested spectators leaving and the confused atmosphere, the martial arts tournament came to an end.

Without even determining the winner of the dance-off.

“…It was a confusing day in many ways.”

If a heroine event that was only played in games actually happened, would it feel like this?

Deciding inwardly not to attend such unpredictable events again, I left the ballroom.

But then it happened.

“Sian.”

Turning around at the familiar voice, Hedie stood there dressed up and fully made up, having just come out of the ballroom following me.

…There were still unresolved matters between us.

I nodded and said, “Let’s go to our usual spot.”

“Sure.”

***

The languid afternoon sunlight and fresh breeze blew gently.

It was a bench near the Academy dining hall building.

Hedie and I sat silently holding mugs of warm herbal tea.

“……”

“……”

I waited for her to speak first since she was the one who called me here.

It seemed like she might finally explain why she had been ignoring me until now.

“Sian.”

As expected, she spoke first, gazing into her mug before opening her mouth.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

I had a vague idea of what she was apologizing for, but I chose to remain silent.

I wanted to hear it from her.

Why she had been avoiding me, why she ignored me when I tried to talk to her.

Unless her intention was to completely cut ties… I wanted to know why she acted the way she did.

“I needed time to sort out my thoughts. I thought I wouldn’t make good judgments if I ran into you during that time… so I avoided you for a while.”

“I’m glad that’s the case. I thought you were trying to completely cut ties with me.”

“That’s definitely not it.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. So, did you sort things out well?”

“Yeah.”

She paused fidgeting with her fingers and then looked straight at me.

I met her gaze.

It had been a while since we faced each other.

Her amethyst-colored eyes, sleek and haughty like a cat.

Perhaps due to her makeup, she looked more mature.

After a long moment of eye contact, she sighed.

“…I was angry.”

“……?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“That I found out late that you’re the Crown Prince of Gonguk.”

It was a story I had heard before.

From her perspective, I thought she had every reason to be upset.

To realize that someone she considered her closest friend turned out to be a prince-like figure in another country.

She must have felt unpleasant imagining how she, a fallen viscountess, had been perceived internally.

Of course, I never mocked or thought badly of her. From her point of view, it could be understandable.

I told her, “I didn’t mean to deceive you. I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. …There must have been reasons. You’re not that kind of person.”

“Then why?”

“……”

She lowered her gaze and pursed her lips.

The light pink lipstick color on her lips glowed faintly in the sunlight.

“I didn’t know that either… I only realized after sorting things out. Why I was angry.”

She put down her mug and looked back at me.

And she said, “I had no choice.”

“…Huh?”

“After we parted ways, many things came to mind. From when I first saw you at the ant nest maze, our seemingly natural daily routines together, and trivial conversations or sparring like swordplay, everything.”

In essence, the void left by cutting ties with a friend… was it that sense of emptiness.

I understand what you’re saying. But why does that make me angry? I didn’t quite grasp it.

It seemed like she caught onto my thoughts and continued speaking.

“I know you might not understand what I’m saying. So just listen without speaking.”

I nodded my head twice.

“Sigh.”

After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and suddenly fell silent.

I silently watched her.

After a while, she opened her eyes again, looked at me, and said, “Sian.”

“……”

She murmured softly.

“…xxx.”

***

“Aaah-!”

After the ball, Verdi was screaming in a corner of the dormitory.

He thought today would be the best day.

He believed everything would start to fall into place from today.

However.

“This can’t be happening…! It can’t be!!”

“Prince Verdi! What’s wrong!”

His butler Alberto rushed over to calm down the frantic Verdi.

“Aaah! Let go, Alberto!!”

“Why are you acting this way when I approached you!?”

“Sob… Huhu…!”

Verdi crouched down and began to cry.

It was the tears of a man who had been disappointed in love.

Seeing Verdi like this, Alberto sensed that the approach hadn’t gone well.

Alberto sat down next to Verdi, patting him gently.

“…Is everything not going well?”

“Sob…!”

Verdi responded to Alberto’s words.

“Sian…! If only that guy wasn’t there… If that scoundrel wasn’t there!!”

Verdi was deeply misunderstanding.

He naturally assumed Sian would let him win.

As they had enjoyed some camaraderie and fun moments together, Verdi expected Sian to deliberately lose the duel to support Aria and his love.

But Sian coldly aimed the sword at Verdi’s head.

Verdi, who had barely started the duel, fell after just 3 seconds and lost the duel miserably.

…At that moment, Sian also felt conflicted.

‘Don’t show any mercy, Sian. The moment you do, you’ll have to face all the Silvesta family’s swordsmen and enemies.’

Hearing Aria’s whisper, Sian had no choice but to defeat Verdi in the duel.

Yet, Verdi misunderstood Sian, thinking he was interfering with him.

“You bastard… I’ll crush you…! You’ll surely play with Lady Aria and then set your sights on another woman! Lady Aria is merely being toyed with by such a scoundrel!”

Verdi stood up with conviction in his eyes.

“No one can interfere with Lady Aria’s and my love….”

“Verdi…”

“Alberto, gather all the nobles under your command right now.”

“What… What are you talking about?”

Verdi said with a determined expression, “Spread rumors about Sian’s true nature throughout the academy. I thought he was someone I could get along with, but I was wrong! …I won’t let things go his way. Hurry, Alberto!”

***

A few days after the conversation with Hedy.

I headed to the lecture hall for the final fencing class of the semester.

But….

Something was off.

“I knew it. I suspected that appearance changed and something else did too….”

“People don’t change! Feeling bad!”

“I shudder at the thought of ever falling for that guy even for a moment.”

The sharp glances towards me, the gossip that felt unpleasantly directed at me—it seemed like some strange rumor about me had spread in the past few days.

“Sian!”

As I arrived at the entrance to the fencing classroom, Hedy, who seemed to have been waiting for me, approached with a worried look.

“…You haven’t gone in yet?”

“Yeah, I was waiting for you. But more importantly, have you heard the rumors?”

“What rumors?”

I had a rough idea of what she was talking about.

There was a possibility that strange rumors about me had spread.

“…Guess you didn’t hear. Come up to the rooftop for now. There’s still time before class.”

Arriving at the rooftop.

After confirming that no one else was there, Hedy closed the door and spoke.

“First of all, there are some bad rumors going around about you.”

“….”

“I don’t know who spread them. The gist is… there’s a rumor that you’ve been enjoying relationships in an inappropriate way.”

Indeed.

…Who could have spread such rumors?

“Could it be Cain?”

Their conversation must have ended well.

What change of heart led someone to spread such rumors?

“…What exactly are they saying?”

“I don’t really know either. That you used your status to prey on commoner girls… and that you harassed lower-status individuals.”

“….”

The true past of Cyan, which even I didn’t know much about.

Did someone expose what happened when he achieved top scores on the grading exam and attracted attention?

It was a common occurrence in the original world.

Though deeply confused, as I pondered inwardly without showing any signs, Hedy cautiously spoke to me.

“That… Cyan.”

“Yeah.”

“Are the rumors true?”

“….”

I couldn’t answer.

No, I couldn’t grasp how to respond.

Is it the truth…?

Before the possession, Cyan had engaged in illegal activities and lived a life opposite to mine.

I am his possessor.

While what he did was true… it wasn’t me.

“Sigh….”

“….”

In the end, all I could do was sigh.

Hedy seemed to interpret this as an affirmative response, her expression stiffening momentarily.

An awkward silence fell between us once again.

…Perhaps it was a role I could no longer hide.

Class would start soon.

Hedy waited silently for my response, almost as if asking me to deny it.

Maybe because of this, my heart grew more restless.

I no longer wanted to cause trouble or inconvenience to anyone.

…Perhaps I had endured well until now.

Honestly, I was tired.

Even though I hadn’t committed those actions, how would she see me if this past was revealed?

I didn’t feel like lying to her.

Ultimately, in a hastily approaching moment of decision… I said to her.

“If I were to say it’s true?”

“…What?”

Become trash or carry this burden as a possessor for life.

Only one of these two choices remained.

“You wouldn’t like it….”

“….”

She contorted her face with complexity.

Yes, she wouldn’t like it.

Even without words, I knew.

If the party involved affirms it, a woman would despise it to the point of disgust.

“….”

“….”

Leaving her without a word, I turned towards the rooftop door.

…It seemed like the end now.

Regardless of who spread it, I was truly grateful.

I no longer had to care about others’ opinions.

Thinking this, as I reached for the doorknob, she spoke.

“…I don’t dislike it.”

“….”

Her words made me stop in my tracks.