Chapter 11

“Lilian, Lilian. Wake up. Lunch time is over.”

“Ugh?!”

Lilian, making a bizarre sound as she opened her eyes, looked around blankly. She noticed the golden-haired girl who had woken her up and stared at her in a daze. The girl had captivating, deep eyes, pink lips, and fair skin—all enough to leave Lilian in a stupor. Or maybe she was just a little groggy. Lilian, gently slapping her own cheek to wake herself up, looked up at Yulia. Yep, she was just sleepy, nothing more. Nodding her head, Lilian got up from her seat.

“What’s the next class?”

“Room A. Oh, right. Lilian, I saw Catherine in the library during lunch!”

“Catherine?”

Thump, thump, as Yulia’s mouth shot out Catherine’s name, Lilian’s heart began to race. A strange feeling started to bubble up inside her chest, and she took a deep breath inward. Lilian had no idea why she felt this way.

The long, neatly arranged black hair of Catherine and her bright red eyes flashed in her mind. Those fiery red eyes seemed like they could ignite whatever they looked at. The blood-like color felt ominous, yet was familiar to Lilian.

Wait, familiar? Maybe not. The old ‘Lilian’ wouldn’t have cared, but now, every time she saw those eyes, it jolted her. Her heart raced, and it felt like something was poking at it. Lilian, thinking it was just fear, dismissed it as such.

“Yeah.”

“What were you two doing?”

But the library? If it was the library, that must mean an important event occurred, but Lilian wracked her brain momentarily and couldn’t quite remember. It was just a regular villain defeat scene, after all. However, she remembered her affinity towards Catherine had significantly risen… Could it be that Catherine had stolen yet another event? Cautiously asking, Yulia smiled shyly.

“Um, she just helped me find a book I couldn’t locate.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Thank goodness. It wasn’t another event stolen. Just as Lilian was relieved, Yulia scratched her cheek and added,

“And… other nobles came and said things to me, but she saved me… it was so cool! How can Catherine be so confident?”

“Wait a minute. What did you say?”

“Huh? I mean, how can Catherine be so confident?”

“Oh, no. Before that.”

“Noble ladies came over and called me a commoner, but Catherine saved me.”

Yulia’s cheeks were flushed as she spoke. …Am I in trouble? Lilian thought for a moment. Since the point at which she and Yulia became friends, it had become impossible to follow the original story, but Yulia becoming Catherine’s lover was still not a good thing. It was something unthinkable politically and socially.

But if it were her, Lilian thought she could embrace Catherine. Suddenly, such a thought crossed her mind.

“Oh, no. What am I thinking?”

“Lilian?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. So what happened?”

“Uh? She just ran away?”

“No, I mean Catherine.”

“Oh, Catherine chased those noble ladies away and went back to her book. Something about the Demon King? She was looking into it.”

The Demon King? Did Catherine have an interest in that? Lilian knew she often visited the library, but to be researching the Demon King? Did the normally stoic Catherine have a childlike side? While thinking that, Lilian suddenly recalled a question she had asked before coming to the academy.

Her question about what Catherine thought of the Demon King, and the serious answer Catherine had given her when she had said she didn’t know. Could it be that Catherine had been harboring that day’s feelings? Thinking so didn’t feel too bad. It was a little awkward that she had unknowingly flirted with Yulia, but well, Catherine was a girl like that by nature. Always serious and quick-witted, yet somehow slow to pick up on things like this.

To be honest, if Catherine could just move her facial muscles a bit, she would undoubtedly be much more popular among all ages. With her black hair and red eyes being somewhat off-putting to people, Catherine’s unique, beautiful appearance could wrap such a color scheme in mystery.

Considering how many people in the mansion gazed at Catherine, it made sense. Although many who tried to move beyond just staring were quickly met with Lilian’s power and kicked out, Catherine likely remained unaware of that fact. She had puzzled over why the maids around her often changed so frequently, but that was something that could be glossed over easily.

Thinking this way made ‘Lilian’s’ obsession rather frightening. Since she knew that Catherine was the villainess now, she kept a bit of distance, but if she were the ‘Lilian’ of the past, wouldn’t she have believed everything Catherine told her?

Just like how ‘Lilian’ did in the game.

“Lilian? Lilian?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“What’s up? You suddenly look scared.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong.”

“It’s nothing, really. I’m just a bit worried.”

“Worried?”

To be honest, Remsdale’s noble lady was not even the worst villain. But the real issue was that someone pulling the strings behind that noble lady was someone even more powerful than Lilian herself. Chloe von Selvius, the Empire’s Princess. Naturally, she didn’t take fondly to Yulia, who would end up marrying her brother.

Of course, unlike Lilian, the ultimate villainess, she had become a “reformed villainess” after realizing just how good and kind Yulia truly was and apologized for her past actions, no longer bullying her.

It was a disheartening thought for Lilian, but in any case, it was utterly unrealistic for a commoner to accuse a princess, even in a fantasy world. Could accusing a Duke’s daughter make sense? That was a little questionable too. Regardless, it wasn’t Yulia taking center stage; it was the Crown Prince. So that kind of thing might be brushed off with a wink.

“Speaking of which, isn’t there a lecture in Room A today?”

“Yeah. It’s about the history of the Empire. The Principal is teaching it.”

“…The Principal?”

“Yeah.”

If it was the Principal of Apatem Academy, it had to be that so-called child genius, right? The one who, at merely a late teenage age, had defeated learned scholars of the Empire and confidently claimed to have grasped the truths of the world, all while being just around 140cm tall—a renowned genius.

“Aselia Jade?”

“That’s my name! Student.”

“Ugh?!”

“Eep?!”

Suddenly hearing a voice from behind, Lilian quickly turned around but could see nothing. Curious, she tilted her head, and then the voice spoke again from below.

“Right here, down here!”

“Oh.”

Looking down, she saw a little girl with red hair tied in pigtails bouncing around. The girl had the kind of appearance that immediately elicited a “cute!” from anyone who saw her. However, Lilian knew who she was. Not a heroine or an important character, but the Principal of Apatem Academy, Aselia.

“Um, Principal?”

“That’s right! I’m Aselia Jade, the Principal recently appointed to Apatem Academy at the youthful age of 27! Still plenty young enough to marry!”

What kind of self-introduction was that? I mean, it wasn’t like she hadn’t heard such self-introductions before, but did she really say this to other little girls as well? Lilian was momentarily taken aback but then raised her hand slightly, catching her interest.

“Can I be honest?”

“What is it?”

“Are the only guys who like the Principal total weirdos?”

“;

…Do I look like I wouldn’t know that?”

Seeing the Principal’s face suddenly droop, Lilian felt a flash of guilt.

“Um, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I hear that a lot. Plus, it doesn’t necessarily mean a marriage partner has to be a guy, right?”

“…Well, I guess that’s true.”

This world wasn’t entirely friendly toward homosexuality, but it didn’t outright ban same-sex marriage either. The Empire dismissed it, while the Republic, its rival nation, allowed it. Whether the game company had a character who liked yuri was unknown, but every female character, aside from completely villainous ones like Catherine or Lilian, had routes available. Although they all ended up in the Republic.

If Aselia’s personality from the game held true, she would throw herself into the Republic for the sake of finding love. Of course, it wasn’t clear whether she actually found true love there.

“Oh, wow! Look at the time! Everyone go on in, the lecture is about to start!”

“Oh, okay.”

Nodding, Lilian turned to see Yulia trailing behind in a daze. Yulia was mumbling something to herself.

“There’s no guarantee it has to be a guy…”

“Yulia? Aren’t you going in?”

“Huh? Oh, right! I should go!”

What is she doing? Puzzled, Lilian walked into the lecture hall with Yulia hurriedly following behind her.