Elsie’s words shot through the air, leaving Shi-en without a proper response.
So, she averted her gaze for a moment, chewed her lips, and hesitantly looked back at Elsie once again.
Even until that moment, Elsie was silently glaring at Shi-en.
Without adding a single word, Shi-en understood. That chilling gaze expressed emotions that could not be described in a hundred words.
Shi-en felt a choking sensation once more. A desperate gasp escaped her throat.
Fierce hostility spread through the misty atmosphere.
The provocative sentiment made Shi-en want to step back immediately.
However, no matter how much she wanted to run away, the world wouldn’t change.
Wherever she went in the Academy, it was filled with people who despised her.
Not just Elsie, but everyone at the Academy felt the same. Realizing this, Shi-en gathered her courage and bowed her head.
“Rainelle… Ah, I mean Senior Elsie.”
Addressing someone by their title was a noble etiquette. It would appear that the Imperial Princess was threatening her by virtue of her status, so Shi-en hastily corrected herself to ‘Senior.’
It wasn’t strange for a junior to apologize to a senior.
“I’m sorry; I should have apologized first… I’ve done too many wrongs to Sir Ian during this time….”
“…Hah, I get it.”
Elsie scoffed and quickly turned her head away.
It was a clear indication that she no longer wanted to converse. Because of that, Shi-en stood there for a long while, feeling as if she were anchored in place, hesitating.
She wanted to apologize and seek forgiveness.
But the chances of that heart being reciprocated were likely slim.
The very thought saddened Shi-en, and she glanced at Elsie with a dejected expression.
Regardless of what she was doing, Elsie simply wore a displeased expression. It was an explicit declaration of her rejection, making it clear that she didn’t want to see Shi-en.
However, as Shi-en didn’t make a move to leave, Elsie could no longer contain her irritation and raised her voice.
“What are you doing? Get lost right now… Did you eat the wit?”
It was a raw and harsh insult.
Shi-en shrank back further. Being the timid person she was, she couldn’t help but feel scared and flustered in such a new situation.
How could someone with such a lovely appearance speak so viciously?
Her pounding heart seemed to urge her to run away. But Shi-en swallowed hard and steadied her resolve.
Running away would mean she would forever be hated.
That was something she didn’t want.
In that brief moment, Shi-en’s mind had long been worn down to its limits. The thought of having to endure such fierce animosity whenever she sought out Ian was horrifying just to imagine.
Shi-en barely managed to calm her trembling voice. She tried hard to show a cheerful demeanor.
As it happened, she had some good news to share.
Hoping that this news would somehow alleviate Elsie’s anger, Shi-en opened her mouth.
“Um, so I just wanted to say I’m sorry… And fortunately! The Imperial Family has agreed to provide the new items. It’s said that Sir Ian will soon recover too…”
But that fleeting hope shattered into pieces.
“…You damn bitch.”
With a crackle, a blue aura erupted into the air.
Shi-en was taken aback by Elsie’s unusual reaction, stumbling backward a few steps. This was the first time she had received such a direct threat from an Imperial aristocrat.
There was no warning. Yet, the surrounding magical energy was aligning.
If Elsie decided to act, the falling raindrops would carry her power outwards in all directions. From incantation to the gathering of magic, it would take mere seconds.
It was a skill befitting one of the top combat mages in the Academy.
Shi-en might have had greater magical talent and capacity, but if she were to confront Elsie now, the outcome was obvious even without seeing it.
Cold sweat dripped down Shi-en’s back as she felt cornered.
She was scared and felt sorrowful.
The princess was an Imperial lineage imbued with the noble blood of dragons. She had never received such treatment before.
Even Elsie, under normal circumstances, probably wouldn’t dare to consider threatening Shi-en.
But now, Elsie’s reason had long evaporated. Since Ian’s collapse, Elsie had been enduring extreme mental fatigue.
Now, Shi-en had thrown a stone into that nearly overflowing crucible.
Elsie could no longer hold back. Grimacing, she growled with a low voice.
“Hey, do you think I’m someone easy to deal with?”
“Uh, um… no…”
Shi-en, who had been hesitating, ultimately couldn’t finish her sentence.
Do you think I’m easy to deal with?
Until now, she had occupied a position where she could make that kind of statement, not one where she was receiving such a remark. Therefore, she didn’t even know how to respond when she heard similar words.
In her darting gaze at Elsie, undeniable fear began to well up.
If left unchecked, she was about to burst into tears.
That sight further provoked Elsie’s ferocity.
It was a moment when the inner violence that had been suppressed until now because of Ian was reignited.
“Then what makes you think you could act so high and mighty? You’ve caused all this chaos; you’re the one cleaning it up, right? It’s only natural you should… huh?”
With her tightly clenched teeth, Shi-en hurriedly bowed her head. Her politely folded hands trembled.
Elsie’s voice, which had been heating up, finally burst into a shout.
“Seriously, what about when you made things difficult for the master and ripped apart relationships?! Do you even know how hard it was for me?! And I heard you even got involved with family matters!”
Shi-en flinched, trembling as she lowered her gaze at Elsie’s scream charged with rage. By now, her gray eyes had glimmered with unshed tears.
Fortunately, Elsie didn’t appear to care about that.
After all, it was pouring rain.
A few drops of tears wouldn’t be noticeable. Elsie, completely drenched, might have already shed a few tears without realizing.
Nevertheless, Shi-en didn’t want to show any weakness, so she fought to hold back her tears.
She was so preoccupied that she didn’t even find the term ‘master’ odd. The thought that it referred to Ian crossed her mind only briefly.
Elsie’s harsh words continued.
“You’ve got some nerve, don’t you? And it’s terrifying, how could you even think of involving family? Huh? I’m known for having a foul temper and living a hellish life, but… I still never touched family.”
“…I-I’ll do my best…”
Unable to withstand Elsie’s anger any longer, Shi-en gasped, desperately trying to speak.
Elsie’s lips momentarily fell silent. However, her blazing blue gaze remained fierce, conveying that she was ready to tear apart any opening that appeared.
Shi-en’s gray eyes were taking in the emotional tide that threatened to overwhelm her. It felt like being stranded on a ship wrecked above the waves of anger, scrambling to justify herself.
“I’ll somehow resolve Ian’s family issues…”
“Shut the hell up.”
Then, with a loud crash, a bolt of energy exploded right next to Shi-en.
With a thunderous sound, the energy scattered in all directions, making Shi-en scream. However, contrary to her expectations, she didn’t get electrocuted.
This was thanks to Elsie still retaining the minimal of her sanity.
As she hurriedly moved aside, Shi-en’s clothing got slightly damp. She looked at Elsie with trembling eyes.
“Hey, does stabbing someone and putting ointment on it make it all okay? What about all the pain and suffering you’ve caused? And the scar? Do you even understand how difficult it was for me because of you?! They—the master… worried about causing me trouble…”
Elsie, who had yelled in anger, seemed to be overwhelmed by her emotions and started to sob, wiping away her tears. Even though she was already drenched in rainwater, one could hardly tell the difference.
The sound of rain enveloped the space shared by Shi-en and Elsie.
Elsie turned around again, her gaze filled with sorrow, heading toward the temple where Ian was.
Then she uttered a faint warning.
“…Get lost, and don’t let me see you again. Next time, there won’t be a princess or anything.”
It was a remark of unusually high severity, akin to a slight against royalty, but Shi-en, who had lost her mind, didn’t even think to challenge it.
She simply internalized the sharp shards of glass that Elsie had thrown at her.
I see, it seems there’s nothing to be done once you get stabbed.
There’s no turning back. No way to mend it; all that’s left to do is to beg for forgiveness.
But if even that act of kneeling and begging for forgiveness is considered disgusting…
What should I do then?
Must I remain unforgiven forever?
The word ‘brazen’ pierced through Shi-en’s heart like a dagger. If she pondered just a bit longer, she might have been able to realize.
In fact, given the circumstances, Shi-en’s misunderstanding was justified. There were even aspects where Ian had intentionally led her to misunderstand.
However, in such an extremely stressful situation, with blame raining down, Shi-en couldn’t maintain her sanity.
Miltram had mocked her, and soon members of the Academy who had once been her allies hung her out to dry as the scapegoat, including the Virgin Saint, who was close to Ian, and even Elsie condemned her.
Everything felt like her fault.
Wasn’t everyone around her saying that?
That she was the worst villain who had misunderstood Ian’s noble intentions and even meddled with family matters.
Yet even so, unable to let go of her obsession with Ian, Shi-en grew increasingly agitated.
It was the only ‘real thing’ she had searched for her entire life. Having finally found it, without Ian, she would only revert to her lonely, painful past.
That was something she couldn’t tolerate.
But brazenly sticking close to Ian felt impossible, given the many sins she had committed.
In her anxious state, Shi-en’s thumb subconsciously found its way to her mouth. But in that moment, a bolt of lightning struck, and the princess snapped back to her senses.
Suddenly, her vision was filled with blinding white, followed by the rumble of thunder. It was only then that she could compare her state with Elsie’s.
Shi-en, holding an elegant umbrella, wore a forlorn expression as the hem of her cloak got wet.
And Elsie, already soaked to the bone, had droplets falling from her.
Of course, it wasn’t Shi-en’s fault. But feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, Shi-en hesitated before approaching Elsie with the umbrella in hand.
She wanted to offer it to her.
But Elsie had no intention of accepting that goodwill.
“…I don’t need it.”
With the same chilly voice as before, Shi-en ended up hesitating again.
Those fierce blue eyes bore into her. Elsie turned away once more, staggering toward Shi-en.
“What I need….”
It was only one thing, yet you…
Shi-en couldn’t bring herself to push Elsie’s hand away as her voice rumbled.
With a crack, Elsie’s hand gripped Shi-en’s collar. Although there was a difference in their heights, Elsie was still a skilled mage.
Even if not as strong as a swordsman, her physical abilities were beyond that of an ordinary person.
Coughing, Shi-en felt her breath becoming increasingly restricted, her hands instinctively moving to her throat as Elsie slowly lifted her.
The moment that her head, which had been lowered, was raised again.
Her eyes, blurred by either raindrops or tears, glistened.
Shi-en, with a tearful expression, couldn’t find any words.
Even as the haunting voice crept into her ears.
“You took…!”
“…Stop.”
However, the one who intervened was an unexpected individual.
A woman with brilliant golden hair approached with a confident stride.
Her crimson eyes looked languid as if soaked in blood. With her white skin and refined jawline, she was the embodiment of a northern beauty, standing at a distance.
“Stop it, Rainelle… Are you out of your mind?”
It was Delphine Yuridina.
