Episode 72
She was certain she was right.
Even though she was young, Olivia had been the First Lady of Heilan.
She knew how these little social circles operated.
‘But why?’
That girl was a Ravanta citizen and Elonia’s only friend.
‘…Although their relationship seemed strange.’
The girl had a good reputation within the Magic Department.
The funny thing was, she seemed to be friends with everyone except for the princess, almost as if she was deliberately isolating her.
‘Could it be obsession?’
When Olivia had first confronted Elonia, that girl had intervened as if she had been waiting for the opportunity, as if she had been watching them from afar.
But it was all circumstantial. There was no concrete evidence.
Olivia suddenly felt a surge of anger, wondering why she was even bothering to uncover the truth. She grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room.
“Why should I care about the Ravanta princess?”
There was nothing likable about her.
She was much younger and smaller than Olivia, having to look up to even meet her eyes.
She was the daughter of the one who had killed her sister.
And yet, she had the same face as her beloved family, the family she could no longer see.
“…Sister Chelon.”
Olivia curled up on the bed, hugging the remaining pillow.
The image of Elonia’s face, the way she had looked at her, brought back a bittersweet memory.
“Did I make a mistake coming to Ravanta?”
No, that wasn’t it.
She would never dedicate her life to Heilan, not after what they had done to Chelon.
She didn’t want to repeat Chelon’s tragedy.
‘…Maybe I should go to the cafe.’
She craved something sweet.
The Ravanta students might avoid her because of the rumors, but she didn’t care.
Their opinions were irrelevant.
Her own happiness was more important.
A sweet treat would cheer her up.
Olivia put on her uniform and left her room.
The Heilan hostages weren’t allowed to remove their red-embroidered uniforms within the academy, no matter the reason.
It was a ridiculous rule, but enduring hateful stares while wearing this uniform was still better than wasting away in Heilan.
Olivia, ignoring the gazes directed at her, walked confidently down the main path towards the cafe.
‘This will all be over soon.’
Lucius, despite his cold exterior, had a soft spot for her.
‘He’ll clear my name and take the blame, even if he doesn’t say so. Felix can’t afford to lose him.’
But she was expendable.
The moment she showed any weakness, she would be discarded.
Lucius knew that too.
He was indebted to Chelon, and he would be swayed by the fact that Olivia was Chelon’s sister, the sister Chelon had loved.
‘Well, it’s convenient for me that he’s doing this on his own.’
He was a useful servant, despite his constant nagging.
Just as she was thinking that, something caught her eye.
‘Isn’t that…’
She saw a girl with curly brown hair standing behind a building.
It was Dianne Rossi, the Ravanta noble who was always glued to Elonia’s side.
She was hiding in the shadows, talking to a group of students, her expression serious, then suddenly bursting into laughter.
‘Why isn’t she following the princess around?’
Olivia wondered briefly, then frowned.
‘Why do I even care? It’s none of my business.’
She shook her head and continued walking.
But her sharp hearing betrayed her.
“I’m telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. Allen slipped a note under Elonia’s door.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. And Elonia read the note and immediately went to the back of the dormitory. I followed her, and guess what? She met Allen there!”
“Oh my god… So it’s true that people who look innocent are the most dangerous.”
Olivia’s ears, always attuned to gossip, picked up every word, even though they were whispering.
Her head snapped towards them.
What had that girl just said?
Olivia cautiously approached them, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“So, did Allen choose the princess?”
“What are you talking about? It’s obviously Elonia who chose him.”
“Poor Princess Olivia.”
“A love affair between a hostage and the princess… Is that even allowed?”
“It’s not a love affair. Elonia is still young. She probably just felt sorry for him, or maybe she was just curious. She grew up sheltered in the palace, she doesn’t know any better.”
Dianne subtly defended Elonia while simultaneously belittling her.
Olivia clenched her fists.
The truth behind the rumor, the rumor she had dismissed as baseless, was right in front of her.
But it wasn’t her place to interfere.
‘…Lucius will handle it. If I get involved, I’ll be dragged into this mess.’
She couldn’t afford that.
She had finally escaped Heilan.
The Emperor might have softened towards the princess, but that didn’t apply to her.
If his precious daughter was involved in a scandal, he wouldn’t hesitate to punish anyone connected to it.
‘It’s best to let Lucius take the blame.’
Even if Lucius was expelled from the academy, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
He had a more important mission than cleaning up after her and Simon. Felix would protect him.
Even the naive princess seemed to favor him, so he wouldn’t be executed.
But what about her?
She had made her dislike for Elonia clear. Elonia wouldn’t protect her, and Felix would discard her as a useless pawn.
‘Just ignore them.’
If she kept quiet and walked away, everything would be resolved smoothly.
Olivia tried to ignore them, but their next words stopped her in her tracks.
“Honestly, Princess Olivia is so obviously spoiled.”
“That’s true.”
“I was surprised that she seemed so well-behaved, but I guess it was all an act.”
“Well, blood is thicker than water. She’s the War Demon’s sister, after all. What did you expect?”
“Ahahaha! Right. Even half-sisters are still sisters. They’re both crazy.”
“But Princess Olivia is still better than the War Demon, right? Chelon was… ugh.”
“Ahahaha, that’s true.”
“She probably bathed in blood instead of perfume. There’s no way she was normal.”
They burst into laughter, as if rehearsed.
Olivia snapped.
Her vision turned red with rage.
She lunged at them, grabbing Dianne’s hair.
“Did you just finish talking?!”
Meanwhile, Elonia went to Dianne’s room.
She knocked repeatedly, but there was no answer.
‘Did she go somewhere?’
Elonia sat down in the hallway, waiting.
If anyone saw her, they would be horrified by her lack of decorum, but Elonia didn’t care.
She propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
‘She said she was going to tell everyone the truth over the weekend.’
It was something Elonia should have done herself, but Dianne had taken it upon herself to clear up the misunderstanding.
‘And I’m just hiding in my room, hoping someone else will solve my problems.’
She suddenly felt pathetic.
‘I’ve gotten weak after a few years of comfort.’
In the past, she had always handled her problems on her own. Nothing could shake her.
She couldn’t afford to be shaken.
But after nine years of peaceful living in Ravanta,
Her mind and body had become soft.
Peace had weakened her.
Elonia clenched her fists, her resolve hardening.
‘I’ll find Dianne and help her clear up the rumor.’
She wasn’t sure if people would believe her.
But she was the princess.
The sole heir to the throne, the future Empress.
If they didn’t believe her, she would use her authority, just like Artius had said.
It was only natural to wield power when words failed.
Even as Chelon, she had often resorted to force to deal with those who wouldn’t listen.
‘And if possible, I’ll find the real culprit and crush them.’
She was angry that they had caused her trouble, but she was even angrier that they had used her sister, Olivia.
And they had dragged the innocent Lucius into this mess as well.
Elonia strode out of the dormitory.
Finding Dianne was her first priority.
“Did you just finish talking?!”
“Kyaa!”
Olivia, without hesitation, grabbed Dianne’s hair.
Dianne struggled, trying to break free, but Olivia was much taller and stronger.
Everyone around them gasped, startled by Olivia’s sudden appearance and violent action.
“Gasp, Princess Olivia…!”
“What?! Ow!”
Dianne, realizing who was holding her hair, was shocked.
She hadn’t expected to run into Olivia here.
The pain in her scalp was excruciating, and she cried out.
“How dare you insult my sister! You, of all people!”
“Ow! Someone help me!”
“No one’s going to help you!”
Olivia looked like she had gone mad.
The other students, unsure what to do, tried to pull her away, but she wouldn’t budge, continuing to yank on Dianne’s hair.
“What do you even know about my sister! You, you dare to—!”
“Let go of me!”
“No!”
Dianne, trying to break free, scratched Olivia’s face with her nails.
Blood welled up on Olivia’s cheek.
But a small scratch wouldn’t stop her.
Olivia, thinking that Dianne’s curly pigtails made it easy to grab her hair, pushed her against the wall.
The other students, unsure whether to call for a professor or simply escape, started running away.
“Apologize! Apologize right now!”
“You crazy bitch…! Let go of me and talk! Just like the War Demon’s sister!”
“How dare you speak her name with that filthy mouth!”
“Ow!”
Dianne screamed again.
The pain was so intense that it felt like her hair was being ripped out. Tears streamed down her face.
But with all this commotion, a supervisor or a professor would surely arrive soon.
And they would side with her, a Ravanta citizen, over the Heilan princess.
All she had to do was endure the pain and act like the victim.
“How dare you insult her with that vulgar mouth! My sister didn’t go to war to be insulted by the likes of you!”
“Shut up, you’re just a princess of a defeated nation!”
“Yes! So what?! Does that give you the right to insult me?! To make up lies and spread rumors?!”
“I don’t care!”
Olivia, her reason clouded by rage, pushed Dianne against the wall.
“Ugh…!”
Dianne finally broke free, but she fell to the ground, her back hitting the wall.
Olivia, not content with just pulling her hair, grabbed her by the collar.
Just as she was about to raise her hand,
“Olivia!”
A frantic voice stopped her.
Olivia turned to see Elonia, out of breath, her expression filled with shock and disbelief.