Chapter 152: The Beginning of the End
“Lady Byron, are you a Red Snake too? We’re in the same class!”
Azette, the angelic girl, her words dripping with kindness. Giona Vercia was always by her side, and today was no different.
“Let’s be friends!”
Azette beamed, her suspicions nonexistent. She was in a good mood, because she was now classmates with her crush.
“We’re in the same class this year. Let’s work together, Byron.”
Acrea repeated the same words to everyone, his smile so emotionless that it gave Sue goosebumps. He was back to his pre-vacation self, as if his behavior at the townhouse had been a lie.
Sue, ironically, felt reassured by his unchanging nature.
Enzhe was assigned to the Green Giant class, the same class as Halo, just like in the novel. But Halo wasn’t Enzhe’s target now, so it wasn’t a big deal.
More importantly, Enzhe and Fritz had already reached a breaking point, so nothing that happened now would affect her as much.
But it was surprising that Noel had been assigned to the Green Giant class as well. Had the teachers not considered his past with Enzhe, or had they decided it was no longer a problem?
The usual Enzhe would have treated Noel like a bug. But she didn’t have the mental capacity to care about him now.
Fritz and Enzhe’s broken engagement hadn’t been announced to the public yet. Sue had a feeling that something would happen once it was announced.
Sue, resigned to the impending storm, braced herself. She couldn’t stop it, so all she could do was pray that Enzhe wouldn’t go completely mad.
Fortunately, the frequency of her seizures had decreased as the start of the semester approached. And more importantly, Jean’s medicine was working, albeit slightly, and the lingering pain was almost gone.
Vercia was chosen as the class representative for the Red Snake class. Surprisingly, Vercia, after a year, was now at the center of the class.
She had always been a bit vain, but she had changed since becoming a Skia.
‘Or rather, not just since becoming a Skia…’
Sue forced herself to stop thinking.
Thinking back, Vercia had even been at the scene of the Damon Keron incident.
She had heard later that the Vercia family was in charge of leading the Knights’ search party, but she hadn’t expected Vercia to be there herself.
‘Should she consider this a good thing?’
The heavier Vercia’s presence in the class became, the lighter Sue’s guilt felt.
Acrea was still surrounded by people every day, unlike Fritz, who was an expert at ignoring others.
“Isn’t he handsome?”
“What?”
She had been staring blankly at him, scribbling something at his desk, when Azette, who had approached her, asked with a smile.
“Master Acrea, I mean. He’s so handsome.”
“Master Acrea is always handsome.”
Sue agreed with her halfheartedly, and Azette chuckled.
“You think so too, Lady Byron?”
She might have added, “As expected.”
***
Fritz was still engaged to Enzhe, and if things continued like this, they would officially get married after graduation.
But there was something that bothered Sue. It was about Fritz. He had started acknowledging Halo. He would even “greet” her whenever they ran into each other in the hallway.
Sue was confused. She had accepted that Fritz and Enzhe’s broken engagement was inevitable, but why was his connection with Halo being rekindled?
‘Fate?’
She asked Melaine, who was in the same class as Fritz, about Halo, just in case.
“Halo? …Ah, the special recruit? I don’t know much about her. Master Fritz has been acting strangely lately, so it’s not surprising.”
Melaine had become much more cynical than before. But she was still well-informed about the academy and noble society. She was a sociable person, after all.
Sue, her anxiety growing, finally knocked on Halo’s dormitory door after school. The dormitory buzzed with excitement at the news that Sue of the Byron family was there.
“He’s… requesting a magic duel?”
Sue’s face hardened.
Right, that was the kind of person he was. He only cared about his own amusement. He had grown up like that because he had never faced any real challenges.
“I’m sorry, I’m trying to avoid it, but…”
“I can’t refuse if Master Fritz is asking. It’s not your fault.”
Sue said, stating the obvious. She was in a weak position, so she couldn’t easily refuse a man at the top of the food chain. She knew that.
‘The engagement is already broken. Could it get any worse? Maybe it would be better if Enzhe’s anger was directed at Halo…’
Sue, realizing what she was thinking, was startled and looked up. Halo stared back at her, bewildered.
‘What was she thinking?’
She felt a pang of self-loathing. But it was also true that she had been sacrificing other students to protect herself. Then why did she think she couldn’t do the same to Halo?
Was this the ultimate hypocrisy?
Sue clenched her fists and smiled.
“I’ll be going now.”
She couldn’t raise her head as she left the dormitory.
Fritz and Enzhe’s story, her story and the curse, Halo’s story. They were all separate, and Sue couldn’t handle them all on her own.
***
Noel was busy practicing for the inspection ceremony at the Knights headquarters. He had been spending less and less time at the academy since entering his eighth year. And he had to focus on training every day, as he would be taking the official knight exam this summer.
But there was a special guest at the Knights headquarters today.
“Wow, is that Grand Duke Lopetrefer?”
“Shh, keep your voice down, he’ll hear you.”
The Lopetrefer family, Yuna’s allies, were seated in the VIP seats beyond the training grounds.
Grand Duke Sain Lopetrefer.
Duchess Rapianne Lopetrefer.
Lady Enzhe Lopetrefer.
Lady Michaela Lopetrefer.
Even from afar, the aura of power and allure they exuded drew the attention of the knights.
Yuna was sitting next to the Grand Duke, explaining the future direction of the Knights.
The most eye-catching one among them was, of course, Enzhe.
“As expected of the most beautiful woman in the capital.”
“And her magic talent surpasses her father’s by far? And her future husband is Young Master Fritz. She’s a perfect woman.”
Everyone was admiring her, but Noel couldn’t.
‘There’s no point in killing Cedric if it’s going to end up like this.’
Her desolate voice, from that day at the Imperial Ball, would automatically replay in his mind whenever he heard her name or saw her face.
Just one sentence, baseless, most likely misheard.
And then, he heard a gruff voice from a senior knight next to him,
“Come to think of it, there was that rumor.”
“Rumor?”
“It was a long time ago, but… The rumor that Lady Enzhe was supposed to be the late Prince Cedric’s fiancée.”
‘…!’
Noel froze.
“Haha, believe it or not, it was just a rumor. It never actually happened, and besides, His Highness Cedric…”
The gruff voice was filled with sorrow.
Yes, Crown Prince Cedric was dead.
Noel slowly raised his gaze. Enzhe was sitting in the VIP seats, motionless, like a doll, as if she was just waiting for time to pass.
She wasn’t smiling at all. She looked like she was the only one who wasn’t enjoying herself, while her family was all smiles.
“….”
Noel looked away.
The rumor about Cedric and Enzhe.
Was it really just a “rumor”?
***
Grand Duke Antique Fritz’s office was filled with commotion, as usual.
“Father, I won’t change my mind.”
“I told you to stop talking nonsense.”
Grand Duke Antique, known for his benevolent nature, was red with anger, like a raging bull. The cause was his own son.
“Nonsense or not, I’m not marrying Enzhe.”
“Get out.”
“Yes, I will. But I have something to tell you before I go.”
“I said get out.”
“I’m planning to announce the broken engagement soon.”
“Shina Fritz!”
His hand slammed down on the wooden table, as if to break it. The deafening crash echoed beyond the office.
Shina looked at his enraged father, his face calm.
“I tried my best. But it’s not going to work. I can’t be Enzhe’s husband.”
***
Shina Fritz had a memory he wanted to forget. A memory of a girl. He always tried to push it to the back of his mind.
But that meant it was a memory he couldn’t erase, no matter how hard he tried.
Trauma.
Blood, wounds, and the sickening stench of rotting flesh.
“Young Master, Lady Enzhe is here to see you.”