Episode 57
It was Olivia.
Elonia’s one and only younger sister, Olivia, whom she had been forced to leave behind in Heilan.
And beside her was a boy with the same curly blond hair and green eyes.
‘Even Simon…!’
Why were they here?
She knew Simon would be enrolling, but she had been so preoccupied with her own entrance exam that she had forgotten about it.
She had always been prepared for the possibility of encountering Simon.
But Olivia was unexpected.
The moment their eyes met, Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, she frowned and quickly turned away.
‘Wait, Olivia, Simon!’
Elonia wanted to chase after them.
She had thought she had finally escaped Heilan’s shadow.
But she had been naive.
The unexpected encounter with her siblings brought a wave of guilt crashing down upon her.
Just as Olivia and Simon, who were standing at the back of the line, disappeared from view,
“Alright, Magic Department students, follow me… Ah, Elonia!”
Elonia jumped up and ran towards the exit.
The dormitory supervisor, who was leading the new students, called out to her, but Elonia couldn’t hear anything.
‘Olivia, Simon!’
Her mind was filled with thoughts of her siblings.
No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was Elonia, she wasn’t Chelon anymore.
To them, she was just the Ravanta princess, the enemy who had brought misery upon their nation.
But she ran anyway, her mind blank, not even thinking about what she would say to them.
‘They haven’t gone far!’
She ran, her heart pounding in her chest.
Finally, she spotted them – two figures with curly blond hair.
She ran towards them, reaching out.
“Olivia, Simon, wait… Ouch!”
Someone blocked her path.
She stumbled, almost falling backward from the momentum, but the person who had stopped her caught her, preventing her from falling.
But in that brief moment, Olivia and Simon had moved further away.
“Damn it, who are you?!”
Elonia tried to push past the person, her arm outstretched towards Olivia and Simon.
But the person didn’t budge, didn’t even flinch.
It wasn’t even a struggle. It was a one-sided obstruction, and by the time Elonia realized it, Olivia and Simon had completely disappeared from view.
“Ah…!”
“Forgive my rudeness.”
The person finally spoke, his voice soft but cold.
It was all his fault that she had lost sight of her siblings.
Elonia looked up, wanting to see who had dared to block her path.
And she froze.
“You’re…”
Moonlight silver hair, blood-red eyes and lips.
And the red-embroidered uniform of the Theology Department.
He was undeniably handsome, a boy with the potential to become a captivating beauty, but that wasn’t the reason for Elonia’s shock.
‘I’ve never seen him before…’
And yet, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
She had definitely seen him somewhere before.
But she couldn’t recall where.
The memory was hazy, just out of reach.
The boy took a step back, maintaining a respectful distance, then gracefully made the sign of the Calamity God and greeted her.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Lucius Allen of Heilan, a fourth-year student in the Theology Department of Lucid Academy.”
“…!”
It was the boy Llewellyn often complained about.
And that silver hair, that red-embroidered cape…
He was the one who had been hiding behind the tree during her second visit to the academy.
But that wasn’t the source of the familiarity she felt.
While Elonia was speechless, Lucius asked,
“May I ask what business you have with our princess and prince?”
Elonia’s head snapped up.
And her mind went blank.
‘Hatred.’
Lucius was smiling.
But his red eyes were filled with hostility and hatred.
And then she noticed the red embroidery on his cape.
And her own robe, embroidered with gold.
‘…You fool, Elonia.’
It didn’t take her long to realize her mistake.
She had tried to stop the Heilan royals, as the Ravanta princess.
She, Elonia, the one who had dragged Heilan, her siblings, into a living hell.
Lucius, following her gaze, smiled coldly, offering a warning.
“If you understand the situation, I suggest you stay away from our hostages. I trust you, being the intelligent princess you are, understand what I mean.”
He left, his words laced with arrogance.
Elonia couldn’t move.
She had been a fool to think that everything would be fine once she entered the academy.
It had been so long since she had felt such blatant hostility.
“You are my precious daughter, irreplaceable. Never forget that.”
Artius’s words, spoken before she left the palace, echoed in her mind.
Elonia suddenly felt a wave of despair.
While she had been safely ensconced in the Ravanta Imperial Palace, within the comforting embrace of her new family, her mind had become clouded with naive optimism.
But this was the academy, a microcosm of society.
She would inevitably face the consequences of her past actions, the past she had irresponsibly left behind.
Artius’s words, which had felt so reassuring and comforting just moments ago, now pierced her heart like a shard of ice.
***
“Where have you been, Lucius?”
Olivia, after visiting the Academic Department dormitory with Simon, saw Lucius approaching and chided him.
Lucius, unlike his usual defiant attitude towards Elonia, bowed obediently.
“I apologize for leaving without permission.”
“Young Master Allen, you don’t have to bow—”
“So, what were you doing?”
“S-Sister.”
Simon tried to stop her, sensing trouble, but Olivia ignored him.
Lucius, not expecting anything from Simon, avoided Olivia’s gaze.
“It was nothing important. You don’t have to worry about it.”
Olivia’s cat-like eyes narrowed.
“You’re not up to something, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Lucius smiled, his expression innocent.
He had stopped Elonia not only to prevent her from encountering Olivia and Simon but also to repay the kindness she had shown him that day, to clear his conscience.
He had been curious about why she had pretended not to see him, but now, looking at her, he understood.
She was simply a naive fool.
Simon, unsure how to defuse the tension, fidgeted, then sighed, giving up.
Lucius, his face calm and composed, spoke,
“Our schedule for today is over. As you heard at the entrance ceremony, the real activities begin tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you going to give us a tour of the academy?”
“Prince Simon might need a tour, but I’m sure Princess Olivia can handle it on her own.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve never even taken a step outside without my guards.”
“The academy is safe. I guarantee it.”
Lucius, coldly dismissing Olivia, turned to leave.
Olivia, not interested in arguing, raised an eyebrow and let him go.
Lucius suddenly stopped.
“What? Are you getting cold feet?”
Olivia, her expression amused, chuckled.
Lucius turned to her, his face serious.
“…Never, under any circumstances, approach Princess Elonia. Remember that.”
“Why are you only warning me?”
Olivia crossed her arms, her face clouded with displeasure.
If that naive princess and Olivia crossed paths, it would only lead to trouble.
Lucius, his expression weary, finally left.
***
Elonia, following the dormitory supervisor who had come to find her, finally arrived at the Magic Department dormitory.
She stood there for a moment, lost in thought, then decided to unpack her luggage.
“…Oh, right. It’s already done.”
Her maids had unpacked everything while delivering her luggage before her enrollment.
It was something she should have done herself, but being royalty had its perks.
Elonia surveyed the room.
“This is nice. Quiet and peaceful.”
The dormitory rooms were all single occupancy.
Each room had a drawing-room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
It wasn’t as luxurious as the Imperial Princess’s Palace, but as the imperial academy, the facilities were spacious and comfortable.
Elonia plopped down on the sofa in the drawing-room.
“Olivia and Simon… They’ve grown so much.”
The last time she saw them, they were barely tall enough to reach her waist. Nine years had passed.
Now, she was the smaller and younger one.
It meant that she was truly a stranger to them now.
‘I was prepared to lose them. But why…’
She had instinctively run after them.
She couldn’t afford to be so impulsive.
No matter how much she considered herself both Elonia and Chelon, the world wouldn’t accept it.
And she couldn’t reveal the truth about her reincarnation.
Knock.
‘I can’t face them.’
Knock, knock.
‘They must hate me now, Chelon. They became hostages because of me. If I have any shame, I should stay away from them…’
Knock!
“Who is it?!”
Elonia shouted, annoyed.
She was in the middle of a serious contemplation, and someone was interrupting her.
The intruder, oblivious to her anger, replied calmly,
“It’s me, Junior Elonia.”
“Who are you? Get lost!”
Elonia shouted again.
But the intruder’s voice remained calm and playful.
“That hurts. You don’t even recognize your senior.”
He wasn’t going to leave.
Elonia flung open the door, shouting,
“Senior, my foot— Llewellyn?”
It was Llewellyn.
She hadn’t recognized him because his voice and tone were so formal.
And he was even wearing his long coat properly, a stark contrast to his usual disheveled appearance.
Llewellyn, his playful smile fading, put on a stern expression and scolded her,
“You should address me as ‘Senior.'”
“Are you crazy?”
What had gotten into him?
Elonia, baffled by his sudden change in behavior, forgot about her previous worries.
Seeing her continued coldness, Llewellyn finally reverted to his usual bubbly self.
“Come on, it’s the academy rules! We have to use honorifics with our seniors and juniors, regardless of rank!”
“And have you ever used honorifics with your own senior?”
“…”
Llewellyn’s silence was an answer in itself.
A large, gloved hand suddenly appeared, pushing Llewellyn’s pink head away.
Llewellyn whined,
“Ow, damn it!”
“Damn it? Did you just curse at your senior?”
“Ugh, this is so annoying, Brother! What’s with the sudden senior act? You never use honorifics with me!”
“You? Did you just call your brother ‘You’?”
Llewellyn wasn’t the only one who had come to visit Elonia.
Alberich, his white Swordsmanship Department cape draped elegantly over his shoulders, was also there.
Llewellyn, unable to retaliate against Alberich’s flick on the forehead, stomped his foot in frustration.
Elonia addressed Alberich first.
“Alberich.”
“Congratulations on your enrollment, Junior Elonia.”
Alberich, his stern expression melting away, smiled warmly at her.
But Elonia wasn’t in the mood for his kindness.
She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms, and glared at him.
“Senior Alberich, care to explain what happened at the entrance ceremony?”