Episode 73
“Olivia, stop it!”
Dianne, recognizing the voice, cried out as if she had just found her savior.
“Elonia, over here!”
But Elonia ignored Dianne and ran straight towards Olivia.
“Elonia?”
Dianne was confused.
She was clearly the victim, and Olivia was the perpetrator.
But Elonia only called out Olivia’s name, as if Dianne wasn’t even there.
“Olivia! How dare you hit someone!”
“Hey, Princess, can’t you see my face? Compared to hers, mine is a mess!”
“L-liar, Elonia! She grabbed my hair first!”
Dianne frantically defended herself.
Elonia’s eyes were filled with confusion.
Dianne’s hair and clothes were indeed a mess.
There seemed to be a bald spot on her head, but other than that, she didn’t seem to have any visible injuries. Olivia, on the other hand, had several scratches on her face.
Elonia looked back and forth between them, unsure who to believe.
Olivia sneered,
“What, can’t you tell who the victim is? Are you going to side with this girl just because she’s a fellow Ravanta citizen, without even knowing what she’s thinking?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re really clueless, aren’t you? Your friend is the one who spread that rumor. That ridiculous rumor about you and me fighting over Lucius.”
“…!”
Elonia froze, her heart sinking.
‘Dianne? No way.’
That was impossible.
Dianne had been her support during a difficult time.
She was the one who had given her the good luck charm.
She was the one who had approached her first, the one who had become her first friend.
Elonia turned to Dianne, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Dianne’s expression was that of a child caught red-handed.
Elonia’s mind went blank.
She clutched the good luck charm around her neck, her voice trembling as she confronted Dianne.
“…Dianne, is it true?”
“Elonia, it’s all lies! You’re not going to believe a Heilan citizen, are you?!”
“What, are you saying Heilan citizens are all liars?”
“Shut up! Elonia, I’m your friend. You trust your friends, right?”
“Ha, friends who spread rumors behind your back? Princess of Ravanta, let me give you some friendly advice. Stop being so naive. Do you really think she considers you a friend?”
“Shut up!”
Dianne shouted, her face contorted in an ugly expression Elonia had never seen before.
Elonia’s mind cleared.
‘Dianne… is the culprit.’
She was surprised.
But only for a moment.
Hearing it from Olivia’s mouth, it suddenly made sense.
She had trusted Dianne, considered her a friend.
‘But… was I suspicious of her all along?’
The Asta brothers’ warnings echoed in her mind.
“El, don’t hang out with her. She’s creepy.”
“Don’t you know about physiognomy? She has the face of a scammer.”
“Your Highness, the academy is a miniature society. It’s too early to let your guard down after just a month.”
She might have called Dianne her friend, but she had started to distrust her the moment her brothers had warned her, hadn’t she?
It was a self-preservation instinct.
Elonia, unable to speak, was overwhelmed by her own betrayal.
Olivia, misinterpreting her silence, leaned closer, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Think about it, Princess. Your so-called friend was just adding fuel to the fire, not defending you. The princess of Ravanta has terrible luck with people, doesn’t she?”
“No, it’s not true! Elonia, please believe me! It’s all lies!”
“Are you going to let her get away with this?”
“…”
Elonia remained silent.
The unease she had been feeling finally made sense.
Why hadn’t Dianne introduced her to any of her friends, despite having so many?
She had refused to introduce her to her Theology Department friends, claiming Elonia wouldn’t get along with them, but she hadn’t introduced her to any of her Magic Department friends either.
And why was the rumor vaguely based on truth?
Elonia thought about Dianne’s behavior.
‘She always seemed to be waiting for me wherever I went.’
As if she had been following her.
It explained how Dianne had known her schedule even though she hadn’t told her.
If Dianne had been following her, trying to get her into trouble, then she would have witnessed everything, including the incident with Olivia and Lucius. It explained why the rumor, despite its distorted nature, was still rooted in reality.
Elonia chuckled dryly.
‘Dianne… was planning this all along.’
Elonia had been the only one who considered them friends. Dianne had been planning to betray her from the start.
Dianne, forcing a smile, clutched Elonia’s robe.
“Elonia, please, you believe me, right? We’re friends.”
Elonia didn’t respond.
A group of students and professors, alerted by the commotion, started approaching them.
“Everyone, stop!”
Among them was Alberich, the student council president, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.
“Explain yourselves.”
Olivia, the perpetrator, Dianne, the victim, and Elonia, who seemed to have been trying to mediate, were summoned to Headmaster Endymion’s office.
Normally, it wouldn’t require the headmaster’s presence, but one of them was the Ravanta princess, and another was the Heilan princess.
“According to the witnesses, Olivia Heilan assaulted Dianne Rossi. Is that true?”
The headmaster asked Olivia, hoping it was just a misunderstanding.
But the answer came from Dianne.
“Yes, Headmaster! Olivia Heilan assaulted me!”
“Olivia, do you admit to this?”
Olivia remained silent.
Unlike before, she was calm and composed, but she was actually terrified.
‘You really messed up, Olivia.’
She had wanted to avoid causing trouble and let Lucius handle the situation, but she had lost control when they insulted Chelon.
Her tendency to resort to violence when angered was a trait she had inherited from Dolce, a trait she despised.
And yet, she had become just like him.
‘I guess I’m Dolce’s sister after all.’
Self-loathing welled up inside her, but Headmaster Endymion’s questions continued.
“Olivia Heilan, I’ll ask you again. Do you have anything to say?”
“…”
“Your silence is making this difficult.”
Endymion, his head throbbing, massaged his temples.
He turned to Elonia.
“Elonia, you were present. Please explain what happened.”
“…”
Elonia also remained silent.
Endymion felt like crying.
He had to resolve this situation, especially considering the high-profile individuals involved, but they refused to cooperate.
After a long silence, Olivia finally spoke.
“…It’s true that I assaulted Dianne Rossi.”
“…!”
“See, Headmaster!”
“But I also have something to say. There’s a scandalous rumor circulating among the freshmen.”
“…!”
Dianne gasped.
‘Did you think I wouldn’t say anything?’
There was no one here to defend her.
Olivia had nothing to lose.
She had already caused trouble, so even if she was sent back to Heilan with her head on a platter, she would drag that bitch down with her.
She wasn’t going to die alone.
‘I’m probably going to be executed anyway. I might as well take her down with me. Let’s both go to hell for insulting royalty.’
Olivia glared at Dianne, her voice dripping with venom,
“The rumor is about Her Highness and me fighting over a hostage. Do you have any idea who started this blasphemous rumor, Headmaster?”
“Could it be—”
“Headmaster, no! I’m Elonia’s friend! Why would I do such a thing?!”
“Weren’t you approaching Her Highness with ulterior motives from the start, Dianne Rossi?”
“Shut up!”
“Silence!”
The headmaster shouted, preventing another fight.
The office fell silent.
He turned to Olivia.
“Olivia, do you have any witnesses?”
“Yes, there was a group of students badmouthing Her Highness with Dianne Rossi before I intervened. But… I don’t know who they are. I only know that they’re Theology Department students.”
“Theology Department? But Dianne Rossi is from the Magic Department.”
It was a slightly discriminatory remark for an educator.
But it made sense. The Magic Department and Theology Department students didn’t mix.
It was strange for them to be friends, considering their campuses were located far apart.
“I don’t know why Dianne Rossi is friends with Theology Department students. Ask her yourself.”
“Headmaster, that’s a lie!”
Dianne’s face turned pale.
Headmaster Endymion stroked his beard, his expression grim.
He was at a loss.
‘If I side with the hostage, it will damage Ravanta’s reputation. But if I side with the Ravanta student, it will implicate the princess.’
Even within the academy, insulting royalty was a serious crime.
And Elonia was Artius’s only daughter.
He glanced at Elonia, who had been silent, her face pale with shock.
“I’ll report this to His Majesty—”
“No, Headmaster, please!”
Dianne’s desperate plea made the headmaster bite his tongue in surprise.
He wondered why he had to endure so much this year, when Elonia finally spoke.
“Headmaster, I have something to say.”
“Elonia? What is it?”
The headmaster’s face brightened.
Dianne looked at Elonia, her eyes pleading.
Please.
Don’t say anything.
Dianne’s silent plea was so desperate that it reminded Elonia of their first meeting.
She almost felt sorry for her.
She didn’t want to be so cruel to a child, but Dianne’s continued lies angered her.
“Princess Olivia is right. Dianne Rossi insulted me.”
“Elonia!”
Dianne cried out.
But she couldn’t say anything more, meeting Elonia’s gaze.
‘W-what’s with those eyes…?’
They weren’t the eyes of a nine-year-old.
She had underestimated Elonia.
She was intelligent, and she was the princess.
But that was all.
She had thought Elonia was naive and easily manipulated, a friendless child who would be an easy target in the social circles.
That was why she had approached her.
She had wanted to establish dominance in their friendship.
“Dianne Rossi stalked me and spread a false rumor.”
But Elonia’s lavender eyes were cold and sharp, like shards of ice.
Dianne was intimidated.
“I want Dianne Rossi punished for insulting royalty. And I expect the academy to take appropriate action.”
Elonia’s intentions were clear.
She wanted Dianne Rossi severely punished.