Chapter 18

On the evening of the day before the beginning of the new semester, Helen’s collection of spring dresses arrived which she had spent weeks pouring her blood, sweat, and tears on.

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The moment the sun rose in the east, Deborah’s attendants picked up the right clothes for her and styled them with matching accessories.
As soon as I looked in the mirror, I touched my forehead.

When Helen said that it can be worn at parties and formal occasions since it is so luxurious yet simple, I was wondering if it sounded like a warm iced Americano, but I can tell it now as soon as I tried it on.

It was sexy, innocent, elegant, and cocky.

I was speechless at the sight of my beauty being reflected in the mirror.

I’m blessed to live a life where I could see the face of such graceful features every morning in the mirror.

When I unconsciously hit the wall with my fist out of the amazement towards my beauty, the hanging masterpiece on the wall shakes as if it were in the middle on an earthquake.

‘This body is really strong.’

Even without any magical talent, I had excellent stamina and incredible power.

I have yet to experience any chronic fatigue and headache like I always had in my previous life.

Well, the influence of uncontrolled corruption, where liberties and profligacy reign, was also superfluous.

Alright, I will live a long and healthy life this time.

Waving my fists back and forth, I walked out the door and passed by the trembling servants.

In front of the Seymour’s mansion were two four-wheeled carriages carrying the two-headed snake emblem.

‘One is the carriage that I’ll be riding on, but the other… is for whom?’

Oh.
That child will be riding the other carriage.

I let out an internal squeal as soon as I saw a little boy approaching the carriage from far away.

During the two months that I have spent here, I never had the opportunity to cross paths with the youngest of the family, Enrique Seymour.

Since we lived in separate rooms, we never had the chance to bump into each other.
Like in any other third-rate romance novels, there is not a single corner in the house for the family to have a little get-together without a good reason, even during a meal.

‘He looks like a small kitten.’

Deborah’s younger brother, Enrique, with his finely combed silvery hair was reminiscent of a gray kitten.

I know that he is well over the age of ten, but a childlike aura exuded from the matured youth.

Perhaps this is due to those dimly sunken eyes of his.

I looked at the child’s face, as if bewitched, and our eyes met.

Enrique, who frowned and furrowed his eyebrows as if he had seen something forbidden, turned around without saying a simple ‘hello’ and went into his carriage.

‘Ha.
This kid doesn’t like Deborah either.’

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Deborah was amazing for being hated everywhere.

Well, Deborah doesn’t like Enrique, that looked like an old young man, either.

I even had a feeling of inferiority at the sight of such a cute child.

But there is a reason for that, obviously.
Deborah had no sensitivity towards mana at all, while Enrique showed outstanding accomplishments that matched the skills of a third-class magician at such a young age.

The Academy Research Institute, a branch of the Magic Tower, runs a program for gifted children and Enrique is the most outstanding out of all selected geniuses.

‘If the whole family is extremely talented at mana but not me, of course I’d feel unfortunate.’

A great family of a noble background, unlimited wealth, breath-taking beauty, great figure, and strength; I am incredibly grateful for what I have now, unlike Deborah who was very obsessed with things that she could not have.

Particularly from the aspect of using mana, where the expression her inferiority complex was beyond imagination.

Deborah was the only one with the Seymour blood who did not know how to deal with mana, even among her close or distant blood relatives.
Deborah felt even more angry when the Duke of Seymour treated her like she was pathetic.

‘So, she’s relieving her stress through violence and cruelty?’

Deborah had nothing to defend herself with except with her wicked nature, but I couldn’t help feeling a little depressed when the sweet child, Enrique, looked at me with pure disgust.

‘But, I just want to live a villain.’

A little brother…

When I think of the stupid boy in my previous life, the fantasies I had about having a sweet and cute little brother vanishes like the wind.

Trying my best to calm my worrying heart, I got into the carriage and fix my eyes on the rapidly changing view from the window.

The view of the Yones district appeared before my eyes.

Soon after crossing the arched bridge connecting the banks of the river, the view of the Khorun district, where the Imperial City is located, is seen before my eyes.

The Academy, the Order of the Knights, the Magic Tower, the Imperial Palace, and the Theological School were all located in the district of Khorun.

The aristocrats who graduated from the school but failed to acquire any inheritance from their family ruined their prospects of becoming a high-ranking nobility, so the graduates will have a job in the civil service sector with a meager salary under the rule of the Imperial family.

Of course, my goal is to put off my marriage as much as I can, and squeeze the best out of the infrastructure of the Duke of Seymour.
Then, I’ll use the accumulated slush fund and spend money like a rich child without lifting a finger… No, I’ll live like the head of the family.

“…By the way, I must be completely out of my mind.”

Inside the walls that surround the Khorun district, it was crowded with the carriages that were brought by the noble families.

I thought that it would take quite some time for me to arrive to the entrance of the Academy, considering that all of the roads were congested by these carriages.
Surprisingly, the servant guarding the front gate directed the carriage that I was on to a separate passage.

This is a private VVIP road.

The taste of power is always thrilling and refreshing every single time, I could never get used to it.

The majestic carriage entered the grounds of the Pangea Academy and stopped in front of the main building in the center of the academy.

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‘Oh.’

‘There.’

The moment I stepped out of the carriage, a suffocating silence reigned around me.

Thanks to the famous Seymour crest, it was like silently announcing to everyone that the notorious ‘Deborah Seymour’ had arrived.

With every light step I took, the miracle of Moses unfolded right before my eyes where everyone paved a clear way for me.

With a quick eye contact with me, the eyes of the frightened people widened in shock and they’d quickly let their heads hung low.
So, I stepped inside the classroom feeling like I had become the only predator in a world of herbivores.

‘It’s very quiet in here too.’

Entering the lecture hall just to fill in the required days of attendance, I unintentionally broke the harmonious warm atmosphere as it becomes more frigid as if it were hit by cold water.

The murmuring and whispers by the students did not come to an end.

‘Where should I sit?’

I looked around to find a suitable place.

A beautiful desk stood out.
It was enclosed by a wall on the side and was far from the teacher’s table so it was outside of the teacher’s angle of view.
It is a perfect place that could give peace and stability to the heart as the rays of the sun and even the blinding light of knowledge would still reach me.

‘Oh, this place is amazing.’

It was obviously a well-known and prestigious desk, so naturally the seat was already occupied by someone else.

“Hey, J-Jake.
I think I’ll go sit in the front.
It’s a little hot and stuffy here.”

“O-Oh? Me too, I’ll come with you.”

Maybe I was staring too hard at the students that previously chosen to seat in such a good place, that they got frightened and quietly moved to another vacant place in front of the class in the blink of an eye.

‘What kind of wicked woman gets a free pass to everything?’

Having a ridiculous mood as I anticipates the uncertainty of future events, I slumped down in the magnificent place where the students had yielded.

It was an absurd turn of events, but there was no other reason to refuse the opportunity to sit at a wonderful desk.

As expected, the seat was pleasant and convenient.
The sun was moderately illuminating the desk, and the magnificent view from the window is right before my eyes.

Resting my chin to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the academy, I turned my head in response to the hums of my surroundings as if another heated discussion had arose.

And for a split second, my lungs stopped breathing.

Philaf Montes and Mia Binoche.

As soon as they appeared in sight, my heart suddenly started to beat rapidly.

Of course, it was even hard for me to breathe in and out comfortably.

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‘What’s wrong with me?’

Perhaps, it was a body reaction that has been imprinted on Deborah’s body like a muscle memory of some sorts.
Obviously, this reaction had nothing to do with my own free will and was entirely the real Deborah’s reaction.

Seeing Philaf, I was irritated and had goosebumps run down my spine.
This creeping sensation was similar to the unpleasant feeling I had when facing Belreck.

Frowning as I felt something strange with this situation of mine, I furrowed my brows and my eyes coincidentally met with Philaf’s.

As he pierced me with his cold and dark brown eyes, a shard of Deborah’s buried memory slowly rises to the surface.

Thanksgiving Day, 6 years ago.

Deborah met Philaf for the first time at a banquet with the imperial family.

“Krakk!”

At that time, Deborah accidentally dropped the decorative candlestick that was hanging on the wall.

Burning red flames erupted at the hem of her dress and the rapid spread of the fire surrounded Deborah, but Philaf was able to prevent the accident from bearing tragic consequences by using the spirit of water to extinguish the the spreading the fire.

The sudden appearance of Philaf, who skillfully dealt with the power of the spirits, was so enchanting yet mysterious to Deborah that she quickly fell under his spell.

From that day onward, Deborah Seymour has openly expressed her interest in the successor of the Montes family and there have even been rumors of wedding planned between the two noble families.

However, the false gossip about the engagement between them was dispelled in an instant as Philaf strongly declared that he would never marry Deborah Seymour.

Deborah’s mighty pride was greatly hurt by the words of Philaf Montes who cleared the rumors with just a single wave of his sword.

She vented her anger on her servants and when the incident of Deborah’s wicked actions reached the ears of the capital, Philaf’s vicious cycle of hate disgust towards Deborah has repeated yet again.

Growing up alone in the midst of love and hate, Deborah was unable to give up her love for Philaf even though she was dumped in such a way.

Deborah, who had always easily getting everything she wanted by just a simple flick of her wrist, felt defeated.
Correct reasoning and common sense left the mind of the conflicted girl, and she could not behave like a proper lady in front of Philaf to win the favor of the man she likes.

Shunning and bothering all the ladies that tried to approach Philaf, Deborah could not allow anyone to take possession of something that she failed to get.
Deborah’s whole mindset was revolved around the saying that if she didn’t have it, then you can’t have it.

‘No matter how bad and obscene Deborah behaves, there is no reason for him to hate her like that.’

Near is my shirt but nearer is my skin.
Naturally, I care more about Deborah than Philaf.

All things considered, Deborah has shown Philaf her sincere feelings for such a long time, but he deliberately appeared side by side with Mia Binoche.

He’s a cheap guy that has not a drop of good manners.

Philaf, who was hardening the outlines of his mouth, hid Mia, the heroine, being his back and out of my sight.

God, it’s as if he wants me to become the villain that would play dirty tricks to annoy the female protagonist.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

In the original story, Deborah flared in anger even more once she saw how Mia was in custody of Philaf’s overprotection.
However, it became clear to me that Philaf was the one who added the fuel to the fire to provoke Deborah’s short temper.

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Well, if Philaf had been a shrewd and sensible man who understood Deborah’s complex feelings in a world of a reverse harem novel, then nothing would have remained of the reverse harem in this novel.

However, I would still refrain from spending any money on such a novel.

To me, he is not a winning candidate for the leading male role, despite the fact that Philaf Montes has a distinct presence from the extras around him that makes him stands out more than the secondary men.

His sharp facial features were refined and his glowing hair was as red as a flame, making him even more prominent than others.

“Sir Philaf?”

While I was caught up in a daze with the running thoughts in my head, the heroine Mia stepped aside from behind the big Philaf and showed her face right in my line of sight.
I swallowed my breath.

‘Crazy.
She’s so pretty.’

When it comes to the personification of innocent and sincere beauty, Mia Binoche is exactly that.

‘It’s a fascinating face even from the eyes of a woman.’

Flower pink hair, whipped cream-like skin, blue eyes like jewelry, elegant nose, and lips like cherries…

Seeing the pretty face, I can perfectly understand the reason why the men of this world are attracted to this beauty, including the sadistic twins of the Seymour house.

‘I guess Deborah, who is proud of her good-looking face, would be quite shock to see a rival with such beauty?’

Honestly, the heroine’s beauty had a more popular impression on people than Deborah’s, and could attract the attention of even more people.
I can see why Deborah felt such a strong inferiority complex to Mia Binoche in the original novel.

If you start comparing between the two, there would be no end or edge.

‘But it feels like everyone is watching this scene closely as if this is a clip from a movie and the popcorns are being fried.’

It’s not just a feeling.
After Philaf and Mia walked in, there were more people who couldn’t help but satisfy their curiosity and glanced over at my side to witness the emerging love triangle.

It has been widely known in all social circles that Deborah was head over heels for Philaf, so it is not weird that many people are curious about my reaction towards Philaf who came in with another woman by his side.

‘…Don’t even make eye contact.’

There is a huge possibility that they will misunderstood my reaction of just looking at Mia’s face, just like how I unintentionally scared away the students who had the precious window seat first.

Smoothly, I turned my gaze to the window and behaved as if I was not interested with what was going on in the room.

***

Philaf was in a state of despair upon seeing that Mia didn’t come to the Academy with the diamond necklace that was given to her.

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But that’s not all.
The thought of seeing Deborah walking around the Academy with her head held up high as she wore the rare pink diamond was so infuriating to him that it made Philaf’s anger rose up uncontrollably without any added effort.

‘But… Where is it?’

Philaf was undeniably confused when his eyes stumbled upon the luxurious black pearl necklace that hung around Deborah’s neck, instead of the expected pink jewel.

His confusion began to grow even more when he saw Deborah turning her head away from him and to the window while propping her chin up with her hand.
Now, she has an unreadable expression on her face and Philaf had no idea what was going on in Deborah’s head, which were usually reflected clearly on her face.