A Colossal Misunderstanding
Leading the way to a spot where they wouldn't be overheard, Sylvia stole frequent glances at the pure-looking, deep-blue-haired girl quietly following behind her. Marin Eloise—the class president of Class 1-B and the daughter of a famous hero couple. From what Sylvia had seen of her so far, she had thought Marin was a decent person.
'How can someone who looks so innocent be so utterly shameless?'
There was no way Marin didn't know. Having watched from the sidelines, she must have realized that Yoon Siwoo held feelings for Scarlet. There was a code of conduct in this world, and chief among those unwritten laws was that one must never lay a hand on someone who was already taken. Snatching away someone else's partner was a primitive act, something that belonged in the distant past, fit only for beastmen or orcs who lived by the law of the jungle. Even if Yoon Siwoo and Scarlet weren't officially together yet, stealing someone who was practically in a relationship was bound to draw societal condemnation.
'And yet, how can she speak so brazenly after doing something like that?'
What? She wanted to get along and be close friends from now on? Sylvia knew the truth. She knew that Marin had gone so far as to provoke Scarlet by telling her she was going on an arranged marriage meeting with Yoon Siwoo. It was as if a delinquent had smirked, bragged, "Hey, your man was amazing," and then clung to her, asking to be best friends. Sylvia couldn't even begin to fathom the sheer humiliation Scarlet must have felt. In many ways, Marin was far more malicious than Yoon Siwoo, who had strayed in the first place. How could Sylvia possibly look at her with a warm gaze?
"Um, can you tell me what you wanted to talk about now?" Marin asked, her face filled with curiosity as they arrived at a secluded stairwell.
Sylvia glared at her quietly before opening her mouth. "Miss Marin? You went on an arranged marriage meeting with Yoon Siwoo recently, didn't you?"
"...How did you know that?"
"Well, I have my ways."
"...I didn't realize the heir of Astra was so deeply interested in other people's private lives. What of it, then?" Marin replied, her voice laced with wariness, as if she knew she had done something wrong.
Sylvia wanted nothing more than to snap at her with a barrage of harsh words right then and there, but...
'I need to calm down. If I can end this with a simple warning, that will leave the fewest complications.' Sylvia calmed herself with the thought. Just as she had said, she was, after all, the heir of Astra. It was best to avoid showing such an undignified display in front of others.
"Miss Marin, I would appreciate it if you kept your distance from Yoon Siwoo."
"...Excuse me?"
"I'm asking you to keep your distance from him. If possible, it would be even better if you cleanly cut ties with him." Sylvia spoke as gently as possible, hoping the girl would quietly comply. Though her emotions had seeped in slightly, given that Marin was the one who had inflicted an indelible wound upon Scarlet.
However, seeing Marin's face contort in displeasure, Sylvia had a sudden premonition. This wasn't going to be resolved as easily as she had hoped.
"...You're being rather rude, aren't you? I don't believe we are close enough for you to meddle in my affairs and tell me what to do."
Sylvia sighed inwardly at Marin's sharp, defensive tone. 'This is going to be tedious. Then again, if she were a reasonable person, she wouldn't have done something so trashy in the first place.' Sylvia wasn't the type to enjoy saying harsh things to others. But she had no intention of holding back against someone like this, so she delivered a stern warning.
"It's less of meddling and more of a warning. Let me say it one more time. Cut ties with Yoon Siwoo. It would be wise to do so while I'm still asking nicely. Unless you want to face unnecessary consequences."
"...Ah, so that's what this is. How absurd. My goodness, to think the heir of Astra is the type to threaten others just because her family is prestigious. I completely misjudged you. But what are you going to do? Even if you threaten me like this, he's completely head over heels for someone else." Marin sneered, dropping her polite tone entirely as if finally showing her true colors. She was mocking Scarlet, boasting that Yoon Siwoo was already completely infatuated with her.
Seeing that smug attitude, the blood rushed to Sylvia's head. She couldn't endure it any longer. Ultimately, she resorted to her final card.
"...Since words won't work, I have no choice. I'll have to show you exactly what kind of family Astra is."
She was going to use the power of her house. If it were merely for her own sake, she would never have even dreamed of it. But for Scarlet, the story was entirely different. Even if she was a mere figurehead heir who had to move according to the elders' whims, the minuscule amount of authority attached to her name was still capable of doing countless things. Sylvia muttered to herself, resolved to sweep this shameless woman far away for the sake of Scarlet's happiness.
Yet, Marin merely stared back at her with eyes full of contempt, as if relying on the prestige of her own hero parents. "Go ahead, do whatever you want. Do you think I'd bat an eye at that? Threatening someone for a reason like this... you're truly the worst."
How could anyone be this brazen? Was she not even ashamed of what she had done? Appalled by Marin's thick-skinned, defiant provocation, Sylvia spoke with genuine disgust.
"The worst one here is you. Shamelessly snatching Yoon Siwoo away even though you knew what kind of relationship he had with Miss Scarlet... Even if Miss Scarlet forgives you, I won't. Just you wait. Your true colors will soon be revealed to the world."
Upon hearing those words, Marin's expression turned incredibly bizarre. "...Wait a minute. What did you just say?"
"Ha, what is it? Are you suddenly scared? It's too late. I won't forgive someone like you who tries to ruin Miss Scarlet's happiness."
"No, no... didn't you say all this to me because you like Yoon Siwoo?"
Sylvia's face contorted in sheer disbelief at the absurd accusation. 'She thinks I like him? Me? That man?' Outraged by the preposterous idea, Sylvia shouted in anger.
"No way! A guy who cheats on Miss Scarlet? I hate him to death!"
Marin reacted strangely to her outburst. She stood there with a blank expression for a moment, then suddenly let out a dumbfounded, hollow laugh. Sylvia stared at her, wondering if the girl had finally lost her mind, as Marin let out a deep sigh and muttered.
"Look, I'm telling you this because you seem to be under a massive misunderstanding, but Yoon Siwoo and I are just friends."
Was she trying to wriggle out of it now? There were some things you just couldn't lie about. Sylvia scoffed. "Do you honestly think I'd believe such a lie? I know for a fact that you and Yoon Siwoo went on an arranged marriage meeting."
Marin let out a weary chuckle. "That's why I'm telling you, I got dumped at that meeting. Yoon Siwoo rejected me, saying there's someone else he likes. So we decided to just be friends. It's not a lie."
Sylvia's brain completely short-circuited. She blinked, trying to process the words. "...You got dumped, so you decided to be friends?"
"Well, it might be hard to believe, but it's the truth. The meeting was forced on us by our parents in the first place..."
"...Then why did you get so angry at my question earlier?"
"Well, obviously, I thought you liked Yoon Siwoo! I thought you were throwing a jealous tantrum because I was getting close to him. How was I supposed to know you were someone who meddles so passionately in a friend's love life?"
Having suffered much trauma in the past, Sylvia possessed a keen intuition that was highly sensitive to the truthfulness of others. Right now, that sixth sense was whispering to her.
'...Wait. Is she actually telling the truth?'
If what Marin said was true, then Yoon Siwoo hadn't cheated on Scarlet at all, and Marin had simply attended a meeting forced upon her by her parents and ended up becoming friends with him. In other words, this entire situation was a colossal misunderstanding born of her own assumptions.
'Uh... oh. Oh no... Then what on earth did I just do... Ah... eh?'
Faced with a reality that was too mortifying to accept, Sylvia felt the world spinning around her. Then, Marin spoke to her gently.
"Well, we're only human. Anyone can make a mistake."
That gentle reassurance was the final blow that completely sank Sylvia's soul.
'Ah..... Aaaah!!!! What on earth have I done?! I'm an idiot! A fool! A brainless sea cucumber, a useless sea squirt, a pathetic sea anemone!!!'
Recalling the venomous words she had spat at Marin, Sylvia felt her consciousness fading. She had never detested her past self more than in this very moment. Her face burned with an intense, agonizing flush of shame. Wishing she could crawl into a hole and die, she buried her face in her hands and tucked her head between her knees.
But she knew that hiding wouldn't erase what she had done. Forcing herself to stand back up, Sylvia bowed repeatedly, her voice trembling as she poured out her apologies.
"Uuu... I'm so sorry! I... I didn't know anything and said such horrible things... Uu... I'm truly, deeply sorry..."
"Ahaha... it's fine, really. If it was just a misunderstanding, it's understandable. It was a bit startling, though."
Seeing Marin smile and comfort her, Sylvia felt tears welling up in her eyes.
'Ah... to think I thought such a kind person was trash... I'm the real trash here...'
As Sylvia wallowed in self-loathing, Marin asked with a bright, amused smile, "By the way, Sylvia, did you do all that because you thought I was stealing Yoon Siwoo from Scarlet?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm, so you support those two as well. Ah, is it okay if I speak casually? It feels a bit awkward to go back to formal speech now."
Sylvia nodded meekly. Whether it was casual speech or anything else, she was in no position to deny her anything. Still, she couldn't help but ask timidly, "Um... what do you mean by supporting those two...?"
"Oh, Scarlet and Yoon Siwoo. I mean, when you watch them, you can't help but want them to end up together, right? It's fun to watch them. Although, they can be a bit frustrating."
"...Frustrating?"
"How should I put it? Their progress is just way too slow."
Sylvia stared at her in sheer shock. 'Slow? They literally go to motels together! How could they possibly be any faster?!'
But as she reeled from the shock, she suddenly remembered who Marin's parents were. Lucas and Natalia Eloise—a couple famous for their legendary shotgun wedding during their academy days. To someone raised by parents like that, of course any normal relationship would seem agonizingly slow.
As Sylvia reached this realization, she heard Marin mutter to herself.
"Well, I guess those two aren't the only ones who are fun to watch. Fascinating. Do birds of a feather flock together?"
When Sylvia tilted her head in confusion, Marin waved her hand dismissively. "Ahaha, don't worry about it. It's nothing."
With that, Marin extended her hand forward. As Sylvia stared blankly at the offered hand, Marin let out a soft chuckle.
"Well, since we both support those two, let's get along from now on."
After Sylvia had marched out with Marin, radiating a frosty aura, I was left feeling rather anxious. Without Marin around, there was no one to rein in the free-spirited Flone, and I worried she might clash with Jesse again, given their history.
However, the world of women was far more profound than I could have ever imagined.
"My goodness! How can a girl walk around looking like that! Just hold still for a second, Flone will make you look absolutely gorgeous."
"Ah... I'm fine... Huh? Wait... isn't that the super rare, limited-edition cosmetic? I tried so hard to buy that but it was completely sold out..."
"Hmm? I made this myself, so I have a bunch of them. Want one?"
"R-Really? Thank you so much!"
They babbled about makeup for a brief moment, and before I knew it, Jesse and Flone were giggling and chatting like lifelong best friends. It made me wonder if they had ever even fought in the first place. I swear, I will never understand the world of women...
As I was lost in these thoughts, the two who had gone outside finally returned.
Given the tense atmosphere earlier, I had fully expected a vicious catfight between two heroines vying for the male lead. I was honestly worried they would end up with deep emotional scars or that someone might actually get hurt. Love triangles were rarely clean, after all.
I had envisioned them pulling each other's hair, screaming, "You thieving cat!" or trading venomous barbs like, "My, you certainly have a talent for being a whore." That was the kind of catfight I was familiar with.
But the reality was entirely different.
"...What did you two talk about?" I asked cautiously.
"Nothing much. Just agreeing to get along from now on?" Marin replied with a bright smile, casually slinging an arm over Sylvia's shoulder.
Given Sylvia's prideful personality, she would normally have snapped at anyone who dared to touch her so familiarly. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Sylvia merely blushed, hung her head, and actively avoided my gaze.
What on earth had transpired out there?
"Ah! Marin, that's not fair! Flone wants to get close to Sylvia too!"
Listening to Flone's whining, I came to a quiet conclusion.
Yes, the world of women was truly an enigma.