Lamieli Academy Entrance Ceremony (3)
"Zeke? Did you just say Zeke?"
The voice from behind made Serena whirl around.
Her eyes trembled as she spotted the speaker.
Blood-red hair and crimson eyes.
A gaunt, cliff-like figure with barely a hint of a chest.
Eyes slanted up viciously like a goblin's.
The other ducal house that had built up bad blood with the Yohayden family over long years.
The Yustia family's eldest daughter, Iriel Yustia.
"That uselessly oversized slab of fat, that silver-haired idiot with the deranged flowers in her hair..."
As Serena turned to glare at her, Iriel's eyebrow twitched—she'd recognized her too.
"You... Serena... Yohayden. Why the hell are you here...? Weren't you banned from the academy?"
"Iriel."
Serena's mind blanked for a moment at Iriel's sudden appearance, but she quickly recalled her words.
"Iriel, how do you know Instructor Zeke?"
"No, I asked how you got here... Hm? Instructor Zeke? Swordsmanship instructor Zeke...?"
Iriel scowled, mulling over the words, then her expression shifted.
She fixed Serena with a sharp glare.
"Serena, you... what's your deal with Zeke?"
"That's my question."
"Hah, so Zeke was there after all. They said even if he died at the academy, they wouldn't tell me... I thought it was the imperial family... but it was Yohayden?"
"......"
"Tch. To think they'd hide it from me and let trash like Yohayden get ahead. Should I complain to Lamieli directly...?"
Iriel snorted derisively, looking utterly deflated.
As they traded barbs, Serena suddenly sensed something off.
Iriel was talking about Instructor Zeke like she knew him inside out.
She even seemed to have known in advance that he was the swordsmanship instructor at Lamieli Academy.
Her sharp mind drew an inference she desperately didn't want to believe.
N-No way... Did Instructor send him to me? From Iriel Yustia!?
Thud.
Serena felt her heart sink.
Iriel, that vicious woman, was more than capable of it.
The Yohayden and Yustia ducal houses faced each other closely, with a crumbling earldom sandwiched between them.
So when summoned to the imperial palace or invited to social events,
there was no option to invite one without the other.
Geographically and in terms of vested interests, their domains overlapped too much for either to yield.
They ran parallel, unyielding paths.
With such bad blood between the two ducal houses, imperial mediation might have helped,
but the empire's cunning emperor had instead
pitted them against each other politically to maintain central power and check their influence.
Their feelings toward each other could hardly be good.
This held true even for the family heads, the dukes themselves,
but Iriel and Serena had been compared and fueled rivalry since they were very young.
Serena had tried to compete fairly, in her own way,
but Iriel resorted to cunning tactics.
Buying out Serena's favorite dress shops or accessory stores to refuse her service.
Bringing her followers to parties they were both invited to and insulting her to her face.
Spreading absurd rumors through proxies behind her back.
She tormented Serena without scruple or mercy.
That was Iriel.
So in Serena's eyes, she looked like someone who knew everything but was pretending ignorance now just to humiliate her.
Instructor, why... why her of all people. Why!!!
If the person from his past had been some other woman, Serena might have understood.
But not Iriel.
Anyone but this woman.
"Hah. Zeke Clayman. I told him to come straight to me. What a waste of time in that dump."
*
Iriel flashed a fake smile, as if she'd guessed at Serena's furious expression.
"Oh? What's with that face, Serena?"
"You... you know the instructor well?"
"Mm. Maybe? Maybe not?"
Iriel smirked infuriatingly.
No, Instructor wouldn't... he wouldn't do that!!!
Serena tried to deny it, clinging to her faith in Zeke,
but the fact that she knew nothing about him watered the seeds of doubt.
Come to think of it... from our first meeting...
Memories of Zeke flooded her mind.
Rescuing her then oddly refusing at first.
Suddenly piercing her with his gaze and flipping to accept the mansion invitation.
Interfering in the servants' punishment, adding to their debt.
Showing her his sword and leading her on.
In hindsight, Zeke had slipped into her life all too naturally.
A northern noble no one questioned despite no ties to the empire or aristocracy.
A man smart enough to know nothing of House Yohayden.
A face that looked young enough to be her peer, set in cold, emotionless expression.
And freakishly masterful swordsmanship.
Could someone like that really have no affiliations or fame?
Serena had believed he'd served as an ordinary soldier on the front lines, retired young, and been scouted as an academy instructor.
But too young to retire.
No fame despite that skill, straight to Lamieli instructor.
What if he'd been a Yustia-backed spy, groomed and sent to approach her systematically?
What if even the goblin ambush had been him tailing her, swooping in dramatically when danger struck?
Everything she'd trusted without question now looked suspicious under doubt's lens.
...All of it an act...? And then pretending he'd never heard of Iriel Yustia...!
Serena's head throbbed, her heart tearing.
Just one month. Barely a month together,
but she realized how much she'd leaned on him, how much she'd hoped.
How pathetic he must've thought me... grinning like an idiot in front of him all that time...
Tears welled from betrayal; her body shook.
Being stabbed in the back by someone she'd never suspected was bad enough once,
but this was the second time.
First Ciela. Now Zeke.
Stupid Serena. Foolish Serena. And you still... mooning over him like that...
The loathsome Iriel ahead muttered to herself.
"So damn self-centered. Never changes. That guy."
"......"
Serena wanted to rip out the heart that had raced at his looks, his voice mere moments ago.
No—even now, thinking of him made it flutter.
As if he couldn't have done it.
As if there must be some circumstance.
As if it was surely a misunderstanding.
I have to confirm it. Just confirm.
Serena glared at Iriel with venom.
"Iriel... what's your relationship with Zeke Clayman."
"I've been asking you first! What's your deal with Zeke?"
"Tell me now!"
"Shut up, Flowerhead."
"Eek!"
As they lunged at each other, a middle-aged man spoke from behind.
"Miladies, the entrance ceremony is about to begin."
Iriel scowled, shot Serena one last glare, and turned away.
"We'll settle this later."
But Serena, having heard nothing yet, couldn't let her go.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done!"
"The entrance ceremony. You know what happens if you skip it, right? Aren't you from a ducal house?"
"......"
"Hah. Should've known from the flowers in your hair. Your IQ really is abysmal."
Serena froze.
The bitch was right. Skipping would spark rumors among the nobles.
A Yohayden who disrespected Lamieli Academy would take a hit.
With so many noble heirs there, she had to go.
She had to... but...
Serena closed her eyes, fighting to calm her emotions.
No matter how much it gutted her, she had to attend the ceremony too.
Yes—after, at the ceremony, confront them both with Zeke and get the truth.
In her current state, she'd just ugly-cry or scream like a fool.
As a noble who stands above others, never let emotions sway you. Always prioritize.
Recalling her father's words, she swallowed her tears.
But she couldn't stop her fingertips from trembling.
Iriel, watching, kept a cool facade but felt conflicted inside.
What the hell did that guy do to get her this worked up?
Iriel and Serena glared daggers.
Then abruptly turned away—
but their path was the same.
"Don't follow me, Flowerhead!"
"That's my line! Cliff!"