The Great Wealthy's Paranoia
Liu Yen’s mood was at its absolute worst from the moment she stepped into the special exam site, took the luck test, passed with ridiculous ease, and returned to the plaza to wait for the others.
That bastard. He’s definitely hiding something.
The fortune teller who had tangled with her on the way to the private testing room completely occupied her mind. To be more precise, it was suspicion. Those bastards who tried to kill me last time must have sent him as a spy. Or maybe he’s working for that nouveau riche trash who keeps picking fights with me? What about the guy I outbid at the auction? Or the driver I fired last month? Did he trick me into taking the exam? Is he an instructor in disguise? He looked around my age, but that’s easy enough to fake. So how much of this is even real? Was the luck test I just took part of it? Or is figuring out who he really is the correct answer? Or maybe—
Liu Yen suffered from pathological distrust of others. She suspected and doubted every single person in the world. The only things she didn’t suspect were gold coins and treasures that could neither think nor speak nor betray her, and idiots too worthless to even warrant suspicion. The reason this paranoid heiress had enrolled in Romance Academy was, ultimately, to make money.
Was the initial offer to take the entrance exam itself a trap? Is the entire academy conspiring to kill me? Damn it! I should run away right now… but then I wouldn’t be able to get that thing.
The Great Wealthy’s mind spun at full speed as she bit her nails. Liu Yen had come to Romance Academy for one specific item, while the academy had its eyes on Liu Yen’s money. Their mutual interests aligned perfectly. In exchange for donating a massive sponsorship fee, Liu Yen had been granted one additional slot in the academy’s entrance exam quota. There was no need to explain whose slot that was.
Damn it! I absolutely have to get that item… First, I’ll investigate that bastard’s background, put a tail on him, and find some weakness no matter what…!
“Liu.”
But what if he actually lives inside the academy? Students are the only ones allowed in…! Then I need to recruit an insider!
“Liu Yen.”
“Who the hell keeps calling me?!”
Liu Yen, who had been gnawing on her nails while spinning endless webs of suspicion, possibilities, and contingency plans, turned her head with a venomous expression. There stood Lucas, watching her with worried eyes.
“Liu, your nails are bleeding.”
“…I know, Lucas. Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry? We’ve known each other since we were children. At least let me cast a healing spell…”
“Get lost.”
“…Liu.”
The sight of Lucas persistently trying to take care of her while Liu Yen coldly rebuffed him drew various reactions from the others who had already passed their exams and were waiting in the plaza. Some sighed as if to say here we go again, some laughed like it was entertainment, some didn’t even bother looking, and others clicked their tongues.
And among them was one who could no longer stand it.
Psychic Lane Arthur swept her silver bob back and stepped forward. She simply couldn’t watch Liu and Lucas any longer.
“Miss Liu, has that ridiculous paranoia of yours flared up again? Who is it this time? A random pedestrian? Instructor Charles Teddybear? Or maybe that fortune teller?”
“Fuck off.”
“Watching your baseless suspicion from the side is honestly annoying. You’re suspecting the fortune teller? He hasn’t even passed yet, so he’s not even here.”
Her words dripped with mockery, implying that the fortune teller Liu suspected hadn’t even passed the exam and come out yet. It was the complete opposite of what she had said before the test—when she had somewhat defended him by saying he’s our classmate, so show some respect.
Liu Yen, who knew Lane Arthur’s fake politeness and true nature all too well, looked at the arrogantly smiling woman.
“Hey, idiot.”
“I’d rather not hear that from a paranoid patient, thanks.”
“Do you not have eyes?”
“…Excuse me?”
Liu Yen was suspecting the fortune teller. Doubting him, overanalyzing him, obsessing over him. And Liu only suspected people who could potentially cause her—someone of her status as a Great Wealthy—actual harm. In other words, she only suspected those competent enough to threaten her.
“Didn’t you see him answer all my questions earlier? He didn’t even use his class skill and still performed at that level. What does it mean that someone like that isn’t here yet?”
Yes, those who passed the private exam could return to the plaza. But the reason all the special class holders were gathered here together was fundamentally because they already knew each other and would become classmates. Those who passed the private exam formed a special class.
But the fortune teller was different. Even if he passed the exam, he had no reason to linger here.
“The ones here are me, Lucas, some stupid bitch, the princess, and the saint. The prince already passed and went off somewhere, and the hero is probably the same.”
“………….”
“Namgung Min is the same type of person.”
“…Namgung Min?”
“That’s the fortune teller’s name, you idiot. I said it at the beginning, didn’t I? Don’t pretend to be nice when you can’t even remember that much.”
“Liu Yen…!!”
Crack.
Provoked by Liu, Lane Arthur ground her teeth. Sparks seemed to fly from her eyes, and her hair looked like it was rising with rage. …No, it was actually rising. Her short silver hair slowly floated upward as nearby stones and trees began to tremble.
Psychic Lane Arthur had activated her class skill.
The others who had been watching the argument between Liu and Lane stiffened at the sight.
“Miss Lane, calm down!”
“Lane! Using skills inside the academy without permission is forbidden!”
“Don’t stop me, brother. Today I’m going to teach this arrogant bitch a proper lesson!”
“What fucking nonsense. Go ahead. Everyone knows a crazy dog needs the stick, right? I’ll beat you black and blue.”
“You bitch—!”
Clap. Clap.
“That’s enough.”
A massive stone floated in the air, aimed at Liu, while Liu pulled off one of her jewel-encrusted rings. Just as Lucas and the Saint were about to rush in to stop the imminent collision, a light round of applause froze everyone in place.
“………Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.”
“Honestly, I don’t care whether you two fight or not. But that’s something you should handle privately. There’s no need to cause trouble for the academy.”
Imperial Family Kim Eun-ha, the precious daughter of the Unified Korean Empire’s imperial family, spoke to Liu and Lane with a hint of contempt. No matter how wealthy or noble they were, there were those above them. The Catholic Saint and the two members of the Korean imperial family possessed the authority to shut their mouths.
At Kim Eun-ha’s cold mediation, both Liu Yen and Lane Arthur fell silent.
“………Hah.”
“…Brother!”
In the end, there was no reconciliation. They simply removed each other from their sight. Liu violently turned her head and sank back into thought, while Lane immediately clung to Lucas. But Lucas’s gaze wasn’t on his sister in front of him—it was fixed on Liu.
“Brother, that woman…!!”
“Calm down, Lane. This time you were reckless.”
“But—!”
“I can overlook the argument itself, but trying to use your power first was wrong. Do you want to damage the Arthur family?”
His cold words and reprimanding eyes carried no warmth whatsoever. Lane looked at her brother with desperate eyes for a moment before lowering her head.
“………No. I was wrong, brother.”
“Good. Then… Liu!”
“……”
“I don’t know how many times I have to say this—get lost, Lucas.”
“Liu, calm your mind. I’ll help you.”
“…Brother.”
Unlike the cold attitude he showed his sister, Lucas smiled as gently as possible and spoke affectionately to Liu. Lane took in the sight of her brother constantly fawning over Liu while Liu continued to ignore him. It was exactly like the situation before she had intervened. Lane’s eyes burned with pure hatred as she glared at Liu.
“Liu Yen…!!”
“…Sigh.”
What a shitshow.
Princess Kim Eun-ha let out a sigh as she watched the same mess unfold. Her brother had disappeared shortly after she passed the exam, and the Saint who had been with them had apparently grown tired of the bickering and left. Turning her gaze away from the three tangled in their sticky love triangle, Kim Eun-ha suddenly stopped at a particular spot.
It was a place someone had emerged from—something she could detect with her Imperial Family class skill. It meant the owner of the private exam room inside had passed.
“The fortune teller, Namgung Min…”
The trace had been there ever since she—the third to pass the private exam—had come out to wait for the others. Which meant Namgung Min had passed before her, taking second place and pushing her down to third.
The princess quietly closed her eyes.
*
“This looks good.”
After making plans with Teddybear to visit his house, Namgung Min left the exam room and wandered around the academy until he stopped at a certain location. Although Romance Academy was enormous, most of it consisted of natural environments like mountains and lakes, along with residential and commercial areas outside the academy proper. In other words, while the entire floating city was called Romance Academy, the actual school grounds weren’t all that big.
Of course, it was still far larger than any ordinary school. It was roughly the size of three or four decent universities combined.
And Romance Academy had one unique feature: its students could live anywhere they wanted, not just on campus.
“Decent distance from the center, and the building size is just right.”
Romance Academy was a game where movement took time. There was a set amount of time per day, and choosing to go to another location within the academy would consume that time.
That’s why choosing a base inside the academy was such an important decision.
Usually it was best to stay near the lecture buildings, but for certain events or character interactions, the outskirts or other areas could be more advantageous. If you focused on dating outside the academy, you could even live completely outside… It seemed like a system with high freedom, but honestly, it was just inconvenient.
Would it have killed you to make it so staying on campus didn’t waste travel time, you little brat?
Because of that, he had wasted time calculating efficient routes. Still, now that Romance Academy had become reality, this was an opportunity. Wasn’t this exactly why he had scammed Teddybear, raised his favorability, and told his fortune?
“Alright. Time to open the shop.”
This was the first step toward generating steady income and reaching an ending as a Fortune Teller.
My Own Little Fortune Teller Shop