Theater Class (2)
As soon as Avon Ragnarok blocked my path, whispers erupted from the students around us as if they had been waiting for the moment.
“What is that guy even saying?”
“Avon Ragnarok? I’ve heard of him. He’s that commoner student…”
“A scoundrel and a commoner… I was told this batch was supposed to be the golden generation, but the shadows are already looking dark.”
Of course, people were always whispering about me, so that part didn’t surprise me. What did impress me was how quickly Avon had managed to earn the dislike of all the noble sons and daughters nearby. The guy had talent.
“Apologize to the professor right now.”
“Ah… D-don’t fight, please.”
Hestia was sweating bullets, completely at a loss.
I let out a short laugh, gave Avon’s shoulder a light tap, and walked right past him.
After that.
“Sorry. And I’m sorry to the rest of you as well.”
I walked up to the professor and bowed my head.
Yeah. I had screwed up. I wasn’t interested in the acting class and had just wanted to sleep. Only after doing it did I realize I’d disturbed the other students too.
That said, it was still separate from everything else.
“Uh… yeah.”
“Let’s just stay out of each other’s way from now on.”
I waved lightly and returned to my seat.
Apparently deciding the apology had come too easily, or perhaps still feeling uneasy, Avon Ragnarok blocked my path again.
“Wait. Why aren’t you taking the class seriously?”
“Why should I take it seriously?”
“If everyone works hard together, we can learn things and it’ll be good, won’t it? For someone here, this academy class might be the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“That’s exactly the kind of thing a commoner would say.”
I spoke while brushing past him.
I grabbed the hand of Hestia, who was still standing there in a daze.
“Eek?!”
“What are you jumping for?”
I placed Hestia’s hand directly onto Avon’s arm, then moved to the very back corner seat.
This time even Avon looked surprised.
Not only him—Alley, who had been muttering “Partnering with a mere commoner, of all things…” while paired with him, was also visibly flustered.
“Hey, Alley.”
“Y-yes…?”
“You’re not interested in theater either, are you?”
“Hah. Of course not. Why would a young lady from a grand duke’s family bother with something like this?”
“So you came here to skip magic class. Perfect. Pair up with me instead.”
“Huh?”
“And wake me when class ends.”
Just like that, I swapped partners from Hestia to Alley.
Then I immediately lay down, covered my face with the first book I could grab, and fell asleep on the spot.
He’s even more of a scoundrel than I thought…
That was Alley’s honest impression after watching Kael Lotus.
It was normal for students to be somewhat rude to one another. Even though academy life was supposed to equalize ranks, invisible hierarchies still formed based on family background. The gap between a young lady from a grand ducal house and a young master from a barony was simply that vast.
Still, the rudeness between students usually had some basis.
Kael Lotus, however, had none. His attitude didn’t change in the slightest whether he was dealing with fellow students, adults, or even professors. Family, status, age—none of it mattered to him at all.
Oddly enough, that only made him more interesting.
If it’s Kael, he might look at me as I truly am, not as the grand duke’s daughter.
And if such a person had to exist, of course he needed to be handsome. Rudeness without good looks was unforgivable. Rudeness with good looks, on the other hand, was easily overlooked.
In her mind, Kael Lotus had already been added to her collection. The sharp-tongued type had its own appeal compared to the endlessly devoted pretty boys she usually attracted.
“Kael Lotus.”
She covered her mouth with one hand and shook him with the other.
Kael looked up at her with clear irritation in his eyes.
“What? Is class over?”
“Not yet.”
“Then don’t wake me.”
He showed zero interest in her. Alley felt a competitive spark flare up. She was giving him this much attention, yet he wouldn’t even look at her? That was unacceptable.
Above all, failing to catch Crown Prince Lucas’s eye was bad enough. Being ignored by a notorious scoundrel on top of that would be an unbearable humiliation.
If I get close to Kael, even Crown Prince Lucas should feel some sense of crisis.
She still clung to that idea. Which meant Kael’s complete indifference was a problem for her.
“Even so, sleeping during class is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Since when have you cared about principles? You ignore every rule when you’re tormenting people and love throwing your grand ducal status around.”
“Kael. Watch your tongue. Do you realize that someone like me—a young lady of a grand duke’s house—is showing interest in you?”
“Interest?”
“Yes. By the way, Kael, how are things with your fiancée lately? Lady Elia Aventus doesn’t seem to like you very much.”
Alley covered her mouth again and smiled with her eyes. The lie came out so naturally. Elia Aventus had never once spoken badly of Kael Lotus.
But simple truths like that didn’t matter to Alley. A couple of lies to get what she wanted were nothing.
Kael, however, didn’t rise to the bait at all.
“I already know.”
“You… know? Then this will be quick. I’m interested in you, Kael. So—”
“Why? Because Crown Prince Lucas isn’t paying attention to you?”
“Th-that’s not it. I’ve simply had a change of heart.”
“You think pretending to get along with me will be enough to change his mind?”
“That’s…”
The scoundrel had struck right at the heart of it.
Kael was almost supernatural when it came to this kind of thing. His ten-plus years of being stepped on and burned by couples hadn’t gone anywhere.
Kael Lotus’s eyes narrowed. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Did you really think that if you turned your eyes to another man, Crown Prince Lucas would get anxious?”
“…”
“Get a grip, Alley. Throw away those pathetic thoughts.”
“That’s too much. Do I seem like the type who would only be interested in you for that reason?”
“Isn’t it? Oh, and there’s one more thing. You’re testing the waters because I’m handsome, right?”
“How can you call yourself handsome without even blinking…”
“So… I’m wrong?”
Alley’s mouth snapped shut.
Not because every word had been refuted and her thoughts laid bare.
No. It was because Kael Lotus’s entire atmosphere had changed.
There was no killing intent, yet looking into his eyes filled her with an inexplicable sense of dread. She noticed the corners of his eyes trembling faintly with rage.
Why is he so angry? What did I do that was so wrong?
She felt wronged. Of course, she wasn’t exactly innocent, but still…
“Alley. Do you know what kind of people I hate the most?”
“…”
“People exactly like you. You and Maria. Just the two of you. Blind fools whose eyes are so clouded by love that they can’t see anything else. Obsession that has rotted into possessiveness until it festers and decays.”
Clear disgust filled Kael Lotus’s eyes.
Faced with that disgust, Alley couldn’t even get angry. She simply froze.
It was the first time. The first time someone had ever looked at her with such open revulsion.
Even Crown Prince Lucas, who had never spared her a glance, had never shown this level of clear hatred.
“You said… you’d pair up with me…”
She squeezed the words out one last time, but—
“Just grab one of your followers.”
With that, Kael rolled over and went back to sleep.
In the silence that followed, Alley stared blankly at the sleeping Kael for a long time.
The usual her would have exploded, furious that the son of a mere border count would dare be so rude…
What in the world happened in this man’s past?
The disgust was too deep to explain. Although he had named her and Maria, the way he spoke made it feel less like it was aimed at them specifically and more at an entire category of people.
Alley forgot she was supposed to be angry and simply sank into thought.
Class ended a short while later.
“Um, Mr. Kael.”
The person who woke me wasn’t Alley, but Hestia.
I had told Alley to wake me when class ended, but she had run off completely. She was written as trash in the original story, but I guess trash really is trash.
I’ll have to give her a proper education later.
I grumbled to myself as I sat up.
“Class over?”
“Ah, yes. And, um…”
“What is it?”
“You know that promise from yesterday? I have something to… report.”
“Report?”
The moment class ended, Hestia dropped a big one on me.
“There’s a lady who asked me to deliver a magic circle for her.”
“Nice.”
It was exactly what I had been waiting for.
The monster rampage event. The incident that marked the beginning of Avon Ragnarok’s arc in the original work.
“So who is this lady?”
“She’s… the owner of the antique shop I often visit…”
“The real owner’s probably already dead.”
“Huh?”
“You did well. That’s enough. On your way home today, pick up that magic circle. Don’t deliver it—bring it straight to me.”
“Um… may I ask why? It’s not that I’m trying to be difficult or anything…”
“That shop owner is a kingdom spy.”
“Huh?”
“Hestia Claudi. Want me to tell you why I keep doing these annoying things even when I lose out? The capital is crawling with kingdom spies. Congratulations, Hestia.”
I spread my arms wide and congratulated her on becoming a collaborator in the noble task of saving the empire.
Of course, Hestia didn’t believe a single word.