Noble Academy
“Why would you go that far for me…”
Elia Adventus pondered this in the carriage on her way back to her estate after meeting with Kael Lotus.
Most of the young ladies and lords who had met Kael Lotus described him uniformly as a “spoiled brat.” He never observed noble etiquette, spoke bluntly, and expressed any displeasure or dissatisfaction immediately without hiding it.
Rather than following noble ways, if anything, he acted like the lowly rabble.
That was why their first meeting had made her tense.
“There’s no reason for him to demean himself like that just to accommodate me…”
Yet the Kael Lotus that Elia Adventus met was a little different.
He had no noble etiquette.
No pretense, no refined, roundabout speech.
He used direct, crude grammar.
But there was no malice or ulterior motive in it.
Elia Adventus could even sense a strange consideration within it.
His plan was the same. A plan that brought her no harm at all. Maintaining a fake engagement to secure his family’s support.
In other words, it was tantamount to declaring that during the most sensitive years for romance among boys his age, he’d bear the heavy burden of a forced fake engagement, blocking free romantic pursuits.
He’d even said that when the marriage date approached, he’d personally tarnish his own reputation to break it off. He added that by then, the Adventus family’s situation would have improved further.
Why would he demean himself so much for Elia’s sake? She couldn’t understand it.
More than that…
“He didn’t seem to dislike me, either…”
She was someone who could judge truth from lies by looking into people’s eyes.
The Adventus Duke family had many enemies. She often dealt with people armored in falsehoods.
Through a lifetime in the duke’s household, Elia Adventus had honed her ability to distinguish truth from lies to a near-divine level.
In her eyes, Kael’s words didn’t seem false.
-“If I could land a girl like you, hell yeah. That silky purple hair, those rebellious red eyes. Porcelain skin. Like a living doll.”
Straightforward, honest expression.
A frank compliment she’d never heard before.
People usually mixed in a bit of flattery like this:
-“You’re like a star in the night sky, my lady.”
Noble rhetoric. In noble society, such florid speech passed for etiquette.
But unlike those rhetorical praises that felt false, Kael Lotus’s compliment lingered in her memory with unusual intensity for some reason.
“What a strange person…”
If she had to describe her first impression of Kael Lotus…
Not so much a spoiled brat as…
A strange person.
One year later.
I climbed into the carriage and rapped on it with my hand to signal they were good to go.
The carriage lurched into motion, and all the family servants came out to bow their heads to me.
““Safe travels, young master.””
Father and Mother didn’t even come out to see me off.
Of course, that was preferable. That’s how the Lotus family should be.
Yes. Today was the day I headed to the Imperial Central Noble Academy—and the point where the original story began.
That rotten author’s tag-bait trash started from the carriage ride to the academy.
The heroine’s name was Maria Frendis. Daughter of the Frendis baronet family, described in the story as one of the empire’s top three beauties.
She was supposedly seeking true love. A total flower-child airhead.
“Fucking nightmare…”
Exactly the kind of person I’d hate most. Though at first, she didn’t seem that way, so I kept reading.
I shifted my gaze out the carriage window on the way to the academy.
I needed to organize my thoughts, and besides, this was my first time leaving Lotus Territory in this world.
Nothing to do, so might as well practice magic.
For nearly a year, I’d trained my swordsmanship plenty, but magic was still clumsy.
The reason was simple. I’d lived too long in a world without magic.
Still, thanks to syncing with Kael Lotus’s memories, I could use it. Just not as intuitively as the sword.
“Hup…”
To cast magic, first you sense your mana. Feel that strange flow inside your body, and only then can you wield spells.
Next, shape the mana into form. Like this.
Concentrating fully, a small flame flickered to life above my hand. But a lighter-like spark like this couldn’t attack enemies, let alone burn a wet twig.
I’d thought about reading a magic book, but they were useless. Full of pretentious crap like “feel the mysteries of the universe” or “receive the gods’ choice.”
Just tell me how to cast Fireball or Magic Arrow, damn it.
So magic practice was basically diving headfirst into bare dirt. But I didn’t slack on it.
I had to get strong first. Can’t forget this is a world of sword and magic. Master those, and my value skyrockets.
I had no political savvy or silver tongue for manipulating people. So when problems arise, solve them with force.
“Whew…”
I released the flame spell, feeling a faint exhaustion.
Thinking of the original Kael Lotus from the story, he seemed decent with magic…
Even though I’d trained harder than original Kael, I couldn’t match him in magic.
My talent’s fucking dead.
This was beyond burying talent—it was grave-robbing levels.
Guess I didn’t inherit all of original Kael’s gifts.
I passed the time practicing magic or reading books.
Lotus Territory was far from the capital, so the trip took ages.
About a full day after departure, we finally reached the Capital (Je-do).
“Young master, we’ve arrived in the capital.”
First impression of the capital? Bustling as hell.
The empire hadn’t collapsed yet, so wallets were open, goods plentiful.
Guards followed protocol too. Checked the carriage for contraband before letting us in.
“Everything’s in order.”
No sense of a doomed nation yet.
Once in the capital, we headed straight to the Lotus family’s villa.
Uncle managed things there on behalf of the family. After a brief visit, we set off for the academy again.
And on the way to the academy…
“What the hell? Why’d the carriage stop?”
“Sorry, young master. Seems there’s a commotion up ahead.”
The carriage halted in an alley.
Even in the capital, it wasn’t modern Seoul-level gridlock, but we sat still for minutes.
“Wait here. I’ll get out and check.”
I couldn’t stand it and hopped out.
Heading up to the clogged road, I finally saw the cause.
“Ha, you trash bumping into me is the problem. How are you gonna compensate?”
“I’m truly sorry. So sorry… Please, have mercy…”
“Be grateful you’re not getting the death penalty.”
I spotted them and quietly backed away, hiding behind a wall.
Because…
That’s Alley Justinia?
Alley Justinia. Mid-story main villain who tormented the heroine, the crown prince’s fiancée, daughter of the Northern Grand Duke.
Arrogant bitch who rivaled Kael Lotus in rudeness, clashed with him constantly, and ultimately got dumped by the prince as the defeated villainess.
She was the cause of the traffic jam.
“Miss, perhaps it’s time to stop…”
Slap—!
A servant tried to intervene, but Alley, unable to contain her rage, slapped him.
Then she pulled out a notebook from her bosom and jotted it down.
“You, consider yourself lucky today. Academy dorm move-in day saved your ass. Get lost, you commoner scum.”
“Gasp…”
The incident wrapped up.
I confirmed it and slipped back to the carriage quietly.
Thankfully, she didn’t spot me, but seeing her face brought the original story flooding back, complicating my thoughts.
Her black hair—her complex. White eyes asserting her northern blood despite it. Striking features, long lashes.
Plus that rude tone and behavior—she was definitely the Alley Justinia I knew.
For now, I’ll watch Alley Justinia. She’ll definitely be useful later.
She’s scheming and rude, but even left alone, she torments heroine Maria and sabotages her with the crown prince.
Surely, a day will come when I can use her.