The Entrance Ceremony
Of all people.
It wouldn't have been good no matter who it was, but Skadia Maryland was especially troublesome. Her expression never changed, making it difficult to read her thoughts, yet she possessed an uncanny ability to quickly pick up on even the slightest shifts in others. I was genuinely worried about whether I could fool her without raising suspicion.
“Did you come alone?”
“Yes. It appears she arrived immediately after the entrance ceremony concluded.”
“No helping it, then. Lead the way.”
“Please follow me.”
As I trailed behind the butler, I forcefully immersed myself in Luan Priulri’s memories.
I will erase Lee Hyun-woo’s ego.
I would adopt Luan Priulri’s behavioral patterns and way of thinking as thoroughly as possible. Pushing aside my original common sense and memories, I would be reborn completely as someone else.
One step. Two steps.
The closer I drew to the reception room, the more I synced with Luan Priulri. And the moment I stood before the door—
“Young master. This is the place. Please go ri—”
BANG!
I kicked the door open violently before the butler could even finish speaking.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
At my words, Skadia Maryland, who had been seated on the sofa enjoying tea and snacks, rose to her feet.
“It’s been a while, Luan Priulri. You haven’t changed at all since we last met.”
Our eyes met—hers cold and piercing. Her lake-blue irises were beautiful, yet so frigid they could chill the heart of anyone who gazed into them.
I ignored her stare entirely and strode over, flopping down heavily on the opposite sofa.
“So what’s your business? The only reason you’d come looking for me is that one thing, right?”
We had gotten along decently as children, but ever since Luan Priulri became consumed by inferiority, the two of us had maintained a relationship of strict mutual avoidance. To be precise, Luan had been the one running away while Skadia simply looked on without intervening. In any case, our relationship was terrible. Even third parties who only knew of us through rumors were aware of that fact.
At the direct question, Skadia quietly sat back down on the sofa. She took a leisurely sip of tea before opening her mouth.
“What is your relationship with Alissa Bretes?”
“…What? Alissa Bretes? Where the hell is this coming from?”
“That woman came to me today and asked about you. It didn’t seem like anything good, so I’d appreciate it if such incidents didn’t happen again in the future.”
I never expected Alissa would actually seek Skadia out. For her—a bastard child who had been subtly ostracized in high society—to willingly step into the very center of it all meant her determination was quite desperate.
I had anticipated it, but it seemed her will for revenge against me burned stronger than I thought.
What a headache.
It would be best if we could avoid meeting altogether, but that was impossible. Perhaps it would be better to meet her in advance and settle things once and for all.
While I pondered this, Skadia continued.
“Also, at the academy, let us pretend we don’t know each other. That is all I came to say.”
“You came all this way just to say something like that?”
“It is important to me. Your actions are already damaging my reputation. I won’t tell you not to cause any trouble at all, but at least uphold this much. Can you manage that?”
Her icy eyes clashed with a gaze that hid deep flames beneath a calm surface. I let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Ha! Why, have you found some noble young master you admire at the academy? Planning to date him or something?”
“Think whatever you like. Just make the promise. Then I won’t concern myself with whoever you choose to bother. Your answer?”
I wondered what the real Luan Priulri would say in this situation. The answer came to me instantly. I twisted my face into a sneer and whispered viciously.
“Do as you please. But know this one thing. In the end, you will marry me. Do you really think that guy would still love you after you’ve been carrying another man’s bastard? I highly doubt it. He’ll probably toss you aside the moment he gets sick of your body.”
What Luan Priulri felt toward Skadia Maryland was a mix of intense affection and inferiority. His deliberate use of crude and humiliating words was nothing more than an emotional outburst born from wanting her attention.
But this was wrong. Dishonest behavior only bred misunderstanding.
Skadia Maryland—rarely—showed emotion.
“Do you truly believe that?”
“What?”
“In your current state, it seems unlikely you will inherit the family. And if that happens, the Maryland family will have no reason to push forward with a marriage to you.”
The slight upward curl at the corner of her mouth conveyed her clear desire to break off the engagement with Luan Priulri.
I ground my teeth audibly.
“Have you said everything you wanted to say?”
“Does it seem that way? If you wish to hear more, I can continue.”
Skadia’s eyes gleamed with a blue light. Her gaze, reminiscent of a blizzard, was cold enough to freeze a heart solid. The thorns that would spill from those lips would shred Luan Priulri’s mind to pieces in an instant.
In this kind of situation, the actions the original Luan Priulri would take were already set in stone.
I kicked the table over in a fit of irritation.
“Fine. Fuck it. Just wait and see. One day you’ll be writhing and panting beneath me.”
“We shall see. I sincerely hope you can make that happen. If you are capable.”
“Damn it!”
Her complete lack of agitation only fueled my frustration. I clenched my fists tightly and stormed out of the reception room, slamming the door behind me.
I stomped down the hallway noisily until I reached my room, where I finally regained my composure.
“That should be enough, right?”
It was an absolutely brilliant performance. Why had I only discovered this talent now? If I had known in my previous life, I could have become a major actor headlining thousand-man blockbuster films.
After indulging in some self-praise, I sat on the edge of the bed and recalled the conversation we had just had.
“So Alissa went to see her, huh.”
I didn’t know exactly how a woman who had been raped felt, but there was no way she would easily give up on revenge. Some form of collision was inevitable, so I needed to carefully adjust the timing.
I pulled out the notebook I had stored in a secret drawer and began slowly revising my plans.
*
Early the next morning, I finished breakfast and immediately headed to the training room.
“I need to raise my stats as much as possible in these two days.”
The effort I put in now wasn’t just for surviving in this world. It would also become a great help when I returned to Earth and took my revenge. Assuming, of course, that my stats carried over after my return.
They wouldn’t just disappear… would they?
A shiver ran down my spine at the chilling thought. I began stretching slowly.
“Hmm… I’m more flexible than I expected.”
Thanks to the Priulri family’s mana cultivation method, my physical condition wasn’t bad at all considering I had lived as a good-for-nothing for so long.
Once I finished stretching, I did a few jumps in place before starting to run. Everything began with physical stamina. Although the Priulri family mainly used swords and spears, they didn’t completely neglect hand-to-hand combat. Still, relying solely on childhood memories to train alone wasn’t very efficient.
To grow stronger in a short time, it was far more effective to build up my physique first.
After thirty minutes of running followed by various muscle training exercises, it happened.
Ding-ding-ding!
A sudden ringing sound pierced my ears as the door opened.
“Whoa… Training right from the day after the entrance ceremony? How diligent.”
Wine-colored ponytail and yellow eyes. The woman wearing a tight-fitting suit was none other than Sara Caiman, the temporary homeroom professor for Class 3.
When our eyes met, she grinned and approached leisurely. She looked me up and down before giving my rigidly tensed shoulder a firm pat.
“Why so surprised? Relax. You saw me yesterday, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I was in the temporary Class 3.”
“Right? As expected, my memory never fails me. Anyway, you seem to be in the middle of training. Doesn’t look like you have a sparring partner, though. Is this place really okay? The training room doesn’t have any auxiliary equipment. The academy has tons of devices brought over from the Magic Tower. Wouldn’t it be better to use the public training facilities if you want to train properly?”
This world had all kinds of equipment—from treadmills and exercise bikes to rooms with artificial gravity fields. To Sara, it probably didn’t make sense that I was struggling alone in this cramped space instead.
I could only scratch the back of my head.
“Must be some circumstances, huh? What’s your name?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“What, you can’t even say your name? Some mysterious act? Fine, I get it. Just keep doing what you were doing. Since I’m already here, I’ll watch for a bit.”
“Are you serious?”
“What, did you think I was lying? Get moving already.”
Although she seemed unmotivated and sloppy on the surface, Sara was a teacher who genuinely cared for her students. Caught off guard by this unexpected guidance, I followed her urging gestures and resumed my muscle training routine.
“Straighten your back. Tuck your hips in. Raise your arms a little higher. That’s it.”
Sara gave precise instructions on every movement, helping me achieve maximum efficiency.
About thirty minutes passed like that.
“Hmm… This won’t do.”
“Pardon?”
“How’s your physical condition right now? Think you can keep going?”
“Yes. I’m still fine.”
My breathing had grown somewhat rough, but it was nothing more than light fatigue. As long as I could still move my fingers, I had no intention of resting.
At my confident reply, Sara nodded as if she had expected it.
“As I thought. This is meaningless as it is. Let’s head outside.”
“Suddenly? Why?”
“What do you mean, why? You said you’re fine, didn’t you? You were already training before I arrived, and if you’re still fine after all that, something’s wrong. Bodyweight exercises are too inefficient. Muscles need to be broken down and regenerated repeatedly to become tougher and stronger. At this rate, when will you ever get strong? Hurry up and follow me.”
Having finished her explanation, Sara walked toward the door.
What now?
Going outside was not an option. If rumors spread that I had been diligently training from the day after the entrance ceremony, other transmigrators might grow suspicious.
As I hesitated in place, Sara glanced back at me.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
“Um… I’m sorry, but I can’t go outside.”
“Why? Will something happen if you go out?”
“It’s not that. It’s just… I’m concerned about other people’s gazes…”
When I trailed off, Sara rolled her eyes for a moment before shrugging as if she couldn’t understand.
“I have no idea what you’re thinking. Wouldn’t this actually be good for your image? Wouldn’t it improve how people see you a little? Am I wrong, Luan Priulri?”
“You knew who I was?”
“Of course. You’re famous, after all. I was given a separate heads-up. Something about enduring even if you sexually harassed me? Honestly, if you had tried anything like that I was ready to beat you half to death, but you were surprisingly well-behaved. That’s why you left an even stronger impression.”
I felt myself swallow hard. It was a relief I hadn’t acted out. I had briefly considered behaving like the original troublemaker in case Sara was a transmigrator, but I was glad I hadn’t. If I had ignored my instincts and charged in, Sara might have been disciplined for assaulting a student, and the entire story could have gone off track.
There was a reason why, in the game, Luan Priulri had never rebelled specifically against Sara.
As I let out a quiet sigh of relief, Sara—who had approached at some point—grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
“Let’s go.”
“Like I said earlier, there are circumstances so I can’t go out…”
“I know. Basically, you don’t want others to see you doing something you normally wouldn’t. Then just say you’re being punished.”
“Punished?”
“Yeah. If we say I’m punishing you for rebelling against me, wouldn’t that be believable? What we’re about to do isn’t all that different anyway.”
“Ah…”
If we used the justification of punishment, not only would it avoid suspicion, it would actually reinforce the perception that I was still the same old troublemaker. It was beneficial no matter how I looked at it. I let out a soft sigh, and Sara asked for my answer again.
“So?”
“…I will gratefully receive your guidance.”
“Good. Then stop talking and follow me. I’m going to work you hard, so brace yourself.”
“Yes!”
I was a little afraid of just how harshly she planned to push me since she felt the need to warn me like that, but I answered without hesitation.
…I would come to slightly regret this decision.