Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: I Absolutely Can't Stand Seeing Tail Dating Someone Other Than Me
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It could become poison.
So that no one but her could ever have him.
She could bind him that tightly, with unyielding venom.
Honestly, it would be simple—just grab one commoner orphan, lock him away, and be done with it.
No one would care, and no one would think it strange.
After all, plenty of nobles toyed with commoners who caught their fancy and discarded them when they were done.
But.
She didn't want to do that to Tail.
She wanted to remain the pure girl from his childhood in his eyes.
What she craved wasn't just his body—it was his heart itself.
And yet, from the very first step, everything had fallen apart.
If that wench Chloe hadn't so gleefully scored an own goal alongside her.
Her place in Tail's heart would have been badly shaken.
No, Chloe might have taken it all.
But that wasn't the problem.
She walked over to the table.
On it lay portraits printed with magitech precision.
Cecilia slowly picked up the three portraits.
Each one depicted Enis, Titina, and Alice.
'I still don't know much about Professor Titina...'
But one thing was clear: even she was showering Tail with attention.
Rational or not.
"Damn it."
Every last one was a stunning beauty—irresistibly alluring, even to another woman.
She had suspected as much when Tail arrived.
That he would be this popular.
The moment he had upended her own guarded heart and Chloe's rigidly drawn boundaries.
She hadn't imagined Tail sweating it out in a academy half-filled with women, building bonds only with other men.
But.
'An elf, no less. The adopted daughter of the Prill family—one of the empire's top mage houses, accepted purely on merit—and even a beastkin.'
Was he cherry-picking every type to seduce?
She crumpled the portraits in her fist.
'No, this is too much!'
Cecilia hurled the portraits from her hand.
The papers fluttered through the air before drifting to the floor.
If Chloe were her only rival, she could kick her aside without a second thought.
Losing to a puppet princess who looked polished on the outside but was soft and spineless within would be humiliating.
That's why Cecilia reminded herself every time she saw Chloe at student council meetings.
Watch helplessly as I claim Tail for myself, leaving you dazed and defeated.
Unlike you, a mere puppet, I'll cut the strings and go to him.
I'm different from you, Chloe.
She vowed it, over and over.
But Tail's sudden arrival at the academy had ruined it all.
'Why did he have to show such ridiculous talent in swordsmanship, of all things?'
Cecilia clicked her tongue.
Five years ago, Tail had despised anything physical.
Yet suddenly, he appeared with sword skills and stamina even she had to admit were exceptional.
'If I'd known, I never would have sicced that Chromehel bastard on him.'
She would have chosen a more discreet method.
And she hadn't expected Chromehel to blab that she was behind it.
Cecilia ground her teeth.
Still, it was truly strange.
'Tail's only been at the academy a short time—how does he already have such strength?'
The most logical explanation was that someone powerful had taken him under their wing.
But rumors of a knightly or noble patron would have spread by now.
She had never once heard Tail had a backer.
Which left only one conclusion.
Tail had reached this level through solitary training.
Why had he changed so drastically from the extreme pragmatist who once loathed even moving?
'Perhaps...'
Cecilia's red eyes grew hazy.
It was regrettable that he was tied to Chloe, but maybe Tail had worked hard to find them too?
Her cheeks flushed at the thought.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Perhaps that 'letter' he tried to send held such words.
Cecilia recalled the time a cloaked figure had visited her.
It was a horrific memory.
With her brother's death—the heir apparent—she had to become the family head.
She endured unbearable lessons every day.
Forcing herself through it all to become the head.
One night, exhausted and trembling in bed, someone unknown slipped in quietly.
And handed her 'Tail's letter.'
It was temptation itself.
Like forbidden fruit.
Reading it might have broken her resolve to go claim him.
But perhaps it said something like, 'I'll come for you without fail, so wait for me.'
'If I'd known it would come to this, I should have taken that letter.'
Every night, she pictured him vividly before her eyes.
She was certain, she believed.
Tail could never forget her.
He had promised to come for her someday.
And when she was ready to fetch him, he would welcome her with open arms—she imagined the grown man he would become, night after night, smiling warmly.
'This is just a temporary trial.'
Like a novel's protagonist.
Every story had its rise, climax, turn, and fall.
This was the 'rise.'
Once she emerged from this long, dark tunnel.
Tail would be waiting, arms outstretched, just like always.
She never doubted it.
She pictured Tail beaming brightly before her.
In her imagination, Cecilia hugged him fiercely, crushing her body against his.
As if she would never let go again.
The Tail in her vision smiled radiantly—unlike in her dreams—and gently stroked her hair.
Yes.
This was right.
'I need to devise a plan.'
It was impossible to drive Tail out of the academy now.
He wouldn't leave quietly anyway.
At this point, forcing him out would only make things worse.
So she had to ensure his safety while he stayed.
Especially those vixen women.
Anyone who dared harm Tail would pay dearly.
Her red eyes gleamed sharply.
'I absolutely can't stand seeing Tail dating someone other than me.'
Her eyes glittered coldly.
As always, under the pretext of special training, Tail and Ethan ran with swords strapped to their backs.
Allen watched them impassively, as usual.
If there was one change in this daily routine.
It was Enis, lounging in a corner, sipping tea while watching them—or rather, Tail specifically.
Allen, bothered by her presence, addressed her.
"Got a lot of free time? You're here since morning."
Enis set down her obviously expensive, high-end teacup with a faint clink and replied.
"I'm a genius, so I grasp everything without previewing. And I internalize it without review."
Her eyes remained fixed on Tail.
As if to say, 'I'm focusing on Tail, so could you leave or stop bothering me?'
Allen had no retort to her brazen demand.
He didn't dislike honest people.
In fact, he preferred them, so he backed off without issue.
Still, he glanced at Tail.
'Is that guy's true talent being a kept man, maybe?'
Allen pondered seriously.
The reason was obvious.
Enis wasn't the only noble smitten with the commoner.
Cecilia Duvier, daughter of the continent's top martial house.
'Assuming those childhood feelings lingered, of course.'
Then there was Enis Prill, adopted daughter of the empire's premier mage family.
And that was just the start.
Even Alice, an elf cold to humans.
Right nearby, Titina Larry was eyeing Tail too.
And furthermore.
Not just nobles—the imperial princess Chloe herself was hopelessly enamored.
'What kind of devilish charm is that?'
Capture someone's skirts, and a mere knight like him might never even register.
'That guy who charmed the empress, ousted all the founding merits, and crowned himself consort, king, and founding hero.'
Though he lost his head to the guillotine in a rebellion a week after getting the title.
Still, he had sat at the pinnacle, second to none, if only briefly. Fact.
'But maybe that's not what he wants.'
Allen knew how to teach the sword, not how to woo women.
So he planned to keep steering Tail toward knighthood.
Tail's talent was exceptional, after all.
Pity he was born a commoner.
Commoner knights did exist, of course.
Knighthood bordered nobility, so it was open to commoners.
The issue was the military's obsession with pedigree—worse than anywhere.
If Tail became a knight, his fate would be propaganda hero or suicide squad for risky ops.
For a moment, Allen wondered if teaching him the sword was right.
But he shook it off.
Better a perilous but honorable knight's life than dying as some lord's tenant farmer.
That's how he saw Tail.
'Well, at this point.'
He considered asking Tail for tips on charming women.
Five years ago or now, he was still a lifelong bachelor.
Enis eyed his suddenly crestfallen expression with a curious look.