After the bath, as the attendants massaged her hands and feet, they asked her softly, wearing warm smiles.

“……”

Seeing Seldienne’s silent demeanor, the attendants sensed something was off but didn’t pry and continued with their tasks.

Once the daily routine of care following her return from the Academy came to an end, the attendants left her alone in her room, ensuring she was comfortable.

“Please call for us anytime you need, Miss.”

Click—

“Ugh.”

At the sound of the door closing, Seldienne’s shoulders flinched involuntarily.

That sound reminded her of the events that had transpired earlier.

“……”

Now alone, Seldienne sat in her chair, motionless, gazing ahead until the sun set.

In truth, she wasn’t even aware of how time was passing.

Click—

The door opened again, and the butler and maids greeted her politely.

“Dinner is ready, Miss.”

At this, Seldienne slowly rose from her seat and made her way to the dining room.

On the long, exquisite table that could seat about twenty, luxurious yet nutritionally balanced healthy meals awaited her.

Seldienne naturally took her place at the head of the table.

After all, the only meal prepared was just for her.

Her parents, the heads of the Elconja family, were often busy with business activities, mostly dining out.

Thus, it was only natural for Seldienne to have dinner alone since childhood.

She did not possess a weak heart that felt lonely or that craved more love from her parents.

Yet today, oddly, a scene of enjoying a meal with someone else flickered in her mind.

For instance, eating a packed lunch together in the garden with that boy—

Click clack, click clack,

“Uh, Miss…?”

Startled by the butler calling her, Seldienne suddenly focused on the trout steak she was slicing.

“…Ah.”

Her knife scraped across the plate where she had already eaten, leaving empty spaces.

Realizing the ridiculousness of the situation, Seldienne recognized just how dazed she really was.

“Is there… something weighing on your mind, Miss?”

At the butler’s question, Seldienne quietly shook her head.

“I’m fine. Just a bit under the weather. I think I’ll call it a night now.”

“Is that so? Very well.”

The butler nodded respectfully before ushering her back to her room.

Immediately, the female attendants replaced the butler, helping her change from the bathrobe into her nightgown, a negligee.

Though it was still early to sleep, given Seldienne’s condition, they thoughtfully allowed her some personal time in her room.

“I’ve prepared jasmine tea.”

The maids brought warm tea to the tea table set up in her large room.

Pouring tea into a beautifully patterned cup, they bowed to Seldienne and exited the room.

“Well then, have a pleasant night, Miss.”

“…”

Click.

As the door closed once more, Seldienne quietly lifted her teacup and took a sip.

Gulp—

“…Hah.”

Warmth spread throughout her body, and for the first time, Seldienne felt her mind clearing a bit.

However, the first memory that returned to her mind was that of the last moment before parting with the boy.

‘You’re so damn annoying.’

“…!”

As she recalled those words, her hand holding the teacup began to tremble.

‘Just get lost already, I don’t want to see your face.’

“Ah… Ugh…”

Strange sounds escaped her mouth without her realizing it.

But once that memory surfaced, it kept pulling up the next moment relentlessly.

‘What nerve to try and expel me.’

“Hah… Hah…!”

Her heart raced faster, and her breathing grew shallow.

His last words had been nothing short of fierce.

“Huff…!”

His voice was as cold as ice.

“Gah…!”

His expression, filled with genuine disdain for her.

“Huh… Ugh…!”

A pale despair began to bloom on her face as her crimson eyes began to tremble uncontrollably.

The last thing she remembered was the sound of the door slamming shut, signifying the end of their relationship.

Bang!

“Aaaah!”

Crash—!

Without realizing, Seldienne had thrown her teacup against the wall.

Ignoring the cries of the maids rushing into her room, she collapsed on the floor, cradling her head with her hands.

“Ugh… Ugh… Aah!”

“Miss!”

The maids, as if struck by fear, surrounded her, patting her arms and shoulders, but without looking up, Seldienne painfully forced out words.

“Let… me go! Leave me alone…!”

“Yes, yes!”

The maids, beads of cold sweat running down their spines, hurriedly complied with her pleading tone, quickly closing the door behind them.

Left alone in the now quiet room, Seldienne staggered to her luxurious canopied bed.

Thud,

Moving to her headboard on the bed, she knelt down and buried her face into the pillow—

“Aaaaaaah!”

Letting out a piercing scream.

“Aah! Aaaaaah!”

Thud! Thud!

Her fists pounded the bed, releasing her frustration.

“You ruined everything! Aah!”

It was ruined.

It was truly irreparably destroyed.

That was the strongest emotion Seldienne Elconja felt.

“Why… why did I say those things?! Aah!”

Bang, bang, bang,

She kept smashing her head against the pillow as she wept.

Explosive thoughts began to bloom in her mind.

They were all memories associated with one boy.

The commoner, Erto.

All her moments of interaction with him stirred and swirled in the girl’s heart.

“You fool! Idiot! All because of your stupid pride!”

Seldienne reflected upon her actions from today as if staring at a chessboard already checkmated.

That should never have happened.

She shouldn’t have hurled such insults at Erto.

Now it was really too late.

His patience had run out.

The Erto who had once seemed willing to accept her without end was now looking at her, filled with clear resentment and hatred.

‘You’re so damn annoying.’

Every time his eyes remembering that sentiment resurfaced, a scream tore from her gut.

“Aah! Aaaaah!”

Thank goodness her face was buried in the pillow, or else if she’d cried out loud, the maids would have disregarded their orders and rushed back in.

“—Aaaaaah!”

After much wailing, Seldienne traced her thoughts back to the origin of all this chaos.

The commoner, Erto.

Their meeting was the starting point of this heart-wrenching agony.

*

Seldienne Elconja.

The eldest daughter of the Elconja family and a naturally gifted mage, she was the noble lady destined to succeed the head of the family as a matter of course.

From a young age, she realized the world was a place where she could mold it into what she wanted.

Simply being born great meant that no particular effort was needed for others to support her.

No matter where she went, what she did, or what words she spoke,

No one dared to contest her—ever.

To rebel against her was to rebel against the Elconja family.

She had never witnessed any foolish individual daring to commit such an act in her life.

Thus, Seldienne Elconja’s worldview became established, feeling the weight of the gap inherent in noble life, a wall too high for lesser beings to breach.

However, at some point, she began to feel a void in her heart.

No, it wasn’t something that appeared suddenly.

It was an empty place she had never once filled from the very beginning.

With the passage of time, this hollow feeling began to feel like a gaping hole.

Seldienne Elconja pondered.

What was causing this emptiness in her heart?

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t find anything in her life that could fill that void.

It was strange.

The world was supposed to flow according to her desires.

As long as she was backed by the prestige of the Elconja family, there shouldn’t be anything she couldn’t achieve.

That question only grew, eventually becoming her greatest worry.

Maybe that emptiness was a place meant to be filled by the results of her efforts, so she trained her innate magical talents vigorously without letting them go to waste.

Though she possessed noble blood by birth, she successfully garnered recognition by achieving outcomes beyond that.

Yet, the admiration of those around her didn’t fill her heart’s void.

No,

This wasn’t it.

Seldienne Elconja constantly changed her life’s direction to quench her thirst.

She tried to topple those above her and oppress the lesser beings.

Conversely, she also attempted to offer kindness to them.

However, none of those paths led to the outcomes she desired.

The thirst only grew, burning her throat like wildfire.

As a prominent member of the noble Elconja family, she believed her life was like a perfectly laid out banquet.

Yet, as time passed, the thought solidified in her mind that the very dish she craved the most was missing.

Where could that fantastical dish possibly be?

Holding onto such burning questions and longings, Seldienne Elconja reached the age to enroll in the Academy.

The Academy, a new stage, was still, for Seldienne Elconja, brimming with familiar faces she could easily assert dominance over.

No matter which place she went, it merely represented a miniature garden reflecting the larger world.

In there too, feelings of disappointment filled her heart, knowing she wouldn’t find what she was searching for.

Then one day,

She spotted a commoner male student daring to step foot into the garden she ruled over.

A boy who appeared to be utterly ordinary, neither remarkable as a boy nor as a mage.

His presence sullied her noble space, provoking tremendous ire.

So she rushed over, scolding him for daring to even step into such a place.

Nothing irritated her more than someone beneath her rank being oblivious to their position.

Yet, the words that escaped the boy’s mouth were,

“So what? Who cares?”

—

Huh?

At that moment, Seldienne Elconja felt her lips twitch involuntarily.

A droplet fell into her heart’s void,

Creating substantial ripples.