Chapter 166

The next day.

It’s midterm week already. Sorry about ruining Victoria’s weekend-off plans.

Let’s just say the bad guy is Merryweather.

Classroom.

Today, unlike usual, both me and Victoria sat far apart from each other. And Merryweather? She sat right next to me.

Her overly cheerful demeanor is kinda laughable.

It’s fun watching someone who has no clue what’s going on. Though I always need to stay vigilant so I don’t end up being the one mocked.

It’s easy to be wary of someone smarter than you but tough when they’re dumber.

By the way, last night—

Victoria realized there was something off about Merryweather’s existence.

From the first day she met her, it felt like they were already close friends, which was weird. Nobody seemed particularly interested in her either.

She even mumbled that she still feels an unnatural level of closeness towards her now.

Though, banging her head against the wall over this is worrying.

Sure, breaking out of some weird hypnosis by hitting your head is common, but should a girl really be slamming her head into walls like that…?

Anyway, outwardly, my relationship with Victoria seems completely ruined.

I eat lunch after morning classes, then attend afternoon classes, and once they’re done, I head straight back to the dorms. This cycle repeated for several days.

Since nothing’s changed with me, Merryweather seems a bit frustrated, like things aren’t going as planned.

Should I play along and consult her about my strained relationship with Victoria?

But sticking to my principles, I can’t consult about something that doesn’t exist. I might partially tell the truth or simply not answer, but lying isn’t an option.

So, I decided to do nothing. Let’s see how Merryweather reacts. I’m looking forward to when she gets impatient and approaches me.

By then, we’ll know what Merryweather—and by extension, the Royal Family—wants.

On another note, something interesting happened to Victoria.

Polaris Baluin Barrington, a viscountess, called Victoria aside. Surprisingly, Merryweather doesn’t seem too concerned with Victoria herself.

We’ve already thoroughly investigated the Harvesting System in this country.

Not ethical human experiments guaranteeing rights, but ones completely ignoring them. Since no further bio-experiments have been conducted since, they probably think they’ve learned enough.

Back to the story: After class ended, Polaris took Victoria somewhere. To the east side, stretching long from the main gate when viewed from the academy entrance.

This time, Polaris led Victoria into the park inside the Royal Academy.

***

“Is this our first proper one-on-one chat?”

“Yeah. Polaris. Trying to break trees again?”

At Victoria’s joke, Polaris giggled.

‘She actually calls me by a nickname despite us only talking once before.’

Polaris thought this while observing the spirited girl standing right in front of her.

Victoria Bet.

A complete commoner, originally living a modest life, whose family lacked history or wealth, making her technically ineligible for the Royal Academy. She didn’t get in through any special arts programs either, like music or painting.

In short, she got in because of personal achievements, which impressed Polaris, someone who appreciates talent.

And those achievements are impressive.

She helped many people during a city disaster where magic power couldn’t be used.

Strength and character—both check.

Polaris already has quite the fondness for Victoria.

Of course, Polaris wasn’t overestimating her. After all, just these qualities weren’t enough to warrant transferring her into the prestigious Royal Academy.

The academy had high standards, incredibly strict.

Polaris saw Victoria barely meeting the cut. So, there must be another reason.

‘That must mean the thing always near her is the key.’

Polaris recalled the small girl who was always glued to Victoria’s side.

Bell.

While Victoria has porcelain-like skin with a rosy glow, making her appear beautiful, Bell has an unnaturally pale complexion that gives off an eerie vibe.

Not just her appearance but her movements feel unsettling, like watching something pretending to be human. Combined with her ghostly white skin, it’s not just uncomfortable—it’s downright scary.

Because of this, when rumors spread about new transfers, none of the snobbish students dared to mess with Bell, fearing her ominous presence.

And Victoria’s situation is deeply tied to Bell’s mysterious backstory. As Polaris speculated this, she opened her mouth.

“This time, no tree-breaking. Tori, no beating around the bush—I’ll ask directly. That woman, Merryweather Alquet. You know something’s off about her, right?”

Polaris, imagining how tedious formalities would’ve been if Victoria were a noble, asked bluntly.

“Yeah. She suddenly appeared but felt strangely familiar from the start, like chatting with Mom. Things I wouldn’t normally share just slipped out.”

Polaris carefully chose her words, worried Victoria might break down.

“Is your falling-out with Bell because of her?”

Victoria hesitated, unsure how much to reveal.

‘Is this person on Merryweather’s side…? Nah, Polaris wouldn’t be. If she were, she wouldn’t have reached out to us before. Otherwise, I must’ve misjudged her.’

Deciding it was fine, Victoria began recounting the events from the weekend to Polaris.

As she listened, Polaris felt rising irritation and anger toward Merryweather but suppressed it, focusing intently on Victoria’s story from start to finish.

“Bitch.”

After hearing everything, Polaris summed it up in one word.

“Can I curse her like that?”

“Do nobles not swear? Pfft, they just layer fancy etiquette over dirty words to sound superior. We’re all humans at the end of the day.”

Polaris rested her chin on her hand, pondering, then looked up at the sky.

‘I can’t explain this clearly with words. There’s someone who could explain this specifically, but honestly, I don’t even want to see their face… Still, consulting an expert makes sense. For now, I’ll organize my thoughts.’

Polaris walked toward Victoria.

“Tori, what do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do?”

“Do you want to reconcile with Bell, or report that woman, Merryweather?”

Pure intentions, nothing but goodwill.

Victoria sensed this in Polaris’s tone and smiled softly.

“What, why are you laughing?”

“You’re such a good person, Polaris. And there’s no need to reconcile with Bell.”

“Huh? But according to your story, Merryweather ruined your relationship, right?”

Victoria firmly refused, causing Polaris to assume she was upset and try to change her mind.

“I’ve never had a bad relationship with Bell.”

“Eh? But you’ve been sitting separately for days, not talking? Everyone noticed the rift. Or is pride getting in the way?”

Victoria remembered the day suspicion turned into distrust—the incident where a thief’s hand was severed by Merryweather. It seemed openly hostile toward her, but it was consistently aimed at Bell.

So, Victoria quietly asked Bell if she knew anything and if she needed help.

But Bell replied that she did know and that help wasn’t necessary. If so, she believed things would naturally return to normal once it was over.

“That’s the thing—Bell’s super easy to understand.”

“That’s just you.”

“No, seriously. Once you get close, you’ll see, Polaris. She just acts a little mom-like sometimes, which can be annoying.”

Surprisingly, Polaris blinked at this unexpected description.

Bell acting like a mom?

She looks more like a lifeless doll, devoid of personality.

All Polaris ever saw was Bell being dragged around by Victoria, reinforcing the impression that she wasn’t fully human. Thus, Victoria’s statement was hard to grasp.

Seeing Polaris’s puzzled expression, Victoria smirked knowingly and continued.

“Bell may seem thoughtless, but she’s not dumb. She probably pushed me away because she doesn’t need me right now. But…”

“But?”

Victoria gave Polaris a wry smile.

“It’s only been three months since I met her, and I already miss her after just a week apart.”

Polaris adjusted her opinion of Bell internally.

If this kid thinks so highly of her, she can’t be bad.

But if she *is* bad and deceiving this child, then she must be some devilishly clever demon.

‘I don’t want to stand by and watch a good kid suffer.’

Watching Victoria blush awkwardly after saying something embarrassing, Polaris chuckled.

“So, wanna hang out with me for a while? You don’t have any friends, right?”

Casually suggesting they hang out since Victoria no longer had anyone to spend time with, Polaris hadn’t given it much thought.

‘Kyaa!’

But it hit Victoria right in the chest. She’d already been teased by her mom and Bell about not having friends, so this comment stung deeply.

Still, Victoria was made of strong stuff.

Honestly, she was more like a protagonist in a horror game who starts by getting dragged into creepy situations and ends up wiping out entire evil organizations. “Strong” doesn’t cut it—she was more like a nuclear explosion of badassery.

“Polaris, please take care of me.”

“Why are you being so formal? Did I say something weird? Tori, you really don’t have friends, right? Why are you glaring like that!”

Panicking, Polaris rushed toward Victoria, who waved her off, insisting she was fine.

‘Well, Polaris talks about dead bodies like they’re toys.’

Swallowing this complaint with difficulty, Victoria forced a smile despite feeling wounded inside.

Today.

Victoria gained a new friend.

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