Episode 10
The boy at the door smiled at Serena. He was just as tall as Luize, with golden hair that caught the light, soft, curved eyes, and a faint dimple on one cheek. His sharp jawline and straight nose contrasted with his gentle expression, making him stand out even more.
“Oh? You…”
He looked genuinely intrigued when he noticed Serena staring like she recognized him.
“You know me?”
“Uh…”
Of course she did. He was the second male lead of this whole story. She hadn’t been sure at first, but one look confirmed it. His face screamed ‘handsome character with all the good traits.’
Wow, yeah… definitely a second male lead. He’s ridiculously good-looking.
Different from Luize, though. Luize was sharp and cold; this guy gave off warm, approachable vibes. Serena kept staring, taking him in.
“Uh…”
He looked a little awkward since she wasn’t saying anything. Serena blinked and forced a smile.
“Sorry. Thought you were someone else. You just look so much like someone I know, I kinda zoned out.”
“Really? Now I’m curious who I supposedly look like. Anyway, I’m Carlisle Roimond.”
Of course Serena knew that name. Carlisle, only son of the Marquis of Roimond, was standing right in front of her. He was in the Knight Division, top of his class there, and—just like Luize—one of the academy’s cheat-level geniuses. He was also ranked second overall in the entire academy, right after Luize.
In other words: another untouchable character.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Serena, right?”
“You know me?”
“Sure. A new member joining White Bell—I should know who you are.”
He smiled brightly, and Serena remembered. Right, Carlisle was also a White Bell member. It would’ve been weird if he wasn’t.
“Sorry if I came off like I knew too much. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Serena had been quiet too long, so he scratched his neck awkwardly. She quickly shook her head, embarrassed. Compared to Luize’s coldness, Carlisle’s warmth made her relax a little. Yep, just like the novel said—he’s kind, he’s considerate, he’s perfect.
“No, it’s fine. I’m just… a little nervous.”
“Nervous? Oh right, today’s your first day.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry. Let’s head in together. Everyone else should already be inside.”
Carlisle gave her another easy smile and pushed the door open before she could stop him.
“Wait—!”
She wasn’t ready yet. But Carlisle didn’t hesitate. The moment the door swung open, every White Bell member inside turned their heads toward them.
“Oh, Carlisle.”
“Carlisle-sunbae, you’re here!”
Several greeted him warmly. Serena lingered at the door, watching how quickly people surrounded him. No wonder—he was famous for his gentle personality. He was clearly well-liked.
“Speaking of today’s new member—oh…”
The students who’d been approaching Carlisle finally noticed Serena behind him. The room fell into an awkward hush. Even before stepping inside, Serena could feel they weren’t thrilled about her joining.
“Uh…”
“What’s with everyone? Oh right—this is Serena, our new member. Luize already told you, right?”
Carlisle, either oblivious or deliberately smoothing over the tension, cheerfully pulled her forward.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me.”
Serena bowed politely. The members gave half-hearted nods in return. From the badge colors on their uniforms, she noticed White Bell had a mix of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years, though most were her grade.
“What are you all just standing there for?”
“Oh—welcome!”
“Good afternoon, President!”
The second Luize walked in, the atmosphere shifted. Unlike with Carlisle, the students’ greetings sounded stiff, almost nervous.
“You’re here, Luize.”
Carlisle smiled at him, but Luize only gave a slight nod before heading to the podium. His eyes flicked toward Serena, still hovering awkwardly at the front.
“You’ve all heard. Serena.”
His chin tilted slightly. A signal for her to introduce herself. Serena caught it and stepped forward.
“…Hello. I’m Serena Cressia. I just joined White Bell. Please take care of me.”
She bowed. A few claps followed—slow, awkward, forced.
“Pathetic…”
The faint mutter reached Serena’s ears. She turned and saw the brown-haired short-haired girl from her interview—Jane—shooting her a glare.
That was definitely aimed at me.
And judging by most of the faces around her, Jane wasn’t alone. Hardly anyone looked happy to have her here.
Well… not surprising.
Serena didn’t shrink back. With her grades, of course they resented her acceptance. Maybe they thought her presence lowered White Bell’s prestige.
But she’d dealt with stares like this all her life. She’d change their minds.
“If it’s alright, may I say one more thing?”
She spoke clearly.
“I know my grades don’t make sense for me to be here.”
She glanced at Luize. He sat on a desk, idly flipping through a textbook, not paying her any mind.
“But since I’m here, I’ll give it my best. I know I’m not convincing now, but I’ll prove myself.”
“How?”
The sharp question came instantly—from Jane again. Serena took a beat, reading the name on her badge. Jane. She tucked it away in memory and tapped her chin like she was thinking.
“…By taking first place in the midterms.”
A confident smile spread across her face as she looked straight at Jane. Jane’s expression screamed Is she insane? but Serena didn’t care.
A clap broke the silence. Carlisle again.
“Impressive, Serena. None of us have aimed that high.”
“Thanks.”
Thank god for Carlisle. Without him, the silence might’ve dragged painfully. He kept clapping until, reluctantly, others joined in. Their faces didn’t soften much, but at least the mood shifted.
“Alright, that’s enough introductions. Who wants to explain our rules to Serena—”
Luize shut his book with a snap.
“I’ll do it!”
Carlisle shot his hand up before Luize could finish.
“…Fine.”
Luize gave a curt nod.
“Carlisle will explain. The rest of you, start studying.”
With that, the members dispersed to their seats, pulling out their books.
“Serena.”
Seeing her still standing stiffly, Carlisle walked over and beckoned.
“Come on, sit by me. I’ll fill you in.”
“Thanks.”
Honestly, Serena was grateful. In this suffocating place, Carlisle was the only one treating her kindly. She never expected to feel thankful toward the second male lead of all people. She followed him—until someone blocked her path.
“Ah!” She almost bumped right into him. “What are you doing?!”
It was Luize. He didn’t move, just stared at her expressionlessly.
“If you’ve got nothing to say, get out of the way. Carlisle’s waiting.”
“No. You’re the one with something to say.”
“Me? To you?”
He nodded, silver hair catching the light.
“I’ve got nothing.”
“Guess I’ll spell it out. Don’t you think you owe me thanks?”
“…Thanks? For what?”
She scoffed.
“For letting you in. You’re only here because I allowed it.”
“Oh, that. Too bad—I don’t feel grateful at all.”
“…Why not?”
She smirked. His usual blank face tightened slightly.
“Because I never asked you to accept me. That was your decision, not mine. Why should I thank you for it?”
“….”
Arms crossed, Serena held her ground. Once she remembered he was the club president, any lingering gratitude disappeared. She didn’t need this place anyway.
“…Hah. Maybe I really was useless.”
“What are you even talking about? I’m going.”
Her bluntness drew a small, bitter laugh from him. She brushed past and finally walked over to Carlisle, feeling lighter than before.
“Done talking with Luize? Good. Let’s get right to it—time’s tight. Here, this is our midterm schedule.”
He handed her a sheet covered with a meticulous timetable.
Wow… brutal.
Not a single wasted minute. Even weekends were packed with study sessions.
“On weekdays we study alone, but on weekends we work in pairs.”
“Pairs?”
“Yeah. Each member is matched with someone whose elective complements theirs, so they can tutor each other.”
“Got it.”
That made sense. In her case, she’d be best paired with someone from the Magic Division.
“You’re in General, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What elective did you pick?”
“Intro to Magic Theory.”
“Seriously? I took that last semester. Did pretty well, too.”
Her eyes widened. Perfect. Everyone else seemed to hate her—she’d been worried about finding a partner.
“Really? Then, Carlisle… can I ask what elective you chose this semester?”
“Political science.”
“Are you kidding? That’s perfect! That’s my best subject!”
Her excitement spilled out. She’d been afraid he’d chosen something useless to her, but this was perfect. She’d even gotten a perfect score on the last quiz.
“No way? That’s great. We were just about to reshuffle partners today. Want to pair with me?”
“Absolutely!”
“Alright, then when the meeting starts, we’ll make it official.”
Serena grinned, nodding eagerly. Why would she say no? He was the academy’s second-best student, and he’d already passed Intro to Magic Theory.
All she had to do now was wait for the meeting to start and announce her partnership with Carlisle. Everything would be smooth sailing.
She didn’t notice the sharp pair of eyes watching her from across the room, as she hummed happily and focused on Carlisle’s explanations.
