Chapter 4
“Not something beneath my rank. Bring me something that matches my status.”
Isabel, who had been dazed for a moment, seemed to realize her lady’s intention and nodded vigorously.
“Yes, my lady! I’ll make sure they prepare a meal worthy of the Cablik family’s name.”
As expected, Isabel was quick to catch on. Once she left to request the meal, a chilly silence instantly fell over the dining hall.
Lia barely managed to stop her gaze from lingering on the ruined food.
‘What a waste…’
Lia had been an ordinary Korean. Someone raised on the mantra “Don’t waste food,” drilled into her ears countless times. To be honest, she had been worse than most when it came to food—her circumstances had never been abundant.
‘And now I’m talking about rank…’
She’d only chosen those words because people who valued status were most effectively struck down in the same way. Still, she couldn’t shake the discomfort.
‘But… did it work?’
Lia glanced sideways at Ernie. The girl, trembling with rage, clenched her fists and kept her eyes glued to the ground. Clearly, it had hit the mark.
‘See? You should only copy the right things. The villainess role here is mine.’
Lia straightened her back and lifted her chin.
Ernie opened her mouth, as if wanting to argue, but in the end she said nothing and stormed out of the cafeteria. The sound of her stomping feet echoed, full of unhidden anger.
Only then did Lia let out a small sigh and turn her head toward Siklaen. The girl sat frozen, mouth slightly open, staring at Lia in disbelief.
Lia gazed at her, pity written on her face, as if Siklaen were a drenched puppy.
“Siklaen.”
Siklaen flinched. Lia wanted to ask if she was okay, but perhaps to her, Lia was no different from Ernie.
‘Considering how much I bullied her before, maybe I’m even worse.’
“…No.”
The guilt weighed on her, and with it came a pang of sadness. Lia was used to being hated, but Siklaen was the one person she desperately wanted to think well of her.
‘Well, it was all inevitable the moment I accepted the villainess role.’
In the end, Lia rose from her seat. The students eating quietly nearby jumped in surprise.
“L-Lia… what about your meal…?”
Even now, Siklaen was hopelessly kind. Shaking in fear, yet still worrying about her friend’s lunch.
Lia sighed softly. She had already acted out of character—she needed to protect her image, at least for now.
“I lost my appetite. After… seeing you.”
She deliberately chose words that the original Lia would have said. But the thought of hurting Siklaen further made her swallow the rest of her sentence under her breath.
Yet it seemed Siklaen had heard even that much. Her shoulders drooped, and she lowered her head. Lia turned away and walked out of the cafeteria.
“Who the hell was that? Ernie Evon? I’ve never even heard of her.”
Beside her, Isabel hurried to keep up with Lia’s brisk steps, fuming.
“From what I’ve learned, the Evon family has risen in prominence because their eldest son distinguished himself in the war. His Majesty the Emperor now trusts them deeply.”
“So that’s why she strutted around like that, huh?”
Lia was heading toward the carriage Isabel had prepared. Though she moved quickly, her mind churned with chaos.
‘Fine, fine, I get the Emperor’s trust and all that. But seriously… who even is she?!’
There was only one reason for Lia’s confusion: in the novel she’d read, there had never been any character named Ernie Evon.
The name, the family, even her appearance—completely unfamiliar.
Of course, she couldn’t be sure her memory was flawless. Maybe Ernie had been some fleeting extra she’d overlooked.
‘But still…’
Ernie had stolen a line that the original Lia was supposed to deliver.
And that was something Lia herself had never been able to do. Even as she played the villainess to protect the original plot, there was one thing she couldn’t bring herself to carry out—
‘Exposing Siklaen’s secret…’
Ernie had tried to do exactly that.
Lia stopped dead in her tracks. Isabel, hurrying right behind her, bumped into her back with a soft thud and quickly stepped away in alarm.
‘What is this uneasy feeling?’
It wasn’t just because Siklaen had been hurt. Lia had the gut sense that something fundamental was going wrong.
Why?
Her chest swirled with unease. She clutched at it tightly, as if to calm the restless beating. It felt like something important was slipping just out of reach.
‘I feel anxious… like things are headed in a dangerous direction…’
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
Just then, someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.
Lia flinched and turned around quickly—only to see none other than Jen.
“Jen?”
Startled, she tried to step back, but her foot tangled and she nearly stumbled. Jen caught her wrist, steadying her.
“Is something the matter? You don’t look well.”
His tone wasn’t particularly worried, nor even genuinely curious. Lia frowned and snapped back harshly.
“That’s none of your business.”
She tried to yank her arm free, but Jen’s grip was unyielding.
“Let go.”
“You might change your mind once you see this.”
With a calm expression, Jen waved a piece of paper right in front of her face.
‘Paper?’
Stamped with the seals of the Royal Academy of Baisen and the Cablik family, it was none other than the withdrawal certificate she herself had signed just hours earlier.
“Why do you have that—”
She tried to snatch it back, but Jen was faster. He lifted his arm high above her reach. Even on tiptoe, Lia couldn’t touch it.
“Not so fast. Planning to run away?”
“What? Run away? What are you talking about?”
“This is your withdrawal form, isn’t it?”
Deliberately, Jen took the paper in both hands and tore it slowly, piece by piece.
“You—!”
He watched her panicked expression with amusement, ripping until the paper was no larger than his palm before scattering the scraps into the wind.
Lia stared blankly at the drifting fragments.
“Well? Ready to talk now?”
Clearly, Jen already knew that Lia had been deliberately avoiding him these past few days.
‘Of course I was. Who in their right mind would sit and listen to that nonsense about choosing me?’
“…I’ll just get another certificate.”
“You won’t. Who do you think I am?”
‘The Crown Prince of this country…’
Lia bit her lip in frustration. With his power, there was nothing he couldn’t do—especially since the Royal Academy itself was under the imperial family.
Her heart tightened with anxiety.
‘What should I do?’
Then suddenly, Ernie’s face flashed in her mind.
‘Wait… do I really need to withdraw?’
She remembered how Ernie had stolen her lines. Maybe Ernie could steer the story back in her place.
Her heart pounded erratically. It was a reckless thought. Just yesterday she’d been determined to leave the school to preserve the original plot—now she was wavering. Lia frowned again.
“Are you sick?”
Jen asked flatly. It didn’t sound like concern, more like a demand for an answer. Lia forced herself to calm her uneasy heart.
She tried to shake off the foolish thought. She had to leave the academy. That was the only way to keep the story on track, and ensure Siklaen’s happiness.
‘I’ll just go back to the Duke of Cablik and request it again.’
Lia nodded to herself. There was no point asking Jen for the certificate—he would never give it back. The best option was to appeal once more to her father. Even as Crown Prince, Jen couldn’t easily overturn something approved by the student, guardian, and principal together.
“Do as you please. I’ll find my own way.”
She snapped coldly and turned to leave.
“You’re trying to run away again.”
Jen’s expression turned icy in an instant. He seized her wrist firmly and strode forward.
“Wait—where are you taking me?”
Dragged helplessly, Lia grimaced. It felt like déjà vu. Jen was relentless, and she couldn’t resist his strength.
“Jen!”
She called his name several times, but he didn’t even glance back. Staring helplessly at his broad back, Lia sighed in resignation.
There was no avoiding him forever. If she wanted the story to stay intact, it wasn’t enough to leave the academy—she also had to return Jen to his rightful place.
‘Maybe… maybe he regrets that foolish choice back then too.’
With that faint hope, Lia let herself be pulled along, thinking perhaps she might persuade him.
But she soon wanted to take it all back.
‘Persuade him? What a joke.’
Jen had dragged her into the Royal Academy garden. Unlike last time, when he’d sought a quiet place, now he seemed determined to make a spectacle.
He sat boldly in the gazebo at the center of the garden—where every student passed by at least once a day. He had even used his authority as Crown Prince to drive away the students already sitting there.
‘In the original story, he was never this domineering. That’s why I could call him by name so casually…’
The more she looked, the more he diverged from the novel. Embarrassed by the stares of the passing students, Lia lowered her head.
Jen broke the silence first.
“Have you thought about what I said before?”
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Of course she did—about him choosing her. But Lia averted her gaze. Jen leaned in closer, as if to block any escape.
“For someone who doesn’t know, you’ve been awfully good at avoiding me.”
His attitude made it seem like she had done something wrong. Lia finally snapped.
“Why are you acting like this toward me all of a sudden? What about Siklaen?”
“…And why would her name come up now?”
Jen’s face hardened instantly. His sudden cold expression made Lia flinch, though she tried to hide it.
“What do you mean why? Who here doesn’t know you like Siklaen?”
Jen let out a sharp laugh.
“Siklaen doesn’t matter. The only one I want… is you.”
