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Chapter 01
“…What is this.”
At the low murmur, heavy with countless emotions, her tightly shut eyelids trembled faintly.
Shaa—
It seemed to be raining.
Her entire body, having fallen from above, was soaked through, and the moment she regained consciousness, the dreadful chill that seeped into her bones tormented her.
A thin groan barely slipped past her parted lips.
“Ha…”
Suddenly, her blood-soaked body was lifted from the ground.
She could feel another person’s skin—just as cold and drenched as her own.
The tense body pressed against hers. The increasingly ragged breathing.
“Good. Don’t lose consciousness.”
“Ah…”
Who…?
Her stiff tongue wouldn’t move. Forcing her trembling eyelids open, she caught sight of him through her rain-blurred vision.
“I… O…”
His drenched golden hair clung messily to his face, which was hardened like stone.
She had never seen that expression before.
‘Atio…’
That was Pale’s last memory.
People always said there was retribution.
That bad people would surely be punished.
“Cough—”
God, please tell me.
‘Will they be punished?’
The answer she longed for never came.
As her fading consciousness disappeared completely, only her soulless body remained, growing cold in Atio’s arms.
“Stay with me!”
It’s unfair.
Why did this happen?
Will they truly be punished?
Who will punish them?
The Ronbroke Empire operated two academies.
In the east stood the High Academy, Hice, and in the west the Grand Academy, Orod. Though housed within the same grand complex, each maintained its own dignity and prestige.
Among them, Orod Academy was the Empire’s finest educational institution, having nurtured countless talents.
Of its many faculties, two were the most renowned in the entire nation:
Naidel, the Department of Swordsmanship.
Latyula, the Department of Arts.
“Which one are you applying to? I’m submitting to Naidel.”
“Obviously Latyula for me.”
The two departments of Orod were not places one could enter simply by wishing to. To maintain their high standards, they mercilessly rejected students who lacked skill.
As time passed, their standards only rose higher.
That was why Naidel and Latyula became so famous.
The same applied to the three-year students of Hice Academy. Even for nobles, ability mattered.
“Did you hear about Orod Academy this year?”
“No? What happened?”
Whenever news arose from Orod Academy, it quickly spread here at Hice.
That showed just how much the students of Hice were interested in advancing to Orod.
“They say both Latyula’s Solio and Solia were replaced this year!”
“Really?”
“Personally, I think it’s such a shame. Last year’s Solia barely managed to hold her position for three years.”
“Exactly. If she’d lasted just one more year, she would’ve become a Sol.”
Solio (male), Solia (female): The top representative student of each department who competes in the festival.
Sol: A title given to students who maintain the position of Solio/Solia from admission to graduation.
“I just want to go to Orod Academy and become Solia at least once.”
“You think that’s easy? Even the best students here get dropped in droves by Latyula and Naidel.”
“What kind of person even becomes a Sol?”
As the first-year Hice students chirped like baby birds, someone passed in front of them.
A female student neatly dressed in a sky-blue and white checkered skirt and a crisp white blouse.
The freshmen stood frozen until she disappeared from sight.
“…Someone like that senior just now, probably.”
“Who was she?”
“You don’t know? That’s Ebony Bleang. One of the top-ranking seniors about to graduate.”
“Oh! That was her?!”
One freshman who hadn’t recognized Ebony at first clapped her hands.
Ebony Bleang’s dancing skills were famous enough that nearly every noble had heard of her.
“Then she’ll probably graduate top of the class too.”
“No way. There’s Senior Atio Grandium.”
“Right. You can’t beat the genius of the century.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ebony Bleang was incredible—but she couldn’t compare to Atio Grandium’s fame.
Just thinking of Atio made the freshmen blush.
“Isn’t he unbelievably handsome?”
“Seriously, his face and skills are perfect. I wish I could talk to him just once.”
Golden hair like it held the sun, eyes like the blue sea, sharp features, and a height far above his peers—
Atio Grandium was unforgettable at first glance.
“But there’s one more person who doesn’t fall behind those two at all.”
“Who?”
“From which family?”
A well-informed freshman whispered:
“No surname. She’s a commoner.”
Time seemed to stop.
They froze, eyes wide, blinking in disbelief. No one spoke.
“So a commoner really did get in… Oh my.”
“Why did they even create that useless special admission track to muddy Hice Academy?”
“Most of them get expelled halfway through, but she lasted three years? She must be vicious. Probably jealous of nobles.”
Even though she was a third-year senior, the single fact that she was a commoner earned her nothing but contempt.
To them, the sacred Hice Academy—once exclusive to nobles—was being defiled.
“But how does a commoner dare compete with Seniors Ebony and Atio?”
“Exactly. The problem started when she snuck in like a rat.”
A commoner with insufficient upbringing daring to match nobles who’d been educated since childhood?
It was something the nobles found deeply unpleasant.
“She entered as the runner-up, and I heard she’s incredibly skilled. Apparently she’s close with Senior Ebony.”
“Senior Ebony is amazing. I’d never hang out with her.”
“They say commoners smell. Is that true?”
“They can’t afford to bathe.”
“Maybe she doesn’t even know how.”
Giggling maliciously, the freshmen linked arms and left.
When the blue garden fell silent, someone emerged.
A female student with brilliant silver hair like moonlight on a cold night and clear light-green eyes.
“Do I smell?”
She was Pale—the rumored commoner who’d just been torn apart in gossip.
She grabbed the ends of her silver hair and sniffed, but smelled nothing.
‘It smells nice. Kids these days are scary.’
She looked in the direction the freshmen had gone.
For three years, she had endured relentless bullying from her classmates.
And now even freshmen she had never met spoke of her like this.
Most of what they said wasn’t even true.
“I used to be a noble too.”
“Pale. There you are.”
Someone called her name.
It was Ebony Bleang—the very senior those freshmen admired.
“I’ve been looking everywhere. You weren’t here earlier.”
“I was behind there. You must’ve missed me.”
“I see. Come on. Let’s practice. The graduation exam isn’t far off.”
Smiling, Pale allowed herself to be led by the hand that took hers.
Unaware that the owner of that hand would one day lead her to death.
Ebony Bleang—the first person Pale had trusted at the academy.
As they walked the corridor together, curious gazes clung to them, but they no longer bothered her as much as before.
‘It’s all thanks to Ebony.’
Ebony was amazing.
Beautiful, intelligent, and when she danced, her lush red hair swayed like a blooming rose. Her pale slender limbs captivated all who watched.
There was a reason everyone said that once she entered Orod Academy, she would become Solia.
Atio Grandium.
Ebony Bleang.
Between those fierce rivals, Pale steeled her heart once more.
Unlike them, she had desperation.
And that was powerful motivation.
Her skills and grades soared day by day.
Everything was smooth. Peaceful.
It certainly had been.
“Unfortunately… it’s Stoneum disease.”
Right before the Hice Academy graduation exam, she fell ill.
Pale—who absolutely had to place first.
“No… No. It can’t be.”
She despaired.
Stoneum disease?
Of all illnesses, why that one?
“You’re lying. You have to be. Why now? Why!!”
A disease with no known cause, no cure—one that slowly turned the limbs rigid like stone.
Despair approached Pale without warning.
The illness dragged her down mercilessly.
“No. God, please… please take this illness away from me.”
Everything she had built was there.
How hard she had worked.
Consciousness returned slowly.
“Miss!!!”
At the shout, her heavy eyelids lifted slightly.
Her vision was blurry.
Her eyelashes trembled. Her eyes ached as if they would burst.
“Oh my goodness, she’s awake! Hurry and inform Master and Madam!”
The silence vanished.
Blinding light poured through her barely opened eyes, stabbing like needles.
“Miss! Please focus!”
Her eyes and ears burned.
Every sensation felt like pain.
As she frowned, the murmuring voices grew louder.
Noisy. So noisy.
It hurts. It hurts.
“Lady Rose, the youngest Miss, has opened her eyes!!”
Rose Bleang.
And so, I became a member of the family of those who killed me.
