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Chapter 11
But eventually, the other nobles would accept Rosia as well.
The title of a daughter of House Blanche was not something that could be easily ignored.
The students gathered around Rosia only dispersed when Freya stepped forward.
“Everyone, don’t overwhelm her all at once. Rosia might feel pressured.”
The noisy classroom immediately quieted down.
Wearing a friendly smile, Freya approached Rosia.
Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she had been openly hostile toward Ayla just moments ago.
“Hello, Rosia. This is our first time meeting, right?”
“Ah, are you Freya?”
“You know who I am?”
“Mhm. Father told me to become friends with you.”
A bright smile appeared on Freya’s face.
She immediately linked arms with Rosia.
“Well, that works out perfectly, Rosia. My parents told me the same thing. They said I should become friends with someone as talented in magic as you and learn from you.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Freya.”
“Oh my, but your smile is really adorable.”
Rosia blushed slightly and lowered her head shyly.
Then she discreetly glanced at Ayla.
The moment their eyes met, Rosia’s eyes curved into a crescent-shaped smile.
Ayla thought to herself:
She’s smiling like that for my benefit, isn’t she?
If she had been the original Ayla, unaware of everything, that smile would have wounded her deeply.
My family. My friends.
The person who had taken everything from her was standing there wearing the smile of a victor.
Who wouldn’t feel angry?
Yet instead of feeling offended, Ayla smiled back at her.
No matter what anyone says, I’m still proudly a daughter of House Blanche.
Rosia disliked that reaction.
When someone deliberately tries to provoke another person, seeing no reaction at all is often more infuriating than any retaliation.
Ayla thought quietly:
In the original story, I tried my hardest to win over both Freya and Rosia.
As a commoner, she had done everything she could to adapt to life at the Academy.
She had even humbled herself before Freya, who used to be her friend.
But no matter what I did, Freya kept tormenting me.
Officially, it was because Ayla had supposedly stolen Rosia’s childhood as the true daughter of House Blanche.
But that wasn’t the real reason.
Deep down, Freya simply enjoyed bullying Ayla.
Back when Ayla was the noble daughter of House Blanche, Freya had always been the one forced to watch her carefully and mind her status.
Now their positions had reversed.
Well, is that really surprising? People don’t need grand reasons to bully someone. Sometimes it’s simply because that’s the kind of person they are.
As Rosia adapted to Academy life and became closer to Freya, the two of them would eventually begin openly harassing Ayla.
But Ayla wasn’t afraid at all.
She already knew from the original story exactly who she needed to make allies of and how she should act.
Shrugging casually, Ayla calmly began preparing for class.
Seeing her completely indifferent reaction, Rosia’s expression gradually stiffened.
Class proceeded far more peacefully than Ayla had expected.
With her outstanding talent, Rosia proved that she was indeed the daughter worthy of House Blanche.
The students looked at her with shining eyes.
Normally, by this point everyone would have begun openly looking down on Ayla.
However, perhaps because of the argument earlier, they only treated her as if she didn’t exist rather than mocking her to her face.
As a result, Ayla reached lunchtime feeling much more comfortable.
The moment the long bell rang, she stood up from her seat.
She planned to take care of something important before anyone could pay attention to her.
I need to meet him.
If she wanted to graduate from the Academy safely, Ayla needed powerful backing of her own.
The enemy of my enemy is my greatest ally.
With a nervous expression, Ayla headed toward the infirmary.
There was someone there she absolutely needed to recruit.
Felix—the Academy’s officially ostracized student because of his extraordinary swordsmanship talent.
Ayla carefully entered the infirmary.
As expected from an Academy with outrageously expensive tuition fees, even the infirmary was luxuriously furnished.
Then she heard someone groaning from inside.
“Ugh…”
Ayla slowly turned her gaze.
Beyond a semi-transparent curtain, she caught sight of a boy with brilliant silver hair.
The moment she saw him, admiration escaped her lips.
His messy hair and round glasses covering half his face were the very definition of the nerdy-boy cliché.
He was Felix—the lost son of Duke Agenta.
Felix belonged to the Department of Swordsmanship and was one year younger than Ayla.
There’s no way a glasses-wearing nerd like that is just an extra. Once he takes those glasses off, he’s definitely ridiculously handsome.
At this point in the story, Felix was being severely bullied at the Academy.
Like Ayla, Felix suffered from Mana Insensitivity Syndrome and was unable to sense mana.
Since mastering mana was considered essential for becoming a proper knight, the professor who had accepted Felix solely based on his exceptional talent was deeply disappointed in him.
But even in that situation, Felix never bowed to the nobles.
In basic physical training and swordsmanship matches that did not involve mana, Felix overwhelmingly surpassed them.
His stubborn personality and refusal to flatter anyone only made the bullying worse.
“How dare a commoner who can’t even sense mana score higher than us?”
“Even so, he’s still just a commoner.”
“With such lowly status and that condition, he’ll never become a proper knight anyway. Why worry about him?”
Ayla knew the truth.
While they said those things openly, they were secretly afraid of Felix’s talent.
Because they knew that if he ever awakened mana, he would easily surpass all of them.
And just as they feared, Felix would eventually overcome Mana Insensitivity Syndrome in the future.
Thanks to the research journal discovered after my death.
In the original story, Ayla worked tirelessly to overcome the condition herself.
Though she couldn’t sense mana, her intellect was exceptional.
After years of effort, she finally discovered a method capable of curing Mana Insensitivity Syndrome.
But she never got the chance to use it.
The medicinal herb required for the treatment was extremely rare.
Only after her death was it revealed that the herb actually grew within the territory of House Agenta.
That was why Ayla wanted to make a deal with Felix.
She would help him reclaim what should have belonged to him much sooner.
In return, she would gain his support.
As she slowly approached him, Felix sensed the unfamiliar presence and opened his eyes.
His pale green eyes were filled with caution as he breathed heavily.
“Ayla Blanche?”
Ayla sighed.
Even Felix knows who I am. Well, I suppose everyone does.
The pitiful girl who had fallen from nobility to commoner status.
There was probably no one in the Academy uninterested in such sensational news.
Ayla extended her hand toward him.
“My name is just Ayla now. The Blanche family abandoned me.”
Felix merely stared at her outstretched hand with sharp, wary eyes.
Soon, he asked in a suspicious tone:
“What exactly are you trying to pull?”
“Nothing complicated.”
Ayla smiled sweetly before continuing.
“Have you ever considered entering a contract relationship with me?”
The caution on Felix’s face immediately deepened.
As soon as the morning classes ended, Kadin headed toward the Academy gardens.
He sat absentmindedly on a bench, staring at the entrance to the garden where the lush greenery was gradually fading.
As though he were waiting for someone.
By now, Ayla must have realized just how difficult it is to attend the Academy as a commoner.
