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Chapter : 02
Delilah was definitely smiling.
She was smiling so brightly that, even as I was falling, I wondered if I was dreaming.
But then a sharp pain spread through my back, and my vision went dark.
And just like that, I lost consciousness.
My arms and legs were already completely battered, so they didn’t even hurt anymore. I wasn’t sure if it was because they were already covered in bruises.
Somewhere, I thought I heard a ringing sound, like “beeeep”, but everything slowly faded away.
❖ ❖ ❖
The original story had already changed even before I married Damian.
Because I had changed, most things had changed too.
Unlike in the original, I wasn’t a spoiled villainess who was loved while doing whatever she wanted. My family, the Philia family, didn’t want to remain just marquises. We always aimed higher.
That’s why they tried to arrange a political marriage between me and the Maze Grand Ducal House of Damian—a grand duke who was poor and drowning in massive debt.
Of course, since I had read the original story, I didn’t like Damian very much, so I avoided him for years.
But instead, as I kept avoiding him, Damian started to fall in love with me.
His feelings continued even after puberty, all the way until the day we entered the academy.
And just when I had almost forgotten the fear that he might kill me someday, we got engaged. My family pushed for the engagement, but they didn’t completely ignore my wishes either.
Most of all, the problem was that I let my guard down because Delilah hadn’t appeared.
Since I had changed, I thought the heroine’s fate must have changed too.
But I never imagined things would twist like this.
In the original story, Delilah was truly like an angel. She was a genius who steadily did her duty, a strong and admirable woman who didn’t give up even though she was a commoner. At the same time, she was warm to everyone.
But this Delilah… who pushed me.
Could the Delilah from the original really do something like that?
If she pushed me down the stairs…
Didn’t that mean she intended to kill me?
At that moment, I opened my eyes again with a sharp pain. This was already the second time something like this had happened today.
“Ugh…”
“Bri.”
This time, when I opened my eyes, I saw Damian.
Judging by the white sheets and curtains, this seemed to be the academy’s infirmary.
“Damian.”
“Bri… ha…”
Damian brushed his hair back irritably. As his bangs moved, I could see his golden eyebrows furrowed, as if he was holding back anger.
“Are you protesting against me right now?”
“What do you mean?”
His voice was lower than usual, making me doubt my ears. I thought he would be worried, but instead, he sounded more annoyed than concerned.
“I’m asking if you did this because of Delilah.”
“…Damian.”
“If you keep acting this childish, I’ll be disappointed in you.”
His words echoed in my head.
I couldn’t even understand what I had just heard, as if my ears heard it but my mind rejected it.
“Delilah said you threw yourself down the stairs on purpose.”
“…That’s crazy. Something like that already happened to me a week ago. Do you think I’m insane?”
“Maybe you did it because you realized it wasn’t a big deal last time.”
“Damian.”
“Still, you should know your limits. If you break something, it’ll cause me trouble.”
He had left for war a year ago.
Could someone really change this much in just one year?
“I didn’t do it.”
“Don’t lie.”
At that moment, I realized something.
Even if I told him that Delilah pushed me… he wouldn’t believe me.
‘I’ll return alive from this war and become someone worthy of you, Bri.’
Where did that Damian go?
“Do you really think I’m lying?”
He let out a deep sigh and stood up. The chair beside the bed creaked as he moved.
Looking down at me coldly, he said,
“…Yes.”
At his answer, I froze without realizing it.
And without hesitation, he left the room, leaving me behind.
❖ ❖ ❖
In the morning, only my arms and legs hurt. But now, my back hurt too—especially around my shoulder blades. It throbbed badly. Even my hips hurt.
Still, I didn’t want to skip class.
So when it was time for second period, I headed to Class 1.
“As expected, it really was fake illness.”
The moment I entered the classroom, Damian shook his head as he looked at me.
“Ah…”
Delilah was sitting naturally on Damian’s lap.
As a commoner, she originally had no right to attend Wilhelm Academy, which was meant only for imperial family members and high nobles.
But yesterday, when Damian returned to the capital, he personally got permission from the Emperor.
And the academy uniform she was wearing… was mine. It was slightly too big for her, proving it.
While Delilah had an elegant, slender beauty, I had a more curvy figure—like a typical villainess. Which meant I didn’t look delicate standing next to her.
“Just stay seated, Deli.”
“But this is…”
There were no assigned seats.
Instead of sitting near Damian and Delilah, I chose a seat at the very front.
Everyone in the class knew that Damian and I were married. That’s why, seeing him act so close with Delilah, they stayed quiet, reading the atmosphere.
“I think class is about to start… may I sit next to you?”
“What did I tell you to call me?”
Only Damian and Delilah’s voices echoed in the silent classroom.
“Demi.”
“Good. Sit next to me.”
Delilah smiled shyly and sat beside him.
“Damian.”
Behind him, Veron—who had gone to war with him—spoke.
“Your taste has changed.”
“It’s fate.”
“Oh really? I thought you liked flashy types.”
“I like both.”
At Damian’s words, everyone nodded as if they understood.
In truth, it was common for nobles to have mistresses. As long as they fulfilled their duties, it wasn’t unusual.
But openly keeping one by his side like this was rare.
“I didn’t expect it, but Bri is pretty bold. She even tolerates something like this.”
Since Veron wasn’t close to me, he said that to Damian.
“Yeah. My wife is very understanding.”
I didn’t bother responding. It wasn’t worth it.
Inside the academy, ranks didn’t matter. Everyone spoke casually. But once we graduated, we would all return to strict social rules.
That was the idea, at least.
“That’s why I like Bri too.”
Because of that, even when Delilah said something like that, I couldn’t respond. In this academy, we were equals—and in truth, she was someone better than me.
After all, the Emperor himself had personally allowed her admission.
Then—
Slide.
The door opened.
“Ah, I see some familiar faces returning.”
The professor entered.
“Damian, I heard you made a great contribution in the Battle of Luden Bridge.”
“Yes, professor. The one who helped me wipe out the Mervenia army was Delilah.”
The professor walked to the front, looking interested.
“Could you explain in detail?”
Damian smiled proudly and glanced at Delilah before speaking.
“The idea to cross the Luden Bridge first and then destroy it was Delilah’s. So we used an unexpected bait. And the foolish Mervenia army took it.”
“My goodness. That was a very strategic battle.”
“Yes.”
Damian held Delilah’s hand tightly and smiled.
“Everyone, please treat Miss Delilah well. She is a hero of the Crofoss Empire. His Majesty personally permitted her admission.”
All eyes in the classroom turned to Delilah.
“Thank you, professor.”
“No, thank you, Miss Delilah.”
And so, the seemingly warm second period began.
“Today, we will have a group activity. Sit according to the names on the board.”
When I checked the board, I frowned without realizing it.
“Since many students have returned, I prepared a discussion topic. But remember, this is also an administrative welfare class.”
Of all things…
Damian, Delilah, Saturn, and I were in the same group.
We had no choice but to push our desks together.
“Bri, I heard you went to the infirmary because you were hurt.”
Saturn spoke to me, and I looked at him.
His ears turned slightly red as he asked,
“Are you still in pain?”
I always thought Saturn was a bit clueless, but right now, it strangely helped.
“I’m in too much pain—that’s the problem.”
“What happened? Where are you hurt?”
At his question, I looked at Delilah and said,
“Someone pushed me down the stairs.”
