VRGB 19

Chapter 19

There was murderous intent in his gaze. Just as I wanted to kill him, he clearly wanted to kill me too.

The one to break the standoff and move first was the prince. Turning away, he said,

“Talking to you feels like the most pointless thing I could be doing. I’m leaving.”

He turned his back and began walking briskly out of the forest. I shouted at his retreating figure.

“Go ahead. Go get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need all the energy you can get to waste more time tomorrow, just like always. You’ll need strength to squander it so generously. Don’t even dream tonight—just sleep.”

“You.”

He had already walked quite far but stopped and pointed at me. His eyes were blazing like an eternal fire that would never die.

“Don’t ever spout that kind of nonsense again. If you do, I’ll kill you no matter what it takes. Yes, I’ll even use the prince title you mock so much to do it. Do you want to meet your father early?”

“Your Highness, please don’t go around barking nonsense about me either. I’ll make sure to kill you before you get the chance to act as the second prince. Are you missing your parents that much?”

He approached again, as if he were about to grab me by the collar. He even took a step forward. I clenched my fist, not backing down.

But that was all. Claude Valentine glared at me with bloodshot eyes, then stepped back.

The only sounds left were the rustling of leaves brushing against his body and the sharp snaps of twigs breaking underfoot.

Even then, Valentine’s eyes stayed fixed on me.

Only when his figure disappeared behind a thick tree and even the sound of branches breaking faded away did his presence truly vanish.

“Haa…”

A long sigh escaped me. My entire body lost its strength, and I sank to the ground.

In the far sky, the first light of dawn began to rise.

✦

By the time I returned to the dormitory, curfew had already passed.

“Open the door.”

“L-Lady Estelle? I didn’t see you go out, so how…”

“That doesn’t matter. Just open the door. Now.”

The guards looked me over, startled and suspicious.

But I had summoned Undine to wash away all the dirt and grime from my body and clothes. I looked neat and flawless.

“Are all of Valentin’s employees slow-witted and dull? Or did I just happen to meet the worst of them?”

I stared at them with disdain and fired off a sharp remark.

They knew how badly Madam Haydn had been put in her place after trying to mess with me, so although they looked displeased, they didn’t bother me further and opened the door.

The room was freezing. The fireplace had long gone out, and cold wind blew in through the open window.

“Sigh…”

I sighed and pulled up the rope, closing the window and rekindling the fire in the hearth.

It would take a while for the room to warm up. I lay down on the overly large bed.

Since I had used all the blankets to braid the rope, I just curled up and turned toward the fireplace.

The dancing flames have a way of drawing your gaze.

When I stared into them quietly, it felt like all the worries and thoughts inside me were also burning away like firewood.

“Undine.”

[Did you call me!]

Pop. Undine leapt out of the air.

She looked around the room curiously.

Soon, she began to explore on her own, splashing water droplets everywhere.

[Kalia! W-Water! There’s water here! Water!]

She had entered the bathroom and, after poking around, discovered the warm water. Delighted and excited, she called out to me.

Her joyful singing echoed through the room as she played with the running water.

A small smile escaped me.

It hadn’t been a dream—what happened at dawn. Seeing Undine made it feel real.

I turned over and stared up at the ceiling. It was oddly comforting to know that there was at least one happy being in this room.

✦

“Look, it’s the monster’s daughter.”

“I heard she caused a ruckus at the dorm last night.”

“They say Madam Haydn turned pale. She must’ve cursed her or something. Poor woman…”

“She kicked out her own relative and then showed her face like nothing happened. Shameless.”

Whip!

I turned my head toward the source of the whispers.

“Eek! The demon looked at me! She’s going to curse us!”

“Run away!”

A group of students laughed as they scattered and ran.

I watched them stumble out of the dining hall and turned my attention back to my plate.

I resumed cutting my food. In the now-quiet hall, only the sound of my knife scraping across the plate echoed.

Someone muttered with a nervous voice.

“Terrifying…”

I ignored it and popped a piece of meat into my mouth.

After the chaos of the night, I’d only managed to catch a light nap after sunrise.

Funnily enough, the first thought I had when I opened my eyes was:

‘I’m hungry.’

I’ve never particularly enjoyed eating. But skipping meals was never an option.

So now, not quite morning but close to noon, I’d come down to eat slowly in the dining hall.

As I sat quietly while others whispered about me, I found myself oddly nostalgic about academy food—it was my first proper meal here since returning.

No matter how high-quality the ingredients, communal meals have a unique flavor.

In my previous life, I basically lived off academy food.

Since I hadn’t been able to eat properly at home during breaks, I always rushed back at the start of the semester, pretending I wasn’t starving as I devoured the food.

Despite not eating much, my fork began to move more slowly.

After finishing, I stood up. Those who had been watching me quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.

I returned my dishes and headed for the dining hall door. Just as I reached for the handle, the door opened first.

“Oh, my lady, please—”

It was a man who opened it. His flat chest was at eye level, and when he finally noticed me, he smiled politely and stepped aside.

But the next words never came.

Puzzled, I looked up and realized why.

There, gripping the door handle, was Claude Valentine—his expression like he’d bitten into something rotten.

‘Of all people, why him?’

I bit my lip.

Even someone as disregarded as I couldn’t afford to confront the prince in the middle of the academy.

I forced my mouth open to greet him.

“…Your Highness Prince Valentine.”

“…Lady Estelle.”

He must have had the same thought as me.

With a reluctant tone, he gave a minimal greeting.

He pulled the door open further and stepped aside.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Thank you for your courtesy.”

I nodded and tried to slip out quickly.

“…!”

“Oh, did your hand slip? Did something tire you out last night?”

So childish.

Just as I was passing by, he deliberately let go of the door. I caught it quickly and threw back a sarcastic remark.

‘Good thing I was on guard the whole time.’

The prince looked annoyed but didn’t push it further. Without another word, he brushed past me and entered.

I watched his back for a moment, then let go of the door and resumed walking.

I had no time to waste on a coward like that.

I quickened my steps to adjust my personal schedule.

Technically, this week was still before the official start of the semester. Students were adjusting their preferred course lists.

Classes would begin in earnest starting next week.

As summoned in advance, I headed to the office of the professor in charge of second-year students.

After knocking, I heard a cold voice from inside.

“Come in.”

The well-maintained door opened smoothly without a creak.

The old professor, wearing glass spectacles, was seated at his desk reading documents.

“Lady Estelle. I’ve reviewed your schedule. Everything seems fine.”

As soon as I sat, he spoke without even greeting me, eyes fixed only on my timetable.

“Theology, literature, art, history… all good. But about elemental studies…”

He finally looked up at me.

Behind his wrinkled eyelids, his eyes were a clear blue.

“Elemental magic is a complicated subject. Usually, students receive early education in their families before coming here…”

He paused, swallowing a difficult thought.

“For those who didn’t receive that, or who develop interest later, we offer first-year introductory elemental classes. They cover history, classification, summoning theory, and so on.”

He muttered as he crossed out something on my schedule and scribbled with a quill.

“Since Lady Estelle did not take the basics, you’ll need to take the first-year class instead of the second-year one. I’ll adjust your schedule…”

“There’s no need.”

It was the first time I’d spoken since entering the room.

The professor stopped writing and glared at me.

“What do you mean, ‘no need’?”

“Just what I said. I don’t need to take the introductory class.”

“…Lady Estelle. I think you’re misunderstanding. Spirits are extremely complex and difficult to control. Even those who spend years studying them often fail to summon even one.”

He sighed, clearly tired of dealing with stubborn students.

After adjusting his glasses, he continued.

“Stop being unreasonable…”

Then he saw the smile on my face, and his words trailed off, eyes widening.

I lifted the corners of my mouth fully and said the name I needed to.

“Undine.”

As strength drained from my body, a glistening stream of water sparkled in the air, revealing the form of a mermaid.

[Did you call, contractor?]

“A-A-A spirit…!”

Crash. The cynical professor tried to stand but was so startled he lost balance and fell over backward.

But he didn’t seem to notice any pain. His face was frozen in shock.

“How… a spirit? No one said you could summon one! And that’s—Undine! That’s a mid-tier water spirit! What in the world…”

I got up and walked to his desk. My shadow loomed over the professor still sitting on the floor.

As I raised one arm, Undine gently wrapped her tail around it. Her touch was cool and refreshing.

“Now do you understand what I meant when I said there’s no need?”