Zeruel’s POV
I woke up.
The sensation of returning to consciousness was... bizarre.
There was a strange heaviness still clinging to my body, but also a strange lightness, like a fog lifting.
It felt weird but unnaturally refreshing. Like my body had been asleep, but my mind was racing before I even opened my eyes.
My muscles were stiff, yet sohow relaxed, as if the bed had swallowed whole for the night. As the haze of sleep wore off, I blinked slowly and sat up, my body groaning slightly in protest.
Eventually, I peeled the blanket off and rose to my feet, dragging myself toward the bathroom like a zombie.
When I flicked on the light and stood before the mirror, I stared blankly at the reflection in front of .
There she was—.
A plain-looking woman in cheap, mismatched underwear, with a crusted trail of dried drool stuck from the corner of her mouth to a lock of tangled hair.
My eyes looked dull and unmotivated. My bangs were flat on one side and sticking up like horns on the other.
I tilted my head and sighed.
One undeniable truth settled into my chest again.
And that I wasn’t attractive. Not by any standard.
Still, out of so vain curiosity, I cupped my breasts in both hands, lifting them and trying to estimate their size.
Were they considered big? Average?
I couldn’t tell.
I pushed them together with my arms, trying to make them look fuller and rounder. The result wasn’t satisfying.
Then, without thinking, I leaned in closer to the mirror, stuck out my tongue playfully, and winked.
A poor attempt at looking cute.
It took a full second before I realized how ridiculous I was being.
Mortified, I slamd my forehead against the cold concrete wall beside the mirror.
A loud crack echoed through the bathroom.
A shallow dent ford on the concrete, dust trickling down... but weirdly enough, my head didn’t hurt at all.
"W-What the hell am I doing...?" I muttered, my cheeks flushing a deep red, the embarrassnt boiling up inside .
Why was I acting like this?
There was sothing off about lately—sothing strange twisting in my gut, making my chest feel tight and uneasy.
I tried to shake the feeling off.
After a long shower and so grooming, I stepped out of the gold dormitory into the morning light.
The breeze was crisp, and the sunlight brushed across my skin like a warm hand. For a mont, I just breathed it in.
And then I heard it.
Voices. High-pitched, animated, whispering—but just loud enough to catch every word I didn’t want to hear.
"It was so loud! I didn’t think the sound would go through the ceiling like that, but you could still hear it slipping out from the room! Oh my gosh! If you were there, you’d be saying it was hot! I an—two people at once! Two! And knowing he’s got more won? He must be doing it all the ti!"
"I can’t believe he managed to pull that off. And he’s clearly experienced. Like, seriously. You hear those moans? Even when I’m having sex with my boyfriend, I don’t sound like that!"
"Right?! He must be really good..."
Three girls, all walking together. Giggling, chattering away.
I stopped and just stared after them, dumbfounded. My brows drew together, and my head tilted slightly as confusion took over.
What in the actual hell were they talking about?
And then it hit —harder than any slap or punch.
Everyone. Around. . Was talking.
More whispers. More chatter. So in hushed voices. So bold. So full of envy, others filled with awe.
They were all talking about soone I knew. Soone whose na had been dragging behind whispers and rumors lately. Soone who had no sha. Soone who was clearly sleeping around with high-status won like it was no big deal.
Leon.
Of course.
And right on cue, I saw him.
He walked through the courtyard with his usual nonchalance, flanked on both sides by two beautiful won—one of whom used to be a man.
They looked proud. Fulfilled. Glowing.
And he... looked like none of it bothered him.
Sothing sharp twisted in my chest. It wasn’t anger. Not jealousy either. It was... a pain I couldn’t na. Deep. Uncomfortable. An ache that gnawed at from the inside.
***
Throughout today’s lesson, I tried to stay focused.
We were learning about the principles of becoming a magic knight—ideals that every candidate had to engrave deep within their soul.
The first fundantal: to protect the structure of the kingdom. That ant safeguarding the monarchy, the noble houses, and the governing core.
The second: to preserve the peace and well-being of the citizens, upholding justice and stability in the land.
Simple concepts—but vital ones. They were the foundation of everything we stood for.
Our instructor for the day was Professor Irene.
It was supposed to be Professor Gabrielle’s class, but she was currently on leave due to her pregnancy.
Everyone was whispering about it, speculating who the father was—because Professor Gabrielle barely interacted with n. Almost never.
But ? I’d seen him. I’d seen that man leaving her office more than once. And considering her connection to the Leonamon Company...
It was clear.
It had to be Leon.
Since then, Professor Irene had been noticeably colder. More irritable. Sothing in her tone had changed.
I glanced out the window and sighed again, my eyes tracing the horizon as the sky shifted gently into shades of afternoon gold.
Leon’s face drifted into my mind once more.
Lately, he’d been showing up more in my thoughts.
And I didn’t know how to deal with that.
A part of told to avoid him. That approaching him would be a mistake. But another part—a quiet, stubborn one—told that not facing these feelings would be worse.
The day wore on, dragging slowly.
By the ti the sun began its descent, casting the world in a soft amber glow, everything around seed to fall into slow motion.
I made my way back toward the gold dormitory. The path was familiar, but today it felt different—like sothing was waiting.
That’s when I saw her.
A figure standing at the entrance, waiting patiently.
The mont our eyes t, her face lit up, and she bounded down the stairs with a burst of energy, her arms flailing slightly as she sprinted toward .
"Sister!!!" she yelled, flinging herself at in a tight hug.
"W-What—?! Don’t do that! You’ll get yourself hurt!" I snapped, startled.
"Hehehe~ Don’t worry! I’ve been learning from you, so I think I’ll be okay!" she bead. "Just one more academic year, and I’ll be here too!" she added proudly, her eyes gleaming.
It was my younger sister.
Selene.
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