Chapter 23
Freya offered no explanation.
She simply pressed her lips together in clear displeasure and pushed the ruined teacup away.
‘Sigh… I need to hold back. It’s no use getting angry and making myself look bad.’
Just as her friends, sensing her mood, quickly changed the subject—
Rustle.
A sudden noise drew the noble girls’ attention toward the garden entrance.
There stood Roshia, her usual neat appearance disheveled.
Though she was normally bright and cheerful, now she looked as if all color had drained from her. Her petite frame seemed to shrink, and tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill.
“Freya…”
Freya’s eyes widened in surprise at Roshia’s uncharacteristic state. The other noble girls were equally taken aback.
“Roshia, what’s wrong?”
As if Freya’s words had broken a dam, tears began streaming down Roshia’s face.
“I’m so upset…”
Her voice trembled as she barely managed to speak.
Moved by her pitiful state, Freya quickly stood and approached, offering a handkerchief.
“Upset? What happened?”
Roshia dabbed at her tears with the handkerchief, her voice still shaking.
“I’m the one who’s supposed to marry Kadin… So why did he fight a commoner over Eila? He even postponed our engagement…”
The moment she finished speaking, Freya’s expression turned icy.
Roshia hung her head, adding weakly,
“I think… Kadin still has feelings for Eila. The way he keeps avoiding me…”
“That’s impossible, Roshia. Kadin is just confused right now.”
Freya’s voice was firm, but beneath it simmered barely restrained fury.
The recent rumors swirling around the academy had already put her on edge.
Whispers that Kadin hadn’t gotten over Eila, that he still held a torch for her…
What bothered Freya most was that the rumors didn’t seem entirely unfounded.
‘I don’t know what he’s thinking, but his attitude last time was suspicious.’
Back then, Kadin had scowled the moment Roshia’s name came up.
Freya couldn’t understand it.
‘Has he forgotten he’s supposed to treat Roshia well? Why is he still hung up on Eila? If Roshia decides to call off the engagement, what then?’
Fortunately, Roshia still seemed fond of Kadin.
But if she changed her mind and broke off the engagement, things would get complicated.
‘What if she steps forward as a candidate for the First Prince’s political marriage instead?’
That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
As much as it galled her, Freya’s status was inferior to Roshia’s as the Blanche Ducal House’s heiress.
If Roshia became a candidate for the First Prince, all of Freya’s carefully laid plans would crumble.
‘That position has been mine for years. I won’t let some upstart take it.’
Fearful of how things might spiral, Freya quickly softened her tone to comfort Roshia.
“Kadin just hasn’t sorted out his feelings yet. He was engaged to Eila for a long time.”
“But…”
Freya shook her head firmly, cutting off Roshia’s doubts.
“It’ll be fine. Trust me. Time will resolve this. But I understand why you’re upset.”
Patting Roshia’s shoulder, Freya glanced at her friends.
They immediately caught her cue and nodded.
Roshia’s outburst had given them the perfect opportunity—one they’d all been waiting for.
They’d long disliked Eila, and now they had a legitimate reason to tear into her.
“If she’s a commoner now, she should know her place. How shameless of her.”
“Right? Flirting with someone else’s fiancé…”
The conversation quickly escalated.
“No wonder Roshia’s upset. A lowly commoner might ruin an alliance marriage.”
“Exactly. And instead of behaving, she’s running around with another commoner.”
Eila would’ve found their words laughable.
She had outright rejected Kadin—there was nothing more she could do.
Everyone here knew that, of course, but they chose to ignore it.
People loved twisting narratives to suit their whims.
They looked down on Eila for being a commoner and wanted to curry favor with Roshia, the new ducal heiress.
And tormenting one commoner to please her was hardly a challenge.
Sensing the shift in mood, Freya smiled in satisfaction.
‘This should put Eila in her place.’
Even if Felix had gained recognition in the swordsmanship department, that was his world—not theirs.
He couldn’t interfere in the magic department’s affairs.
Leaning in, Freya whispered sweetly to Roshia,
“A commoner who oversteps should be punished. I can’t stand you suffering because of her.”
Roshia didn’t disagree.
She simply bowed her head, tears still glistening.
But everyone present understood—it was silent approval.
Eila frowned as she reached into her desk drawer, sensing something ominous.
Her gaze dropped inside.
Sure enough, a dead rat lay there.
Her lips curled wryly. This was one of the classic bullying tactics from the original story.
She turned around.
Several students were watching her reaction.
She understood immediately.
‘So the bullying’s starting?’
In the original, Eila had screamed at the sight of the rat, earning mocking laughter.
“Wow, Eila. Become a commoner and you scream like one too.”
“Guess status really does define a person.”
“This is hilarious. You think someone put it there? It probably crawled in on its own.”
Back then, the original Eila had clutched her head, gasping,
“Why… why are you doing this to me?”
One student had smirked coldly.
“The fact that you don’t know is the problem.”
They weren’t entirely wrong.
In the original, Eila had never understood why the bullying began.
Roshia had tearfully played the victim, painting Eila as jealous and hateful—a complete fabrication.
Eila’s only mistake had been not realizing it sooner.
‘I thought Felix’s rise bought us some time, but I guess that’s over.’
She could easily guess why things had escalated now.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
‘Honestly, Cedric has zero tact.’
She’d already known Roshia saw them talking that day.
But there was no avoiding it. The bullying would’ve happened sooner or later anyway.
