In the room, several students who appeared to be around Diana’s age, as well as a few others who seemed slightly older, were sitting around her.
‘The older ones… they look too young to be professors. Are they teaching assistants?’
Before I could finish my thoughts, Diana’s voice rang out sharply, commanding attention.
“I don’t accept this!”
Her roar was so forceful that everyone in the room flinched simultaneously.
However, Diana herself remained fuming, glancing at them all with fiery eyes.
“Chelsea has never once lost the top spot in the fashion department over the past two years. She’ll likely maintain that position until graduation! So how is it even possible that I can’t be paired with her? Someone from the fashion department, explain this to me!”
As she shot a fiery gaze at a group of students, most of them averted their eyes, clearly uncomfortable.
One woman, who looked slightly older than the rest, was sweating nervously as she tried to calm Diana down.
“But Diana Lawrence, Chelsea is not culturally compatible with you. On the other hand, Merrysh Wintermild is much more suited to collaborate with you. The graduation preparation committee has thoroughly considered—”
“Oh, really? Since when has Merrysh Wintermild ever been compatible with me? We have nothing in common except our nationality!”
“Well…”
“Stop beating around the bush. What you really mean is that Chelsea, being a refugee from the northern lands, cannot be partnered with me because I’m a noble of the Levant Empire!”
The woman coughed awkwardly, her earlier excuses falling apart under Diana’s sharp words.
Diana let out a disbelieving laugh. “When did this school start discriminating based on background and status? What happened to the ideals of the first chancellor?”
“Diana Lawrence, this isn’t discrimination in education. It’s about ensuring smooth communication between students working on their graduation projects—”
“I’ve heard enough!”
“…”
“If I’m paired with Chelsea, then Merrysh Wintermild would have to partner with another commoner, and you’re trying to avoid complaints from that side, aren’t you?”
Diana slammed her hand down on the desk with a loud thud. After letting out a long sigh, she ran a hand roughly through her hair.
“I’m appalled that the so-called graduation project committee is fostering this kind of discrimination among students. I’ll be submitting a formal complaint to the school about this. Be prepared!”
She spat out her warning, then snatched up the file on the desk, spun around, and headed straight for the door where I was standing.
‘Oh no, she’s going to see me!’
Panicking, I quickly ducked around the corner to hide. Even though we didn’t have a personal connection, Diana was well aware of who I was. After all, as a high-ranking noble and former socialite, there was no way Diana wouldn’t recognize Eloise’s face.
Pressing my back against the wall, I hurriedly reached for my necklace.
‘Good thing I remembered to wear it.’
Ever since arriving in Nomos, I had been wearing the magical necklace Kyle had given me, just in case I needed to conceal my identity.
I quickly focused on changing my appearance, turning the gemstone on the necklace to the right twice. My long, ash-gray hair transformed into a soft, light brown that barely reached my shoulders.
“…This should do.”
I could slip away quietly like this. Just as I sighed in relief, I suddenly heard Diana’s voice.
“Who’s there?”
“Hngh.”
My body froze at the sound of her voice. But only for a moment. Regaining my composure, I slowly turned my head toward her without showing any signs of panic.
“Oh, hello.”
I barely managed to get out a greeting before freezing in place again. Despite having just let out a fierce roar, there was still a faint trace of anger lingering on her soft face.
And yet, her round cheeks, even rounder eyes, and delicate features framed by her cherry blossom-colored hair shone so brightly it was almost blinding. It was as if all the light in the world existed solely for her.
‘Oh my god…’
So this is what it feels like to have your breath taken away.
Seeing my favorite character in real life was beyond mesmerizing.
I stared at her in awe, completely enchanted, and before I realized it, I let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
“Hallelujah… she’s real…”
The moment the words slipped out, I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth.
Luckily, it seemed Diana hadn’t heard me from where she was standing. She looked at me curiously, as if wondering why I was acting so strange, and slowly approached.
“Are you alright? You don’t seem well.”
Don’t come closer, don’t come closer! Your radiance is going to blind me!
However, Diana, unaware of my desperate inner plea, continued approaching with firm steps and a concerned expression, even leaning in to look at me. The closer she got, the more I found myself unable to meet her gaze, turning my head aside instead. My ears felt like they were burning.
“Ah, no, I’m not sick or anything. I just got a little lost…”
“Lost?”
Diana glanced briefly behind her and tilted her head in confusion.
“This area isn’t that complicated. Are you a new student?”
Her face was so kind and soft that it was hard to believe she had been shouting like a lion just moments ago. I quickly shook my head.
“No, I’m not a new student… I was here for a tour today. I was just on my way to the front gate.”
“Ah! I see, you must be a visiting student.”
Diana clapped her hands in realization, then beamed with a wide smile.
“It’s rare to have visitors at this time of year. You must really be interested in our school. Would you like me to show you the way? The front gate isn’t far from here.”
I found myself staring at Diana’s outstretched hand.
‘Oh my god, is my favorite character offering me her hand?’
My heart was racing like crazy. I could bet that if someone measured my pulse right now, it would easily be over 150. The worries I had about her since arriving in the Nomos Empire vanished from my mind, and I found myself smiling with awe.
‘Praise be to body possession! Praise!’
The fact that the character I adored from text was standing right in front of me, breathing and offering me her hand—it was almost too much.
I even felt thankful to Kyle for the magic necklace that allowed me to disguise myself and speak with her. If I had shown up as Eloise, I wouldn’t have dared.
With trembling hands, I cautiously reached out, and Diana gently took hold, leading me across the hallway.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Diana Lawrence. I’m majoring in shoe design at the College of Arts.”
“Ah, I’m Elle.”
“Elle, what a pretty name!”
Even though I had come up with the name on the spot, Diana’s response was so warm and pleasant. In this world, not stating one’s family name usually indicated you were of common birth or lower, but Diana didn’t seem to mind at all. Walking just half a step behind her, I stole glances at her and carefully brought up a topic.
“By the way, shoe design sounds really cool. Are you working on your graduation project?”
“Ah… did you hear that?”
Diana scratched her cheek with an embarrassed smile.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize, my voice is pretty loud after all.”
She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes, at Biblos Academy, for the graduation project, students from the fashion department and the shoe design department are paired up to collaborate on a project. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but since I’m the top student in the shoe design department, I naturally assumed I’d be partnered with the top student from the fashion department. But as you probably heard, the committee wasn’t very cooperative.”
Diana’s expression darkened again.
Sensing her mood, I carefully asked, “Is it because your partner is a commoner?”
Diana furrowed her brows slightly, looking troubled. A sigh escaped her lips.
“Even though this academy is supposed to be all about equality, once you dig deeper, you’ll find discrimination still exists in subtle ways. Of course, people like to pretend it doesn’t, because of the founder’s ideals…”
Diana trailed off, then quickly shrugged again.
“But it’s fine. Chelsea is the best student in the fashion department, no matter what anyone says, and I’m definitely going to work with her on our graduation project.”
She gave me a playful wink.
“The committee seems worried that Merrysh Wintermild will complain. But right is right, no matter what.”
I recognized the name Wintermild. It belonged to a noble family from the Levant Empire that controlled the grain-rich eastern region. Even though we were in the Nomos Empire, they were still influential. And if Diana, someone from the same country, outright rejected them, it could cause problems for her too.
Yet Diana’s unwavering gaze made it clear she wasn’t concerned about such things. Watching her, I found myself mesmerized all over again.
‘Right, this is why I liked Diana so much.’
Diana was the kind of person who would never bend or break when it came to what she believed was right.
She always sought out the correct path and strove to create a positive impact. While the author and readers often saw her as merely a foil to highlight Ian’s greatness, I had always admired her strength and conviction.
“Just keep walking straight, and you’ll see the front gate.”
Diana stopped a short distance from where the gate was just barely in sight, and gently released my hand.
As I stared at our now-separated hands, I looked up and met her clear blue eyes.
“Um, Diana?”
“Yes, El?”
“If you don’t mind… since we met by chance like this, would you like to go out for some fresh air together?”
♧♧♧
Support my translation for more and faster updates 🐳
