"Everyone, please take a seat in your assigned area. The opening ceremony will begin soon. I repeat, please sit down somewhere in your assigned area. The ceremony will begin soon," announced a lady throughout the room.

I gulped.

This was the scene of the exact start of the game.

After today, Lilly will be the protagonist of this world.

We were currently in the massive school auditorium that held thousands of seats and had a giant stage built into the wall farthest away from the exits.

I looked over at the heroine next to me.

Wow.

She really stood out.

Her aura was so different from other people that it would be almost impossible to not see her.

I can understand why she caught all of the male leads' eyes...

"Miss Cordelia...my assigned seat isn't in the same area as yours...so this is where we must part..." she said shyly as she waved her hand goodbye.

I waved my hand back at her and turned around to face the auditorium.

I needed a second to breathe.

OH MY GODS, I JUST MET MY FAVORITE GAME CHARACTER, LILLY, IN REAL LIFE!!

AHHHHH!!!

Does she like me?!

I didn't act too weird, right?!

Was there any cream on my face?!

I hope I looked cool in front of her...!

Wait.

I can't be distracted now...

...I need to find my seat before I get in trouble.

I looked down at my opening ceremony pamphlet and checked each of the zones where students were sorted into.

Apparently, students were sorted based on their relations.

Every student that had a high probability of associating with one another in the future were seated at extremely close proximity.

Which meant...

I looked over my shoulder to see the heroine, Lilly, sit down alone.

Lilly was a commoner...and even though she had magic...she still didn't have any noble blood in her.

Therefore...the calculated likelihood of her talking to any noble at the school was slim to none.

So, her seat was separated far from the other students on the first day of school.

This was the main reason why most students found out that she was a commoner.

Yes...the school system was excessively unfair to Lilly.

But that was how the game was.

I could hear dozens of people whispering and gossiping about the girl sitting alone.

They were giggling and laughing while coming up with ridiculous theories about Lilly's past.

"Maybe that loner's mother and father insulted the school and this is her punishment..." said a high-pitched snickering girl.

"If that's the case, we should stay as far away from her," chuckled a dark-haired cocky-looking guy.

"But what if...she's from a fallen noble family...?" another noble boy said with disgust on his face from looking at Lilly.

"Ew...there's a reason why we don't associate ourselves with poor people..." the high-pitched girl agreed.

"But what if...she's a commoner...?" another noble brought up with a joking smile.

"...Nah..." they all said at once.

"That would be a funny joke if she was a commoner...I heard the common people carry deadly diseases and live in horrible filth. It's absolutely disgusting," a snobbish girl sneered.

Then, they all laughed while pointing their fingers at Lilly, who seemed a little uncomfortable.

She just sat with the best posture she could manage and stared straight at the school auditorium stage while trying to ignore everything they said.

This was wrong.

Even though this was all a part of the game and I knew everything that would happen in the future, it was still awful to witness it.

That's enough.

I walked over to where Lilly was sitting and grabbed her hand.

"May I ask why you are sitting here, Miss Lilly...? Let us join the others quickly and sit in our proper seats together..." I said loudly so that all the gossiping noble children around us could hear.

I made sure to enunciate each word carefully to ensure they would finally shut up.

Quickly, I pulled her up from her seat and gave her a smile.

"Let's get out of this toxic place..." I said to her quietly.

"M-Miss Cordelia...?! You're giving everyone around us the idea that I'm a noble lady when I'm only a lowly commoner...and..." she said before I cut her off.

"It's too late now...Let's go," I said as I began to drag her behind me.

She hesitated before letting go of my hand and beginning to follow me with her own will.

Around us, I could feel the stares of numerous people.

A few of them had wide eyes and bloody noses from, what I assume to be, a bloody-nose disease that was spreading around the school.

"...Who is she...?" person #1 breathed out.

"I...I don't know either..." person #2 gasped.

"Impossible..." person #3 muttered absent-mindedly.

"Isn't this too much...for a student...?" person #2 asked stupidly.

"How is God fair...giving so much to this girl...?" person #1 asked.

Then the room was silent...besides the sound of a few students hitting the floor from fainting.

"I...I know who she is...I think..." person #3 finally said after a while of hesitation.

"Who?!" person #1 and #2 asked loudly.

"...At Duke Cyllia's daughter's debut into society...I met her. Lady Cordelia de Boren Cyllia...Silverbell's secret pearl and future moon of the empire..." person #3 finally announced with certainty.

Then, the whole entire auditorium that held thousands of people went dead silent.

What the heck was happening?!

I didn't know if any of the nobles knew this...but I could hear them from where I was walking.

...To be honest...I had no idea what they were talking about...but...I assumed they were all trying to insult me for helping Lilly out.

"Just ignore them...they're all rude..." I muttered to Lilly who was trailing behind me.

"...U-Um...Miss Cordelia...I think you're getting the wrong ide-" she tried to say before I stopped walking.

"We're going to sit over there, alright?" I confirmed with Lilly as I pointed at the group of male leads and Ace sitting at the very front of the auditorium.

She looked deeply surprised when I pointed at the male leads.

"I know, right?! They're so hot-"

"We're going to sit at the very front, Miss Cordelia? Are you sure that's fine?" she asked with wide eyes as she interrupted me.

"Oh...err...yes...I totally expected you to not be surprised by the group of top-tier guys in front of you...alright..." I muttered awkwardly.

I forgot...Lilly was the only person in the world who could resist the male leads' charms.

"...?" she gave me a questioning look.

"Nevermind...Let's just go sit down, alright?" I said as I tried to drag her with me, but Lilly's feet were planted into the ground.

"We can't, Miss Cordelia! The front row is only for the people with the highest social status in the entire country! Sitting there without the right status or an invitation isn't allowed...!" she said with a slightly raised whisper.

"I'm telling you that it's fine!"

"It's not, Miss Cordelia! Neither of us has an invitation to sit there!" she finally yelled.

"...Excuse me...?" I asked with surprise.

"Miss Cordelia...we shouldn't sit where we don't belong...! Let's just sit in the place where you were assigned to sit, alright? I already feel uncomfortable enough by leaving my area..."

It was then that I started to laugh.

Did Lilly not know what my social status was?

I'm not allowed to sit anywhere but the front!

Obviously, I didn't need an invitation to sit with the male leads.

I mean...I never told her what my status was...and it's not like I go around telling everybody that I'm the future crown princess of Silverbell...so I guess I understand why she wouldn't know.

Also...I absolutely hated attending social events while growing up and spent my time at home or in the palace training with Sir Maddy instead...

...which most likely meant that barely anyone in this room had any idea who I actually was too...

But...as much as it's embarrassing to admit...my social status probably tops everyone's here.

I'm Silverbell's future princess afterall.

"Do you know who I am...Lilly...?" I asked with a huge grin on my face.

"...You're...Miss Cordelia...right...?" she answered in confusion at my question.

"Well...you're not wrong...." I replied with a smile.

"Miss Cordelia...are you alright...?"

"Yeah. I'm fine...Let's go sit down in the front, alright?" I repeated as I continued dragging her to the front.

"No! Miss Cordelia! You'll become an outcast to aristocratic society!" she yelled as she tried to stop me.

But she wasn't able to stop the strength that I had accumulated after years of training with Sir Maddy.

When we got near the male leads, I held my hand up at them to wave hello while Lilly was desperately trying to escape with me.

"Hey, guys! I brought my new friend with me," I said with a huge grin as I pointed to Lilly.

All of the guys stared at me as if I had just brought along an alien.

"...Excuse me...?" Ash asked as he stared at Lilly and then back at me.

"Well...this is Lilly! She's my roommate and-" I tried to say before Lilly cut me off.

"I am very sorry for intruding...My dear friend and I both believed that the front row was available to all students, for which it is now clear that it is not..." Lilly interrupted me.

"W-Wait-" I tried to say before Lilly grabbed my hand.

"Let's go sit somewhere else, alright?" she asked as she was about to drag me away.

"Stop. Don't touch my fiance," Florence suddenly said as he pulled Lilly's hand off of mine.

For some strange reason, it was like Florence was worried Lilly would hurt me or something.

"...Did you say...that Miss Cordelia...is your...fian-" Lilly tried to say.

"Milady, would you care to explain why you brought this young lamb along with you today?" Grey asked with a somewhat scary smile as he interrupted Lilly.

Was it me...or did they all seem...a little off...

They were all backing away from Lilly as if she was a bomb ready to explode at any moment.

"Well...Like I was saying before you all decided to interrupt me, Lilly's my roommate for this school year! I thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to all of you since we'll be seeing each other a lot from now on," I explained.

"You brought...a girl...to us...?" Ash asked with a somewhat irritated look.

"What's wrong with that? Aren't I a girl too?" I asked with a little confusion.

"No...well...yes...you are a girl...but you're different..." Ash groaned as he was trying to explain what he meant.

"Huh?" I questioned.

"...We don't need another girl in our group...we...just...need.......you......." Ash said with an extremely red face.

"Milady, you're special and unique. That is why we all enjoy the time we spend with you..." Grey spoke up after a while.

"But...every other girl so far in our lives...has been..." Florence murmured as he recalled some...traumatizing events.

All of the male leads looked exhausted trying to explain it to me.

Deux and Ace were the only ones who seemed to not care about it too much.

"Look. Long story short...females stalk us...and do weird things to us while we aren't looking...and try to put us in misunderstandable positions with them...and add love potions to our food...and try to kill us when we reject them...and beg us to kiss them when we would rather not...and try to cut off pieces of our hair to keep...and steal our undergarments...and chase us around the school...and cry when we run away...Girls are scary," Ash rambled.

"That's just you, Ash. I don't have to deal with that...but girls always try to become my concubine even though they all already know that I'm loyal and faithful to my cute little fiance...Not only that, a majority of them all want my lovely fiance dead so that they can take her place..." Florence muttered.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I believe we all had unfortunate encounters with young ladies during the past...Maids, especially, enjoyed seducing me in the middle of every night back in the dukedom..." Grey brought up.

Everyone froze and looked at Grey with wide eyes.

"Does that mean...you..." Ash asked with a somewhat shocked expression.

"Of course not, young master. I would never taste the sweet nectar of just any flower that lays itself on my bed after becoming so intrigued by another certain woman," Grey laughed as he stared at me.

Why was he looking at me...?

It was creepy.

"Wait. Then...what about before you met this certain woman..." Ash asked before gulping.

"I've...had my good share of fun in the past. The last time was...perhaps a few decades ago?" Grey questioned while he was deep in thought.

"BUT YOU'RE ONLY 16?!" Ash exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Ah...Forgive me, young master...I forgot how old I was [in this life]..." Grey forced a laugh.

"How did you forget your own age?!" Ash asked loudly.

"It just slipped my mind, young master. I am still untainted by women [in this life] so please don't mind. It was all a joke...a funny joke," Grey said with a dark smile.

No one could say anything at all after that.

I had two things I wanted to say about this conversation.

The first is...I think Grey is lying.

I don't think what he said was just a joke.

I rarely see Grey lose his composure over anything but...right now...Grey wasn't acting like his usual self...

The second is...WHAT DOES THIS KID THINK HE'S DOING?!

WHY DIDN'T BRING UP THE FACT THAT OUR MAIDS WERE DOING SUCH AWFUL STUFF TO HIM EARLIER?!

WE COULD'VE FIRED THEM!

Also...I understand that he's a male lead...but why did the adult maids try to do these things to a minor?!

Is pedophilia a normal thing in this world?!

I've lost count on how many pedophiles I've encountered so far...

Maybe this story should be tagged with "pedophilia" from now on. After all these pedophilic-based chapters...I'm pretty sure this book would rank first in that department...

Whoops.

I accidentally broke the fourth-wall again.

It was an accident.

I swear.

"E-Excuse me...? But...I still don't understand what is happening...Do you respectable nobles know Cordelia...?" Lilly finally spoke up after a while of awkward silence.

"Oh. I forgot that this girl was here," Ash said bluntly as usual.

"Hey! Don't be mean to Lilly!" I scolded him.

Lilly was his possible future wife!

I didn't want him to start off with a bad first impression!

Before I could scold him any farther, the auditorium lights were dimmed, signaling the start of the opening ceremony.

"Ugh...We'll talk about this later. For now...let's just sit through this ceremony without making a ruckus," I groaned as I took a seat.

I made sure that Lilly was sitting on one side of me...

...which meant that there was only one other seat available next to me for someone to sit in.

To decide which guy would be sitting on the other side of me, they all played a game of intense rock-paper-scissors in which they each used their OP senses to predict what the others were going to play.

In the end, the only two left were the boys with the strongest senses out of the five of them.

Deux and Ace.

The two of them also happened to be the ones who cared the least about winning.

But...even if they were the least motivated out of the five...I had never seen such an extreme game of rock-paper-scissors in my life.

Their hands were moving at the speed of light as they both predicted the hand of the other person with lightning-fast calculations.

Finally...after about a few hundred rounds of rock-paper-scissors (which only took about half of a minute to finish)...Ace was victorious.

Deux didn't seem to care that he lost in the slightest and just casually took a seat away from everyone as if he didn't just play a simple game in the most impossible way.

Ace, who was victorious, offered the other boys politely if they wanted to sit next to me instead of him, which only made them angrier over the fact that they lost.

"Look at him. He can't even appreciate the fact that he won. He's probably rubbing it into our faces..." Ash pouted as he slouched in his chair.

"Third...Me...? I placed...third...? I understand losing to Ace...but for me to receive...third...is an insult..." Florence muttered as he looked at his hand.

"Conceited brat," Ash said to Florence.

"Shut up...I'm just not used to losing..." Florence replied with a groan.

"Whatever," Ash sighed.

I could hear everything they were saying from where I was.

Was it such a big deal to be able to sit next to me?!

They were basically fighting over a chair.

Besides, they were playing rock-paper-scissors!

It was [meant to be] a luck-based game!

They shouldn't be sad about losing!

I sighed.

The male leads were stupid.

"Welcome all students to the first day of Greenwood Academy's long-awaited school years!" announced a person standing in the middle of the stage.

Everyone became quiet as we listened to what the person was saying.

"To begin, I must introduce the man who will lead you all in your journey to success...Everybody, please welcome, Principal PomPom!" continued the speaker.

Eventually, the speaker walked off the stage, leaving it empty.

After a while, we saw the small figure of Principal PomPom walk up the stage while carrying a soft pillow made of some sort of fluffy material.

Even though he had such a powerful position in the school and this was meant to be a serious formal event, Principal PomPom was wearing soft pajamas without a care in the world.

"Hello, all new students! I'm Principal PomPom! It's nice to see you all here!" he said loudly without using any vocal amplifiers.

I could tell by the look of most of the students that none of us were really going to pay attention to his speech.

Many of them were already beginning to zone out or fall asleep.

But, suddenly, the room started shaking, which gave me a jolt.

Everyone stared around the building, wondering what was happening, while gigantic vines and flowers of all types grew and decorated the massive auditorium in front of our eyes.

Beautiful.

I had no idea where the vines came from...but whoever made them had created them perfectly.

This was most likely plant magic...

Ash had plant magic himself, but he would have no chance trying to recreate this masterpiece on his own even if he was extremely strong.

The vibe and aura of the entire auditorium changed within a split second from gloomy and serious to magical and enchanting.

"Do you all like the flowers? I thought this room was too boring...so I decided to add something pretty to the room so you all wouldn't get tired," Principal PomPom laughed.

Oh.

Principal PomPom was the one making all of these wildflowers appear!

Wow.

His magic was...very...very...very...strong.

Everyone watched in wonder as the wonderful smell of wildflowers coated them all in their sweet scent.

A few of the plants emmited a faint glow while a few others were as big as a person.

And...the most amazing thing was...no one in the room recieved allergies.

I think...Principal PomPom did something to the plants so that no one in the room would start dying from pollen.

Therefore, everyone was able to marvel at the beautiful flowers equally.

"I hope that one day, everyone here will be able to achieve great magic...to use your magic for good...and to become strong individuals..."

Everyone applauded and cheered at Principal PomPom's words.

After his impressive magic show, everyone suddenly gained the determination to actually study someday...for a second.

"Do you think I'll be able to do that one day?" I quietly asked Ace while staring at the beautiful wildflowers Principal PomPom grew with his magic.

"...Perhaps...if you try...you may be able to accomplish...other...great things with your magic..." Ace smiled awkwardly as he tried not to get my hopes up.

Thanks, Ace.

I appreciate your pity.

"As if, dumb brat. There's no way you'd be able to use your magic like this. If you ever even come close to recreating the principal's magic by the end of the school year...I'll throw away my dignity and call you 'Master Cordelia' for the rest of my life!" Ash sneered.

"...Hmm...that actually sounds like a really good deal..." I muttered with a grin on my face.

"Oh...so are you going to accept it...?" Ash also grinned evily.

"Fine. It's a deal," I agreed.

"But if you can't do it by the end of the school year...you'll have to call me...'M-Master Ash'...alright?" Ash said awkwardly.

"Sure."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"It's a deal," we both said at the same time.

Heh.

This'll be fun.

Imagine having Ash, the biggest jerk tsundere of a brother, calling me 'Master Cordelia' for life!

All I have to do is figure out how to use my copy magic so I can copy Ash's plant magic and train a ton!

I can do this!

"And now...We have a pair of guest speakers that have volunteered to give you all a speech today! Please welcome...a powerful noble couple from Silverbell...Marquis and Marquess Scott!" announced Principal PomPom in a dramatic voice.

Wait...what...?

Did he just say...

On the bright lit-up stage, I could see them moving toward the center to acknowledge the crowd of students before them.

"I'd like to thank Principal PomPom for this opportunity to speak in front of you all," Marquis Scott began to speak.

The entire room respectfully clapped at his first sentence.

No...Why were they here...?

"Just by seeing all of you students happily joined together on the first step of your long journey fills me with so much pleasure and joy..." continued Marquess Scott with her classic nasal voice.

I heard some more polite applauding.

Everyone.

Don't.

Applaud.

Them.

"We are here to tell you...our...tragic story...in hopes of encouraging you all...to work harder to accomplish your dreams..." Marquis Scott boomed.

What tragic story do they even have?!

Everyone in the audience either zoned out or leaned in to pay attention.

"A few years ago...I gave birth to a lovely boy. I named him Mattius after my great-grandfather," Marquess Scott chuckled.

"He was absolutely exceptional in everything he did. He was smart...strong...handsome. I'm sure all the ladies here would have swooned for him...or at least I hope so. He had my face afterall," Marquis Scott joked.

The audience of students laughed at his joke.

No.

No.

No.

The couple was lying.

They were clearly lying!

You could see it by the cruel grin on their faces!

Why didn't anyone else notice?!

"Our son's dream was to become the strongest. Yes...he was a little immature for a noble boy...but that was what made him unique and adorable," Marquess Scott said with a high pitch.

That was a lie.

While their son was still a kid, they tortured him in a basement while genetically modifying him for fun.

He never wished to be strong.

All he needed was to leave them.

Everything...it was all a lie.

"But..." Marquis Scott tried to say as he choked on his fake emotions.

"But before he could even go to school...he died..." Marquess Scott cried fake alligator tears.

"It was all an accident. It never should have happened...We had no idea...and...by the time we recieved word that our son passed away in the capital...we..." Marquis Scott fumbled with his words.

I felt sick to my stomach.

I didn't want to hear them talk anymore.

How...How was it possible for them to say all of these lies without feeling any shame...?!

I looked at Deux who was sitting two seats away from me.

He was staring at his parents' awful display of sadness with sharp eyes.

His hands were shaking, most likely with anger, as his parents continued their awful speech.

I, myself, couldn't bear to listen to them anymore, so I shut close my eyes and covered my ears with my hands.

This was so difficult to watch them cry over their son's 'accidental' death when they were the ones who turned Mattius into a bomb...

Memories of Mattius crying into my arms just a few days before Deux ended his life flashed into my mind.

Half of Mattius is dead.

All that is left of him is...Deux.

"M-Miss...Cordelia...Are you alright...?" Lilly asked with worry on her face as she shook me slightly.

I didn't respond.

I didn't want to open my eyes.

I didn't want to open my ears.

I didn't want anything other than to get that couple off of the stage.

Just...get them away...

"And so...we've decided...with the permission of Principal PomPom, of course...to reside at Greenwood Academy along with all of you students for a year...! Please treat us well," Marquis Scott concluded.

Huh...?

They are...Marquis and Marquess Scott...are...going to stay at Greenwood Academy...for a...year...?

The sound of roaring applause drowned out my thoughts of fear and worry.

And all that was left was a stronger emotion that didn't go away.

This was my chance.

A year.

They would be here for a year.

That was all I needed.

I decided right then and there.

Within a year, I will ruin them.

The feeling of revenge consumed me.

------------------------------------------------

A/N: Marquis and Marquess Scott are now making their grand appearance at Greenwood Academy.

Isn't that great...? Hahaha...

Anyway, I predict that I have around 20-25 chapters or so left to write before this story officially ends.

Maybe.

I don't know how many chapters there will be either, but I'll have fun writing them either way~

Thanks, again, to my readers/voters/commenters! You guys are the best~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 4102