Page 146

Inside the women’s dormitory, Seron was brimming with excitement.

Hannon—no, more precisely, a date with Vikamon.

She had been waiting so long for this moment ever since they made their promise.

‘My fortune is great today!’

Checking her daily fortune, it declared today to be the luckiest day.

Seron had always been plagued by misfortune.

But today, luck was on her side, and she couldn’t contain her excitement.

Her heart pounded, and her face kept flushing with anticipation.

‘Phew, I never thought I'd be like this.’

Her gaze landed on the mirror.

She had asked the dormitory’s head maid for help with her makeup, and now her reflection shone in the glass.

Her hair, tied up with soft curls, was dyed a beautiful shade of red.

A hint of blush dusted her cheeks, her eyeliner was slightly lighter than her natural hair color, and her lips were a deep crimson.

Anyone who knew the usual Seron would be stunned by how breathtaking she looked.

And unlike her usual style, her forehead was partly covered by her bangs.

She wore a scarlet blouse and a black skirt—an outfit she had chosen specifically for this occasion.

It carried a touch of mature elegance, something she didn’t usually exude.

Seron, feeling slightly unfamiliar with her new look, lightly tapped her bangs with her fingers.

Then, staring into the mirror, she smiled brightly.

‘I can seduce anyone like this.’

But she only needed to captivate one person.

Everyone else didn’t matter.

Hannon Irey—the man who was actually Vikamon Niflheim.

Seron only wanted to capture his heart.

Placing a hand over her chest, she took a deep breath in and out before smiling at her reflection once more.

Vikamon didn’t understand love.

And it was her mission to teach him.

"He’s going to fall for me so hard, he’ll never be able to escape!"

Everything was ready.

Even the light scent of floral perfume on her skin felt perfect.

With confidence, Seron stepped out of the dormitory.

Everyone who saw her could tell she was headed for a date, and the gazes of other girls followed her.

But she didn’t care.

Today, I am the most beautiful!

She radiated that confidence.

"Have you been waiting?"

As Seron stepped outside the women’s dorm, her expression instantly froze.

Because standing next to the man she loved was a familiar face.

A woman with a mysterious aura, even without a touch of makeup.

Her deep blue hair shimmered with a faint starlight, as if it needed no maintenance to remain breathtaking.

Her eyes sparkled like a galaxy.

Even as a fellow woman, Seron couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

This girl had something Seron didn’t—an inexplicable allure.

Her naturally drooping eyes, when paired with a faint smile, were enough to make anyone melt.

And yet, despite her beauty, she remained utterly indifferent to everyone.

She was like a cat—one that exuded effortless elegance.

If Iris was a noble, long-haired feline raised in luxury,

this girl was a fox, basking freely under the warm sun.

Sharin Sazaris.

She was glued to Hannon’s side.

On the day of Seron’s date!

"...What are you doing?"

Seron’s excitement plummeted.

Her eyes locked onto Hannon, silently demanding an explanation.

"Seron, this is..."

"Why are you with another girl on our date?"

Seron liked him.

Whether it was Vikamon’s past self, who had shown her love for the first time,

or Hannon’s current self, who made her fall in love all over again—she adored him.

But she wasn’t the only one who saw his charm.

At first, people weren’t sure about him.

But soon, his magnetism drew countless admirers to his side.

It was frustrating, but she couldn’t deny that the man she loved was incredibly attractive.

That just meant one thing—she had to win.

Seron refused to lose.

But still, seeing another girl clinging to him filled her with unbearable jealousy.

"I’m coming tooo."

Sharin spoke in her usual slow drawl.

But her sharp gaze was fixed squarely on Seron.

Sharin was usually indifferent to others.

But when it came to Hannon, she was different.

Seron had been keeping an eye on Sharin for a while now.

At some point, she had gone from indifferent to deeply in love with Hannon.

A rival.

Sharin was her competitor in love.

And there was one area where Sharin had the upper hand.

She was his fiancée.

Even if their engagement had been arranged to protect Hannon’s life, an engagement was still an engagement.

It had been publicly announced by the kingdom.

Even so, Seron wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

She boldly stepped closer to Sharin.

Though both of them were on the shorter side, Seron was the smaller of the two.

She had to tilt her head up to meet Sharin’s eyes.

"I said it’s a date. A date. Do you not understand what that means?"

A date was something between two people who had feelings for each other.

Two people.

Seron emphasized that point.

But Sharin wasn’t about to back down either.

She took a step closer to Seron, looking down at her.

Her ample figure momentarily distracted Seron’s gaze.

This is a cheap trick that only works on men!

Seron felt her temper rising.

"A husband going on a date with another woman—why would I let that happen?"

"Who said he’s your husband?! You’re just engaged!"

"An engagement is a promise of marriageee."

That was the one thing Seron couldn’t refute.

She turned sharply to Hannon.

"Prince Annoying! Get engaged to me too!"

"...You’re asking for a double engagement?"

"I don’t care! Just do it!"

Seron was relentless.

Sharin, however, playfully stuck out her tongue and wrapped her arms around Hannon’s once more.

"Tooo bad~ I did it first."

The smug look on Sharin’s face made Seron’s blood boil.

She’s not human.

She’s a fox!

And foxes were meant to be hunted.

"Fight me."

Seron clenched her fists and raised them.

"We’re settling this today."

Sharin didn’t hesitate.

Sharin reached into the inside of her academy robe without hesitation.

Then, she pulled out her staff.

"Hmph, just what I wanted."

The situation was on the verge of an all-out fight.

Seeing this, Hannon raised his hand and pressed down on both of their heads.

"Enough. Stop it."

No matter what, he couldn’t just stand by and watch them fight for real.

"Tsk."

At Hannon’s intervention, Seron pouted her lips.

"Sharin, today is the day I was supposed to go on a date with Seron."

With that, Hannon made the situation clear.

Hearing this, the pout on Seron’s lips slowly disappeared.

Just the fact that Hannon was taking her side made her feel better again.

She never expected that a single man could make her emotions swing this much.

But if it felt good, then it felt good.

"Besides, you're not usually this stubborn. What's going on?"

As he said, Sharin wasn’t the type to insist on something so strongly.

When Hannon pointed that out, Sharin glanced at him.

Then, after letting out a short sigh, she spoke.

"The Remnant of the Ancient Dragon."

Sharin gave a more reasonable explanation than expected.

"It’s time for the regular check-up."

The Remnant of the Ancient Dragon that was engraved on Hannon.

It held great potential for danger.

Sharin's words, saying she had come to check on it, made Hannon tilt his head.

Since she monitored it regularly, it wasn’t an urgent matter.

"And."

As expected, there was something else.

Sharin looked at Hannon with a sullen expression, then abruptly turned around.

"I'm not telling you."

She seemed upset about something, but she wouldn’t say what it was.

Without another word, Sharin turned and walked away.

Watching her retreating figure in silence, Hannon pressed the back of his neck for a moment.

Then, letting out a sigh, he turned to Seron.

"Seron, we’re late. Let’s go."

"Mm, hmm, well, okay."

Seron felt a little better.

As Hannon walked ahead, Seron followed beside him.

They rode a reserved carriage and left the academy outskirts.

Soon, a shopping district near the academy came into view.

Seron’s face subtly changed, becoming a little more bashful.

The realization that she was really on a date with Hannon started sinking in.

Now that they were here, she suddenly felt embarrassed.

Seron kept fiddling with the slightly wrinkled hem of her skirt.

Hannon gazed outside, following the sunlight streaming in through the carriage window.

Seron glanced at his profile.

Before, she had never paid much attention to his face.

But now, maybe because she liked him, everything about him looked handsome.

At this rate, no matter how Hannon looked, she would probably still like him.

'This is bad. Really bad.'

Seron shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

In the meantime, the carriage came to a stop on the street.

"We’re here. Let’s get off."

Hannon was the first to open the door and step out.

Then, naturally, he extended his hand toward Seron.

Seron stared at him for a moment.

"Where did you even learn this kind of thing?"

"It's just common courtesy for the person who gets off first."

For someone who seemed completely uninterested in women, he sure had a habit of doing things that made hearts flutter.

Sometimes, Seron wondered if he was actually very experienced with women.

There was something about his actions that suggested familiarity.

'Well.'

Seron had done her research on Vikamon.

As a result, she learned that he had always been famous for his looks.

Even if he lacked any outstanding talents, his face alone was exceptional.

Vikamon had the rugged, masculine features of a wild man.

Because of that, he had become the first love of many girls.

For someone like him, it was probably natural to be familiar with women.

That thought dampened her mood a little, but it was fine.

Right now, she was the one standing next to him.

Seron took Hannon’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.

‘Today, I’m the main character!’

With that thought, Seron straightened her back proudly.

"Junior."

A voice she had heard somewhere before reached Seron’s ears.

Before she could react, Hannon’s head had already turned toward the voice instead of her.

His eyes widened in surprise.

Seron, taken aback by his strong reaction, slowly turned her head.

Her own eyes widened as well.

Standing there was a woman with dark brown hair, draped in a robe.

But Seron recognized the face beneath the hood.

And that face made her heart sink.

She had looked into Vikamon’s past.

She knew who he once loved.

She also suspected that his return to the academy might have something to do with her.

Nikita Cynthia.

The former vice president of Zerion Academy.

The woman who was rumored to have died in the demon dungeon.

And yet, here she was, standing right before them.

Today was supposed to be Seron’s lucky day.