Imperial Magic Academy.
The object of admiration for all citizens of the empire, a gathering place for the elites who will shoulder the nation in the future. In that place where the top 0.1% of talents gather.
“I got my hands on a painting that Yuri discarded during her Magic Arts class! Now! We’re starting the auction! We’ll begin at two hundred thousand Lark!”
“Damn! I’ve never seen such an ugly painting in my life!”
“So Yuri isn’t perfect at everything! That painting must have immense collection value!”
“One million Lark!”
“Five million Lark!!!”
“Hey, hey, hey! Slow down on the bids!”
The auction for a painting fished out of the trash was in full swing.
It was such a pathetic painting that it was impossible to guess what it depicted or what it aimed to express.
However, the fact that it was drawn by Yuri, who excelled at studying, research, sports, and combat, meant that the painting’s value was skyrocketing without limits.
In reality, the only thing Yuri couldn’t do was painting.
In all her other exams, she received either full marks or scores very close to it.
Ironically, Yuri often faced difficulties in the exams for the Magic Arts department, which she was majoring in.
Despite having so many other skills, why did she insist on pursuing a degree in the arts?
What kind of passion for art could she possibly have?
Everyone couldn’t help but be astonished by her determination to pursue her dreams without being tied down by her natural talents.
“Oh my! Here comes Yuri!”
“Hide the painting! Quickly!”
“Auction disbanded! We’ll continue next time!”
At that moment, news came that Yuri had appeared.
The students turned pale and hurriedly began to leave their seats.
The auction hall, which had been neatly arranged, disappeared in an instant.
The students quickly opened their books or sat facing each other, pretending to be focused on their studies.
“Y-Yuri! Nice to see you.”
“Hello, seniors. But everyone looks really awkward.”
“Uh…”
Finally, Yuri revealed herself.
As she noticed the seniors gathered in the courtyard of the dormitory, she felt something was strange but decided not to worry too much about it.
Even as Yuri walked past for a moment, the students couldn’t stop whispering about her.
“Wow, Yuri! You look so amazing today!”
“I heard you proudly got your name as the second author on Professor Howden’s paper about mana wave frequencies?”
“In the mock battle held by the Combat Magic department, you defeated all the major students!”
“Are you telling me you’re at the top in studies, research, and strength?!”
Contrary to people’s initial expectations that the hype would eventually die down, Yuri’s achievements and reputation continued to rise.
At first, there were many who scoffed at her, saying that no matter how impressive she was, she was still just a commoner.
But now, it seemed that everyone had forgotten that Yuri was even a commoner.
Is it true that when a person is too amazing, feelings of inferiority and jealousy don’t even arise?
Before long, all the professors and students at the Imperial Magic Academy had become ardent fans of Yuri.
Now, people were beginning to wonder what kind of monster she would become by the time she graduated.
And Yuri, the object of admiration for all the students at the Imperial Magic Academy, was currently.
‘Mr. Black. He hasn’t replied yet…’
All her attention was focused on just one person.
Hadn’t they said the post office would be closed for three days?
That meant a reply would arrive at least next week.
Of all times to have an important question sent during the closure!
Today, her mind was completely filled with thoughts about when she would get a reply.
In that moment, she felt a bit lost about how to endure it.
“Ah!?”
Then, she spotted a familiar envelope in the dormitory’s mailbox.
Yuri couldn’t help but exclaim with joy. Quickly taking the envelope, she dashed off to her room.
“What, what’s happening!?”
“Whose letter could make her so happy…?”
“I’ve never seen Yuri smile like that before…”
“Could it be a letter from her lover?”
“Ahh! That can’t be happening…!”
The room was in an uproar.
All sorts of rumors began to spread.
Meanwhile, Yuri didn’t care about the commotion outside.
She just beamed as she tore open the letter.
“Did you know to hire a separate delivery person because the post office is closed? You really have good taste. Aslan Vermont, you’re on a different level than that insensitive guy!”
A gentle smile remained on Yuri’s face.
Finally, she uncovered a vintage letter that read, ‘From the Mr. Black to Yuri.’ She placed the undamaged envelope, filled with a moisture absorber, carefully in a storage box.
Then, lying on her bed, she began to read the letter with her feet bouncing in excitement.
– I read your letter well. It seems you’ve been spending time close to Count Vermont lately.
– I laughed a lot because all the points you mentioned about Count Vermont are things I can completely agree with. I think he wouldn’t be able to argue back if I showed it to him.
“Oh, right…”
Suddenly recalling the letter she had sent to Mr. Black, Yuri slapped her forehead.
Come to think of it, she had spent almost a whole page criticizing Aslan Vermont in detail.
At that time, she acted impulsively out of irritation, but looking back now, she regrets it.
“Ugh! Why did I really do that!!!”
Mr. Black wouldn’t want to see her hating someone else like this…
Especially if that person is an acquaintance of Mr. Black.
Thinking about the huge mistake she made, Yuri kicked the blanket in frustration.
– Knowing all these countless factors that even Count Vermont might not be aware of means that you’ve been paying close attention to him. You must have a lot of interest in that person.
“Ahh! No way…!”
Huh!? Do I have feelings for Count Vermont?
That’s not it!
Absolutely not!
Yuri couldn’t help but scream out loud.
The only person I’m interested in is Mr. Black!
I couldn’t care less about a vile man like Aslan Vermont!
I get irritated thinking about him several times a day; he’s just an irrelevant man!
Thinking that Mr. Black might have some strange misunderstanding about me made Yuri feel incredibly frustrated.
– But as I read on, I didn’t really sense any hatred in the letter. When a normal person truly hates someone, they usually dislike them without a big reason.
– It doesn’t seem like it’s my place to decide whether to accept Count Vermont’s goodwill. It seems you already know what decision you should make, Yuri.
After finishing the letter, Yuri felt a surge of mixed emotions.
At first, she thought that Mr. Black was completely misunderstanding her.
But after reading the last paragraph, she reconsidered.
It seemed there was some validity in his words.
She still really, really disliked Aslan Vermont, and that feeling likely wouldn’t change in the future, but…
The more she learned about him, the more the initial hatred faded, leaving behind a strange obsession.
She hated Aslan Vermont. But why did she hate him? Because he was a villain who tormented Charlotte and Julia.
Once she discovered that he was taking good care of Charlotte and Julia, that reason was quickly replaced with another.
When she realized that reason was false, it switched to yet another reason.
In the end, was she just trying to find a reason to hate Aslan Vermont?
As she reached that thought, Yuri felt a tightness in her chest.
‘Aslan Vermont should be a bad person…’
If Aslan Vermont is really a good person.
If he’s not the kind of person I should hate.
Then I would have no choice but to watch as Charlotte and Julia marry that man.
That means I have no justification to stop their engagement…
Just imagining Charlotte and Julia drifting away made Yuri feel a pang in her heart, and she bit her lip.
“…?”
Swoosh.
At that moment, a note was pushed through the gap at the bottom of the door.
Yuri immediately jumped up and picked up the note.
– The following content is confidential. Be sure to burn it after reading.
– There will be an important event at the imperial palace in two days. You are scheduled to be my close guard, so come to the mansion by 7 AM on the day of the event.
“What are you doing telling me this just two days in advance…?”
Yuri’s face flushed with embarrassment.
She let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
An important event at the imperial palace?
And not just any guard duty, but as the Count’s close guard?
And they only tell me this two day in advance?
Moreover, there’s no indication of who sent the note.
Just from the tone, I know it’s definitely Aslan Vermont, but…
How can he be so inconsiderate?
In that moment, another reason to dislike Aslan Vermont was added.
After tearing the letter to shreds, she incinerated it with fire magic.
“If it’s an important event, many nobles will gather. Does that mean Mr. Black will come too…?”
At first, she merely felt displeased.
But the moment the thought crossed her mind that Mr. Black might also be at the event, her heart suddenly started racing rapidly.
Mr. Black was certainly an acquaintance of Aslan Vermont.
According to him, they occasionally talked about business.
But seeing that Aslan Vermont knew a lot about him, it seemed they were either close friends or very familiar with each other.
Then they would surely meet and greet at the event.
It’s certain that Mr. Black would be among the people Aslan Vermont interacts with!
As Yuri reached that conclusion, she felt her heart flutter with excitement.
‘This is a perfect opportunity to find out the Mr. Black’s identity…!’
She clearly remembered the back of Mr. Black.
A tall figure with long legs and an incredibly broad shoulder.
Unlike the lanky and unimposing Aslan Vermont, he exuded charm and masculinity just from his silhouette.
She was sure she could recognize him immediately if they crossed paths.
Of course, there was a promise that she would learn Mr. Black’s identity only after safely graduating.
But that was something he would teach her; there was nothing saying she couldn’t find out on her own, right?
Yuri grinned with a mischievous smile, like a little devil.
Just thinking about the event in two days made her feel like she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
