Arrogance

The hand moved away from his shoulder.

Aikefis had already trapped Collins against the chair with a wall slam.

It was a completely dominant stance—pressing down on him with upperhanded authority.

She gave Collins no excuse to suppress her emotions.

Even just making eye contact burned through Collins’ thoughts like fire.

“You said earlier that if I had come to talk to you, you wouldn’t have cared about the title of top student.”

“You also told your sister not to waste her energy on meaningless things.”

Maybe you didn’t realize it, but subconsciously—don’t you think I’m not as good as you?”

“And you look down on your sister, who has average talent.”

“I…”

“Senior, I…”

Aikefis sneered at Collins’ attempt to explain.

“When you look at me, most of what you feel is pity, right?”

“You never saw me as someone on your level.”

“Not even as a friend.”

“What you saw was the powerlessness that comes from my background, and the admiration you feel for my hard work.”

“Then you thought you should do something for me.”

“That’s why you came to help me, isn’t it?”

“Just like someone tossing spare change to a beggar on the street.”

Collins opened his mouth, still unsure of how to respond to Aikefis.

Though her words were harsh, there did seem to be some truth in them.

Maybe… maybe he really was helping her out of pity.

The sneer slowly spread across Aikefis’ face.

“You really are insufferably arrogant.”

“I used to think we could be friends.”

“I really thought you were my friend.”

“But in the end, you’re no different from the others.”

“Just the same—you all see me as someone beneath you.”

“Wait, senior, I didn’t mean…”

Aikefis shook her head.

“You forgot I asked your father for a favor, didn’t you?”

“I can’t stand charity from others.”

“That wasn’t charity.”

Collins tried to explain seriously.

He didn’t know where exactly he went wrong, but he knew one thing: right now, it was better to lower his head and admit defeat.

“It wasn’t charity—you say that, and yet still act like it is.”

“Collins, let me say it again: I am not a beggar.”

“And you are not some rich man above me.”

“If you keep putting yourself in a higher position than me—then let’s not meet again.”

The darkness swallowed Aikefis as she walked away.

Collins sat dazed at the desk.

He didn’t understand his own situation any better.

Nor did he understand how he had ended up offending two girls at once.

After hesitating for a long time, Collins finally stood up.

He silently walked down to the next level of the staircase.

He might not understand a girl’s heart—but he did understand his stomach.

It was getting late.

And he was hungry.

It was time to go home.

Victoria sat in a corner chair, head lowered.

On her knees was a thick stack of documents.

The original color of the papers had been soaked by her tears, slowly seeping into each layer of the paper.

Her crying was soft, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

But in the quiet space, a deep sorrow permeated the air.

Anyone nearby could feel the heartbreak just from the atmosphere.

Footsteps tapped closer.

It wasn’t the first time Victoria had heard that kind of step.

Most people passing by didn’t bother to comfort a girl who did nothing but cry.

They gave her a glance and kept walking.

Some felt sorry for her and approached to ask what was wrong, but seeing that Victoria ignored everything and just kept crying, they gave up without a word.

Until now, no one—neither those who cared nor those who didn’t—had been able to make Victoria lift her head, not even a little.

The footsteps stopped in front of her.

Victoria still didn’t raise her head.

In the unseen corner of her vision, she cried even harder.

This pure girl thought it would be shameful if someone saw her crying face.

So she suppressed her sobs, not daring to look at the person in front of her.

She was shy.

She was a girl who hadn’t even held a man’s hand.

The person cleared their throat.

Their voice, with a trace of elegance, reached her ears.

“If I’m not mistaken, you came to apply for a teaching position at Hawk Academy, right?”

“But you didn’t get accepted.”

“Not even an internship offer, am I right?”

Victoria’s crying intensified.

Though her sobs only grew from mosquito buzz to squeaky mouse.

“As for the reason you were rejected, I’m afraid your alchemical structure wasn’t suitable for teaching students.”

“Your efforts just aren’t aligned with what Hawk Academy looks for.”

How did he know?

Victoria, who had kept her head down the whole time, suddenly looked up in panic.

What she saw first wasn’t his somewhat handsome face…

But the two bright red handprints on it.

In the dark surroundings, those blood-red marks stood out sharply.

“Pfft…”