Chatper 3: Change Of Heart

2:30.

The time was clearly printed on the watch shining on my wrist.

Maybe because I got a ride from Ellis, who wasn’t in the plan, I got back to the academy much earlier than I thought.

“I have a schedule. See you later.”

Ellis, who had just been with me, had already disappeared, saying she had an additional schedule.

“……Should I go in?”

The only option left for me now seemed to be to return to the lecture room where class was in full swing.

If that was the case, I should have just walked here from the beginning.

It hurts my heart to go back to the lecture room now.

Someone might have said that it was the duty of an academy student to just go to the lecture room and attend class, even now.

Well.

Is that really true?

Will I be able to say that even after realizing how ‘Rian Trice’ was treated at the academy?

I felt like the future was already being drawn in my head.

The future when I could go to the lecture room and start attending class, even now.

It’s late.

Lian Trice.

It seemed like I hadn’t seen him for a while, but here we go again?

The professor’s cold words that I heard as soon as I entered the classroom and apologized would be the start.

Him again?

I thought it was quiet these days, just like the professor said…

A loser is a loser.

The second thing that came out was the conversation of other students, who were talking loudly enough for me to hear in a quiet classroom.

And, the last…

The pathetic, fierce gaze of the person who is currently the most annoying to me.

Hmm.

It’s really terrifying just to imagine.

Honestly, I didn’t know if I could endure the first and second times.

I had gotten used to it to some extent during the year of being a loser…

And I had already heard it so many times that it didn’t really hit me.

But the last one.

However, the third time was hard for me to get used to, no matter how many times I experienced it.

There was something indescribable in those eyes.

Those eyes that made the person standing in front of me feel infinitely shabby, and made me feel guilty even if I had done nothing wrong.

I didn’t know why.

I couldn’t figure out why I felt this way every time I was hit by someone so beautiful.

Was it because I still had feelings for Lian in the original?

Or was it because he was my favorite character in the novel Sword of the Academy?

I thought about this reason several times, but I still hadn’t found the answer.

“……I guess I should go to the library.”

That’s why I turned around on my way to the classroom and headed to the library like a coward.

“Hello.”

“Welcome.”

As soon as I entered the library, the librarian’s voice, who seemed to have belatedly realized my identity, greeted me.

I tried to greet the student who visited the library as I always did, but the voice stopped after realizing who it was.

This was also familiar.

I should have experienced it once or twice.

Rather, this was considered a minor offense.

It’s not like I was blatantly ignoring him or saying anything.

If he had blatantly told me to leave the library right away, I might have been a little shocked.

But I’m still an Academy student.

No matter how much I have the image of a loser, I can still come to the library as a student.

Hmm.

Yes, that’s right.

After achieving a mental victory like this, I naturally moved my feet to the place I always went to when I visited the library.

“……History of the Empire, Economy of the Empire.”

When I usually visited the library, the books I read or borrowed were books that were good for accumulating knowledge here.

Since I accepted the fact that I was possessed by a web novel, I decided to think of my life here as my second life.

I thought about both the present and the future and tried hard.

Efforts to break away from the image that Lian had created in the original.

Efforts to prepare for my future life after completely shedding the image of a loser.

The reason I started studying the setting of this novel more at the library was the latter.

Even if I had read the original and been possessed, I didn’t know all the settings and background of the novel that the author had created.

It would be difficult to live here with only the knowledge I knew.

After I had a firm grasp of reality like this, I tried to break away from the image of a loser.

“… Should I read a different book today?”

Of course, thinking about it now, it was all meaningless.

What good would studying more do?

What good would it do to try harder to change my image?

People’s perceptions are harder to change than the mountains and rivers, and even if they did, I wouldn’t be in this world by then.

Wouldn’t it be better to read one more interesting book?

Wouldn’t it be better to read one more of the books I liked, even now?

That thought suddenly occurred to me.

Just as that thought was about to lead me to another bookshelf,

“Are you looking for a book somewhere else today?”

“…”

“You, who always read books related to the empire, would turn away from that bookshelf. How strange.”

“…..Meet Princess Layla.”

One of the heroines of this novel, the crown princess of the empire, was looking at me with her sapphire-colored jewel eyes shining.

In fact, I was a little surprised.

It is true that I often met Crown Princess Laila at the library, but I didn’t think we were close enough to have a conversation.

Upon hearing my formal greeting, Laila shook her head slightly and said, “There’s no need to be formal. It’s just you and me here.”

“How could I not be formal to the crown princess?”

“Really? When I first saw you, you spoke to me informally.”

Rian Trice, you crazy bastard.

You even treated Laila like that?

I wanted to express my admiration for Rian’s bragging skills right away, but now was not the time for that.

“I was foolish back then.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize. It was my first time experiencing this, so it was very interesting.”

“…… I apologize once again.”

I bowed my head to Layla once more and cursed the original Lian in my head once more.

This crazy guy is really.

How crazy must he be to do something so crazy that the crown princess is interested?

Fortunately, Layla’s eyes sparkled and she laughed heartily, as if my sincere apology had worked.

“Yes, well. If you think so now.”

“I appreciate your generosity, Princess.”

“Then let’s get back to the original story. May I ask why you didn’t choose the book here today?”

“…. Are you curious about what book I choose?”

“Whenever I met you in the library, the book you were holding was always the one here. It looks like you skipped class today, so I was curious about what kind of change in your mind you had.”

Layla already knew that I skipped class.

Why are there so many people at the Academy who know me so well?

Even if Ellis is usually well-informed.

How on earth does she know?

I briefly considered just blurting it out, but since they already knew that I skipped class, I didn’t think there was any need to lie.

“……It’s because I lost interest in studying.”

“I lost interest in studying. I don’t know about anything else, but that’s not something that should come out of an Academy student’s mouth.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“If you say you won’t deny it, you know that I might ask you more questions, right?”

“How could I dare stop the Princess from asking you questions?”

Those weren’t pleasant words to hear.

The other party was the crown princess who would later become the emperor of the empire, and I was merely the son of a count family.

Even from my position within the Academy, there was no answer.

The other party was the first princess of the empire to enter the Academy.

I was a troublemaker at the Academy who treated my junior, my classmate, my senior, and even the professors as a problem child.

This was an undeniable fact, and the princess, whose eyes were still shining in front of me, also knew it.

“I really find you fascinating.”

“…”

“I’ve definitely heard rumors that Lian Trice is a loser who can’t be reformed, and when I first saw you, I thought you were the one who proved the rumors.”

“……Is that so?”

“I’m really curious as to why you suddenly stopped acting like a loser, and why you suddenly lost interest in studying today. At least I don’t have a bad taste in harassing people who are in a state of confusion.”

“…”

“I’ll leave you alone today. People need time to get their minds in order. I’ll tell the professor about your attendance today and take care of it.”

“……Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”

“Well, I’ll see you next time. It’s almost time for club activities, so I should go to the student affairs office too.”

“See you next time.”

With that, Layla walked away from me without any regrets, her shiny golden hair fluttering.

“…”

Until the announcement rang out that regular classes were over and club activities were starting, I just stared at the spot where Layla had disappeared.