The Villainess's Reversal: Dodging Destruction, Falling into Obsession - The Chain of Misunderstandings and the Shadow of Isolation

The third day of enrollment. Noon break at the Royal Star-Marked Academy. The courtyard was filled with the scent of fresh green leaves. Many students gathered around the fountain. They formed groups, spread out their lunches, and chatted away. To Elicia Fernandes, who had only just arrived, the scene looked like something from another world entirely. She sat in the corner of the courtyard. At the base of a large tree. A place with few passersby, isolated from the surrounding noise. She spread out her lunch and ate in silence. "Elicia!" At that voice, Elicia looked up. Walking toward her was the heroine. A girl with pale blonde hair tied in twin tails. Her features were soft, her eyes a transparent blue. Most of all, her smile was innocent and utterly sincere. "Would you like to eat lunch together?" At those words, Elicia's entire body went rigid. (She came again.) Yesterday, and the day before, she had approached countless times. Tried to become friends countless times. And each time, Elicia had rejected her with all her heart. But the other girl wouldn't give up. That purity was exactly like a game character. And so the heroine kept approaching, again and again. Eventually the two would grow close, Elicia would gain the heroine's trust, and then—she would be destroyed. "No, thank you. I prefer to be alone." Cold. Emotionless as possible. Polite words, but unmistakably a rejection. The heroine's expression twisted sadly for just an instant. But she quickly forced a smile back on. "I see. Perhaps another time, then." She walked away. Her shoulders sagged slightly as she left. (I'm sorry.) Elicia whispered it in her heart. But those were words she could never speak aloud. If she showed sympathy now, their relationship would deepen. And that would lead to destruction. She clenched her cheek and turned her gaze back to her lunch. Then. A small snicker echoed from a distance. "Miss Fernandes, being so cold like that." "Does she look down on the heroine?" "Such a haughty attitude." Whispers from noble children belonging to the Lunar Halo faction. Their voices crept steadily toward Elicia. Multiple gazes. Multiple sneers. (According to plan.) Elicia told herself that in her heart. Isolation was a necessary price for avoiding destruction. Don't grow close to the heroine. Don't catch the prince's eye. Don't earn the Lunar Halo's resentment. Avoiding everything was the only path to survival. But even in that inner voice, a faint hesitation lingered. --- The afternoon magical theory class was a practical lesson in stellar magic. The classroom floor was inscribed with the twelve zodiac constellations. Each constellation's position reproduced their actual arrangement in the night sky. At the center sat a complex crystal apparatus, emitting a pale blue-white light. The faint magical power it released made the entire air tremble. Leeza Violetta entered the classroom. Her dark crimson wavy hair rippled in the light. Her deep violet eyes swept across everyone at once. "Today we practice intermediate star-mark inscription. Each of you, draw the Leo constellation mark in three minutes." Her voice was cold and precise. Elicia took a deep breath. (Don't stand out today.) Yesterday's praise had created today's result. The noble children of the Lunar Halo faction already saw Elicia as "that girl who stands out too much." If she produced excellent results again today, the flames of jealousy would burn even brighter. So today, she would feign failure. Deliberately distort the star mark. Play at incompetence. Elicia began moving her fingers. She gathered magical power from deep within her chest. It flowed down her arm, into her fingertips. She deliberately disrupted that flow. Made it unstable on purpose. The Leo constellation mark floated into the air. But— The star mark that should have been distorted shone in perfect form. (Why?) Elicia was shocked. She had deliberately tried to fail, yet her body had naturally, accurately drawn the star mark anyway. "Miss Fernandes." Leeza's voice rang out. The classroom fell silent. Leeza was looking at Elicia's star mark. Her deep violet eyes moved minutely, as if analyzing the mark itself. "Magnificent. This precision is upper-level work." Public praise. Those words, spoken where the entire classroom could hear. Elicia's heart pounded violently. (I failed.) Every student's gaze turned toward Elicia at once. Among them, obvious jealousy. Especially in the eyes of the Lunar Halo faction's noble children—outright hostility. "Thank you." Elicia offered the minimal courtesy. Her voice calm. No gratitude in her tone. But by that point, the damage was already done. After class ended. As she walked down the corridor, a voice called from behind. "Miss Fernandes." A young lady from the Lunar Halo faction. Chestnut hair elegantly arranged, red eyes. Those eyes were now cold and narrowed. "Flaunting your talent is so unbecoming." Elicia said nothing in response. Arguing would only worsen things. She left silently. But she felt the gazes on her back. Whispers piercing her spine. "She's really awful." "She looked down on the heroine, but she loves standing out herself." "Such a hypocrite." (It can't be helped.) Elicia clenched her fists. Isolation was a necessary price for avoiding destruction. As payment for that, being hated was unavoidable. She gritted her teeth and headed toward the dormitory. --- After classes, she went to the Library Tower. The Library Tower was the academy's oldest building. A spiral staircase continued to the ceiling, surrounded by countless books stacked upon one another. The scent of aged wood. The smell of old paper. Being surrounded by it made her heart feel calm. Elicia headed to the uppermost floor's corner. Almost no one came here. Ancient texts on stellar magic lay sleeping, covered in dust. Information that didn't appear in the game should be hidden here. She needed to gather knowledge she didn't possess to avoid destruction. As she pored over parchment— "To think we'd meet in a place like this." At that voice, Elicia looked up. Standing before her was Claude Verdina. His deep navy wavy hair gleamed blue in the library tower's dim light. Deep indigo eyes. At 182 centimeters tall, he was more than sufficient to look down at Elicia. Below his left collarbone was a faint star-shaped mark. In the game, he was portrayed as a cold prince. But the Claude before her bore no such impression. Rather, he seemed quiet, thoughtful, even delicate in atmosphere. "Your Highness. Is there something you need?" Elicia stood up. She maintained noble courtesy while keeping her distance. "You're very diligent about your studies. You're different from the other students." Claude sat down across from her. His movements were elegant, filled with princely dignity. But something else dwelled in his eyes. Interest. Curiosity. Or perhaps something more. "It's merely coincidence." Elicia answered thus. Alarm bells rang continuously in her mind. (Why is the prince speaking to me?) In the game, the prince's relationship with the heroine was depicted. The prince became obsessed with the heroine, eventually growing jealous of Elicia. So why was he speaking to Elicia now? "I heard you're isolated at the academy." At those words, Elicia's entire body froze. "That is..." "You're strong. You don't follow the crowd. You walk your own path." Claude's words shook Elicia's heart. (What is this prince saying?) This wasn't in the game's scenario. Not this dialogue, not this situation. An unpredictable development. "Why do you concern yourself with me?" The question spilled from her lips before she could stop it. Claude gazed at Elicia with those deep indigo eyes. That gaze was bottomlessly profound, seeming to contain even sadness. "Because you interest me." At those words. Elicia's cheeks grew warm. Her heart pounded fiercely. Something deep in her chest swayed greatly. The emotions she had killed stirred vividly back to life. (Something's wrong. This is—) Love. An undeniable surge of feeling. Claude's words, his gaze, his very presence shook Elicia's heart. "Excuse me." Elicia stood up. She hurriedly gathered her materials. She had to kill her emotions. To avoid destruction, she had to lose everything. Romantic feelings were the most dangerous emotion of all. "Wait." Claude gently grasped her wrist. In that instant, electricity coursed through her entire body. Claude's hand was warm, and that warmth felt strangely pleasant. She wanted to stay there, held by that temperature. "Please let me go." Elicia whispered softly. "I'm sorry. But I can't leave you alone." Claude's words. His gentle voice. Elicia turned her face away. Then she fled the library tower. --- Running through the moonlit corridor, Elicia was frustrated by her own turmoil. (What am I doing?) Killing her emotions was supposed to be her mission. To avoid destruction, she had to kill her feelings and devote herself to solitude. That was her resolve. Yet a single word from Claude had shaken that resolve. When she returned to the dormitory, Elicia curled up in her room, hugging her knees. Outside the window, the moon shone coldly. That light symbolized this world governed by stellar magic. A world ruled by stars. A world ruled by fate. What could she do in such a world? Isolation deepened. Her heart grew weary. And most of all, the unpredictable prince's presence shook everything. (Tomorrow will probably be the same day all over again.) Elicia thought this as she was enveloped by the silent night. But one question alone remained in that silence. (Is this really right?)

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Episode 3

Name: The Villainess's Reversal: Dodging Destruction, Falling into Obsession
Author: Novelia

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