Elite Argent Academy, a towering institution where heirs to global dynasties gather, glitters with crystal chandeliers and marble halls. It is a gilded cage where reputation is currency and secrets are lethal weapons.
Valentina, a transfer student with striking white hair and pale, translucent eyes, enters for her final year hoping for a quiet new beginning. But her exotic beauty immediately draws the attention of the 'Six Crowns' — six heirs who rule the school as their personal chessboard. To
**White Queen's Gambit** - Blueprint of False Friendship
Morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains.
By the window of Room 208, Valentina stood still for a long moment.
She could see the courtyard fountain scattering silver water into the air. The same view as yesterday. But the atmosphere felt heavier than it had then.
She adjusted the collar of her white blouse and took a deep breath.
(It's fine. Today, I'll do better.)
She murmured it in her heart, to no one in particular.
She traced the pleats of her skirt with her fingers, confirming there were no wrinkles. Her face in the mirror seemed a little paler than usual. She applied just the faintest touch of rouge to her lips, then left the room.
The hallway was quiet.
As she passed the neighboring Room 210—Sarah Valcourt's room—Valentina paused for just a moment. No sound came from beyond the door. Had she already gone to the dining hall?
(Was her talking to me yesterday just a whim?)
She considered it, then immediately shook her head.
(Don't get your hopes up. Everything here is calculated.)
She clenched her fist inside her skirt pocket and descended the stairs.
The dining hall was already bustling with students.
In the vast, high-ceilinged space, about twenty long tables stood in orderly rows. The chandelier light reflected off the silver cutlery, glittering faintly here and there. The smell of toasting bread mingled with the bitter aroma of coffee.
The moment Valentina stood at the entrance, the atmosphere shifted.
First, the murmur died down. Then, faces turned toward her—one after another, after another.
(Again.)
She ignored it and began walking toward the same table as yesterday.
That was when she saw it.
The seat where Sarah had sat yesterday was now occupied by a different girl. A freckled girl with red hair tied in a ponytail. When her eyes met Valentina's, she hurriedly lifted her tray.
" Sorry, this spot's already taken."
With those quiet words, she scurried off to another table.
Valentina stood frozen.
She looked around.
Wherever she approached, students at every table averted their eyes in unison, as if by some unspoken agreement. The scraping of chairs, the hurried footsteps of trays being carried away, hushed whispers exchanged in secret.
"Did you see? That's the one..."
"Seems the Crowns made their decision."
"Better not get close to her."
Fragments of words like these drifted into her ears.
(The Crowns.)
Valentina repeated the word deep in her chest. She had heard it yesterday, too. Those six shadows. The six who had sat at the head of the dining hall.
Someone had marked her as a target.
Someone had ordered: "Do not associate with this transfer student."
(But why?)
She hadn't done anything yet. Hadn't quarreled with anyone. She had simply transferred in.
(Is merely existing a crime at this academy?)
Valentina sat alone at an empty table.
A simple breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. Her silver fork clinked softly. That sound alone echoed unnaturally loud.
She closed her eyes and slowly steadied her breathing.
(I just want to live peacefully.)
Something creaked deep inside her chest.
The morning class was Ancient European History.
The classroom was at the eastern end of the main building's second floor. A bright room with a view of the Mediterranean Sea from the windows. Old maps hung on the walls, and thick textbooks were stacked on the lectern.
When Valentina entered the classroom, the conversations of the already-seated students stopped dead.
Pretending not to notice, she headed for an empty seat by the window.
The male student sitting next to it—a slender boy with close-cropped blond hair—hastily gathered up his belongings.
" Oh, uh, I'm gonna move over here."
He hurried off to the opposite side of the classroom.
The seats around Valentina were left conspicuously empty.
She silently pulled out her chair and sat down. She placed her textbook and notebook on the desk. She felt her fingertips tremble faintly.
(It's just someone changing seats.)
(It's nothing to get worked up over.)
She told herself this. But the sensation of the entire classroom's stares boring into her back didn't easily fade.
Instructor Moretti entered.
A thin man in his mid-forties. His thinning hair was slicked back, and he wore silver-rimmed glasses. His voice was quiet and monotonous. His eyes always seemed to be afraid of something.
"Now then, continuing from last week... regarding the founding of the Principality of Monarch."
He opened his textbook and began his lecture in a flat monotone.
Valentina's pen raced across her notebook.
(1862, House Argento acquires the right to rule the principality. 1887, the first Grand Duke Ferdinand establishes the academy...)
Midway through, Moretti looked up.
"Miss Ríos."
Valentina stopped her pen.
"What was the purpose for which the first Grand Duke established this academy?"
The air in the classroom grew even colder.
Valentina slowly rose to her feet.
" 'A cradle to nurture the leaders of the world'—that is how it was declared, as I recall."
Her voice was calm and composed. Her pronunciation, tinged with a Spanish accent, resonated in the quiet classroom.
Moretti looked momentarily surprised.
"...That is correct."
He immediately dropped his gaze back to the textbook.
There was no reaction from the classroom. No one applauded or nodded in agreement. Just... indifference.
Valentina quietly took her seat.
Strength surged into the fingers gripping her pen.
(This academy is wrong.)
She recalled the previous night. Madame Fortuna's trembling hands. Vice-Principal Rossi's shifty eyes. And those six shadows in the dining hall.
The teachers knew something. But no one would speak.
(This entire academy is controlled by something.)
During the break, Valentina headed for the locker room.
Students loitered in the hallway, but they quickly parted to make way as she approached—as if looking at something filthy.
The locker room was at the end of the corridor.
Rows of metal lockers lined the dimly lit space. A fluorescent light flickered faintly. The damp air mixed with the lingering scent of someone's perfume.
Valentina stood before her locker—Number 208.
In that instant, her breath stopped.
On the door, large letters had been scrawled in red spray paint.
『GO HOME』
A rough, violent hand. The red paint dripped down like blood.
Valentina stood frozen.
Her fingertips went cold. A strange sensation, as if the floor was receding from the soles of her feet.
(You don't belong here.)
(You are not welcome.)
(Get out.)
The words echoed in her head.
Around her, several students were watching. But no one spoke to her. They pretended not to see. Or, with thin smirks, they whispered furtively amongst themselves.
" Bet she won't last three days."
" I heard last week's new student already quit."
Voices like these reached her ears.
Valentina reached out a trembling hand and touched the graffiti. The spray paint was still slightly wet, staining her fingertip red.
(Who would do this?)
(Why me?)
That was when it happened.
Light footsteps approached from behind.
" How awful... who would do such a thing?"
Turning around, she saw Sarah Valcourt standing there, her neat chestnut bob swaying, her large hazel eyes wide open. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were twisted in sadness.
Sarah gently placed her slender fingers on Valentina's shoulder.
" Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Valentina silently shook her head.
Sarah's hand was warm. In her loneliness, that warmth felt terribly comforting.
(She appeared again, at this timing.)
Part of her thought this, while another part thought,
(But she's the only one who's kind to me.)
She felt that too.
" I'll take care of cleaning this up. You go on ahead to the courtyard. Let's talk a little by the fountain."
So saying, Sarah took a handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping away part of the graffiti. The gesture was practiced.
Unable to say anything, Valentina simply nodded.
The courtyard, Giardino Segreto, was wrapped in the tranquility of early afternoon.
The white marble fountain scattered silver water, while the surrounding roses and jasmine wafted a sweet fragrance. Butterflies fluttered between the geometrically trimmed hedges.
As Valentina sat on a white bench by the fountain, Sarah eventually appeared, carrying a tray.
" Sorry to keep you waiting. I brewed some tea."
She sat on the bench and poured steaming tea from a pot into a cup. The scent of Earl Grey gently filled the air.
" Here you go."
" Thank you."
Valentina accepted the cup and took a sip. The hot tea seeped into her chilled body.
Wrapping both hands around her own cup, Sarah lowered her voice.
" Valentina... at this academy, there's a group called the Six Crowns."
Valentina looked up.
"The Six Crowns."
" Yes. Six students who effectively control this academy. The teachers, the administration—none of them can defy them."
Sarah glanced around, confirming no one was nearby, before continuing.
" Sometimes, they pick a target... isolate that student, harass them. It's a game they call 'Placing.'"
"A game?"
Valentina's voice sounded cold, even to her own surprise.
" Yes, it's the worst, isn't it? But no one can stop them. Sixty percent of this academy's operating budget comes from donations from the Crowns' families."
Sarah set down her cup and grasped Valentina's hand. Her hazel eyes gazed directly at her.
" I was almost targeted by them once myself. But I managed to escape. Since then, I've been carefully keeping my distance."
Her hand was warm and slightly damp with sweat.
" Valentina, you're not alone. I, at least, am on your side. I will absolutely never abandon you."
Those words pierced her chest like a blade.
(I, at least, am on your side.)
A heat rose behind Valentina's eyes.
Perhaps she had been waiting for those words all along. Perhaps she had wanted someone to tell her it was okay for her to be here.
She closed her eyes.
Behind her eyelids, her mother's face appeared.
" I... back when I was in Argentina, everything was different."
Before she knew it, the words were spilling out.
"My father ran a large company... but when I was twelve, he suddenly disappeared. I heard later that he got caught up in some international conspiracy."
Sarah listened in silence. Her hand still held Valentina's.
" All our assets were frozen. The house, the car, everything was gone. My mother collapsed from the stress... and a year later, she passed away."
Only the sound of the fountain's water echoed quietly.
" After that, I was shuffled between guardians... I went to a school in Paris, but I was betrayed there by a girl I thought was my best friend. She embezzled my tuition money, and I was expelled."
A single tear traced down her cheek.
Sarah gently wiped it away with her finger.
" It's alright now. I'll protect you here."
Valentina looked up and met Sarah's eyes.
The hazel eyes were filled with kindness and warmth.
(This person is genuine.)
(I can trust this person, at least.)
She wanted to believe that.
" Thank you, Sarah. I'm truly glad you're here."
She wiped her tears and smiled.
" Oh, the tea's all gone. I'll go get a refill."
Sarah stood up and trotted off with the tray.
Watching her retreating figure, Valentina let out a soft sigh.
That was when it happened.
Sarah's bag had been left behind on the bench. The clasp was loose, and the screen of a smartphone inside was faintly glowing.
(She forgot it.)
Valentina casually glanced down at the screen.
In that instant, the blood in her veins froze solid.
A message was displayed on the screen.
Sender: L.A.
『Progress? Hurry up and identify her weaknesses. Lucien.』
Lucien.
L.A.—Lucien Ashford.
(Identify her... weaknesses.)
Valentina's fingertips began to tremble.
Her vision warped and twisted.
(That means...)
(Everything she just said...)
The sound of the fountain's water grew distant.
She looked down at her o
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