CHAPTER 168……………………………………………….
Honestly, I didn’t really mean it when I congratulated her.
I didn’t care whether the two of them ended up together, and I didn’t like that Gabriel thought highly of Ayla.
“Thank you, Grand Princess! Ah, and…”
Ayla, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly fell silent.
It was as if someone had poured cold water over a candle—her eyebrows drooped immediately, and she glanced around nervously.
Why is she so cautious around me?
Riona suddenly felt like she had become the villain.
“I, uh… I brought up the rumors earlier, so it must have made you uncomfortable…? I know it’s late, but I want to apologize.”
“Wasn’t it you who said there were no bad rumors?”
“…I’m sorry. I lied. Ah, but back then, I really only meant the good rumors when I brought it up!”
So she wasn’t completely oblivious after all.
To think she would be that careful just because of a single rumor about Riona having a crush on Cassius.
She was so desperate to avoid any misunderstandings that someone might think Ayla liked Riona herself.
By the time Ayla transferred, Cassius had long since stopped being interested in Riona anyway.
Riona turned her head, uninterested.
“No matter what you heard, it’s all nonsense. The only truth in the rumors you heard is that I beat up students.”
“I knew it! I thought the rumors were wrong! Someone as wonderful as the Grand Princess would never be mean… Huh?”
Ayla’s bright smile faltered, and she flinched. Her nervous gaze kept darting between Riona’s face and her fists.
She hadn’t expected that part to be true.
Ignoring the cautious Ayla, Riona sighed as she watched the scenery passing quickly outside the window.
‘I wasted a whole day getting tired over nothing because of her.’
Not only had she failed to ask Gabriel the questions she wanted, but Ayla was also far more exhausting than she had imagined.
Next week, she wanted to speak with Gabriel alone—but how could she get rid of this girl?
“…Um, may I ask how you beat them?”
“…Huh?”
Riona looked at Ayla, wondering if her hearing had suddenly gotten worse now that she had become human. Ayla was holding both fists tightly with the most serious expression Riona had seen today.
“I… I hold grudges. Even now, there are people I want to hit.”
“…Who?”
“…Those who spread bad rumors about me and bullied me.”
She’d seemed like such a cheerful girl, but she was clearly aware of the bullying she had endured.
Well, any reasonably smart person would notice.
It seemed that Riona might have had a small part in why Ayla’s academy life hadn’t started well.
‘Just a little.’
Riona hadn’t incited the bullying herself, but she hadn’t gone out of her way to stop it either.
…She felt a little guilty.
Riona briefly wondered whether she should teach Ayla a skill to strike ten times per second, or a powerful single blow. For an important reason, she decided this was not something she could teach.
“If you hit them, there will be times when power alone won’t solve it. I solved it at home, though.”
“Is that so…?”
Ayla visibly drooped.
The House of Count Wolfgang was just a countly family in name only, worse off than a rich baron.
Riona felt a prick of guilt, as if she had handed her candy and then snatched it away. Out of politeness, she tried to comfort her.
“…Do you want me to hit them for you?”
“Really? Oh, no… that would just trouble the Grand Princess.”
Ayla’s true feelings clashed once again with her good-hearted nature.
Ah, she really wants to hit those guys, huh.
It was understandable—she’d been through enough to feel that way.
For now, Ayla was restraining herself out of fear of Cassius, but she hadn’t actually taken revenge yet.
What made Riona feel even more guilty was that Ayla was genuinely a good person.
Compared to earlier, it made Riona feel petty for complaining just because Ayla had stolen some attention at her debutante event.
Though it wasn’t intentional, Riona realized that the root cause also lay with her, and that she needed to fix it.
“Fine. If you don’t want me to, forget it. But if you refuse, I’ll just hit anyone I want.”
“Huh?”
“Lately I needed someone to hit anyway. Better to hit someone who actually deserves it than some random kid—so I’ll just hit them all.”
“No, you can’t!”
Ayla immediately obediently listed the names of the main troublemakers, fearing that Riona might actually hit innocent students.
There were more than expected, but Riona remembered them all.
The two of them locked eyes and, without deciding who first, laughed together.
“Grand Princess, you’re really amazing. From the first time I saw you, I thought you were incredible, but after talking to you, you’re even more amazing.”
“Why, because I beat them all up?”
“No, it’s not that!”
Ayla waved her hands as if Riona had said something ridiculous.
Then, slowly lowering both hands, she hesitated over Riona’s hands for a moment before gently clasping them.
“If it’s not uncomfortable for you… would you… be my friend?”
“Friend?”
“Yes. From the first time I saw you, I really wanted to be close to you.”
“….”
Riona felt the warmth of Ayla’s hands.
The only friend she could currently share her heart with was Gabriel.
Even that wasn’t a completely solid bond—if Gabriel revealed truths she didn’t want to hear, they could become enemies.
But Ayla was different.
Ayla hadn’t harmed Minerva.
Riona’s face was reflected in her clear, sky-like eyes.
Before she even realized it, the Riona reflected in Ayla’s eyes was nodding.
“Alright. Let’s be friends.”
“The original is different.”
The visions Riona saw were so vivid it was as if she were watching real events unfold before her.
But everything was different from the original story, and she was confused.
Lloyd, as I experienced him, seemed devoid of any humanity. He didn’t even bother watching over Riona after bringing her along.
She was also bothered by Gabriel pretending to be friendly with her because Riona reminded him of someone—but what confused her most was something else entirely.
‘Riona and Ayla were friends?’
In the original, Riona and Ayla were positioned as rivals.
Following Riona’s orders, Ayla would defeat the children who bullied her, and eventually clash with Riona herself. In the end, Ayla would survive the academy.
Occasionally, Cassius would help when Ayla struggled.
But the Riona she now saw didn’t harm Ayla.
She had felt before that the version of the original she read was somehow strange, and that suspicion was becoming certainty.
In fact, what exactly did she remember of the original?
She didn’t even know why she had read it in the first place.
Standing there, unsure of her location, Riona clutched her head in confusion.
She felt her sense of identity slipping. Was she even truly herself right now?
“Of course you don’t remember. That was the adapted version.”
Then, Riona heard a voice behind her.
But was she even really behind her?
Even in her disoriented state, she couldn’t help but speak her doubt.
“Adapted?”
“When a long story is condensed, some parts are inevitably cut or changed, right?”
…So everything she had read in the original was adapted?
That meant what she thought was true from the original might not be at all.
“But the ending is the same as you know. Ayla betrayed me.”
“…Ayla betrayed you?”
The Ayla Riona knew would never do such a thing.
From the vision, it was clear as well.
Ayla remained bright, kind, and gentle.
She even suggested being friends first and expressed admiration.
The Cassius issue had been resolved peacefully, so what reason would there be for a falling out?
Riona wondered if it was some misunderstanding, but before she could argue, the vision continued.
“Watch closely. I’ll show you how cowardly Ayla really is, and how useless Lloyd is. I’ll show you why you shouldn’t become family with them.”
