#4.
It was such a sudden collision that I didn’t even have time to avoid it. I dropped the bag of strawberries I was carrying.
“Ah… my strawberries.”
I stiffened as I looked at the crushed strawberries under a stranger’s foot.
‘Those were for Allen…’
“Hey, where are you looking when you walk?”
The man was wearing a white uniform with gold embroidery. Judging by the insignia on the left side of his chest, he was a student at the Magic Academy.
The Magic Academy was an elite school that only admitted a select few with magical talent. Graduation guaranteed success. Just being a student there was enough to make someone arrogant.
And the guy who had bumped into me looked incredibly cocky. He scanned me from head to toe and scoffed.
It was my fault for wearing plain clothes that didn’t draw attention. I could see it in his eyes—he clearly looked down on me.
No noble would go around the streets eating food, so that probably made me seem even lower. I looked at the guy who had stepped on my strawberries with a cold expression.
“You’re the one who suddenly changed direction. Seems like you’re the one who left your eyes somewhere else.”
The way he was speaking informally to me—someone he had just met—really rubbed me the wrong way. Even when I was Kim Sohee, I’d always been underestimated because of my young appearance, so I was extra sensitive to people talking down to me.
And most importantly, those strawberries were for Allen! It was my first purchase here!
“Did you just say ‘you’? Little girl, I don’t think you realize what’s going on here. I don’t even need magic to deal with someone like you.”
The man formed and then dispersed a magic orb with his fingers, clearly expecting me to cower in fear.
‘Tch. He has no idea who he’s messing with. Little punk with barely dry blood on his head.’
He probably didn’t even consider that I could be a noble from a duke’s family, especially since I was out without an escort. That made it all the more offensive.
It’s unfair to treat people differently just because of their status.
And the fact that someone like this was attending the Magic Academy? The future of the empire looked bleak. I bit back my anger and asked,
“What family are you from?”
“What, so you can come find me? Judging from your clothes, you might be a noble, but the Magic Academy handles all student discipline internally.”
“I see. But since when did the Magic Academy start admitting riffraff? I wonder if the school knows someone like you is ruining its reputation.”
“W-what did you say?!”
“I just said it’s low of you to use magic to threaten a kid. Oh, you’re offended? Guess that means you do have some shame. There might be hope for you after all.”
“Why you little…!”
The guy was so enraged that he looked like he was about to hit me.
Wow, now violence too?
I stared at him, thinking, Go ahead and try it. I’d deal with him using the artifact I brought.
You little punk—just wait till big sis gets angry.
Just as I was about to teach him a lesson under the guise of self-defense, someone stepped between us.
“That’s enough. If you threaten her any further, your family will suffer serious consequences.”
It was Allen who stepped in. He was in casual clothes and carrying a sword, so he was probably on his way back from training.
At the sight of Allen, I forgot all my earlier annoyance.
‘Wait… is Allen helping me right now? Really?’
Was this real? Allen’s actually helping me?
I stood there dumbfounded as the man said,
“Walking around without a guard, acting all high and mighty? You look like a fallen noble—what power do you think you have to talk like that?”
He still judged me by my appearance, assuming I was from a humble background. He looked me up and down again with disdain and then turned arrogantly toward Allen.
I wanted to shout, Hey! I’m the daughter of House Sharligan! But I kept my mouth shut—it felt like I’d be hiding behind my family name.
But seriously, shouldn’t the one at fault apologize first?
Allen looked at me like he was wondering what I was doing here, then turned to the man and said coldly,
“Exactly. I’m wondering the same thing. Why is the daughter of House Sharligan walking around alone in such clothes, without an escort?”
“S-Sharligan?!”
At the mention of “Sharligan,” the man visibly panicked. His demeanor flipped instantly and he bowed profusely.
He even threw in a tearful speech about the spirit of chivalry. In the end, he knelt on one knee in a knight’s salute and quickly ran off.
I’d suspected just saying the family name would end things, but for it to end that quickly? It left a bitter taste.
If I hadn’t been from a powerful family, he would’ve never apologized.
‘So this is that “left the bathroom without wiping” feeling… just gross.’
Allen let out a deep sigh then, giving me a look that said he couldn’t understand me.
“You could’ve solved everything easily by just saying your family name. Why make things more difficult? You’ve been acting weird lately.”
“Putting family aside, the one in the wrong should apologize, don’t you think?”
“You almost got hit. This wasn’t just your problem—it could’ve escalated into a conflict between families. Why would you do that?”
“Well… it’s just that guy…”
“What?”
“Ugh… that guy stepped on your strawberries!”
“!!”
When I shouted that, Allen’s eyes widened in shock. I knew it was a little embarrassing, but that was my honest reason.
It upset me more than being disrespected—my precious gift for Allen had been ruined.
Sure, I could just buy new ones. But it was the first thing I’d ever bought in this world. Maybe my frugal Korean instincts kicked in, but I was genuinely upset.
Allen looked a bit surprised, then gave a forced smile as if he understood.
He picked up one of the fallen strawberries and popped it into his mouth. One that was clearly dirty.
‘Wait, why are you eating that?’
Panicked, I grabbed his hand to stop him.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“Uh… I thought you were offering it to me?”
‘Allen… seriously…’
Even after a month of pouring my heart out to you, you still don’t trust me, huh? Well, five years have passed, so I get it.
I snatched the strawberry from him and threw it into the nearest trash can. Then I went to a nearby shop, bought a new pack, and handed it to him.
Looks like getting close to Allen is going to take a while.
“Pretty boys should only eat pretty things. If you ever misunderstand me again and eat something weird, I’ll… I’ll pat-pat you, okay?”
I meant to say spank but changed it last second, worried he might take it literally. Though honestly… it kind of was my real intention.
At the word pat-pat, Allen’s expression froze. He clearly hadn’t expected that from me.
He looked at me, bewildered, and asked,
“…Not hit me?”
“Ugh, seriously. I told you before, I won’t bully you anymore. You can do whatever you want now, Allen. I’ll support you.”
“We’re the same age…”
Allen mumbled in disbelief. But I wasn’t paying attention—I was too busy fantasizing about how to make Allen truly happy.
I’ll make sure you’re not just a second male lead, but the main character of this story!
That day when I had gone out without permission, Allen took Leo’s scolding for me. I hadn’t even asked him to, but he instinctively took the blame.
He said he had wanted to visit the market and brought me along. Allen seemed used to lying.
Even with Allen’s excuse, Leo still blamed both of us and gave us a punishment. He was strict when it came to discipline, and assigned us—both 13 years old—to weed the garden.
Of course, he didn’t expect us to clear the whole garden. He marked off a small area that was just slightly too much for kids and had us pull weeds.
Normally, if I were still the old Roni, I would’ve pretended to obey and then secretly made Allen do all the work. But I wasn’t like that anymore.
On the day of the punishment, I dressed in work clothes and headed to the designated area. I planned to arrive before Allen and get a head start. But things didn’t go as planned—Allen was already there.
He was pulling weeds diligently, his face smudged with dirt. He was sweating so much that it made me feel bad for him.
I quickly pulled out a handkerchief and held it out to him. Startled by the sudden approach, Allen looked up at me with wide eyes—but he didn’t take it. In a distant tone, he asked,
“Did you come to spy on me?”
