Chapter 19
Click—
As Liet opened the classroom door and stepped in, the atmosphere shifted.
Normally, the students would’ve greeted her brightly, but today they visibly averted their eyes or lowered their voices.
Sigh. Liet glanced around the room and swallowed her sigh back.
This awkward mood was exactly what she had expected before going to bed last night.
A girl who had claimed the throne—of course they’d feel betrayed by the unexpected appearance of a new rival.
Steeling herself, Liet walked to her seat and sat down.
“Hey, Liet.”
A loud voice broke the silence, and Liet looked up to see who had spoken.
Turns out it was Lucas. On a bright sunny day like today, his platinum blond hair caught the light even more and sparkled.
“Hey.”
When Liet returned the greeting, Lucas replied with a bright smile.
Come to think of it, Lucas had placed third. Knowing that he was in the same class was oddly comforting. After all, in this game of rivals, he was on her side.
Liet wondered if Lucas was nervous about all this.
“The classroom’s quiet today, isn’t it, Liet?”
But contrary to her expectations, Lucas didn’t seem nervous at all. In fact, he raised his voice more than usual.
“Could it be because of the grade rankings yesterday?”
She noticed some students flinch at his words. Lucas, watching them closely, raised his tone again.
“If that’s the reason, I seriously don’t get it.”
His exaggerated reaction, as if intentionally drawing attention, made Liet glance at him as if to say, Is this guy insane?
But Lucas didn’t stop.
“Don’t you think so, Liet? Instead of sulking, they could’ve just read another book…”
Bang!
Suddenly, someone slammed their desk and stood up.
“You really think you’re all that just because you got good grades?”
It was Jackson. The second son of a count, known for studying more desperately than anyone else to inherit a title. He approached Lucas menacingly.
“I’ve never liked this bastard. Just ’cause a few people compliment you, you think everyone’s in love with you?”
“……”
“You know what people say behind your back? They laugh, saying you’re working so hard for a no-name barony that’s not even worth inheriting.”
Jackson sneered as he watched for a reaction, but Lucas just glanced out the window toward the hallway before finally speaking.
“You’re right. I’m not as desperate as you.”
“What…?”
“But I have no intention of giving up my spot.”
Not that you’d be able to take it anyway. Lucas smirked, provoking Jackson.
“You little—!”
But as Jackson lunged, Lucas dodged effortlessly and twisted his wrist, flipping him onto the ground.
Murmurs rippled through the classroom.
“Whoa, Lucas? I thought he’d be no match for Jackson…”
“Did you see that move? He dodged like it was nothing!”
Liet was thinking the same.
It was clear Lucas had no intention of responding mildly. Maybe he wanted to make his position clear to any potential challengers.
His sharp gaze looked far from the usual smiling Lucas.
“You…”
Jackson scrambled to his feet, then threw another punch at Lucas.
Thwack!
But the sound came from Jackson’s own face. Lucas had landed a direct hit, knocking him down in one blow.
“Argh!”
“What are you two doing?!”
The teacher entered the classroom at that moment and rushed over. What could’ve been a one-sided fight started by Jackson ended with the teacher’s intervention.
Lucas raised his hands in mock surrender.
“Teacher, Jackson started it.”
“Sigh… Both of you, follow me.”
The teacher helped Jackson up and led both of them out of the classroom.
As he was leaving, Lucas winked at Liet.
Then, he mouthed the words:
“Your turn now.”
Liet immediately understood what he meant. She was now part of the top three—and that made her the next target of the students’ jealousy.
At this point, she had two choices:
Defend against the attacks—or make them too afraid to attack at all.
Lucas had managed both. He had shown a completely different side of himself and made a statement.
But she also realized something else.
Lucas didn’t respond immediately to Jackson’s provocation. He had glanced out into the hallway before acting.
In other words, Lucas had been calculating when the teacher would arrive, ensuring the fight didn’t go too far.
He probably just wanted to look threatening—within reason.
If the teacher hadn’t come in time, a few more punches would’ve been exchanged.
She had thought of him as an easygoing golden retriever wagging his tail everywhere, but it turned out he was a fox hiding a hundred tails.
Just like Lucas said, it’s my turn now.
Liet rested her forehead on her clasped hands and bowed her head.
Evan had already solidified his position. So strong that no one dared challenge him. And now Lucas had declared his own stance, in a clever way.
But both had something in common—
They’re tall and physically strong.
Evan, of course. And Lucas, despite his pretty face, had a solid build. His soft appearance and easygoing nature had just masked it.
But Liet wasn’t like Evan or Lucas. She was smaller than most boys, in height and size. Their methods wouldn’t work for her.
As she was deep in thought—
“You look pretty today too, Liet.”
An unwelcome voice broke her thoughts. When she looked up, she saw the school’s notorious delinquents.
“Congrats on second place.”
The one offering the insincere praise was Samuel, the gang’s leader.
He had steel gray hair and a massive frame. He always reminded Liet of a grizzly bear.
No, that’s insulting—to the bear.
She quickly corrected herself.
How he had managed to gather people exactly like him was beyond her, but they all looked like street thugs who roamed the school looking to intimidate others.
But what made Liet really dislike Samuel wasn’t that.
He had a habit of flaunting his strength by trying to get close to popular students—and recently, Liet had become his new target.
Samuel pestered her constantly, and she always coldly rejected him.
Just like now.
“Get lost.”
“You’re as feisty as ever.”
Samuel chuckled as if he wasn’t fazed. His gang didn’t back off.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
“Say it here.”
Liet said, pulling out a book, as if ignoring them.
“I want to say something in private.”
Liet stared at his greasy expression, her face unreadable. Undeterred, Samuel spoke again.
“It’s a tempting offer.”
She felt the classroom’s eyes on them. Wanting to avoid unnecessary drama, Liet bit back her irritation and reluctantly stood up.
“Fine. Lead the way.”
She followed them out, and they stopped behind the school building where it was quiet.
“What do you want?”
Even as she urged him, Samuel grinned slowly.
“You know, Liet. I really like you.”
“Just get to the point.”
“That bluntness—I like that too.”
His gang snickered.
At his signal, one of them handed him a dahlia. Samuel brought it to his nose, pretending to enjoy the scent, and looked at her.
“But it’s a shame, isn’t it? How the others are treating you now that you’re in second place.”
“……”
“That’s why I’m saying—Liet. I have the power to protect you.”
He extended the deep red flower toward her.
“In exchange, help me become third place. Then I’ll protect you, so you can stay beautiful and untouchable, like this flower.”
So that was his roundabout proposal.
He wants me to help him reach third, and in return, he’ll back me up.
Liet took the flower.
“Thanks.”
Samuel’s eyes widened at her reply. But Liet wasn’t done. She raised a finger and wagged it.
“You made me realize something. That I need to work even harder, so guys like you never even have a chance at that spot.”
Samuel’s expression twisted.
“…You dare reject me?”
“Yeah. I dare.”
Liet crossed her arms with a smirk.
“Even if I carried you on my back, someone like you would never make it to third.”
The brutal honesty made Samuel blink awkwardly.
“You’ll regret this, Liet.”
“Regret? My only regret is wasting my time listening to this nonsense.”
Samuel’s face flushed red. His gang stood awkwardly, glancing at their leader, unsure what to do.
But Liet didn’t care. She was furious from that whole “beautiful and untouchable” nonsense and couldn’t be bothered.
Unlike Samuel, who was now shaking, Liet turned her back to leave.
Then she paused, looked down at the flower in her hand, and walked back to him.
“And one more thing.”
She threw the flower in his face. It weakly hit him and fell to the ground.
“I hate dahlias, you bastard.”
