EPISODE 7
“Who would’ve thought our family would end up entangled with the Empress?!”
Lilliana, Emperor Matthias’s stepmother, had once been confined to a remote villa by her relatives over a succession dispute in her family, the Duke of Grenier’s house.
Desperate, she escaped and made her way to the capital to plead her case before the Emperor. But lacking any means to request an audience, she was helped by none other than Grant Sharon, Leticia’s grandfather.
Thanks to him, Lilliana safely met the Emperor, reclaimed her title, and eventually even married him. Ever since, she had regarded the House of Sharon as her lifelong benefactors, maintaining close relations and often relying on them as if they were her own family.
Because of that, Leticia had known Prince Eustace and Princess Judith, Lilliana’s children, since childhood. Her younger sister, Lenora, was even their playmate and frequently visited the palace. Their connection to the royal family ran deep.
“It’s honestly a miracle I never ran into Matthias…”
Leticia had done everything in her power to avoid those fateful cliché — saving the male lead before the story began, or becoming his first love.
Before every royal visit, she would discreetly ask whether the Crown Prince would be present. And whenever she was invited to the palace, she declined with polite excuses — saying her etiquette lessons weren’t yet complete, or that she wasn’t ready for court.
Her family found it strange.
“Since when do you worry about things like that?”
But it was still better than risking a meeting with a future obsessive male lead.
Fortunately, since the Empress was only Matthias’s stepmother, he never visited the Sharon estate, nor was he forced to attend palace gatherings with them. Thus, Leticia managed to live through her childhood without ever crossing paths with the Crown Prince.
“I just want to live peacefully — but why are there so many death flags in my life?”
Even her parents’ love story was famous throughout the Empire, a romance so grand it was said to rival the tales of the century. With such parents, Leticia’s dream of a quiet life seemed doomed from the start.
Still, there was one small comfort: she could at least hear about Matthias secondhand.
“He’s already completed all his graduation credits, so he won’t even be attending the Academy when I enroll. Thank goodness.”
She had always thought it odd that in the original story, Matthias and Arietta never met at the Academy, but now it all made sense — a missing piece of the setting quietly slotting into place.
“Even if you can’t rely on Mari much at the dorm, she’ll check in on you sometimes,” said one of her brothers.
“Still, if anyone picks a fight, don’t handle it alone. Make some friends, so you’ve got witnesses when things happen.”
“And if it looks serious, don’t hesitate — make a scene. Cry if you have to. People always side with the one who cries.”
“How lovely. A brother who teaches his little sister political tactics.”
It was annoyingly practical advice — but advice Leticia made sure to remember.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few months later, the long-awaited day of entrance finally arrived.
Leticia was escorted to the girls’ dormitory by Marianne, Lenart, and Kenneth, who fussed over her like overprotective parents.
“The Liberal Arts building’s over there — the one with the pink roof. No classes today, so you can just settle into your dorm.”
“And don’t worry about the stairs. They’ve got a new lift this year.”
“A lift?”
The word startled Leticia. It was something from her past life.
“A magic-powered room that moves up and down,” Kenneth explained.
“The Mage Tower made it recently — it’ll take you to the top floor in seconds.”
“Wow…”
Not having to climb four flights of stairs? That was a blessing.
“What are the rooms like? Spacious?” she asked.
“Smaller than home, obviously, but livable. Though they rebuilt the dorm recently — there was a fire.”
“A fire? Didn’t they have anti-fire magic devices installed?”
Most noble estates did. For the Academy, the Empire’s finest institution, to lack such a basic measure was absurd.
“It started from outside, apparently. Those wards only prevent fires inside the building.”
“Anyway, the Avril Dukedom took responsibility, saying it was their fault. They even brought in mages from the Tower to rebuild it over break — must’ve cost a fortune.”
“What kind of mistake burns down a girls’ dormitory? Last year, only male students were there! How’d they even cause a fire?”
“No clue. That’s just the official story.”
Leticia’s eyes widened.
Something about that sounded… familiar.
Then, a scene from the original novel came back to her.
“So, how did the negotiations with the Academy go?” asked the Duke.
“They said there’s no space for a separate annex for Ari. So we’ll need to rebuild the girls’ dorm for her.”
“And the pretext?”
“Once the students vacate for break, we’ll cause a small fire. It’ll serve as a perfect excuse for reconstruction.”
“Good. And include that new moving room the Mage Tower just developed. My precious Ari shouldn’t have to climb stairs.”
“That might raise complaints about fairness, Your Grace.”
“Nonsense. The Academy already gives better rooms to higher-ranking nobles. This is no different.”
“Are they out of their minds?”
The memory made Leticia grimace.
Setting an actual fire — to rebuild an entire dorm — just so Arietta could have a better room? The scale of madness was beyond comprehension.
At least they’d done it during the break, so no one was hurt. But still — it was insane.
“Well, I guess the dorm’s nicer now… and there’s an elevator. Hopefully, they didn’t shrink other students’ rooms for her sake.”
If they had, those people didn’t deserve to be called human.
Shaking her head, Leticia grabbed Marianne’s arm and waved goodbye to her brothers.
“We’ll get going now. Take care, brothers!”
“If anything happens, come to the boys’ dorm. The dorm master will fetch us if you ask. Or just go to the business faculty building.”
“Tell Mari if there’s a problem — she knows people.”
“Don’t dump it on me, Ken! You can help too!”
“You’re in the same dorm! You’ll be faster.”
“I don’t even have friends to help!”
“That’s not something to brag about. Go already.”
Lenart sighed as he stopped the twins from bickering further. Leticia, not expecting any real help from them anyway, quickly changed the topic.
“Let’s go check out our rooms, Mari. Where’s the lift?”
“That silver door over there. See that wall with the arrow button? Press it, and it’ll open.”
Following the instructions, Leticia pressed the button with the upward arrow.
With a ding, the doors slid open, revealing a room large enough for ten people.
“Wow, this is amazing. Which floor are you on?”
“Third. If my roommate gets too noisy, can I escape to your room?”
“Of course. Come often — I’ll be bored alone.”
She pressed buttons for the 3rd and 4th floors, about to hit “close” when a voice called out:
“Wait! Please — hold the door!”
Startled, Leticia pressed the “open” button again. The doors slid apart with another ding, and three people rushed in — a pretty blonde girl, a sturdy-looking boy, and an older youth who looked close to adulthood.
“Whew… thank you! We just made it.”
The blonde smiled brightly, catching her breath — an image of grace and warmth.
But the two males behind her were another matter. One looked indifferent; the other polite, yet distant, his demeanor clearly marked by noble reserve.
“No way… this feels ominous.”
Leticia’s instincts prickled.
She quickly studied them — one with short silver hair and a broad-shouldered, muscular build wearing a slightly disheveled uniform; the other, elegant with pure white hair, dressed in civilian clothes. Too young to be faculty — likely family of a new student.
“This can’t be good…”
Suppressing a shiver, Leticia smiled politely.
“Not at all — which floor are you headed to?”
“The fifth floor. Um…”
The girl hesitated, glancing shyly at Leticia — clearly waiting for introductions.
“Ah, I’m Leticia Sharon, daughter of Count Sharon.”
“…And I’m her cousin, Marianne. The Count is my uncle.”
Upon hearing that, the girl’s face brightened with an almost angelic smile.
“Oh! The Sharons! I’m Arietta Avril — daughter of Duke Avril.”
“…Oh, for heaven’s sake.”
Leticia froze. Of all people — the heroine and her family.
“Meeting the protagonist’s family on the first day? God really has abandoned me.”
