Chapter 88 (1/2)

The Royal Academy Entrance Ceremony.

This would be my first appearance to the world as the villainess I now had to be. I was climbing up the steps to my spotlight.

Naturally, since I had the top score on the exam, I was student representative and would give the opening address. With my status and abilities, there was never any question that I would be entrusted with the position.

That’s why, even even as I stood on the platform, I wasn’t nervous.

Gathered in the auditorium were all the students of the academy; around five hundred in total. Even faced with so many people, these youngsters weren’t enough to faze someone like me who had been raised since birth to face the challenge of managing the country as a high noble.

Though there wasn’t any tension in my body, when I was given the stage of honor, there was a certain feeling of being in freefall.

I could feel the gaping hole in my chest.

For this past month I had avoided showing my face to Michelie. Not only Michelie. Charles, Surfania, Leon and even with Mariwa, I had purposely distanced myself.

They deserved better than to be wasted on a villainess like me.

I wonder if I’ve caused Michelie more pain than the story needed. Perhaps Charles is venting his anger out on Oxe. Surfania might withdraw even more, but surely Leon will be able to coax her out of her shell.

As for Mariwa…surely she is unchanged as always.

“…”

Thinking of my close friends, who I had abandoned, icy wind seems to whistle through the large hole in my chest. It’s not a refreshing breeze, rather the pain feels like the bite from a winter gale.

I doubt this hole where my heart should be will ever be healed, not even with my last breath. ‘That’s fine with me’ I thought, since I had resigned myself to that since the beginning.

I was starting to get used to the ache from my hollow heart, I slowly spread open the paper I had been carrying.

Surprisingly these events were the same no matter which life they took place. Just as in my previous life, I spread open the script and give voice to the speech. It was exactly as it had been in my previous life.

Since there isn’t a microphone, people have to speak loudly and clearly by themselves, but that is just a technological difference, rather than an actual difference in the presentation style.

Like that I had planned on giving the speech in an unaffected manner, but I unexpectedly changed my mind.

Right now there wasn’t anything that I had to do as a villainess. I planned to spend my four years at the Academy acting the part of the bad guy. But the main events wouldn’t really start until Michelie arrived at the Academy in two years time.

Even though I had planned on behaving like a foolish, arrogant noble daughter only after obediently doing my duty at the entrance ceremony. Just as I had told His Highness Endo, I had long prepared for this day.

But, my thoughts abruptly changed.

From now on I must become the disgrace of the Noir family. It is only because the blood heir of the Noir family has fallen so far that the adopted Michelie can shine brightly.