#40: Chapter 40 — The Villainess Doesn't Know the Prince's True Nature (WN)

The entrance ceremony wasn’t much different from the one in my previous life.

“The headmaster is unfortunately absent, so…”

A teacher who introduced himself as the principal gave an enthusiastic speech, his bald head gleaming under the light.

It was long.

No matter where I went.

Even after being reincarnated into another world, apparently there was no escaping a principal’s long-winded speech.

Once it passed ten minutes, no one was listening anymore. Every now and then, I could even hear someone letting out an exaggerated sigh.

“Erm, to all the new students, I hope that from now on you will learn the rules and various subjects, erm, and grow tremendously. Speaking of which…”

Another ten minutes passed before the excessively long speech—which could hardly even be called a greeting anymore—finally ended.

This time, it seemed to be the student representative’s turn to give a speech.

There had been nothing but greetings and speeches this whole time.

However, I stiffened at the words I heard next.

“Student Representative Address. The 183rd Student Council President, Dylan Vermelio.”

“KYAAAAAAAH!”

I immediately looked up at the ear-piercing screams.

There, the Prince was walking proudly while wearing an armband of a quality I’d never seen before.

I mean, what even made an armband high-quality?

He stepped up to the podium and unleashed a dazzling, heart-stopping smile.

Every time he did, I was assaulted by screams loud enough to make my eardrums feel like they were about to burst.

I stared blankly at the Prince dressed in his uniform.

I’d never seen him wearing a uniform before, nor had I ever imagined him in one.

He had grown so much.

My thoughts somehow went completely off in a strange direction.

He had once been such a stubborn, troublesome, unbearably bratty child, and now he was standing in front of everyone as the Student Council President……

Had he made any friends?

I really wanted to meet them.

What kind of people were the Prince’s friends?

Was he an outsider in his class?

Did he actually have people he could spend time with?

For some reason, tears started welling up in my eyes.

My mood had completely shifted into that of a parent.

The Prince gave a perfect bow.

The moment he did, the students who had been squealing noisily fell completely silent and focused all their attention on him.

“Congratulations on your admission, new students. On behalf of the student body, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to you.”

I watched the Prince through teary eyes as he smoothly delivered his speech in an incredibly pleasant, handsome voice.

I knew it already, but he seemed to shine even more brightly today than usual.

Had the Prince always been this dazzling?

Or had I simply never noticed because I had been too close to him……?

As I stared intently at the Prince giving his cheerful speech, I suddenly felt as though our eyes met.

Huh?

But by the time I thought that, the Prince was already looking somewhere else.

Maybe…… it had just been my imagination.

Even if our eyes had met, I couldn’t possibly complain that I wished he would at least smile at me.

After the entrance ceremony ended, I returned to the dormitory alone……

Or rather, I didn’t.

From today onward, the new students would leave their parents and move into the dormitories by themselves.

They weren’t permitted to bring attendants, and the noble children would have to struggle their way through improving themselves while living on their own.

When I thought about it that way, this academy seemed like a very educational place.

There were bound to be spoiled young masters and young ladies who had no idea how to conduct themselves.

People became more interesting when they experienced a little hardship.

Nodding to myself in agreement, I hid behind the wall of the school building.

New students were supposed to wait in their dormitories.

That was the standard thing to do after the entrance ceremony, but I had more important things to worry about.

There was no way I could just sit around in my room!

Because this was an academy.

An academy that every noble had to attend!

Then……

Ashwad had to be here too!

Had you forgotten?

Ashwad Crillver.

Ashwad was a handsome young man with glossy black hair and blue-green eyes.

He excelled at swordsmanship and was an older-brother-like figure who was always looking out for the heroine, his childhood friend.

Not only was he handsome, but Ashwad had no flaws.

Maybe I was looking at him through rose-colored glasses, but he was reliable, kind, and gentlemanly.

His unwavering devotion to the heroine struck me right in the heart.

He was exactly my type.

My absolute ideal.

I’d played the game with him as my target more than a hundred times.

I’d explored every route, collected all the CGs, rushed around completing events, and kept all of his merchandise inside a treasure chest.

That’s how much I loved him.

Because he was cool.

And for my fragile heart, which had just gone through a breakup, his appeal was even more powerful.

It was what you called a synergistic effect.

In my previous life, I had the worst luck with men.

I could say that with absolute certainty.

Because I hadn’t done anything wrong.

A man would confess to me, and we’d start dating.

So far, so good.

I’d try to do girlfriend-like things, such as cooking something for him or going on dates.

That was fine too.

And yet, for some reason, I always ended up getting dumped.

I got dumped one hundred percent of the time.

On top of that, they would cheat on me before throwing me away.

Unbelievable!

You were the one who confessed to me in the first place!

And the words my ex-boyfriend said when he put his arm around another woman at the end of our relationship were these:

‘You’re so boring. You kill the mood.’

Go to hell, you bastard!

What do you mean I’m boring?!

You’re the one who cheated! You’re the most unbelievable one here!

Why are you acting like I was the one at fault?!

Have you lost your damn mind?!

……Ahem.

I’d gotten a little carried away.

I was so furious that I’d given him one hell of a slap across the face.

Even so, I didn’t think I could be blamed for showing up at my best friend’s house that night, drinking while complaining and crying.

Because I had loved him.

He was my ex-boyfriend, after all.

I’d even gone out of my way to cook for him.

Was it really so strange that I’d devoted myself to him just a little?

‘And that bastard went after one of my friends from my club just because he had a slightly handsome face! Can you believe it?! How am I supposed to look that girl in the face from tomorrow onward? Am I supposed to be angry at her? Jealous of her? I’m so pissed off!’

With a loud thud, I slammed the beer mug down on the table and stuffed some dried squid into my mouth.

My best friend stared at me, completely drunk and slurring my words, and unusually didn’t interrupt me.

She simply listened.

‘……Can I say just one thing?’

‘What?!’

‘I don’t really think he’s that handsome.’

‘……Really?’

I probably just had terrible taste in men.

I’d experienced plenty of similar things even before dating that ex-boyfriend.

Romance had been a landmine for me.

A troublesome disaster waiting to happen.

Something that only brought pain.

Loving each other wasn’t nearly as easy as people made it sound.

Mutual love was practically a miracle.

That was precisely why I’d admired the heroine of the game.

Unrealistic things made me feel safe.

Because they came with an absolute destiny already guaranteed.

I could play the game without worry, fall in love with the person I liked, and escape into a world of fantasies as I imagined a Cinderella story that could never actually exist.

And that was how I died without ever having a decent romance.

Had I done something terrible in my previous previous life or something?

Even while pressing myself against the school building’s wall, my eyes continued darting around restlessly.

I was searching for Ashwad.

I was beginning to think I wasn’t all that different from the Prince after all.

I was the one who was seriously messed up.

I let out a deep sigh and continued keeping watch over the entrance ceremony venue.

There were fewer people around now, and I might not be able to find him today.

From now on, we’d be living in the dormitories, and as long as we were on the same grounds, we’d eventually meet.

…That’s right.

I could meet him any time.

Any.