Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

Why has my ominous premonition never been wrong?

After some time had passed, I was lying down with the potion in my mouth.

“I told you I’m scared of fire….”

“Hehe, I was so focused that I forgot… Just keep it a secret from Judith. Okay?”

What if my mother caught you?

‘Okay, well.’

I think I should ask my mother for a favor next time. 

I chuckled as I got up.

“Okay, got it. Please take care of Palos for me.”

We conducted experiments to create fire in various ways.

As a result, we were able to conclude that any type of fire was irrelevant, but if magic was mixed in, it would not be absorbed and would be blocked.

The Second Prince and the buried magic.

The Second Prince and the Church of Fire.

There was definitely a link between them.

‘But Second Prince is also a person from the Perseria Empire. Why is he causing trouble for innocent citizens of the Empire?’

I couldn’t understand the twisted thoughts of that person. What woke me up from my deep thoughts was the sound of Brasidas’ laughter.

“Palos, he’s my disciple, so of course I will teach him well.”

“I know.”

“Well, usually I would ask for something else. “

“Since I asked you first, it’s up to me. Wizards must have enjoyed the experiment, so it’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?”

I shrugged shamelessly. To be honest, it was more of a time when I gained much more than a win-win situation. In the country, there are many who are eager to meet a Great Magician but can’t even catch a glimpse of his shadow. Yet, here I was, not only meeting him but even having him conduct experiments for me(?).

“You are indeed Jusdith’s daughter.”

I lifted my head and asked eagerly.

“Really? Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it is.”

Recently, I smiled the brightest I’ve ever smiled. Even though I am overflowing with love, it is true that I am less capable compared to my older sisters. However, I was so happy to know that I have a corner of me that resembles our wonderful mother.

‘Huh, but has the time passed by this quickly?’

The time for the evening banquet to begin had just passed. Palos and Ramande would also be looking for us.

“Hurry, let’s go quickly!”

As I was in a hurry, I grabbed the hem of Brasidas’s robe and dragged him along.

“Hey, you shouldn’t treat an old man like that.”

“You only look middle-aged on the outside!”

“Wow, it’s worth taking good care of your health by eating olives regularly.”

“But isn’t it not just about olives?!”

The tower where the professors’ labs were located was not far from the banquet hall. As soon as I entered the banquet hall with Brasidas, I felt a strong gaze that could burn my cheeks.

‘He’s still there……’

I pretended not to notice whose gaze it was, as I felt like I already knew without having to confirm. I’ve warned him that I’ll ignore him.

“Our Palos is over there.”

Palos was surrounded by several children. He was smaller than the kids, so he wasn’t easy to spot, but Brasidas found him.

“As ecpected of my disciple. You’ve been popular since the school entrance ceremony.”

The opinion of the Great Magician and my thoughts were completely different. Palos was surrounded, not entirely in a corner but in an angle where others’ gazes didn’t reach well because of the table placement. Palos was encircled with his back against the wall. Some people even nudged Palos’ shoulder.

“I don’t feel like they’re friends or anything.”

“What? Really? It’s my first time teaching kids.”

“Sigh.”

Come to think of it, Palos was the first disciple for Brasidas.

‘And since my mother said he was a great magician when he was young…..’

He must have received admiration for at least thirty or forty years without understanding the concept of backlash.

“I guess they’re bullying the Grand Magician’s first disciple just because he’s a commoner with no background in nobility or wealth.”

“I’ve been feeling this way since earlier, but your speech is quite fierce.”

“Oh my. Me? Ohoho.”

“Hahaha.”

Brasidas, who was laughing while facing me, suddenly moved toward Palos.

“Huh, where are you going?”

“I have to give those damn  kids a piece of my mind for messing with my precious disciple!”

“Oh my, please hold back.”

He’s really into it!

“They’re jealous because he’s the disciple of the Grand Magician, there’s no need to aggravate the situation.”

Moreover, although Brasidas had formed a bond with Palos as master and discipline, he also had to give lectures to other students.

“Are you saying we should just leave it alone?”

“Of course not. We have to show that we still have some influence.”

With a self-assured smile, I walked towards Palos. As I got closer, I could hear the annoying remarks. Asking about one’s parents’ well-being was a great insult to Palos, to the point of being ridiculous. However, my laughter remained steadfast. These pests were nothing.

“Hello, guys.”

“Hey, laugh. Pretending to be nice… wow.”

The guys who were hastily bullying Palos stopped and gaped at me.

‘Yeah! I’m pretty!’

Since I always meet the same people, there was no one who was impressed by my beauty!

“Snort.”

I flipped my long hair back and reached out my hand to Palos.

“Sorry for being late. Are you hungry?”

“It’s okay… I’m fine.”

I grabbed Palos’ hesitant hand first. Although he didn’t pull it back, his face darkened at the sight of showing such behavior.

‘Of course you wouldn’t…..’

I understood, but I couldn’t leave it like that. Palos is a smart kid, so he’ll endure it even if it’s because of his master.

“Hey, Palos. If you have a sister…. you should’ve told us. Haha. Did you misunderstood?”

The child who spoke first was the one who was insulting Palos at the forefront.

“Right, you misunderstood. Sister, we’re friends with Palos.”

The second one… no, let’s call them No. 1 and No. 2 for convenience. No. 2 followed No. 1’s words.

‘A total of six people.’

The remaining four people were subtly surrounding the two, making it seem like they were the leaders. So there’s the leader and his lackey, I guess.

I smiled kindly at No. 1 and asked.

“What does your father do… I mean, what is your father’s profession?”

“Oh, our house? It’s Baron Jaku, we’re famous for our trading business. You must have gone through a lot of trouble borrowing dresses meant for commoners. If it’s too hard, feel free to contact us.”

“I’m his cousin. My father works here. If you want, I can help you get a job too.”

Number 1 and number 2 were cousins. No wonder they look so similar, like a pair of yellow sprouts.

“Oh my, how unlucky.”

With a deadly smile and a gentle voice, I didn’t even realize that I was cursing at them for a few seconds. These guys were clearly fools. How on earth did they get accepted into a magic school?

‘By the way, this situation somehow feels familiar.’

I usually prefer comfortable clothes, but today I put in a lot of effort to dress up, not wanting to disappoint Palos. The beads scattered sparsely on top of the finest silk are all pearls, not gems. The embroidery along the square neckline is silver thread. What adorn my neck are pearls and pink diamonds.

‘Is the son of a trading family can’t even recognize this kind of thing?’

I couldn’t help but snort in disbelief. What was even more ridiculous was that the fathers of these guys who were about to come were no different from them. Even the father of the No. 2 was the employee who initially refused to accept my sponsorship and admission documents for Palos.

“Oh, that guy?”

Of course, the other person recognized me too.

“Oh, you said you were a noble. Were you just pretending?”

With that one sentence, the children’s eyes turned cruel. The fathers of No. 1 and No. 2 were already scanning me up and down as if appraising my worth.

‘Oh, my God. You gonna help me get a job? I don’t think you’re in a position to do that.’

He would have known my name if he had seen the documents I wrote. But he’s coming out like this, it means he’s not in a position to break the seal and look at my rank. Just then, the school principal, who had been looking around, met my gaze. As he approached me, I silently blew a whistle in my mind.

‘You’re here to pop some soda.’

However, surprisingly, Palos, who had been enduring the insult silently, seemed to have reached his limit and was about to explode.

“You….! This person is—!”

“Shh. Palos, just hold on a little bit longer.”

I whispered while patting the child’s shoulder.

‘Surely, you can get angry if you want to.’

The gaze of Palos looking at me was saying that.

“In a situation like this, it’s also effective to vent your anger in an entertaining way, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

As soon as Palos responded, the principal, who had approached three steps in front of us, greeted me.

“Oh, Director. You’re here.”

“Director?!”

Everyone turned their heads like they were performing a military drill.

‘What difference does that make?’

“But the only one the principal is looking at is me. I raised one corner of my lips and finally revealed my name with a sincere attitude.

“I am the new director, Minuelle Karinen.”

“Karinen?!”

“Grand Duchess of Karinen?”

Right. Even those with a low sense of luxury goods recognition know the name of Karinen.

‘Whether it’s about money, sponsorship, or support, if you’re going to do it, you should do it properly.

I poured out my donation, thinking that someday it would come in handy, and took over the director position, but I didn’t know it would be useful from the first day of school.

Although the half-year revenue of my largest greenhouse was gone in one shot, it was not regrettable.

“Minuelle.”

In addition, the person who was going to ‘pretend not to know me’ came at the perfect timing. No, he must have been watching me all along, so it was clear that he was aiming for a dramatic moment.

‘It’s not something I can accept, nor something I can reject.’

Frankly, I wanted to praise him this time around. Esadien’s sparkling hair itself was proof of his status.

“I greet Your Highness the Third Prince.”

Everyone greeted him with a bow, but Esadien didn’t even acknowledge them and asked with a hint of displeasure.

“What business do you have with my fiancée?”

The faces that were already nervous from the inspection became even stiffer. I smiled at them as if to confirm and asked.

“What about my dress?”

“……”

“You can give me a job?”

“……”

The people around me froze up, as if they had dry ice in their mouths, and couldn’t even answer anything. In my mind, I wanted to shout, “What a bunch of arrogant brats! What a nonsense!” But since the elders were around, I held it in.

“Freshmans, it would be difficult if you forget that Karinen’s family is watching Palos closely.”

“……”

“Answer me.”

“Yes, yes!”

“If you have the foolish idea that it won’t reach my ear if Palos doesn’t say anything, then you are mistaken…”

Several people who had met my eyes hurriedly lowered their gaze. I twisted my lips and sneered at them.

“Stop thinking about it. Well, if you’re curious about what might happen, try experiencing it yourself.”

“……”

“Experiential learning is really good. You only have one life, and you only have one experience. Right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right!”

Still, it ended on a relatively mild note with the young ones. The threats toward the adults were more direct.

“Please make sure to teach your son well. Even if it means restraining him from what he’s doing now.”

Even though I said it was more direct, was it still polite? There’s no way. I expressed it through body language.