The villainess will survive!

Part 28: New Semester

The festival had ended. 

However, this also marked the end of the long summer break. 

I hopped onto the carriage, refreshed for school. 

This reminded me of the first ride to school, which I was so anticipating for the start of the otome game. 

I had hoped that it would go peacefully for me, but Ivy stepped on that wish. 
I had no choice but to attack back. 

Ivy. 

How was she doing? After the festival?

I hope she didn't take too much damage after one of her capture targets was stolen away. 

I covered my eyes and signed. 

What was I even doing anymore?

I told myself before that I wasn't going to be like Ivy, depending on boys with higher status. 
Yet here I was, already attracting one of the capture targets. 

I tilted me head. 

Did I make a mistake?

No, no. It must've been the fact that Philip was the dumbest out of all them. 

But wasn't he one of the hardest to make fall in love with?

Huh? This didn't make sense. 

I cleared my head, and promised myself to not think about this again. All it would do is make my head and thoughts go in circles. 

—"Seriously? Is boys all you can think of on the first day of the first semester?" 

 I flinched. Whose voice was that?!

—"A  few weeks and you already forgot me, huh?"

I gritted my teeth, sincerely annoyed. 

—"Listen! Don't read my thoughts! It's seriously creepy! It can also be considered stalking! Plus, Elijah, aren't gods supposed to be more diginified?" 

—"Then you expect too much of me." 

I heard a yawn in my head and gritted my teeth. 

—"I thought gods didn't get tired or sleepy."

—"No. That was to put in the mood and annoy you."

Rolling my eyes, I prepared for yelling in my head. 

—"Listen. Be more respectful. I don't care if you are a being higher than me or a god. I made a contract with you. And—"

—"You should get off. You've arrived."

Soon enough, the footman opened the door to the carriage and held out his hand. 

I guess I'll let him off this time. 

The heel of my shoe clicked on the smooth cement ground, and I looked at the Magic Academy. A wave of nostalgia came over me, and I familiarized the school all over again in my head. 

I walked towards the entrance, but watched out for the pesky capture targets and the heroine. 

Seeing that there were none, I felt relieved and headed quickly towards my room to settle my things down and then head to the auditorium. 

We were all assigned a seat, by alphabetical order depending on our names. 

I gave a speech about how happy I was to return here after a long break. 

People gave me admiring gazes. 

Just like last year. 

It was all repeating, except for the shocking last part. 

"Before we go, can we all congratulate a certain student?" The vice-principal Mr. Ianric said over the microphone. 

A slight gasp came from the crowd, but were soon shut up by the sight of Ivy walking on the stage, with a proud grin over her mouth. 

"Here we have Ivy Castria, the very first student this year to have the blessing of a magical animal!" 

A lot of students gasped. Having the blessing of a magical animal was very rare. 

Ivy waved her hand, and a small creature brimming with light appeared. 

Every student looked at her and her creature with aw. I assumed they had only seen these stuff in fairy tale books.

The small creature was a bird, which was the opposite to the otome game. Ivy was supposed to have the blessing of a magical bunny. 

Soon we were dismissed, and a lot of students rushed over to Ivy. They wanted to see it up close, and were squabbling like little ducklings over a fish. 

I could see that proud glint in her eyes when she looked at me, as if she had already won. 

I rolled my eyes and turned my head. I wasn't at the point where I was jealous because I had something much more rare, but more annoyed that she was like this. 

I crossed my eyebrows because magical animals only gave their blessing to good humans, and not someone like Ivy. 

What if it was an illusion? About half of our class could do illusions, but not something complicated and moving like Ivy did. Even I would have a hard time controlling that. 

—"It's not. It's very much real." I heard Elijah's voice echo in my head. 

If a god said that it was no trick, then it must've been a magical creature in the flesh. 

I walked to class, clearing my mind of suspicions, and set down on my table. 

I was one of the first few, hence most students were still coddling around Ivy for her magical creature. 

I thought I'd fimiliarise myself with my new class for this semester, and also see if my usual friend group, was here. 

I gave my usual smile, and started to look around. 

The teacher wasn't there, but there were some students already sitting at their desks. 

Let's see...........

There was Seria, Ciana, Emerald.

My mood brightened from the sight of my friends being in the same class as me. I won't be very lonely this year!

But wait. 

There were 3 capture targets in this classroom as well.
Ellios sat there, reading a spell book. Aaron was leaning against his chair, holding a large history book. Philip was looking at a sheet of different types of swords. 

I looked down at my desk. 

How could this have happened?

Maybe I should've requested to not be in the same class as these people?
But then they could've seen my whole family as a rich household that didn't want to mingle with people lower than us. I couldn't afford ruining my own family's reputation.
We have many enemies, and weakness is not an option. 

It was useless to lament over this issue. God must've done this as a fair trade for my friends to be in the same class as me. 

Students started entering the classroom one-by-one, either giving up on trying to take a peek at Ivy's bird, or simply had enough of looking at it. 

A familiar face entered the classroom, and I grumbled in a low tone. 

The Crown Prince, my fiance, and also the very person who I get killed by so much in the game. 

Why was Albert here? 

And if he was here, that meant Ivy, the heroine, was going to be in this class as well. 

This wasn't a fair trade for my friends anymore.