Chapter 1

"Melushia, you better cut it out! Don't you dare go near her again!!"

My fiancé glared at me and shouted.

Right in the middle of the corridor of the noble academy.

In the middle of the path where the children of distinguished families were passing by.

The name of the one who shouted was Sebastian Smith.

He is the second son of an earl's family.

And the name of the one who was shouted at is Melushia Arnold.

I am the daughter of an earl's family, just like him.

We were engaged at the age of ten and are now both eighteen, the same age.

Sebastian, with his neatly styled brown hair in disarray, scowled and shouted at me.

"If you continue to harass Luluna, I won't forgive you!"

In response, I shook my long, straight blonde hair and let out a high-pitched laugh.

"Harassment? Oh-ho-ho-ho! I just told her that her uniform smelled bad!"

The woman I called "this woman" is Luluna Welbott. She is also eighteen.

Right now, for some reason, she is clinging to my fiancé Sebastian's arm and crying, a petite woman.

She has trembling red lips and bright blonde hair with a hint of pink, looking cute and delicate like a small animal.

Sebastian pulled Luluna closer and spoke to her in a soft voice.

"It's okay, Luluna. Don't mind what Melushia says. You always smell sweet and nice."

"Sebastian... I'm sorry... I made your fiancée, Lady Melushia, angry again..."

"It's fine. She has a short temper. —Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. It's a waste of time to linger here. Our enjoyable lunch break will be over."

My fiancé Sebastian, still holding Luluna's shoulder, walked away.

He glared at me one last time, but I stood with my chin up and dismissed his gaze with a high-pitched laugh.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho... ho-ho... ha..."

When Sebastian and Luluna were out of sight, I finally stopped my high-pitched laugh.

Then I sighed deeply.

(Luluna looked satisfied being protected by Sebastian... It seems to have worked... At least for a while, she won't threaten me... I hope.)

I hurried down the corridor to escape the gazes of those around me.

"Oh, how embarrassing... That high-pitched laugh, I can never get used to it... My face feels like it's on fire even though I did it myself..."

That high-pitched laugh was not my true self but an act.

In fact, everything was an act.

—I, Melushia Arnold, am being forced to bully Luluna Welbott.

By none other than Luluna herself...

I walked out of the corridor and headed outside.

I cut through the green courtyard and made my way to a small chapel at the edge of the school grounds.

There were no students inside the chapel, and it was eerily quiet.

There was one elderly male priest, relaxing on a bench outside.

Usually, there are two more, but they weren't there today.

This chapel is attached to the school as a place for students to pray.

However, it is a place that has almost nothing to do with the carefree students enjoying their youth.

Whenever I come, there are no other students around.

The priests also don't bother the students and spend their time leisurely.

This is the perfect place to be alone.

—Near the entrance of the chapel, I found a fluffy fur.

It was a black-striped cat.

"There you are... Hello, kitty. How are you today?"

I squatted down and touched the cat.

The cat, with a composed face, let me stroke it.

"You're so fluffy today. Such a contrast to my exhausted self... Could you share a little of your energy with me today?"

While talking, I petted the cat.

The cat, lying down, kept a cool face even when I touched its belly.

This cat has been a familiar face since I entered the noble academy at the age of thirteen.

Stroking this fluffy fur is very soothing.

So, when I feel down, I come to this chapel to get some energy from the cat.

Today, as I absentmindedly stroked the cat, I thought about Luluna and Sebastian.

■

To begin with, the reason why I am bullying Luluna dates back two years.

Two years ago, the story began when the baron's daughter, Luluna Welbott, transferred to this noble academy.

The noble academy is a school for students aged thirteen to eighteen, where mainly the children of nobles study magic and academics.

Sebastian and I, both from earl's families, also entered the school together at the age of thirteen.

This school is a boarding school, and during the school term, it is difficult for parents to keep an eye on their children.

As a result, students—especially male students—tend to let their guard down, and Sebastian was no exception, apparently enjoying his freedom.

On the other hand, I, being engaged and naturally shy, spent my time at the school modestly.

—But it seems I was taken advantage of.

The transfer student, Luluna, immediately started to seduce my fiancé Sebastian, as if she had a target in mind.

She probably thought my guard was weak.

Luluna is not from a family with a long-standing title but from a merchant family that recently became a baron.

The up-and-coming baron's daughter was eager to form a connection with a family of good standing.

Moreover, Sebastian's good looks seemed to ignite her passion.

I was completely unaware of her schemes and spent my days quite carefree.

No, rather than carefree, I spent my days diligently studying, not indulging in romance.

By the time I realized it, Sebastian was doting on Luluna and spending a lot of time with her.

"You are a serious and boring woman. I have much more fun with her."

I still remember the shock of hearing those words from him.

(—But, I am the one he is engaged to... Luluna must be just a page in his youth.)

I told myself.

A youthful, playful romance.

I thought their relationship was just that and turned a blind eye to it.

But.

About half a year after Luluna's transfer, one day, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, she called me to the back garden and said something unexpected.

"Hey, Lady Melushia! Please give Sebastian to me!"

"...What?"

I was taken aback and widened my eyes.

"Because, Sebastian will definitely be happier with me! I have fun with him, and my father wants it too! Lady Melushia, even if you don't marry Sebastian, you come from an earl's family, so you'll be fine, right?"

"...What are you talking about?"

I didn't understand at all.

Why should I bear the burden of being the one to break up for his affair?

Well, since we weren't married yet, it wouldn't technically be a divorce, but the bad news of a broken engagement would still spread.

"Besides, why are you calling my fiancé by his first name so casually? That's impolite."

"...Sebastian and I love each other... Can't I even call his name? That's cruel..."

Luluna's eyes welled up with tears.

I hadn't told her not to call him by his name, and the idea that they loved each other was already strange.

I was too stunned to even retort.

But Luluna continued with even stranger words.

"...I was trying to resolve this peacefully, but if Lady Melushia is going to be mean, I'll have to try my best not to lose! —That's it! I'll get Sebastian to break the engagement himself!"

"Ha!? Sebastian is not foolish enough to easily break an engagement decided by our families! Without a proper reason, the families won't agree!"

Probably!

I added, which was a bit pitiful.

Unfortunately, to put it mildly, Sebastian is not the most capable type...

I sighed deeply and started to walk away.

"...If that's all, I'll be on my way..."

This girl is a bit strange.

I decided it was best not to get involved, but her next words made me stop in my tracks.

"Then, I'll make everyone agree! Lady Melushia, please bully me!"

"Why would I do that...? I can't do such a thing. Stop it—"

"Lady Melushia, you like cats, don't you? Would you be sad if they disappeared?"

Luluna's voice suddenly turned cold.

Surprised, I turned around, and she continued.

"I don't like cats at all. So, I wouldn't be sad if they disappeared. Oh, Lady Melushia, you'd probably cry, wouldn't you?"

"What... What are you talking about...?"

Despite her cold voice, she smiled cutely.

"There's a black-striped cat wandering around the school, right? If it's important to you, will you listen to me? I may look like it, but I'm quite strong in magic, especially fire magic! I could burn a cat in an instant with a *poof*!"

"Such a thing... is not allowed! I'll tell the teachers that I'm being threatened...!"

I started to run.

But she scattered sparks with magic at my feet.

"...!"

I couldn't even scream and froze in place.

"Oh? No defensive magic? Lady Melushia is not good at magic? But you're good at studies, right?"

"U-Using magic outside of class is against the rules...!"

"Lady Melushia is being mean. —Oh! Speaking of which! There's a black-striped cat walking over there!"

Following her gaze, I saw a cat walking towards us.

Luluna smiled and pointed at the cat.

"What will you do, Lady Melushia? Even if you tell the teachers, they'll probably just say, 'It's just a stray cat,' and that's it."

"Wait! I understand! I understand...! I'll do as you say, so please don't hurt the cat!!"

I clung to her, almost screaming.

She smiled contentedly and told me.

"Then, from today, Lady Melushia will be the evil noble girl, and I'll be the brave heroine who endures your bullying. I look forward to working with you!"

She turned and walked away, still smiling, leaving me standing there in shock.

I could hear her muttering something, but I couldn't make out the words.

"Finally, Melushia is playing her part. Without being bullied, the heroine can't win the heart of her beloved Sebastian. The cat is just a part of the background, and it's good that the locals are so gullible."

—And so, my days of "bullying theater" with her began.

Of course, I considered talking to my parents or the teachers.

I considered it, but...

I was afraid that if I did, they would dismiss it as "just a stray cat."

If I got caught telling on her and nothing was done, the cat would be in danger.

Using my family's influence to deal with Luluna also seemed difficult.

In the noble academy, the power of families is generally invalid.

This is because the hierarchy of families would affect the school.

Both students and teachers are forbidden from family intervention, which is the school's policy.

Additionally, the dormitory strictly prohibits pets.

My family also has a pet-free policy because my younger brother has a weak chest.

It would be difficult to hide the cat.

For these reasons, I decided to endure the conflict with her on my own.