Chapter 21

Of course, it wasn't the truth, but being treated as a joke made me feel strange.

The noble girls' eyes sparkled with curiosity about what the dormitory looked like.

I had no choice but to show them around the house.

The dormitory wasn't particularly large.

However, the first floor had a small living room, a dining room, and a room for the maid.

The second floor was the bedroom and the dressing room.

"So this is how it's set up..."

The dormitory, which was not just a graphic but a reality, was much more to my liking.

In contrast to me, the noble girls' expressions grew darker as they crowded around and explored the dormitory.

"How can Lady Thérèse live in such a shabby place... I'm worried."

I finally understood why Damian detested the nobility so much.

'I should send them all away and read my book.'

"I'm planning to finish this book by tomorrow."

So, can everyone go back now?

However, my words were once again interpreted in their own way by Clefbu.

"Was it to inform you that Lord Clyde is in the library? As expected, you already knew."

No, I didn't know at all.

'Clyde is supposed to often reside in the library.'

"Your thoroughness in preparing the book in advance is admirable, Lady Thérèse."

I smiled awkwardly.

"Uh-huh. I guess so..."

If I went to the library, they wouldn't be able to chatter due to the silence, which seemed better.

If I stayed here, I would only hear their complaints about how I could possibly live in this cramped dormitory.

'Anyway, I had to meet Clyde eventually.'

My gaze turned to the notification window.

[Throne 'Face Identifier' is hoping that this male lead will definitely be to her taste.]

[Throne 'Let's Play' is satisfied with checking all the male leads on the first day.]

'Right. Let's go, let's go.'

I crowded into the main building's library with the noble girls.

As soon as we entered the somewhat small library on the first floor, I had to be careful not to gasp in amazement.

'There are more books here than in the duke's mansion!'

Isn't that everyone's dream? A library where you climb a ladder to get a book.

Anyway, that was my dream.

'A library with bookshelves two stories high, filled with spellbooks. It's even more impressive in real life.'

My heart raced with excitement.

At that moment, a noble girl next to me whispered with a heart-pounding expression for a different reason.

"There he is...!"

Following her finger, I saw a man so beautiful that it took my breath away.

His pure, clean silver hair and piercing, clear blue eyes made him seem like a paragon of purity, almost as if he had the blood of the celestial race.

This man, who exuded an aura that could make anyone feel inferior just by looking at him, was the student council president, Clyde Willow.

Ding!

[Throne 'Face Identifier' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Face Genius]

This throne seemed to prefer a flawlessly cold beauty.

If Damian didn't have a gentle expression and glasses, he wouldn't look particularly warm either.

At first glance, he seemed very affectionate, but that was all an act.

However, on the surface, Clyde and Damian were indeed complete opposites in terms of appearance, attitude, and background.

We gathered around Clyde.

I glanced at Clyde, who didn't even look our way as I put down my book.

'Clyde Character Information'

▼

[Clyde Willow]

Age: 22

Height: 188cm

Birthday: January 31

Likes: -

Dislikes: Love

Affection: ♥♥♡♡♡

▲

"..."

He already has two black hearts.

I quickly lowered my eyes.

That means Thérèse's very existence is annoying to him.

Ding!

[Throne 'Detective' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Clue Found. All male leads so far have the same birthday, January 31.]

I borrowed a pen and paper from a noble girl who had brought them to draw Clyde and sat a little away from the group.

I wrote down an explanation for the thrones on the paper.

"In this game, you must fill the affection meter of at least one male lead by January 31 next year. The male lead whose affection meter is full will send a birthday invitation. The ending changes depending on whose invitation you accept on that day."

[The thrones have understood the explanation.]

Since burning the paper wasn't appropriate, I used a bit of magic to rub the words out with my fingers.

The magic burned only the ink, making the words disappear.

Right after possession, I wouldn't have been able to control the magic so finely.

I smiled proudly and looked up, only to meet Clyde's eyes.

'How long has he been watching me?'

He couldn't have seen what I wrote, but his cold gaze made me feel uneasy.

I smiled as naturally as possible, avoided his gaze, and opened my book.

Glancing at Clyde, I saw that he had returned to his own book.

[Throne 'Romance Path' wants to sit in front of Clyde.]

'What nonsense.'

I was perfectly fine with the current situation.

Unlike the previous two male leads, I didn't have to exchange a single word with Clyde, which was very comfortable.

This was why Clyde came to the library to prevent his followers from acting freely.

There was another reason.

'To avoid the annoying family members.'

The magic school Balhalla was also the Willow mansion.

Clyde was the heir to the Willow family.

His grandfather was the chairman of Balhalla and the head of the family, and since his father, who was supposed to inherit the family, had died, it was natural for Clyde to be chosen as the heir.

Of course, his exceptional abilities were also a reason for his selection.

However, being young often leads to problems.

There were many who envied Clyde and wished for his downfall among the elders of the Willow family, the collateral nobles, and his cousins of a similar age.

There was also a convenient pretext.

"Look at how Renox became a madman, my lord. There's no guarantee that Clyde, who grew up under his father's hand, won't act like his father!"

However, this statement also touched the Willow Duke's sore spot, which led to the public announcement of Clyde as the heir.

Despite this, the elders and collateral nobles did not accept it and were constantly looking for an opportunity to remove Clyde.

Once Clyde graduated from Balhalla, no one could doubt his abilities.

Doubting Clyde was the same as doubting Balhalla, which was the Willow family itself, and that was tantamount to treason.

This year was their last chance.

For Clyde, it was also the year he needed to get through.

To avoid annoying people, he chose to wander around less crowded places.

'That's why Clyde often appears unexpectedly in various places around the school.'

If you wanted to pursue him, you had to go to less crowded or unexpected places.

Therefore, if you didn't want to meet him, you had to go to crowded places.

However, Damian often appeared in such places, creating a dilemma.

'No matter where I go, there's a male lead. The game designer is really thorough, really thorough.'

While I was lost in thought, the noble girls, tired of reading, started to get up and whisper to me.

"I need to return to my family now."

Balhalla had three libraries.

However, this particular library only stored high-level spellbooks, lacking even general education or history books, which seemed to have disappointed them.

'That's why they were impressed by my thorough preparation in bringing the book.'

The noble girls, who initially thought the book I brought was a romance novel, made strange faces when they saw it was a spellbook.

'But this book is actually interesting.'

I was deeply engrossed in the book, flipping through the pages.

Knock knock.

I looked up at the sound of a knock on the table and saw Clyde.

I stared at him in confusion.

'Clyde wouldn't initiate a conversation with Thérèse, right?'

"It's 5 o'clock."

All the libraries except the largest one on the first floor closed at 5 o'clock.

"Already?"

I checked my pocket watch.

I had been so engrossed in reading the spellbook that I hadn't noticed the time.

'No wonder I was feeling hungry.'

I quickly gathered my book and stood up, noticing that the library was now empty.

Somehow, only Clyde and I were left.

'Oh, this is a perfect situation for them to misunderstand that I stayed until the end on purpose.'

I laughed awkwardly and quickly thanked him.

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll be going now."

Just as I was about to turn around,

"Interesting, Thérèse Squire."