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But the prospect of free wine made it worth the effort.

Besides, appearances had to be kept.

My reputation as the academy\'s infamous villain wouldn\'t sustain itself if I kept lurking in the shadows.

I was making my way to the refreshments table, mentally cursing how crowded the hall was, when disaster struck.

Just as I grabbed a glass of the finest red wine they had to offer, someone collided into me.

The glass tumbled from my hand, and the crimson liquid splashed all over my meticulously tailored coat—and the equally exquisite dress of the person I had bumped into.

I froze.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

Oh no.

Not her.

Anyone but her.

Standing before me, drenched in wine, was none other than Princess Elara Velden, the second-born of the Imperial Family.

Her red hair glistened under the chandeliers, and her crimson eyes burned with barely concealed annoyance.

The sheer absurdity of the situation made me want to scream, but I had to stay in character.

This was an opportunity I couldn\'t afford to squander.

\'...shit I\'m going to hate myself for this... \'

I forced myself to do what needed to be done.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes?!"

I snapped, channeling every ounce of my haughty arrogance.

Her expression shifted instantly.

Annoyance turned to surprise, then indignation.

"Excuse me?"

She said, her voice laced with both irritation and a measure of royal authority.

"Are you deaf now too?"

I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I said: is there something wrong with your eyes?

Or do you enjoy walking straight into people for fun?"

The room went silent

Everyone within earshot turned to stare, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

Insulting anyone of noble blood was one thing, but royalty?

This was a death wish.

\'Fuck... I\'m screwed... \'

Elara\'s cheeks flushed, though whether from anger or embarrassment, I couldn\'t tell.

"I don\'t think you\'re in any position to talk about eyes when you\'re the one who wasn\'t paying attention."

She shot back, folding her arms.

Her tone was sharp but carried an almost playful edge, as if daring me to continue.

I inwardly groaned.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

"I wasn\'t paying attention?"

I laughed mockingly.

"I was standing still.

You, on the other hand, stormed in here like you owned the place."

[+10 False Evil Points: Insulting a princess\' intelligence]

[+15 False Evil Points: Questioning royal judgment]

[+20 False Evil Points: Publicly shaming royalty]

[+50 False Evil Points: Escalating an argument with a royal figure]

This was too good to be true.

I doubled down.

"And now you\'re making excuses.

Honestly, Princess, if you can\'t even see where you\'re going, perhaps the Empire should invest in a cane for you.

Who knows, maybe it\'ll save us all from your blind rampages."

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in a small ggasp

Around us, the murmur of shocked whispers grew louder.

The system chimed again.

[+75 False Evil Points: Accusing royalty of disability in public (DIABOLICAL!)]

The guards stationed nearby weren\'t as amused.

They began closing in, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

"You dare speak to Her Highness in such a manner?!"

One of them growled.

"Dare?"

I said with a smirk, turning my attention to the guards.

"If you ask me, you should be questioning why she\'s causing chaos at a party meant to honor students.

Then again, I suppose that\'s beyond your abilities."

[+30 False Evil Points: Insulting the Imperial Guard]

"You insolent—"

One of the guards began, stepping closer.

"Enough!"

A voice called out, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Everyone turned to see Prince Leopold Velden, the third prince and Elara\'s brother, striding toward us with his usual unflappable demeanor.

His golden hair gleamed under the lights, and his crimson eyes held a glint of amusement.

"Leo—"

Elara began, but he raised a hand to silence her.

"I think you\'ll find that, for once, Mr. Ashbourne isn\'t entirely in the wrong."

Leopold said, glancing at me with a faint smile.

"My dear sister does have a tendency to get... distracted."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from sighing in relief.

Leopold was an enigma, but at least he wasn\'t going to let his sister\'s temper land me in a dungeon.

"However..." Leopold continued.

"Perhaps you could have handled this with a bit more grace, Noah."

"If you want grace, Your Highness, I suggest you look elsewhere.

I\'ve had enough of this damn party."

Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and stormed out, my wine-stained coat billowing behind me.

Inwardly, I was sweating bullets.

If I had overstepped even slightly, my head could\'ve been decorating a spike by sunrise.

Yet, somehow, I had not only survived but managed to earn a whopping 200 False Evil Points.

The system chimed again, this time in a mocking tone.

[+200 Total False Evil Points: Publicly humiliating royalty]

[Congratulations, Noah! You\'ve officially outdone yourself. Who knew you\'d be brave—or stupid—enough to insult the Imperial Family?]

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath.

The system didn\'t stop.

Instead, it hit me with a side quest notification.

[Side Quest Unlocked: Ask the Princess out and get rejected]

[Reward: +1000 Plot Points]

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the notification in disbelief.

"You\'ve got to be kidding me," I hissed.

"Master Noah?"

A familiar voice called out.

Mari, my maid, appeared at my side, her expression a mixture of concern and irritation.

"What happened? Why are you covered in wine?"

"Don\'t ask," I said curtly.

"We\'re leaving. Now."

She opened her mouth to protest but wisely shut it when she saw the look on my face.

Together, we made our way back to Silvercrest Hall.

The entire walk, I couldn\'t shake the system\'s mocking laughter from my mind.

As soon as I was back in the safety of my room, I collapsed onto the nearest chair and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

I buried my face in my hands. Somehow, I believed it.

***

༺ Maya\'s POV ༻

The sound of the water hitting the ceramic floor was steady and unrelenting, filling the air with a rhythmic patter.

I stood under the showerhead, letting the warm spray cascade over me, my gaze fixed on the floor.

My thoughts, however, were far from the tranquility of the moment.

The first-year party.

The memory played in my mind like a persistent loop, a scene I couldn\'t quite shake.

I was sat, a safe distance from most of the mingling crowd, when I caught sight of Noah.

He was seated off to the side, his posture as relaxed and arrogant as ever, as if the party existed solely to amuse him.

And then she approached him.

Black hair cascading down her back, red eyes that seemed to pierce through everything around her, and an air of elegance that could only belong to someone of noble blood.

I didn\'t need anyone to introduce her to me; I already knew who she was.

Iris Star.

The only daughter of House Star—a name whispered with reverence and awe, even among nobles.

But that wasn\'t why she caught my attention.

No, it was because I knew what could have been.

Before the political arrangement that bound me to Noah, it was her.

Supposedly I had heard that Noah and Iris were supposed to be engaged.

The thought made me grip my arms tightly.

The water streaming over me unable to wash away the unease building in my chest.

I could still see her, standing behind him at the party.

Leaning over just enough to invade his space as they spoke.

Her hand brushed his shoulder casually, her posture conveying a level of intimacy I didn\'t want to acknowledge.

And Noah?

His eyes weren\'t filled with his usual disdain or indifference.

They were fixed on her, intent and unyielding, as if she were the only thing in the room worth his attention.

A strange, unfamiliar sensation churned in my stomach.

I hated how her presence lingered in my mind.

How that image of them together made me feel... less.

Less than her.

Less than enough.

But why?

Why did I care?

I shook my head, willing the thought away.

"Why would I care anyway?"

I muttered under my breath, the sound swallowed by the steady stream of water.

"Noah is vile. A despicable man

And I do want to get rid of him as my fiancé completely."

The words felt hollow, even as I said them aloud.

Determined to snap myself out of this ridiculous spiral, I reached for the herbal shampoo bottle on the shelf.

In my haste, my hand knocked it over, sending it tumbling onto my head with an audible thunk.

"Ah! Ouch!"

I exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot as the bottle rolled to the floor.

The sting of embarrassment and pain only made me more annoyed at myself.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

But as the ache in my head faded, my mood drifted back to him.

Back to his expression at the party, to the way he looked at Iris.

Why was it bothering me so much?

"Sigh... "