Chapter 1

Bzzzzz—

As the phone’s screen turned on with a vibration, a series of system windows popped up with the name of a specific person.

Skyla von Aither Lévretin

Lexius Créssien

Ariel turned her steps hastily.

Lowering herself under her window, she was busy hiding behind the folding wall. She was so busy that she couldn’t even properly check what came to her mind.

Since it was only a few meters to her destination, Ariel only peeked her head out to check what was in front of her. A place where ancient history lessons were conducted, a dark wooden door three or four steps away. The nameplate read Third Education Room.

Somehow, the deserted hallway brought a bleak energy.

This was a place where students rarely came because it was organized mainly for a class that was boring and unpopular.

That was why Ariel deliberately chose this place.

‘Then, why are they gathered around here? People who didn’t even listen to the classes normally…’

Ariel didn’t understand… Was she really being stalked?

Bzzz—

The sound of a vibration that turned her doubt into certainty rang again.

As the system window notified them that their location had been updated, the feeling of being pursued made Ariel feel a chill run down her neck. Even though she glanced around keenly, there was no one in sight—not even the slightest sign of presence.

Still, it was impossible to grasp their position only with her five senses. She had to look at her cell phone to figure out the exact location of the opponent. While it was dangerous to narrow her field of vision, there was no way.

Ariel turned on the screen and fixed her eyes on the narrow screen in front of her.

Skyla von Aither Lévretin
Affection: (He likes you. He will try to find you wherever you are.)
Current Location: Academy Hall 1 — Education Room 3

‘What…?!’

Ariel, who almost let out a scream, hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand as the breath that couldn’t escape was swallowed down her throat.

…He was currently waiting for her in the third education room.

If it hadn’t been for the impending notification on her phone, she would have ended up in the tiger’s den.

‘I need to get out of here as soon as possible…’

As soon as she made up her mind, her feet moved.

While still lowering her posture, Ariel turned around, but her body staggered as she turned rather hastily. As she reflexively raised her arm to keep herself from falling while poised to balance herself, her precariously held cell phone slipped from her hand.

Tak, taak!

Of all things, it was a marble floor that resonated loudly. Naturally, the crashing sound of the phone was loud enough to resonate through the hallway.

Was it because of that?

The door of the training room, which was a few meters behind her, opened violently as she tried to move away.

Thud!

Startled by the loud noise of a door being slammed, her body stiffened and stopped. Even her breathing stopped for an instant due to excessive tension.

Ariel felt her heart shrink.

“Ariel!”

A familiar voice pierced her ears.

The sound of the heels grew louder as the person approached. At the same time, a feeling of uneasiness ran through Ariel’s body.

The warning from the phone’s system window popped into her mind.

‘Just now… how many hearts were there?’

Ariel desperately tried to recall Skyla’s profile window she had checked right in front of the education room. There were definitely four hearts there.

Yes, it was still four…

There was plenty of room for the six that the system was warning about. Still, as he couldn’t find her, Skyla revealed his maniacal obsession.

‘He’s like this now, but what about six…?’

A vision of a bad future came over her like a shadow over Ariel’s mind.

“I found you.”

A voice, cold like the chilly air that flowed from a basement, chilled Ariel’s spine. Raising her head, she met the blue eyes gazing down at her. A beautiful face casted a needle-like gaze with a hint of questioning.

Ariel called to him, barely moving her stiffening mouth.

“S…kyla…”

“What are you doing not coming in?”

“It’s just a little…”

She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even come up with an excuse.

The man’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

“Ariel, you… Are you running away?”

At those words, Ariel’s jaw quivered slightly at the sound of him stabbing right on the point. Because of that, the agitation she couldn’t hide was revealed on her face.

Skyla’s face was instantly engulfed in anger.

“Why… are you running away?”

A low voice pierced her eardrums. However, Ariel wanted to lament rather than making excuses.

‘He still has four hearts!’

What on earth would be an extreme ending with six hearts…

Just imagining it made Ariel feel dizzy. She really wanted to run away.

※ Title of the Lévretin Empire.

*All children of high-ranking families are called young lord or young lady.
(Used by borrowing ‘Young Lord noun son of a high-ranking family” specified in the National Institute of the Korean Language)

When specifying the exact status, a specific position is added in front of it, such as ‘Countess’, ‘Duchess’, or ‘Marchioness.’

*Empire takes the form of imperial centralization, and the highest rank has different honorific words for each position.

Emperor — Ruler of the Empire.
First rank of imperial power. Referred to as ‘His Majesty.’

Crown Prince, Grand Duke — The first candidate for succession to the imperial title.
Second rank of imperial power. Referred to as ‘Your Highness.’ However, the succession ranking of the Crown Prince is higher than that of the Grand Duke.

Prince, Grand Duchess, King of a Kingdom under the Empire — Second-highest candidate for succession to the Imperial title.
Third rank of imperial power. Referred to as ‘Your Highness.’

3rd Duke — Third candidate for succession to the imperial title.
Fourth rank of imperial power. No additional honorifics.

A person in power from an aristocratic family under the Empire — no order of succession. However, there is a difference in power. No additional honorifics.

The same applies to the spouse. ( Example – Her Majesty the Empress, Her Highness the Crown Princess, etc. )

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Again, thank you so much for always supporting the novels I translate, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot.