《A Maiden’s Western Fantasy World》 was a twisted otome game, but it still followed the logic of a normal otome game in some respects.
For example, right now.
If Male Lead A discovered that she had accepted a token from Male Lead B, what would Male Lead B think?
The white-haired girl saw four unmistakable words reflected in the white-haired young man’s gaze:
Unforgivable.
Under that intensely oppressive stare, Wuli called out to Shuen in panic.
“Brother.”
“Big Brother.”
Shuen’s eyes remained cold. Without blinking, his gaze shifted from the ruby pendant to Wuli’s eyes.
The white-haired young man silently stared at the younger sister who had claimed that her eyes held no one but him.
A liar.
“I truly didn’t expect him to give you even this.”
The white-haired girl merely stared blankly at Shuen. Her pink lips parted, but she had no idea how to answer. In the end, all that remained was silence.
Shuen fixed his eyes on her. At last, a smile appeared on his face.
A smile chilling enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
“I never knew my little sister was capable of so much.”
He released the fine chain of the ruby pendant. His long, distinct fingers moved upward as he lightly grasped the back of the white-haired girl’s neck. His thumb brushed over the red finger marks that had yet to fade, and there was even a trace of tenderness in the gesture.
“Does it hurt?”
His voice drifted down from above.
Shuen’s deep eyes remained locked on Wuli.
Wuli lowered her gaze.
“…It does.”
The most vulnerable part of the white-haired girl was currently in the white-haired young man’s hand. Even her breathing slowed.
Shuen naturally noticed, but he had no intention of letting her off so easily. His cold gaze wandered across the white-haired girl’s face, and the words that left his lips sounded like a warning.
“If it hurts, stay away from him.”
“Otherwise, you’ll have far worse to suffer.”
Wuli’s lips moved slightly.
“Okay.”
Only after hearing that answer did Shuen finally release her.
He withdrew his hand, turned his head away, and no longer looked at the person beside him.
Only then did she hurriedly remove the ruby pendant, afraid that Shuen might take one more look at it.
Neither of these male leads was someone she could afford to provoke.
She had to find a way to leave this place, to leave this world.
The two of them returned to the Duke’s Residence ahead of schedule.
The Duchess had always been particularly attentive to Wuli. The moment she saw them return early, she immediately came forward to greet them.
Shuen stepped out of the carriage first. He looked no different from when they had departed, still carrying the same noble elegance and refined bearing.
The white-haired girl stepped down a moment later.
Compared to Shuen, she looked utterly miserable.
The Duchess snorted the instant she saw Shuen.
But in the very next second, her eyes widened, and shock flooded her dignified face.
“Wuli, what happened to you?!”
Her hair was disheveled, her dress wrinkled, and there was a glaring red mark on her neck.
The Duchess instantly exploded with anger.
“Who did this to you?!”
Wuli was startled by the shout. Before she could respond, the Duchess had already swept her gaze around and grabbed hold of Shuen, who had been about to leave.
Her eyes were filled with resentment as she glared at her stepson.
“Was it you?! How much longer are you going to keep hurting our Wuli?!”
Hearing that, Wuli hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and ran to the Duchess’s side, lifting the hem of her skirt.
“No! It has nothing to do with Brother!”
‘Don’t provoke the male lead, for heaven’s sake!!!’
Wuli looked at Shuen in panic and discovered that he was looking at her as well.
Those deep, shadowy blue eyes settled on her, making her steel herself as she grabbed her mother’s hand.
“It really has nothing to do with Brother!”
‘Nothing to do with Brother…’
‘Heh.’
The Duchess could see it clearly. Ever since that incident when she fell into the water, her daughter’s loyalties had been drifting farther and farther away from her.
The noble lady’s anger surged instantly.
Under Wuli’s gaze, she did indeed release Shuen’s hand.
The next moment, however, she shoved Wuli backward with force.
The Duchess was now in a state of outright fury. Her eyes locked onto the white-haired girl as she pointed a trembling finger at the person she believed to be the culprit.
“Wuli! I am your mother! And you’re actually speaking up for an outsider?!”
The shove left Wuli dazed.
She took a deep breath.
With two pairs of eyes fixed directly on her, she almost wanted to expose the real culprit, Glenn, right then and there.
But it wasn’t the right time yet…
Wuli’s helpless gaze met Shuen’s.
A faint smile appeared on Shuen’s lips.
Amid the chaos, he calmly spoke to the still-enraged Duchess.
“Wasn’t it you who told Wuli to get close to the First Prince? You should consider yourself fortunate that she’s still alive.”
Hearing those words, the Duchess finally came back to her senses.
She looked at the stepson who never brought her a moment’s peace, and for some reason, his gaze made her feel uneasy.
What he had not yet said was the second half of that sentence.
“The injuries on Wuli’s body were all inflicted by the First Prince.”
In the end, the farce concluded without any clear resolution.
After hearing Shuen’s words, the Duchess fell into a daze. Wuli could find no words to comfort her. Ultimately, the Duchess chose to return to her room and never came out again.
According to the timeline, tomorrow would be the appearance of the third male lead.
Wuli wanted to leave this place, but at present she had absolutely no idea how.
*
After yesterday’s welcoming ball, the Kavelia Academy officially began its new term.
Wuli found a quiet place and sat down.
Shuen was not in the same year as her, so as long as they were attending classes, it was easy enough to avoid running into him.
However…
When she saw Prince Glenn immediately become the center of attention the moment he entered, her expression darkened slightly.
Glenn noticed her as well.
He shot her a mocking glance before turning his attention elsewhere.
The white-haired girl sat quietly in the back row, doing her best to minimize her presence.
Unfortunately, the plot had no intention of letting her go.
“Wuli!”
Hearing someone call her name, Wuli slightly raised her head. Her pale blue eyes reflected the image of a girl with long black hair.
The other girl naturally took the seat beside her and offered a smile. The white-haired girl returned one of her own.
Wuli remembered her.
Diane, the second daughter of the Laxpa family. She was the protagonist’s friend in 《A Maiden’s Western Fantasy World》, and at the same time, a convenient tool used to push the plot forward.
Sure enough, the very first thing Diane said was related to one of the male leads.
“Wuli, are things okay between you and your brother? A few days ago, I heard that he pushed you into the water.”
Wuli: …
The moment she heard about that incident, a headache began to form.
These male leads were each more troublesome than the last.
Seeing that Wuli remained silent and merely smiled, Diane continued.
“Oh, and another thing. I wanted to find you at yesterday’s welcoming ball, but I heard you were with Prince Glenn. What’s that about?”
Wuli: …
Diane lowered her voice when she mentioned Glenn, but it still drew plenty of curious glances from nearby students.
Wuli’s skin prickled with goosebumps.
Turning her head slightly, she cast a sideways glance and found Glenn looking at her as well, his expression meaningful and difficult to read.
Were they all waiting for her answer?
Fine.
Then she would answer.
“My relationship with my brother is quite good. He wasn’t the one who pushed me into the water.”
“My brother was the one who saved me.”
“As for those rumors from yesterday…”
“They’re all false.”
The white-haired girl answered gently.
Meanwhile, the people surrounding Glenn collectively sucked in a breath.
Prince Glenn had personally told them that he had given his token to Wuli.
To everyone’s astonishment, Glenn had openly acknowledged Wuli as his fiancée.
So what was the meaning of Wuli personally denying it now?!
Before anyone could recover from the white-haired girl’s declaration, they saw their First Prince let out a distinctly displeased snort.
The black-haired young man’s crimson eyes were razor-sharp, enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
So she had truly earned his dislike.
There were not many people who dared challenge him in public.
Wuli Sinclair.
He would remember that name.
At this moment, Diane had already moved on to another topic.
Diane said, “I heard that for one of the new courses this semester, the Saint has been invited to teach us.”
No need for rumors.
As a former player, Wuli could tell her with certainty that it was true.
On the surface, Wuli merely coughed twice before replying with a smile.
“Really?”
Diane laughed.
“I don’t think that’s very likely. The Saint is so busy. Why would he come here to teach?”
Ring! Ring! Ring!
As soon as the bell rang, the classroom fell silent.
The Saint everyone had been talking about, the newly appointed professor, Fion, was leisurely walking down an empty corridor.
Sunlight filtered through the windowpanes, broken into patches of light and shadow that fell across the young man’s golden hair. His polished leather shoes clicked softly against the floor.
Tap. Tap.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a second.
The Saint’s distinctive gold-and-black heterochromatic eyes swept calmly across the room before he revealed a gentle smile.
It was the Saint!!!
Diane’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.
Hidden beneath the desk, she reached over and shook Wuli’s leg, trying to convey the depth of her shock.
She wasn’t the only one.
The appearance of a male lead was devastating enough to take out an entire crowd.
Wuli lifted her eyes and looked toward the other male lead seated at the front.
Fion’s entrance had absolutely no effect on Glenn.
The black-haired young man’s gaze remained indifferent, carrying a hint of disdain.
In the game, the relationship between the two of them had never been good.
Fion calmly swept his gaze around the classroom, observing everyone’s expressions.
Surprise.
Admiration.
…
Hm?
His gaze paused on a single point.
While everyone else was looking at him with reverence, the white-haired girl before him was looking somewhere else entirely.
Following her line of sight, he found the black-haired young man wearing an openly disdainful expression.
Fion continued smiling as though he had not noticed the minor interruption.
Picking up a piece of chalk, he turned and wrote his name across the black slate board.
“My name is Fion.”
The entire classroom sucked in a sharp breath.
It really was that Saint Fion!
“From this day forward, I will be teaching all courses related to theology.”
The white-haired girl withdrew her gaze from the black-haired young man and turned her attention to the Saint.
With just that one glance, her blue eyes met the Saint’s heterochromatic ones.
It was an ordinary exchange of looks.
Yet an icy chill seeped through the white-haired girl, from the inside out.
In the game, the reason this Saint had come to teach at the academy was to find a perfect person and offer them as a sacrifice to the gods.
And that perfect person…
The Saint had identified his target with a single glance.
It was Wuli herself.