Silence stretched between us.
I stared at Crown Prince Leo von Grandia with a completely blank expression. My mind was so empty that if a breeze blew past, the echoing void in my head might have been audible to everyone nearby.
*He actually thinks I did all this... to get his attention?*
"Why are you silent, Rosel?" Leo's smile widened further, a smirking face that made me want to land a solid punch right on his nose. "Are you surprised that I saw right through your hidden motives?"
He took another step forward, leaning his head down to match my eye level.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed. As your political fiancé—a status that will soon be finalized—I understand your desire to monopolize my gaze. But acting so childishly by picking on a scholarship student?" He shook his head in mock disappointment. "That is not graceful at all."
The floating neon comment window beside my vision erupted once again with a flurry of messages from system readers.
[User_OrangeCat]: "I WANT TO PUNCH HIS FACE SO BAD! Leo's narcissism has breached the Earth's atmosphere!"
[User_LocalObserver]: "Did you forget your medication, Prince? You're so delusional. Rosel looks at you like you're organic trash."
[User_YuriSimp]: "Rosel, please slap him. Please. For the sake of Yuri justice!"
[User_OlympicShip]: "I'll donate 100 system points if Rosel spits on his golden shoes right now!"
I took a deep breath, trying desperately to control my facial muscles so I wouldn't visibly roll my eyes to the heavens.
*Patience, Rosel. You are a 24-year-old adult man trapped in the body of a noble lady. Don't get worked up over a teenager suffering from prince syndrome.*
"Your Highness," I said, putting on the fake-est smile I had ever crafted in my life. "I believe your brain is overly exhausted from managing state affairs, to the point where you've begun entertaining wild, absurd delusions."
Leo's eyebrows knitted tightly. "What?"
"I picked up that girl's books simply because they were blocking my path. And I reprimanded her because the sound of her heavy breathing was bothering my peace," I continued in a bone-chilling tone. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you. Let alone getting your attention... just visualizing your face is enough to ruin my appetite for lunch."
*BAM.*
A decisive 1-0 score for Rosel.
Leo's expression froze instantly. His confident smirk vanished without a trace, replaced by sheer shock and humiliation. His eyes widened, staring at me as if I had just uttered an ancient curse in a forbidden language.
[Special Feature Unlocked: Reading the Male Lead's Hidden Thoughts!]
[Reading Leo von Grandia's Thoughts...]
*‘W-What?! She hates me?! Impossible! Rosel has always looked at me with sparkling eyes! Why does her gaze look so... disgusted right now?! Is this a new tactic?! Yes, she's playing hard to get! She wants me to chase her!’*
*ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HE'S EVEN MORE DELUSIONAL NOW!*
I reflexively slapped my own forehead. *Clack!* The sound was sharp enough to make several students nearby turn their heads.
"Lady Rosel?" Leo looked increasingly confused by my reaction. "Did you... just slap your own forehead?"
"Ignore me, Your Highness. I am merely lamenting how impenetrable the walls of misunderstanding are in this world," I replied weakly, waving my hand dismissively. "Excuse me. My Magic Theory class is about to start."
Without waiting for a response or permission from the Crown Prince, who remained rooted to the spot with his broken logic, I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as my tight dress would allow.
The Magic Theory class was held in a grand amphitheater-style lecture hall. Tiered wooden desks were arranged in a semicircle, and luckily for me, as the daughter of Duke Arcadelt, I was assigned an exclusive seat in the front row.
I leaned back against my chair, exhaling a sigh of relief. At least here, I could enjoy a moment of peace away from the plot's madness.
Or so I thought... until the classroom doors swung wide open.
"Excuse me, Professor. I'm late because I was helping organize the herbal plants in the greenhouse."
That soft voice cut through the quiet room. All eyes turned toward the entrance.
Chloe stood there, clutching her notebook awkwardly. Her soft pink hair was slightly messy, making her appear extraordinarily cute and fragile.
"Ah, Miss Chloe. No problem, please find an empty seat," said Professor Gilbert, an old man with a long white beard.
Chloe scanned the room. Most noble students gave her cold looks, unwilling to share a desk with a commoner scholarship student. Seats beside them were intentionally blocked by bags or books.
*Classic romance novel trope,* I thought, spinning my pen. *She'll probably end up sitting in a quiet back corner, lamenting her tragic fate...*
However, Chloe's emerald eyes suddenly stopped roaming. Her gaze locked directly onto the only vacant chair in the front row—the seat right beside me.
Her eyes sparkled intensely, as if she had just unearthed a hidden treasure at the bottom of the ocean.
*Wait. Don't tell me...*
"I-Is this seat taken, Lady Rosel?" asked Chloe, who was already standing beside my desk, clutching her hands to her chest with a hopeful expression.
"Miss Chloe," I whispered, trying to give her a subtle warning. "This is the front row. Usually, lower-class students sit at the—"
"I will sit here!" she interrupted bravely, surprising the entire class.
Without hesitation, Chloe pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down. She was so close I could catch the subtle scent of lilies wafting from her clothes.
Not only that. As she set her books down, her fingers accidentally brushed against the back of my hand.
*Ping!*
[User_YuriSimp]: "ACKKKK! THEY'RE SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER!"
[User_OlympicShip]: "Our ship isn't just sailing, it's equipped with jet engines now!"
[User_OrangeCat]: "Look at Rosel trying so hard to keep a poker face while panicking inside, hilarious!"
The neon screen lit up brightly, and Chloe's inner voice echoed directly in my head like a live radio broadcast.
[Reading Chloe von Valois's Thoughts...]
*‘My heart is about to explode... I managed to sit next to Lady Rosel! Her rose scent is even clearer up close... Is this a dream? If it is, please don't wake me up!’*
I stared straight ahead at the blackboard where Professor Gilbert was writing magic formulas, feeling cold sweat trickle down my temple.
To my left was the female lead, utterly smitten with me.
Behind me was the Crown Prince, convinced I was acting hostile just to win his heart.
"God..." I whispered so softly it was barely audible. "Please send me back to my old world... I just wanted to lie in bed and read comics, not join this insane circus..."