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When Damian confessed to Elena right in front of her eyes, she felt her mind go blank for a moment.

Perhaps it was because she had not considered such a scenario happening after receiving his confession. The situation unfolding before her was a slight, no, a massive shock to Elena, who had always been at ease until now.

Having drawn the attention of many throughout her life, Elena had become adept at reading the emotions behind people’s gazes.

She was well aware of how others viewed her and Damian. Her exceptional looks were not solely her asset, and with his great personality and abilities, it was only natural for him to attract someone’s affection.

Therefore, even though she had imagined something like this happening at least once, she never thought it would actually come to pass.

The reason for her thoughts was, after all, the feelings of those watching them.

It wasn’t only Damian who charmed others with his striking appearance.

In the days when self-esteem was low, she might have been unaware, but now Elena could objectively assess her own looks. This understanding was not veering into vanity but rather acknowledging the evaluations of others.

If a woman’s looks are considered a weapon, then Elena’s face was undoubtedly a renowned sword among swords.

This was not mere self-indulgence; it was entirely based on the evaluations of those around her.

People say the first impression is crucial for gaining affection, and it’s true that looks played a significant role. While outer appearance isn’t everything, it is indeed an important factor in winning people’s hearts. Thus, for noble daughters participating in social circles, it had to be a priority.

Spending money on fashion and adornments was all about making oneself stand out. But for Elena, just wearing an ordinary dress could turn all heads toward her.

As a result, without intending to, Elena’s looks had captured the hearts of many female students.

Interest can be a very sweet fruit for a person. While some might feel burdened by it, the vast majority do not dislike having numerous gazes focused on them.

Having experienced the high society meant she had already savored that fruit several times.

Although the academy didn’t require everyone to become peacocks to impress one another like at a ball, students entranced by such gatherings struggled to break free. This was a noble instinct born from the experience of attending such events.

Estellia Academy, with its special admission for nobles, naturally had a higher ratio of noble girl students. Most of them had likely experienced social gatherings at least once by the age they enrolled, leading the noble children who saw Elena to be filled with admiration as well as a strong sense of inferiority.

As a woman and a student, all attention was drawn to Elena.

Elena, used to reading emotions, certainly couldn’t overlook the defeatism embedded in their gazes directed at her.

While she showed no interest in being popular among boys, she did notice the inferiority complex some female students had toward her. Even if a girl had feelings for Damian, she wouldn’t dare approach him while Elena was around, seeing her as a wall to shield him.

Of course, she firmly believed Damian’s heart wouldn’t waver even if he was confessed to by another. Yet, beyond that belief lay the personal territory of emotions. The mere thought of someone else touching what was hers was enough to disturb her.

Thus, she erected walls, blocking off potential causes of her discomfort. And as she had expected, these walls were very effective.

“Ha.”

Looking at the current situation in front of her, it seemed this was about to change.

Seeing the girl standing in front of Damian, Elena sensed what thoughts led her to utter such words.

Some noble families had affairs with mistresses or lovers, so it was likely she spoke with such an intention. It wasn’t a behavior that veered too far from common sense. Even though Damian and Elena were engaged, from a noble’s perspective, that engagement was merely a promise.

Despite the engagement, it was not uncommon for things to fall apart before leading to marriage. This was mainly because engagements were often used for political marriages. If a noble house weakened or found it disadvantageous, breaking off an engagement was an easy decision.

Elena clenched her fists.

She couldn’t stand the thought of their relationship being downgraded to nothing more than a trivial engagement.

For an outsider, who had no idea of the memories they had shared or the feelings they had exchanged, to try to insert herself between them was utterly detestable.

Though she was deeply uncomfortable, the reason Elena didn’t rush toward that girl was the understanding that the girl’s actions were not irrational from a noble’s perspective, and Damian’s stance clued her that such behavior would not be tolerated.

By acting as a model for those girls with similar intentions toward Damian, Elena indirectly provided a reprieve to the girl. She thought it unnecessary to get her own hands dirty.

However, when she noticed Damian putting aside the opportunity he had given, wanting to reach out to him again, Elena could no longer hold back her emotions and stepped forward.

*

After the incident wrapped up, her mood improved a little with Damian comforting her, but the event still lingered heavily in Elena’s mind.

Word of the incident had traveled quite far, reducing the gazes directed at Damian slightly, along with altering how people viewed her. However, despite the significant change, Elena found little satisfaction.

“Ugh… I can’t believe this is happening.”

In front of Elena lay several neatly sealed envelopes. She frowned at them, fully aware that she hadn’t personally written any of these letters. They were handed to her by Hailey, who had noticed Elena’s downcast demeanor after the incident.

All the letters laid out were addressed to Damian Kraus.

Normally, a proper letter would list the sender, or bear the family crest in wax, but these were blank in the sender’s section, sealed with only a heart symbol.

Even without opening them, Elena sensed their contents, causing her headache.

Elena shot a chilling glance at Hailey, who brought the letters, and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Ah, well, there weren’t many, and these are a bit old to show now…”

“…”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t want to make you worry!!!”

When Elena tightened her gaze, Hailey quickly apologized and came closer. Elena sighed and accepted her.

“Does Damian know about these at all?”

“Probably not? I just stumbled upon them by chance. Well, even if he does…”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

She was just feeling bothered.

Letters of affection… Elena had received many in both her previous life and current one.

In the past, the feelings contained within had been burdensome, and she had hoarded them without rejecting any. Now, she was burning every one that came her way. Yet, thinking back, Damian should have brought this up long ago, but it seemed Hailey had intercepted them before he had the chance.

She had heard about Damian becoming central in the Department of Knights.

His abilities surpassing others and his excellent leadership made it only natural. His leadership was unparalleled; it was no wonder that he became the focal point in the war with Foreign Beliefs, and not Elena.

Once, while secretly observing a class, she noted how well everyone followed his instructions, showing him as an adult among children. That wasn’t an incorrect assessment. After all, he was living his second life, so he was to be considered an adult.

However, unlike what she had seen before, the overall atmosphere now felt warm. While before she witnessed rigid knights, now it felt like gathering close friends.

She didn’t dislike the changed atmosphere, but for some reason, she thought that the reason behind these letters also included this altered atmosphere of his, causing her heart to flutter uneasily.

“Hmph.”

Elena summoned her magic and incinerated the letters without leaving a trace. Hailey watched with a sympathetic look as the letters burned away. As she glanced at the letters disappearing into flames, Elena muttered quietly.

“Why do they keep sending things to someone who already has an owner…”

“But, Elena, you get them every time too.”

“Exactly!! Those are for Damian, and Damian’s are for me!! Why do they keep sending these when everyone knows?!!!”

Could it be that she finally snapped? Unlike before, an agitated voice slipped from her lips.

Hailey looked at her with an expression caught between laughter and tears. Elena’s raging magic spread through the room ferociously, yet seeing her sulking face flushed, a smile crept onto Hailey’s lips.

The shock must have been significant since Elena, who would have been too embarrassed to utter such awkward words before, started to speak them now. Hailey imagined how red Elena’s face would become if she were to inform her later.

“I can’t let this continue. I need a plan.”

Leaving behind Hailey, who looked at her warmly, Elena began to ponder seriously.

Word about the incident had already spread, and after some time had passed, simply maintaining the current situation should yield the results Elena wanted. Still, she wanted to shorten that period as much as possible. Having such an unpleasant experience once was more than enough.

In fact, it wasn’t a certainty either, so Elena wished to dispel this anxiety quickly.

After rummaging through past memories for a solution, Elena could finally seize upon one memory.

This memory, grounded in her own experience, was from a time in her previous life when she had neither received affection letters nor faced the sticky gazes of others. She wasn’t sure if such moments had truly existed… but they had.

“Damian…”

This time, calling his name bore a heavy emotion. It was only natural. What she said now was the same name but referred to a different person.

First.

There had been such an experience in the memories before she began her regression.

Back in the days when she was engaged to the not-yet Damian Kraus.

 

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