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It was a story from her childhood.

A strict but caring father, a mother who scolded him, and an older sister who already stood out at a young age and made a name for herself in social circles.

Born as the youngest daughter of the Nobilitas Count Family, she grew up in a loving environment, showered with affection. Her gentle personality was shaped by the influence of her family.

Perhaps because of this, she was popular among the noble children of her age. Although few dared to treat her casually due to her status as the precious youngest daughter of the influential Nobilitas family, many children were charmed by her kind nature. After all, even noble children were just little kids around ten years old.

Raised with the love of her family and the attention of those around her, she blossomed beautifully.

Until that incident.

That day, she visited the Lithuania Territory with her father, wearing her usual lovely smile. In his younger days, her father had fought alongside the Count of Lithuania on the battlefield, and they were close friends. Half for official business and half to meet his old friend, he brought his daughter along.

The reason was simple. The Count of Nobilitas wanted to show off his beloved youngest daughter to his friend. Coincidentally, the Count of Lithuania had a son around her age, so he brought her along to introduce them.

She, who always enjoyed meeting new friends, held her father’s hand tightly and headed to the territory with a pounding heart. Even now, she could vividly recall the emotions of that day as if it were yesterday.

How foolish she was.

She truly believed that.

She followed her father to meet the Count of Lithuania, exchanged greetings, and was then led to the reception room. It was a considerate gesture, allowing the adults to mingle while the children played together.

How much time had passed?

Fidgeting nervously, she finally met a boy with striking blond hair and red eyes.

His crimson eyes, like bright red gems, and his golden hair shimmering in the sunlight. Even as a child, his features were finely proportioned.

Her heart raced with a different kind of excitement than the usual thrill of meeting a new friend. She greeted him with a bright smile. At the time, she didn’t understand the feeling, but now, as an adult, she knew all too well—unpleasantly so.

But it was already in the past, an unforgettable scar.

If only she had noticed the twisted smile on his lips, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

That day, she met what she could call the worst connection of her life.

***

Lily Roseus Nobilitas’s mornings were among the earliest at the academy. She always woke before sunrise, washed up quickly, and headed straight to the training facility. Upon arrival, she began her training routine, starting with physical training and ending with mana training.

After finishing her morning training, she hurried back to her room to wash up before others arrived. It wasn’t that she avoided people, but the lingering stares at her sweat-drenched form were far from pleasant.

Her unusually large chest always brought her significant stress. Her childhood trauma was also a result of her exceptional development, so it was only natural for Lily to resent her large chest.

As she dried her hair with a magical tool, the dream she had that morning suddenly came back to her, and she gritted her teeth. Of all things, she had dreamt of her first encounter with Gilbert Lion Heart, whom she loathed.

Gilbert was the one who had shamelessly touched her budding chest as a child and uttered vulgar words.

Even after more than ten years, she couldn’t forget his outrageous behavior.

During her stay at the Lithuania Territory, Lily was tormented by Gilbert and eventually broke down in tears, clinging to her father.

Upon hearing of the verbal abuse Lily endured, the Count of Lithuania was furious and slapped his son, Gilbert, repeatedly apologizing to Lily and her father.

But her heart was already wounded, and even in their subsequent encounters, Gilbert remained unchanged. If anything, he resented being slapped by his father and tormented her even more.

Eventually, Lily began having nightmares about Gilbert and became afraid to leave her room. The memory of his mocking laughter and the sharp, cutting words that echoed in her ears haunted her.

If it weren’t for her older sister stepping in and reaching out to her, the Lily of today might not exist. She might have still been locking herself away in her room.

But on the day Lily took her sister’s hand and overcame her trauma, she made a vow. She would definitely take revenge on Gilbert, who had inflicted such deep wounds on her heart.

She engraved it deeply in her heart: she would make him suffer just as she had.

Since Gilbert was also a noble, he would attend the Demia Empire Academy to prove his blue blood, and there, she would make him pay.

Perhaps it was from that moment that she began her grueling training, aiming to surpass her sister. Driven solely by her desire for revenge, Lily embraced even the most exhausting training with enthusiasm.

Time passed, and finally, at the entrance ceremony of the Demia Empire Academy, she met Gilbert, whom she had never forgotten, even in her dreams.

His golden hair and ruby-like red eyes were unchanged. His slightly tanned skin and now tall stature made her shudder as the fear from that day resurfaced.

She vowed to crush him. Her trauma wouldn’t fade unless she personally sent Gilbert to ruin.

When Gilbert applied to be a commander in the entrance mock battle, she did the same, determined to destroy him with all her might.

She was confident that with all her efforts, she could easily handle Gilbert, who was notorious as a delinquent.

But contrary to her expectations, Lily was effortlessly defeated by Gilbert. She lost in strategy and was utterly crushed in tactics. It wasn’t Gilbert who was destroyed—it was her.

Lily was furious and heartbroken. For someone who had never slacked in her training, it was a massive shock. Gilbert, who was known in social circles as nothing more than trash, was a complete delinquent.

He was arrogant, never trained, and was surrounded by scandalous rumors, including whispers of him meddling with other men’s women.

Yet, after ten years of rigorous training, Lily couldn’t defeat him. Just like in her childhood, she was helplessly overpowered. Naturally, Lily fell into despair. It felt as if all her efforts had been negated, and her daily life slipped out of her grasp.

But Lily was no longer the fragile youngest daughter of the Count Family from ten years ago. She had a purpose: to bring about Gilbert’s downfall, and that purpose became her motivation.

A week after the entrance mock battle, Lily pulled herself together and returned to training with an even firmer resolve.

She had talent and the effort to match it.

For ten years, she had disciplined her mind, refusing to let it slacken.

But where on earth had that guy disappeared to?

As she finished drying her hair, Lily thought about Gilbert, who had been absent for the past week. At some point, he had stopped attending classes altogether, and even now, a week later, he was nowhere to be seen.

Among the students, rumors spread like wildfire that he had been expelled for mistreating an academy servant. When she asked Professor Briana about Gilbert’s whereabouts, she was simply told it was none of her concern.

While Lily would have welcomed Gilbert’s expulsion and downfall, it wasn’t enough for her. Her trauma could only be healed by her own hands. Letting him disappear after only tasting defeat would only plant another trauma.

Suppressing her boiling emotions, Lily left the dormitory and headed to the academy’s main hall. With no way to know Gilbert’s current whereabouts, all she could do was attend her classes.

Ignoring the usual stares from the male students, she arrived at the main hall. Today’s lecture was on Colossal Mech operation, a subject she was particularly interested in. Professor Alexander’s lectures, rich with experience, were never dull and offered much to learn.

As she pondered the lecture, Lily suddenly noticed the cadets in the hall turning their attention toward the entrance. Wondering what could have drawn such collective focus, she followed their gaze.

And there he was—the one she had been searching for.

His crimson eyes, like bright red gems, and his golden hair shimmering in the morning sunlight.

His clothes were dirty, as if he had just returned from a battlefield, and his sleeves were stained with what looked like blood.

With a pace neither fast nor slow, he walked in, overwhelming the room.

Gilbert Lion Heart, who had been the subject of rampant rumors for the past week.

His entrance.

Lily silently clenched her fists.

 

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