2 – Our Youngae Has Changed (1)
“Hmm…”
“…”
“Umm…”
“…”
Lately, something seems off with the antagonist, Youngae.
“…Yawn.”
I stretched, welcoming the warm sunlight that made me feel pleasantly content. Due to my wide-open mouth, the sound of a yawn must have been annoying to the ears, but Youngae, sitting next to me, didn’t spare a glance and remained focused on the class.
“Um…”
“…”
Perhaps the class is that interesting and engaging. Just to check, I leaned in to listen to the lazy voice of the professor, but all I heard was another yawn. Seeing other students around me also struggling to stay awake, it seemed I wasn’t the only one with this reaction.
Eventually, I turned my head again to gaze at Youngae’s side profile. Despite sending a somewhat overt gaze, she completely ignored me. Well, it wasn’t something to be hurt about. Frankly, a noble Youngae ignoring a commoner like me wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Despite the realization of educational equality, an invisible barrier between nobles and commoners still existed in the classroom. So, it wasn’t strange that she hadn’t made eye contact with me once in the past month.
However, the reason I found it strange was simple. It was because she wasn’t an ordinary noble Youngae but the infamous antagonist, Yuna Richmond.
Not long ago, just two months back, she was the mastermind who relentlessly harassed a common girl sitting next to her, pushing her to the brink of dropping out. The reason was absurdly simple—she found out that the common girl she bullied was getting too close to the prince she admired. Just that one reason led Yuna to torment the girl persistently.
The situation only ended when an unexpected prince intervened, and Yuna moved on to sit next to other commoners. However, even that couldn’t restrain her maliciousness, and every time she changed seats, she caused hysteria among the common students sitting beside her. As a result, this antagonist Youngae was gradually demoted to the far end of the classroom, next to me, responsible for the lowest-ranking among the common students.
And that’s when her personality began to change.
Most thought it was due to the shock of being demoted. The back row was reserved for non-humans like donkey-eared beings or disabled elves in the corner, and also for students like me at the bottom. It wasn’t unreasonable for her, a noble lady, to end up there, considering the circumstances.
Even the girl who used to torment herself has moved next to the prince and is now spending her days happily, which must have been quite a shock. People laughed and mocked, saying it was quite refreshing and amusing. So someone even said that it was because a new scheme was being plotted in the quiet. Considering their past actions, it was a plausible guess.
But my thoughts were a little different.
No, they were quite different.
“Hmm…”
“…”
I lifted my head and approached her a little closer, looking into her eyes. From within her sharp, torn features, her autumn-field-like green eyes trembled slightly and finally turned to look at me.
For a brief moment, my reflection was reflected in her clear green eyes. But she quickly turned away from me, facing forward again. It was as if she had never seen me before.
She still had that disdainful look, but it was somewhat weaker as a reaction from the villainess. I knew this because I had met Yuna’s gaze once before. Back then, I was also ignored, but it was more of a mocking attitude towards the audacity of a commoner like me daring to look at her.
But now, in her current appearance, there was more loneliness and solitude. It felt like she didn’t want to be close to anyone and pushed away anyone who approached her. It was a dramatic change, which seemed a bit exaggerated to attribute solely to shock. Rather, it was more like…
As if the person inside had completely changed…
“Ellen.”
“Yes…?”
Suddenly, a disapproving voice came from the front. When I looked up, I saw Professor Edmond, who was in charge of imperial history, with a deeply wrinkled face. He cleared his throat and asked a question that sounded like a disaster to all students around the world.
“What did I just say?”
“Um… well…”
Honestly, even if I had listened carefully, I wouldn’t have known. I hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, of course. You’ve been staring at Yuna throughout the entire class.”
“Ahahahaha…”
Laughter echoed around me. I made a boring joke to defuse the situation.
“By the way, judging by the fact that you know that, it seems like Professor was also looking at me.”
“Don’t talk nonsense and focus on the class, Elun.”
“Yes, I apologize.”
As I lowered my head, Professor Edman clicked his tongue and returned to the lecture. For a brief moment, I pretended to listen to the class and then looked back towards Yuna.
I thought I would receive a disdainful look from her this time. However, she still gazed at me expressionlessly. Maybe it was fortunate, but looking at her unchanged cold expression, I had a slightly different thought.
Is it enjoyable to live like that?
In reality, I’ve had this thought before. Getting angry every day, shouting, and being jealous just to catch the attention of the Crown Prince. If it was for love, one could somewhat understand, but the stronger feeling was that she did it for the honor of the family.
And that was still the case now. Watching her silently focus on the class, no one would ever give the evaluation that she must be studying because she enjoys it.
Not the Crown Prince. Not the studies. Even if it’s for the future, if you have to trample on the present, what meaning does it hold?
In the bleak reality, if your eyes dry up, you won’t be able to face any brilliant future.
… And above all,
I wasn’t having fun.
“Sigh…”
With no money to have a decent lunch, eating cafeteria food tasted bland. Working part-time left no time for studying, so I couldn’t enjoy the pleasure of academics. The only joy in academy life was fooling around with the students next to me. Because of that, I became friends with Gwero and even learned sign language just to chat with that talkative elf. Well, she’s quite talkative, but still, she would smile when I teased her with facial expressions.
But this lady completely ignored me. I wish she’d at least behave playfully like before. Since she came to sit next to me, I had to endure every class in silence.
Even though we have to spend at least a month together, I couldn’t live like this. I had to become friends somehow. Anyway.
“Um…”
I apologize to the professor, but I got lost in my thoughts again. What should I do? Should I start a conversation at least? But for that, I needed a reason. The first thing that came to mind was…
How about having lunch together?
I did become close with Gwero like that. When she willingly accepted and called me to the field to start tearing apart a puddle, I was really taken aback, but it became a good memory. It also became an opportunity for me to learn that Sein people, even if they are mixed blood, only follow a vegetarian diet.
It seemed like a decent idea. However, there was a significant problem there: I had no money to eat lunch today.
Just to be sure, I slipped my hand into my pocket, but all I felt was cosmic emptiness. After brushing off the persistent dust of poverty, a sigh naturally escaped me. Even if I were to ask for money from the beginning, it would be impossible. Even I would tell myself to buzz off. Then, if there were another excuse…
Hmm…
…
…None.
As I pondered while seated, the knights bustling about their duties, as knights often do, looked up with a sense of despair. Good grief. There wasn’t a single reason to get close.
From the start, there was a considerable distance between her and me, apart from the difference in status. It would have been nice if we had at least one common interest, but that was unlikely. She wouldn’t even engage in a conversation, let alone finding something like that. How on earth…
“Well, then. That concludes today’s class. Thank you all for your hard work.”
“Huh…?”
With Professor Edman’s words, the students began to rise. Understandably, the next class was lunchtime. Feeling an unexpected regret for a class I hadn’t even paid attention to, I quickly turned my head.
And, as expected, I noticed her standing up from her seat.
From Noble mtl dot com
Perhaps due to the sudden change in the situation, my mind didn’t function properly for a moment. I couldn’t understand why even to myself, but I had an irrational thought that if I missed this opportunity to talk to Yuna, there might not be another chance. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I involuntarily stood up from my seat.
And, before I could realize what I was doing, I firmly grabbed her hand as she was about to leave.
…
“Huh.”
A faint scream and the thumping heartbeat echoed through my lips. Initially, I thought it was an expression of confusion. However, when the surprisingly warm and soft touch of her hand penetrated my pulsating heart through the blood vessels, I realized that my reaction wasn’t just mere confusion.
Once, the distinction between nobility and commoners among the same people seemed incomprehensible. However, the moment I held Yuna’s hand, it seemed like I could understand everything. Her hand was so gentle and even warm to the point that it didn’t feel like the hand of the same person. With just holding it, shivers ran through me, and it prodded my brain.
Despite knowing that I should let go, I couldn’t. I literally stood there frozen for a while.
As our scents mingled in the air, and when her perfume began to brush against my nose, I suddenly felt sweat seeping through the hand I was holding. Only then did I slowly raise my head to look at Yuna’s face. And, for the first time, our eyes met.
…
We gazed at each other for a while. The people around us continued with their daily lives, paying no attention, but we stared at each other as if trapped in each other’s space. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. As the ticking clock slowly moved forward, the paralyzed incident began to unravel. It was only after the time, which had been moving so slowly, took ten steps forward that I realized what I had done.
And her face, too, began to slowly turn red.
“Uh… Yuna…”
“!!!”
The moment I opened my mouth, she forcefully pushed away my hand and ran out of the classroom. It was an urgent stride, as if she were worried about tripping. Her stumbling footsteps only caught the attention of people when she finally left the classroom amid their curious gazes. I miserably watched her retreating figure.
“…I messed up.”
After a while, I finally broke free from the lingering touch of her hand and muttered just one word. Whether she knew it or not, it wasn’t the best first impression. I sat back down and pondered over the hand I had held Yuna with.
Honestly, I still couldn’t shake off the lingering feeling. The warmth on my palm, which was not my own but damp with sweat, was still there. The touch of her hand was surprisingly soft and warm. I had to make an effort to avoid smelling the remaining scent of sweat.
And right at that moment, I heard her voice for the first time.
The moment was so sudden. When I was still struggling to get over the lingering touch, a woman’s voice echoed in my head. Her voice was so cold and rigid that it was hard to believe it belonged to a human. Without even a simple self-introduction, she suddenly approached and recited a single phrase.
[Yuna has donated 1000 won.]
???
Yeah what?