First day of school finally arrived and Selestine wore the uniform sent with the letter. She prepared her things and went outside the house were a carriage stood with the emblem of the Academy, a white dove flying to the light.

"Take good care of yourself out there, Selestine~~"--Leon

"Don't let anyone bully you, okay?"--Viche

"I wish I could go there with you. Instead, I'll give you this..." Jansen held out his palm and a copper pendant decorated with silica greeted the auburn-haired girl. "I'm sorry, I could only afford this..."

"No..." She hugged it to her chest earning an affectionate smile from her family. "I like it..! So much..!"

*sniffle 3x

"Run along, now... we don't want you late, do you?"

"Thank you ottousan, okaasan, oniisan..!!" She hugged her parents and brother goodbye and boarded the carriage.

She just stared through the window as the vehicle passed by many meadows, forests, small villages and towns until they stopped at an establishment with the name 'Shomin Nomi', which is some kind of a boarding house or dormitory.

She put all of her things inside the built-in cabinet and plopped herself on the plain-looking bed with cheap pillows and blanket. She also started to clean the room for it was not used for many years, according to the manager.

*sigh

'How long must I do this? I'm too tired from the journey, if only cars were already invented here... wait, what're 'cars'?'

She stopped her movements.

'Cars? Is a car an object?'

She put some books, feather pens, a bottle of ink, some papers and a box of food she called 'bento' in her shoulder bag and ran straight to the Academy through a teleportation gate to save some money.

The security guard was about to close the gate when,

"Wait!!!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "I still need to get inside!!!!!" He widened his eyes seeing a beautiful girl running like a madman.

"Okay..?" He reluctantly replied and tried opening the gate but a gloved hand stopped his wrist from moving. He trembled seeing that the person who stopped him was none other than the Student Council President and the Crown Prince of Coelacanth. "A-Ah..!"

"What am I seeing?" Maxentius, who has now matured, asked with a smile.

"A-Ah... thi-this..!"

"I'm so sorry, whoever-you-are, but I need to get in!!!!" Selestine said and the corners of the Crown Prince's lips rose in amusement.

'Fascinating... wait, 'fascinating'? Did another girl just pique my interest?'

"Ojousan, you must be mistaken. When the gate closes, any student, whether new or old, can get in no longer..." Her jaw dropped.

"Wha-What?! But it wasn't written in the guidelines at all..!"

"Hmmm, I'm so sorry to say that you can only go home and return tomorrow..."

"N-No..." She sadly muttered with a lowered head that Maxentius felt a pang on his chest.

'Why did I feel restless when I saw her like this..? I'm so sure I wouldn't let any girl to my heart except Sese-chan...'

'He's so handsome, but he's so rude..! Why is he being like this?! I can't believe it, I thought Centifolia Academy won't pick on commoner students, then what is this?!'

"Then how about this, as the Student Council President, I would grant you a pardon..." Her face brightened up.

"Re-Really? Thank you!"

He scanned her from her lustrous auburn hair to her beautiful pure green eyes like a pair of emeralds embellished in expensive jewelries.

*bathump 2x

'What? Is Sese-chan here?'

He looked around and saw not even a shadow of his supposed-to-be dead fiancée. He stared back at the auburn-haired girl and heard his heart thumping loudly again.

*bathump 3x

'What is this? Members of the Imperial family only fall in love once in their lifetimes, then what's this?'

He heard the voice in his head.

'You love her!! Go and pull her to your embrace now!! Own her everything until there's nothing left to give to someone else she might fancy!! Do it now!!'

'No!! I only love Sese-chan!!'

A faint memory of Seraphine's silver hair being blown by the wind flashed in his mind. He was reminded how that girl smiled, and the most beautiful things in the world would pale in comparison. How charming her actions were, being unaware of his motives until she lost her life.

'You love this girl!!'

'No, the only girl I love is Sese-chan..!'

While Maxentius was struggling to remember all his memories with Seraphine and Selestine staring at him adoringly and annoyingly at the same time, a certain orange-haired girl hid a few meters away from the two.

Her brilliant cat-like orange eyes, which looked like they contained stars, were in a crescent-shape and her kissable red lips were curled up in a creepy way. She started breathing heavily seeing the two converse.

*huff 3x

'Wow, the Heroine and a capture target finally met!! Seeing it in live-action is definitely something else from the 2D pictures when I played it.

Selestine Villin, the Heroine who will soon capture all the hearts of the male students, even oniisama will be enraptured by her.

What will I do now? I'm afraid of getting in her way, she's a live ticking time-bomb!! Should I befriend her so that I won't be seen as a threat by her? But what if she's reincarnated and she's willing to be two-faced to achieve the ending she wants?'

*hooh

She took a deep breath and slowly took steps forward until she was a meter away from them. She gathered all the courage she had.

"Greetings Kaichou and... who might you be?" She smiled warmly but in Selestine's eyes, Hestia was saying: 'How dare a filthy commoner like you step foot in here?!'

"Etto..." Selestine hesitated and her puppy-like emerald eyes were literally trembling which panicked the Duke's daughter.

"Are you okay?" Hestia worriedly asked. Just a light intimidation and you're trembling already?!

"I'm sorry if I offended you ojousama..!"

"O-Oh no, please raise your head..." Hestia awkwardly stopped her. You have to do better than that!

Selestine hurriedly got on her knees and folded her hands earnestly, like a sinner praying to a goddess. Even with her twinkling green eyes were brimming with tears, she was akin to a fragile lily that could die with even the slightest of touch, like a glass that with a light force, will immediately shatter into tiny pieces.

"Please punish me..!!"

'I must ask for forgiveness or she might ask the headmaster to kick me out of the Academy!!'

'Why is she misunderstanding everything I say? Do I really look villainous?'

Hestia unconsciously touched her cheeks earning a hearty laugh from her fiancé Caedmon, not very far from their location.