I Start with a Bad Hand!

“Why did you do that?”

Aiden, who had been rambling with a bleeding mouth after being struck hard by the tray, bit his tongue and was immediately taken to the temple. It was the first time I had realized that so much blood could come from a person’s mouth. His appearance, with a slightly torn tongue and blood gushing like a fountain, was grotesque. The students and teachers who witnessed the moment were all enveloped in shock.

Today, a disciplinary committee was convened at the academy. Agnes, while sobbing, had the ability to speak bluntly.

“I never liked him to begin with. And you’ve been responding to that kind of nonsense.”

“…I was about to hit him too. No, that’s not what’s important right now. The disciplinary committee is…”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve been putting up with that kind of talk when I’m not around?”

“No, well… hey…”

I wondered whether I should thank Agnes for somewhat smashing someone’s head in for me, or if I should say that hitting someone in the head was wrong, no matter what. However, there would be plenty of people to admonish Agnes, not just me. Irene did just that.

“I thought blood was coming out of my ears. Senior is scarier than my sister, really…”

Remembering the face that had turned pale as she recounted this, I crouched in front of my curly-haired friend, who was rubbing her swollen eyes while crying, hiding her anxious feelings. And that made me suddenly realize,

“Wow, it’s not just me losing my mind that messes up my life.”

It seemed that my constant haranguing of Aiden, a high-ranking noble, had unknowingly influenced Agnes. I rummaged through Agnes’s jacket, pulled out a handkerchief, and handed it to her.

“Still… thank you. I should have said this first. Even if I were reborn, I wouldn’t meet a friend who would hit someone on the head with a tray for me.”

“…Enough.”

“Seriously.”

Normally, the academy’s principle that social status doesn’t matter might save Agnes from immediate trial for insulting a noble. Still, causing a fellow student to bleed by hitting their head was indeed serious, and expulsion was being discussed. How could I let a friend who had struck someone on the head for me be expelled?

“You won’t be expelled. I’ll make sure of it.”

Without you, who would I go around cursing those crazy people with? With a bit of selfishness and consolation, I told Agnes, patting her back as her hair drooped.

“From now on, listen to what I’m saying. It wasn’t because of me that you hit him with the tray.”

***

“…Agnes already knew I had been with the prince during the festival, and as a citizen loyal to the empire, she couldn’t just sit by and listen to such disrespectful words.”

“…What?”

I’ve never even been near a school violence committee before. And now here I am, standing on the side of the accused. Life really does bring surprises.

“To describe the second prince as a pimp, exploiting a junior sexually… I doubt there’s anyone who wouldn’t be outraged as a citizen of the empire.”

“No, wait, hey!”

“Lower your voice.” A professor interrupted Aiden.

“While it’s undeniable that Agnes’s method was too harsh, knowing the full situation, I couldn’t just stand by and watch.”

“I certainly didn’t know Degoph was with the prince. I just… I acted out of a desire to prevent Degoph from tarnishing the academy’s honor with his impure actions. If I had known, who would dare to speak such disrespect to His Highness the Prince?”

“So you’re admitting that you made sexually offensive remarks to me?”

Aiden clammed up. One of the professors couldn’t hide his disdain and spoke out.

“Making sexual insults to a fellow student also tarnishes the honor of the academy.”

Coincidentally, Irene was sitting near that professor. She was attending as a member of the student council, and although Aiden kept sneaking glances her way, he couldn’t make proper eye contact with Irene.

“…How can you prove what you’re saying is true?”

The voice of Elius, who was attending as the student council president, suddenly interrupted. It was a good question.

“Am I… lying…?”

It was a relief that someone else brought up the uneasy issue for me. I was grateful. I placed a hand on my chest and murmured in a trembling voice,

“How could I possibly… a lowly baron’s daughter like me… how could I dare to lie, invoking the name of the empire’s prince, deceiving the academy, and insulting the royal family…”

Such disrespectful… words, me… insignificant… I… the champion…

“Maybe that can be confirmed when the prince returns?”

As if she couldn’t bear to hear my self-deprecation, Irene suggested after a moment.

What started as a disciplinary committee focused on Agnes’s conduct gradually shifted off track and turned to Aiden’s actions. Even Agnes seemed to be zoning out and thinking about something else midway through.

The disciplinary committee that Aiden had ambitiously called for ended inconclusively with a decision to revisit the matter once the second prince returned. Compared to the horrifying visuals at the time, the cut on the tongue was just a minor tear, about as bad as a scraped knee, according to the priest’s assessment.

Of course, my effort to add that statement by seeking out the high priest and employing every possible persuasion, excuse, repentance, tears, and promises of change in atheistic beliefs also helped.

‘Could this incident potentially destroy both Aiden’s personal well-being and his social reputation?’

I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, at least Aiden’s one-sided love is completely shattered.

Since that day, every time I made eye contact with that guy, I flipped him the middle finger.

“What’s that?”

I knew that gesture wasn’t considered offensive in this world, but I just felt like doing it. Every time, Aiden would look at me with a puzzled expression, ‘What’s that about?’ Eventually, when Agnes joined in raising her finger too, he couldn’t maintain his dismissive attitude.

Soon, Aiden came towards us with angry steps.

“What are you trying to do?”

“What?”

“Why do you keep flipping me off when you see me?”

“What does it matter? Whether I raise my index finger or my middle finger.”

Wow… it’s really childish. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn’t stop. It was thrilling to see his face turn red with rage. After all, simple and intuitive revenge is energy-efficient.

“You only dare to act up within the academy. You still haven’t come to your senses, have you? Do you think you’ll be safe outside even if you escape punishment here?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Agnes admitted it candidly, and Aiden wore a triumphant expression.

“But at least I haven’t insulted the prince.”

Ha ha~! Agnes laughed with a face as bright as if bathed in sunlight, a pure joy that was rare to see in anyone.

“How long will the charge of insulting the royal family last? Or ‘survive’? Will I soon see your head separated from your body?”

Agnes’s laughter was on the brink of turning into madness. Really, before she could say something she shouldn’t, I quickly hid her behind me.

Just because we were together, and for that simple reason, the expression on Aiden’s face when he saw Irene frowning and approaching from a distance was one of those rare, priceless expressions that one should remember and pull out whenever feeling down.

Thus, the atmosphere in the academy remained unsettled. At least around me, it did. With all the chaos in the cafeteria and even a disciplinary committee meeting being held. The murmurs that used to sound like soft white noise now blatantly called me ‘liar’, ‘fraud’ as they passed by.

‘Compared to being called a pimp, this is somewhat more respectable.’

Aiden and his group were floundering between ‘could it be true?’ and ‘it really might be true’. Devon wouldn’t even make eye contact with me anymore. Logan kept winking as if he had something to say. It was annoying.

One day, as I was passing by the training grounds, I could hear the distant clamor of a fight. Groups were clearly visible, gathering here and there, causing a ruckus.

‘Really, they never cease to amaze…’

I passed by without sparing a glance, but in the middle of it all was my friend, Klaus too.

What happened that Klaus threw a punch at Devon. Since this time it wasn’t a one-sided tongue slashing, it didn’t go to a disciplinary committee, but obviously, Irene was furious.

“Are you guys thugs? Huh? Hooligans?”

It was rare to see Irene raise her voice like this, but now she was in a frenzy, even pointing her finger and getting heated. The two people, known for their rough histories, pretended not to hear her and looked away, which only made Irene more infuriated.

“Especially you, Klaus. Do you think it’s right to raise your hand against someone weaker than you? Is that the behavior of someone who is about to receive a knighthood?”

“That’s true.”

At that moment, Agnes smirked, further dampening the already low mood.

“At least I hit someone stronger than me.”

Thanks to Agnes, who had courage but no tact, the atmosphere grew even tenser as Irene continued.

“Do you think it’s justified to use violence against someone who is inferior to you in physique, status, and martial skills, someone who is in no way better than you? Is overpowering a defenseless opponent your idea of chivalry?”

‘Well, she’s scolding Klaus but…’

It oddly seemed like Devon would take more damage from her words. Besides, if her words were true, there wouldn’t be many people at the academy that Klaus could justifiably hit.

“…….”

Klaus remained silent, lips sealed, not offering any explanation about why or why it had to be Devon, carrying a stubbornness rare for his gentle demeanor.

He didn’t admit he was wrong, nor did he say he wouldn’t do it again. As Irene grilled him, I thought, she might really kill someone with words, that sturdy kid could wilt in real-time under such verbal heat.