“And the one who received the freshman honors distinction will now read a few words. Please welcome, Lady Nadia Valatina!”

The student body politely applauded, which Millie joined in, as Nadia stepped onto the stage and stood behind the lectern. She placed her written speech on it and began to speak. “Thank you, Principal Solan.” She looked a little nervous, as she cleared her throat. “To my fellow freshman, I am grateful for-”

Ah, Millie had already heard this speech once before. She chose to tune it out and instead pay attention to the whispers of the students around her.

“Who is that?”

“Some noble’s daughter from the northeast. They’re just minor nobles though, no idea honors distinction.”

“I thought for sure the crown prince would be up there!”

“I heard she discovered an unknown dungeon near her territory.”

“Dang really? No wonder the principal gave her honors distinction. He loves that shit.”

“Though I think dungeon diving is all she’s good at. Look at her. She’s practically fumbling through her speech.”

Millie blinked and focused on the speech once more. They were right. Nadia was indeed stumbling through her speech a little awkwardly. But, and only now did Millie realize this, it wasn’t enough to be a complete embarrassment. She was still talking well enough for her speech to be understood so that it came off as endearing rather than embarrassing.

Now that Millie thought about it, when she had initially been given the scholarship to attend the academy, the letter she had been given had alluded to her being given the distinction of speaking at the freshmen ceremony. She was the only commoner studying in the academy and the first one in a while to receive that honor. But now, Lady Valatina was the one speaking.

In the future, Millie thought. She mentioned that she stole my role. Was I meant to give the speech instead of her? She frowned, before letting out a sigh. Even if that was the case there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.

While Millie was within her own thoughts, Nadia wrapped up her speech. She stood there awkwardly, waiting for some sort of applause, but no one moved.

And here… Millie’s eyes narrowed, as a young man in the front row stood up. The crown prince began to clap, as Nadia beamed. Slowly the rest of the student body joined him until it became thunderous applause. Though she had joined in the past, this time Millie didn’t move.

Everything is happening as I remember. Which means…

A little while, later, she was walking down the hallway of the women’s dorms, towards her room, a few textbooks under her arm. She didn’t need to check a map; she already knew where her room was. Hindsight and all that.

She had just climbed up to the second floor, where her dorm was located, when-!

“Hey, rat!” Cold water was suddenly dumped on Millie’s head, its temperature causing her to drop her textbooks. Two girls ran away from her, one of them holding an empty bucket. The one carrying the bucket stuck her tongue out at her, as the other said, “Take a shower already.”

Millie watched them go with a flat expression, before kneeling down to pick up her textbooks. And now…

“Oh my gosh! Are you alright?” Millie looked up at another woman her own age, looking down at her with a worried expression.

Yes. This is the first time we truly met…

Lady Nadia Valatina.

“Let me help!” Nadia fell to the ground and began to help her pick up Millie’s own stuff.

“N-No!” Millie protested. “There’s no need for you to do so, my lady!”

“Don’t be silly!” Nadia replied, picking up a couple of her textbooks and shaking off some of the water on them. “What those girls did to you is terrible!”

“N-No, it’s fine.” The both of them stood back up, as Nadia handed some of the books to Millie. Millie bowed her head. “But thank you very much, Lady Valatina.”

Nadia looked surprised. “I’m surprised you remember me from the entrance ceremony,” she said with a small giggle. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

“My name is Millie Touna, Lady Valatina,” Millie answered, kindly.

“You can call me Nadia.” Lady Valatina grinned. “Friends call each other by their first names after all.”

Yes, you said the same thing to me last time.

“F-Friends?” Millie repeated, a hand covering her mouth. “But I could never…!” She was merely repeating the words she had said in a previous life. “I'm only a commoner,” she explained. “The only reason I’m in this school is because of my affinity towards magic. I’m nothing compared to you!”

Nadia sheepishly scratched her cheek. “Well we’re both outsiders in that case,” she admitted, before glancing around. “Your rooms at the end of the hall, right? I’ll walk you there! Just so no more people bully you.”

“Oh! Thank you!” Millie smiled kindly, but inside she was feeling bitter. What stopped you from protecting me when your five lovers were tormenting me, then?

They walked together and, thankfully, the other girls gave them a wide berth, preferring to whisper among themselves. It didn’t seem to bother Nadia however, as she strode forward confidently, with Millie following close behind.

“So,” Nadia said, glancing behind her at Millie. “Out of curiosity, what do you think of the crown prince?”

Even before when Millie didn’t know any better, this question from Nadia had also been a little random. “I don’t know,” Millie admitted honestly, choosing to answer it the same as last time. “I’ve never met him so I can’t say much about his character. But I did catch a glimpse of him on the airship I flew to get her. To ride a public vehicle like that with people beneath him, he must be someone who cares about his people.”

False. Truthfully, I despise the man. I’m sure the only reason he boarded that airship was merely to look down on the commoners riding it.

Nadia looked pretty happy with her answer. “Is that so?” she said a little mysteriously, just as they had reached Millie’s room. She whirled around and gave Millie a wide grin. “You’re very kind, Miss Touna,” she said. “To not judge someone like the crown prince from his title but his actions… I’m sure you’d get along great with him!” She clapped her hands together cheerfully.

Millie blinked. “T-Thank you for saying that. I’d sure love to meet with the prince one day.”

Nadia flinched, suddenly, though Millie couldn’t tell why. “S-Sure. I’m sure you’ll get your chance. Well…” She stuck her hand out at Millie. “It was great meeting you.”

Millie looked at that hand for a moment before gingerly shaking it with her right one. “It was wonderful meeting you as well. I-I hope we remain friends.”

Another lie. The friendship that may have existed between them was long gone. Millie had considered it dead now that she knew how Lady Valatina had manipulated it. She had been the one to introduce her to Sir Joseph Eros from Atlas, which ultimately led her down a ruined path in her previous life.

“Me too!” With a wide grin and a happy wave of farewell, Nadia left Millie alone to take the stairs and go to the floor above her. Once she had left, the whispers of the other students only grew more rapid and loud.

However, Millie ignored them and instead looked at her left hand. It was shaking ever so slightly. With a sigh, she curled it into a fist. She was right. I am far too kind, she thought. Millie could’ve killed Lady Valatina right then and there, but she had restrained herself.

Revenge isn’t the sole goal, Millie reminded herself. Right now, I must do what I can to save my family and hometown.

Once she was inside, she locked her door and looked around her dorm room, smiling wistfully. It was just as she remembered. It was about half the size of her home in Balfour and contained a private bathroom, a bedroom, and a small study. It made sense as Lumine Academy was designed for nobles, so of course, their dorms would essentially be like a small house.

With her luggage already delivered to her room, she normally would’ve started unpacking and dreaming of her new life in the academy, but now she had business to attend to. She placed her textbooks on a desk and, from a nearby drawer, pulled out a pen and paper.

First thing first, she had to write down everything she remembered that would happen in the next four years. While the meeting with Eros would only occur at the end of her second year, the events preceding it were the catalyst for her decision to join the Atlas Magic Division. And the first event she’d have to change… took place in only a couple of months.

The duel between the crown prince and the daughter of Duke Avery, Rosalie Avery. Duke Avery ruled over the lands in the southeast, where Millie’s hometown, Balfour, was located. Originally, the Salem duchy, where Duke Avery rules, had been an independent state, but around 100 years ago, it was annexed into Cronus Empire, due to the original royal family being overthrown by a rebellion. The Avery family, the leaders of the rebellion, were granted noble titles along with some of their allies while allowing them complete control of their small territory.

Duke Avery was currently angling for his daughter to marry the crown prince to strengthen their position within the rest of the nobility. But, in Millie’s past life, Prince Azure started to spend time with Lady Valatina thus throwing the engagement into question. During the first school semester, Rosalie tried her best to remind the prince of their responsibility towards their marriage but eventually crossed the prince and Nadia a few too many times. She was challenged to a duel by Prince Azure and lost, which eventually led Rosalie to drop out of the academy and return home.

With the engagement now severed between Rosalie and the prince, the Averys found themselves losing more and more power, eventually culminating in the assassination of Rosalie a few months after she left the capital. With Duke Avery in mourning, it wasn’t hard for the Atlas Empire to eventually invade the territory and seize it for themselves.

It was what tempted Millie to join Atlas in the first place. She had been promised that it would be the only way to protect her hometown and family.

But now that she was back in the past, she had the chance to change all of that. And it all started with making sure that Rosalie and Crown Prince Azure’s engagement was still possible. If so, then the Averys wouldn’t lose so much power among the Cronus nobles and the Atlas Empire wouldn’t have an easy time taking their territory.

The best way to start on her new mission was to probably get close to Rosalie Avery, as opposed to the prince. She already knew the prince’s feelings about her, so it was pointless to try and talk to him. However, Rosalie… well Millie had never interacted with her before. She barely knew anything about her save her eventual fate.

But Millie did have a plan. Rosalie hosted a tea party with all of her friends every week. So Millie’s goal, for now, was to get close to Rosalie, hopefully before the field trip at the end of the month. She would have to provide a gift to even get a chance for an audience, but…

Millie glanced at the textbooks she had set aside. Conspicuously, the only one missing was one about magic. Economics, military strategy, etiquette, math, literature… but nothing on magic.

Millie got a stipend for her studies, but in her past life, it had only ever been enough to spend on textbooks with a little money leftover. However, by forgoing purchasing the textbook for the magic class, she saved a lot of money since that book was the most expensive of the lot.

She hadn’t needed it anyway. Her knowledge of magic surpassed the professors at this point, so Millie had no doubt she’d ace the exams. However, her ability in the other subjects had always been shaky, so she had decided to devout more of her focus on them while dealing with Lady Valatina in this life.

With a sigh, she opened her economics textbook and flipped to the first chapter, already recognizing some of the terms and definitions. As she took notes, Millie wondered what gift she should bring for Lady Avery. Perhaps a cute necklace? Or a pretty ring? She couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t had the courage to do this in her past life. But this time surely…

Xxx

Millie gulped, as a young woman a year above her, blocked her way into Rosalie Avery’s room. “What the hell do you want?” the woman asked, her face curled up into a twisted scowl.

“I-I was hoping to talk to Lady Avery,” Millie stammered, cursing at how nervous she suddenly found herself. She thought she had been prepared for this! She spent the entire first school week priming herself for this moment! “Please may I be let through?”

“Sarah.” A light voice from inside the room suddenly spoke up. “Who is it?”

Sarah glared, folding her arms. “The dumb commoner, that people have been talking about. She wants to be let into the tea party that hasn’t even started yet.”

“I-I brought a gift!” Millie said, her hands gripping the small box she had brought a little tighter.

“You can’t seriously-!”

“Sarah.” The voice spoke up again. “Let her through.”

Sarah gritted her teeth. “Fine.” She stood aside for Millie but refused to stop glaring fiercely at her.

Millie timidly stepped inside. The room was empty of people, save for a dark-haired woman her own age, sitting at a table draped with a white cloth and sipping daintily from a porcelain teacup. She put the teacup down, looking Millie up and down with dark eyes. “You may sit there,” she said, pointing to a chair that was the third down to the right of her.

It was purposeful, Millie realized. An unspoken statement that said that she was trustworthy enough to sit beside the lady.

Still, Millie couldn’t refuse. This was her once chance. “Thank you, Lady Avery.” She curtsied and sat down as Rosalie’s personal maid poured her some tea.

There was some silence as Rosalie continued to sip her tea, when Millie finally said, “I apologize for arriving rather early, but I wanted to talk to you, Lady Avery.” She placed her nicely wrapped box on the table. “To show my intentions, I have brought you a gift.”

Rosalie, instead of answering, gave her maid a nod. The maid picked up the box and opened it, only to blink in surprise. “They are cookies,” she announced, placing the container in front of Rosalie.

Rosalie took a cookie from the box and held it to the light, examining it. Her eyes widened a little. “These are…” she said, her fingers tracing the flower design and small ball of jam in the center.

“I tried to make them the same as the shop in my hometown,” Millie explained. “Unfortunately, the strawberries I used aren’t as ripe as the ones I’m used to. But the dorm kitchens were more than enough to bake them perfectly!”

Rosalie placed the cookie back into the tin. “So, you’re from my territory,” she said. “I didn’t think this would be the case when I heard about the commoner that was allowed into the academy.” She smiled a little more warmly. “Why have you come to see me, Millie Touna?”

Millie didn’t bother to ask how she knew her name. She already assumed she was an infamous figure. “When I found out the duke’s daughter was attending the academy, I just had to meet her!” Her smile fell though. “But, in all honesty, I’ve been bullied since I’ve come here.”

Rosalie looked a little uncomfortable. “Is that so?”

“As such, I was hoping to ask for your protection, Lady Avery,” Millie explained. “All I wish is to devote myself to my studies since I was given the gift of magic from the goddess.”

Rosalie calmly took another sip of her tea. “Unfortunately, I cannot grant your request.”

“W-Why not?” Millie couldn’t help but ask. She had not expected that answer.

“At Lumine Academy, we are to remain of equivalent status, despite how we were born,” Rosalie said, a tiny smile gracing her features. “At least that’s the idea. Not that anyone takes it seriously. But if the principal chose to allow your enrollment, I’ll respect their decision. Here at the school, we are the same. As such, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to be friends?”

Millie blinked. She hadn’t thought that Rosalie would be forthcoming about this. “Y-Yes, Lady Avery. I’d love to be your friend if you’ll allow me.”

“Well, your first step is for us to be on a first-name basis,” Rosalie said. “You can call me Rosalie, or Rosa for short, Millie.”

“R-Right. As you wish, Rosa.” There was a small second of silence, before Millie stood up from her seat, thinking the conversation was over. “Thank you for your help. In that case, I’ll leave you to have your tea party.” She moved to leave.

“Wait!” Rosalie cried, stopping Millie in her tracks. She coughed into her hand when Millie turned to look at her. “We’re friends now, are we not?” she pointed out stubbornly. “You should stay! You made these cookies, what’s the point if we don’t have them together?!”

Millie was about to decline but thought better of it and sat back down. Rosalie gave her a maid a short nod and she brought in an extra chair. “So,” Rosalie said. “There is still some time until the rest of my guests arrive. Where exactly in the duchy do you live?”

They talked for about 10 minutes about Millie’s hometown as the rest of Rosalie’s guests trickled in. Most of them regarded Millie with either confusion or disdain but didn’t speak out on it and instead chose to ignore her. So, Millie ended up sitting quietly merely listening to the conversation they were having. It was mostly about gossip and clothes.

That is until the final guest walked in. She was about ten minutes late and wore the dark blue bowtie that all the second-year students wore. She had lilac-colored eyes and hair that was tied into a short ponytail that hung over her right shoulder. She appeared surprised to see Millie there but offered her a warm smile not too dissimilar to Rosalie’s. “Oh my,” she said, placing a hand on her cheek. “Are you the scholarship student that everyone’s talking about?”

She hadn’t called her a commoner. “I’m Millie Touna,” Millie said, introducing herself, standing up, and performing a curtsy. It was one of the things that had stuck with her in etiquette class.

“I’m Celsa Feroulet.” She performed a curtsy as well, though far more elegant than one Millie had ever done.

“Celsa…” Millie repeated, the name ringing a bell. “You mean… the one who’s engaged to the eldest son of the Currant family?!”

“You know it’s not polite to only refer to a person by the one they’re engaged to,” Celsa pointed out with a giggle.

“Oh, uh!” Millie bowed her head, her face flushed. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to-!”

“You’re late, Celsa,” Rosalie said with a frown. “For an upperclassman, you are setting a bad example.”

“I had to do my hair,” she breezily answered with a laugh, as Millie sat back down.

“Sure, you did,” Rosalie said, sounding unconvinced. “Speaking of engagements, how is Felix? He is a first-year like the rest of us, isn’t he? Have you two talked at all in the past week?”

Celsa shook her head. “No,” she replied with a shrug. “Not that I mind, to be all honest. The boy is a free spirit like I am. If the nobleman wishes to play around with other ladies, then he shouldn’t mind me enjoying my life before marriage. As long he honors the engagement between our families, I don’t mind.”

Millie stared at the floor. Except that was the problem, wasn’t it? Felix Currant had no intention of honoring the agreement between their families. In her past life, Felix had been another one of Nadia Valatina’s lovers. He had broken the engagement halfway through his first year at the academy and had joined Nadia’s entourage. Millie hadn’t heard anything about Felix’s original fiancé in her past life, but she couldn’t imagine the breakup and subsequent fallout were pleasant in any way.

Rosalie didn’t seem impressed by Celsa’s answer. “To think you’d be so lax to your future.”

“And what of you? How’s the crown prince?” Every girl turned to Rosalie eager to hear more gossip, but Rosalie suddenly looked uncomfortable, as she set her teacup down.

“He is…” Rosalie sighed. “I suppose he is fine. We haven’t talked much since arriving at Lumine Academy.”

“I heard that he’s been with the Valatina’s eldest daughter,” someone pointed out.

“Really? Does that mean-?”

“It means nothing!” Rosalie snapped. “He understands his responsibility.” She rubbed her temples. “Enough of this. I’d like to talk about something else.”

“Well then…” Celsa turned to Millie, grabbing her hands, and holding them within her own. Her eyes were shining. “tell me, Miss Touna, how has academy life been treating you? If you need anything then feel free to ask me!”

“Oh, um… there isn’t anything really, Lady Feroulet-!”

“Call me Celsa! Or big sister!” Celsa grinned cheerfully.

“…It’s been enlightening, Celsa,” Millie said.

Her plan had gone slightly awry. She hadn’t intended to stay for the tea party itself, but now that she was here and talking thanks to some prodding from Celsa and Rosalie it was actually… fun.

Millie could only hope that she could make this happiness last the rest of her life. But, at the very least, part one of her plan was successfully achieved.