‘Oh. Looks like my fan club came too. This cursed popularity.’

The joyful screams welcoming me shook the entire auditorium.

No rival company would dare cause trouble on a day like this.

That’s because the VIP guests, professors, and even the president of the academy were giving me a standing ovation.

I shrugged and looked back.

Nathan, who had been clapping while standing, turned pale.

‘Tch. Can’t even look? Being handsome is a crime.’

You’re always so cute.

The president of the Imperial Academy approached, holding a merit plaque engraved boldly with “10 billion gold.”

“This is a merit award recognizing your contribution to the development of our academy. Thank you very much, Director.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Grasping the hand the president extended, I smiled in satisfaction and lifted my gaze.

Pop. Pop pop. The camera flashes I loved went off in bursts.

***

I handed the plaque to my escort and entered the banquet hall prepared by the academy.

[Freshman Orientation]

‘Oh my, this world has this kind of thing too. How exciting!’

The new students didn’t return home after the entrance ceremony.

At the Imperial Academy, living in the dorms was both a tradition and a rule.

Wearing the black uniform with a large white ribbon provided by the school, I stood in the hall designated for the Department of Magic.

‘About twenty people, huh.’

Despite the immense cost, those with talent in magic were rare, so the number of students wasn’t very high.

‘Actually, that’s better. I can see Nat—no, the professor—more clearly.’

That’s right. We were lined up in two rows, and by sheer luck, Nathan was standing right in front of me.

I was so happy to clearly see his long, fluttering golden lashes and sapphire-like blue eyes.

“Wow. So handsome. Like a sculpture!”

Nathan’s long eyelashes crumpled.

Other professors gave me side glances too.

So did the students.

‘Sigh. I blurted it out again.’

I shouldn’t draw any more attention…

Troubled, I shrugged at Nathan’s stare.

A massive statue in the center of the hall caught my eye.

I stealthily moved to the statue behind him and grabbed the outstretched white hand of the sculpture.

“This sculpture is really handsome. I wonder who the sculptor is?”

Turning around, I pointed at a random professor and asked.

After glancing around, the professor adjusted her glasses at my nod and said, “Miss Pearl, you have a good eye. That’s a work by the famous sculptor Zello.”

“Oh my. I see. As expected! Thank you for the information, Professor Camille Lirious.”

“You already know my name?”

“Yes. I was deeply impressed by your renowned work, Exploration of Mana Flow.”

“Oh my. Is that so?”

Her face brightened.

Delighted, Professor Lirious personally took my arm and guided me back to my place, leaving a suggestion to visit her lab sometime.

Back in position, I locked eyes with Nathan.

I politely gave him a nod, but he only stared coldly.

Just as he always did with women other than Ratina.

‘Honestly, you Ratina-obsessed fool. Keep that up and you’ll die.’

“The department head will now come forward to give a welcome speech.”

Professor Camille Lirious stepped onto the small podium set up in the hall and began her address.

Another reason I came to the academy.

To erase the name Ratina embedded somewhere on Nathan’s body.

To fund that research, I poured astronomical sums into the Department of Magic, and rumors had already spread about a new project seeking talented people.

Thinking about it made me feel even more sorry for my favorite.

‘Poor Nathan.’

Sob. He’s so pitiful I want to hug him until my ribs shatter.

Just look at that slender, firm waistline.

It would fit perfectly in my hands.

Then Nathan, who hadn’t taken his cold gaze off me, suddenly spoke.

“What’s with that look in your eyes?”

“Pardon? A student is looking at her professor.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too impure for that?”

‘Impure? My eyes?’

Do they really look that way?

Feeling a jolt in my chest, I blinked rapidly while staring at him.

‘Is it because he’s a genius? Can he read minds too?’

Did I look too pitiful? Or like I was pretending to pity him to gain his sympathy?

I cautiously looked into his eyes.

Those clear, Mediterranean-sea-colored eyes stared into mine, as if piercing through them.

I felt like I might buckle under that graceful gaze, so I planted my heels firmly and thought,

‘Of course, right now it’s a look of pity, but usually, I’ve had all kinds of thoughts while looking at him. Especially in red.’

But these are deeply sacred eyes, the eyes of a virtuous fan meeting her favorite!

—Which is why I absolutely must not say that out loud.

I smiled bashfully and said, “Oh, Professor. Not at all. These eyes are filled with respect. Look.”

“For eyes filled with respect, they’re far too worldly.”

Nathan dropped that verbal nuke on me, then turned away like the other professors to listen to the department head’s speech, hands clasped behind his back.

I bit my lip as I stared at the back of his head.

‘What’s with him all of a sudden?’

Did something happen after the entrance ceremony?

I remembered that just before orientation, the professors had been called in by the president.

‘No way… the president, Avent Yuval?’

President Avent Yuval was extremely favorable toward me. After all, I’ve poured so much money into the academy, so how could he not like me?

The problem is, he tends to do things he wasn’t asked to or opens his mouth about unnecessary matters.

A conversation I’d had with him just before the interview suddenly came to mind.

“Director Pearl, thank you for your continued support of the Imperial Academy every year.”

“Oh, think of it as practicing a little noblesse oblige.”

“No, no. Donating such large sums for over a decade to help others is no small feat.”

“Thank you.”

Honestly, it was more for Nathan than others, though.

“I also heard you were the top scorer on the entrance exam this time. I was quite surprised.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“And so modest, too! Director Mirabell Pearl, in that spirit, along with the merit award, is there anything I can help you with?”

“If it’s about the interview, I’ll have to decline. I want to keep things fair. But if you’re offering, President Yuval…”

“Yes. I’m listening.”

“Would it be possible to appoint this person as my interviewer?”

I pulled out the academy’s promotional pamphlet and showed it to him.

“That professor? He’s known for being quite strict… Why him?”

“I don’t want people gossiping that I got in through connections. The curse of being a tycoon, you see.”

“Hohoho. As expected, Director Pearl, you’re truly honest and admirable. That won’t be a problem at all.”

I had sipped my tea then, feeling a slight pang of guilt.

‘No way… did he actually tell Nathan about that?’

Staring up at Nathan’s handsome head, I swallowed hard.

‘I’m doomed.’

While I was having a mini-meltdown, the department head’s speech ended. There was a brief introduction of professors and academic guidelines.

That afternoon, the new student welcome party by department began.

***

The banquet hall, decorated with fresh flowers, was thick with floral fragrance.

Nathan Christopher, battling a headache, leaned against a wall in a corner of the hall with his arms crossed.

His eyes were fixed on the freshmen of the Department of Magic, dressed in academy uniforms, mingling and playing games with their upperclassmen.

‘I’ve made my appearance, so I suppose I can leave now. Best to slip away quietly.’

“Wow!”

“Got it!”

A burst of excited shouts filled the hall.

As he brushed back his tousled hair, his blue eyes were drawn toward the commotion.

The voices were so loud that even if he tried not to listen, it was impossible.

‘A penalty game?’

The person who was ‘caught’ downed a glass of wine in one go.

It was only natural that Nathan’s eyes trembled.

‘Seriously. They drank it in one shot?’

“Like this, Miss Mirabell?”

“That’s right, senior. That’s a one-shot. And just call me Mirabell.”

“O-Oh, okay? This is so fun!”

They weren’t dancing, but had arranged the chairs in a circle and were sitting face to face, folding fingers one by one.

And at the center of that game was, of course, Mirabell Pearl.

‘Where did she even learn that kind of game? Unbelievable.’

What an eccentric woman.

Nathan shook his head and turned to leave.

“All right. Shall we move on to the next person?”

But Mirabell’s bright, smooth voice carried through the air and pierced Nathan’s ear just a few steps away.

His brow twitched, and he came to a complete stop.

His feet halted, and naturally, his gaze returned.

To that woman with luscious, wavy bobbed hair and those clear gray eyes.