And that was truly only the beginning.
So-hee was a tougher opponent than I thought.
Of course, that didn’t mean I had to deal with her myself.
After all, So-hee was my friend, my maid, and naturally, my ally.
Instead, those who had to face So-hee directly were bound to shed blood.
For example, the homeroom teacher who entered as the bell rang.
“……”
The teacher, standing at the podium and looking around at the students, froze as soon as they made eye contact with So-hee.
It made sense, considering the transfer student they were supposed to introduce was already sitting next to me.
In hindsight, it was strange.
How did So-hee end up in the same class as me?
Perhaps the Hwayoung Foundation wasn’t as closely tied to the Eugene Group as I thought.
Sure, they received a lot of donations.
I also heard that a few buildings were built thanks to us.
But even so, it’s not like they’re a direct affiliate, so the rumors wouldn’t travel that fast.
It’s natural that, no matter how quickly they arrived, they would be delayed through a few channels.
So, was it really just a coincidence that So-hee and I ended up in the same class?
No, probably not.
There were six girls’ classes in the first year at this school, so the odds were one in six.
It wasn’t an impossibly low chance, but So-hee walked into the class as if she already knew she’d be in the same class as me.
She didn’t even bother checking or anything like that.
With So-hee’s personality, she would’ve made some comment about how lucky it was that we ended up in the same class.
…If that’s the case, there’s only one possibility.
Yang Hye-in, who handled So-hee’s transfer, must have done something behind the scenes.
Yeah, that must be it.
As I said earlier, no matter how close the companies are, if they’re not affiliates, news often comes late.
Especially if it’s a weekend and the information isn’t something major, but rather a discreet matter that only moves within the upper ranks, then the movement becomes even more careful and slow.
Moreover, some of the household staff had started paying attention to me.
They were beginning to realize, subtly, that I could cut off their comfortable jobs at any moment.
Though I hadn’t actually fired anyone, they wouldn’t have been shaking in their boots yet, but at least they wouldn’t have dared to contact the Chairwoman so confidently.
If they did contact her and I found out, their mistakes would go straight to her.
In that sense, So-hee was a ticking time bomb in the closed society of the mansion.
Her mere existence made the staff’s presence meaningless.
While the information was being delayed, if someone from the ‘Eugene Group’, like my personal maid, tried to plant someone in the school under the pretext of being a ‘replacement’.
And if, in that process, they offered some credible evidence or bribes to the other party, then naturally, the story would play out this way.
Yang Hye-in had always seen me off outside the school but had never entered.
That might’ve worked in her favor.
It means they didn’t know much about her situation within the school.
…Well, this is all just my speculation.
Whether this was someone’s scheme or just pure coincidence, the situation in front of the homeroom teacher was unfolding as it was.
A desk that shouldn’t be there was, and of all places, it was right next to me.
“…”
The teacher seemed to be pondering how to handle the situation.
Should they move the desk?
Was the replacement maid that Yang Hye-in planted on my side or not?
Judging by Yoo Ha-neul’s uneasy expression sitting next to me, it seemed like she wasn’t, but my expression was perfectly calm.
If the maid was on my side, the teacher should ignore it, but if not, they should side with me.
Teaching is a tough job.
“Ahem.”
Anyway, having made up their mind, the teacher cleared their throat and spoke.
“Well— as you probably already know, there’s a transfer student to introduce.”
I heard the sound of a few students holding their breath.
That’s right.
The teacher had just made a huge mistake.
From this, I could roughly understand why So-hee ended up in the same class as me.
Whether it was because of money or because the teacher had gotten used to the pressure, the teacher seemed to think So-hee was someone ‘planted by the Eugene Group’.
Maybe her appearance, which gave off the aura of a golden spoon, played a part.
It probably seemed like if I wanted to, I could crush her with my power.
Well, I probably could crush her. But I knew all too well that So-hee wouldn’t do that.
“Alright, transfer student— I mean, Shin So-hee? Please stand up.”
The students’ faces had turned as cold as ice, but the teacher didn’t seem to notice yet.
“Now, introduce yourself briefly.”
“Yes.”
At the teacher’s instruction, Shin So-hee smiled and answered.
Then, she slightly turned her body toward the students and said,
“I am Shin So-hee, the exclusive maid of Lady Ye Sara. I look forward to forming good relationships with all of you. Please take care of me.”
She dropped a bomb right in the middle of the classroom.
The bomb exploded silently, scattering shrapnel everywhere.
Dust fell on the students’ heads.
Whether it was a little or a lot, the filth stuck to them.
And it probably wouldn’t come off easily.
“…”
The teacher’s mouth fell open.
Having treated me like I didn’t exist until now, they had just, by accident, officially acknowledged my presence.
By ‘introducing’ someone related to me to the students.
This was a much bigger issue than Soo-ah being friends with me.
My relationship with Soo-ah was purely personal.
Naturally, the relationships between Soo-ah and her former friends were the same.
If they found her annoying, they could just cut her off.
After that, it wouldn’t even be considered a connection.
However, a teacher was different.
A teacher wasn’t a friend to students.
They were someone who managed and taught the students.
Even if those students were horribly rude and didn’t listen, a teacher still held a certain status.
That’s why I messed with the teacher when I first caused trouble.
If the teacher who ignored me started responding to me properly, it would mean my existence had been officially recognized.
It would naturally make it much harder for the students to ignore me.
“Please also take good care of my lady! And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ignore me when I speak in the future! After all, the homeroom teacher personally introduced me.”
So-hee drove the point home once again.
“…”
The teacher looked like they were at a complete loss but didn’t seem to think everything was ruined just yet.
“Well, there’s nothing special to talk about today.”
They were trying to erase what had just happened and continue ignoring So-hee.
Well, that was probably the best way to go about it.
“Teacher.”
But it seemed like So-hee wasn’t finished yet.
She smiled brightly, just as she did when following me around.
She looked like she was having an incredibly fun time with the current situation.
It was understandable.
I would’ve found it extremely amusing, too.
“You took money, didn’t you?”
Even I was hearing this for the first time.
Up until now, I had only suspected they took money, but I had no actual evidence.
Did she hear this from Yang Hye-in?
“If you took money, you should treat us accordingly.”
So-hee was still speaking politely, but her tone was anything but respectful.
Her voice was full of sarcasm.
“… Uh, well…”
Sweat began to bead on the teacher’s forehead.
It seemed So-hee was telling the truth.
Ah, so that’s what happened.
It might be that the way they made the students ignore Ye Sara and the way they made the teachers ignore me were different.
In Ye Sara’s will, she mentioned that the Chairwoman destroyed the lives of any student who got close to her.
Whether that was true or not, it was a fact that the boy who was close to Ye Sara disappeared.
That method was probably fear.
It would’ve been ineffective to throw money at students from wealthy families. They could’ve done it if they wanted to, but the loss would’ve been too great.
It was more effective to make them think they might lose everything they had.
I couldn’t imagine what that method was yet.
On the other hand, money was the best way to sway the teachers.
Of course, as prestigious private academy teachers, they wouldn’t be swayed by just a little money, but it was still easier than persuading actual conglomerates.
And the more corrupt a teacher was, the more easily they’d be swayed by a bit of money or gifts.
This place was the result of all those rotten people stagnating together.
“We poured over a billion won into you. It’d be disappointing if you acted like this.”
Hearing So-hee’s voice, which had now turned into a complete threat, I was shocked.
“A billion? Where did you get a billion?”
There was no way it was from the Eugene Group.
They wouldn’t invest money for something like this.
Maybe for the opposite reason, but not this.
“Oh, it’s my salary advance and some of the money Yang Hye-in saved.”
“An advance…? Saved money…?”
Just hearing it made me dizzy.
“You mean you shoved a year’s worth of salary into that teacher’s face?”
When I accidentally raised my voice and asked that, the teacher flinched.
“No, that’s not it. I mean, who gave you the advance?”
“Well, Yang Hye-in did.”
“Then she’s broke!”
At my words, So-hee gave me a slightly confused look.
“There were still a few billion left…? Does that seem broke to you? And it’s an advance, so I was going to pay it back later.”
“No, that’s not the problem here…”
Was Yang Hye-in that kind of person?
Did she really go that far just to place a replacement maid in my class…?
…Or maybe.
My mouth fell open.
Was Yang Hye-in truly on my side…?
“Well, anyway.”
So-hee cleared her throat and continued.
“If you’re really dissatisfied, just give all the money back. Though if you’ve already spent it, I’ll just add it to your debt.”
“…”
Facing a student brazenly threatening them, the teacher’s mouth remained agape.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime crisis for them.
No matter how corrupt the school, when exchanging bribes, they still did it discreetly.
There’s no benefit to getting caught.
Since many wealthy students attended the school, it was natural for there to be rival families, and if the information leaked, a real bloodbath could follow.
But…
Here, someone was openly admitting to taking a bribe.
The person who gave it, no less.
Or rather, maybe not them.
Either way…
The teacher’s gaping mouth didn’t close until the bell rang.