Chapter 79: Ignorance is Strength
“I conveyed Dogeon’s proposal, but… hmm. Camilla says she already has plans at that time. I’m sorry.”
Once again, I tried to arrange a private meeting with Camilla through Anya’s connections, but I failed. At first, I shrugged it off, but now I could tell.
Camilla didn’t want to meet me.
I had a rough idea why. Hoyeon had used every means possible to make it to the academy on time, and Camilla seemed to be one of the victims of her methods.
Maybe she hated me, too, since I was practically a package deal with Hoyeon. I didn’t catch every word while talking with Anya, but I could hear the raised voices.
“No, it’s fine. If I ask again another day, she might agree.”
I couldn’t give up, so my only option was to keep begging until she agreed to meet me. Who would’ve thought the snowball from the midterm exams would roll this far?
No, actually, with Hoyeon around, things probably went wrong from the very start.
“But, uh… Dogeon, why are you so insistent on meeting Camilla? Don’t tell me you…”
“It’s not anything like romantic interest. There’s something I need to apologize for personally. A letter just feels too insincere.”
Honestly, I didn’t find her particularly appealing. That noble-lady trope didn’t seem charming to me. Besides, she caused trouble a few times in the original story.
It felt more like I was approaching her out of necessity for the happy ending. Anya would probably insist on meeting her regardless, though.
Of course, so would Hoyeon. As for Cecilia… Well, she was so pure that she didn’t pique my interest. Sure, spending time with her might be comfortable, but there wasn’t much appeal.
To put it bluntly, she felt more like a servant. It’s not the kindest thing to say, but no better word came to mind.
“Oh… I see. Well, Dogeon, forgive me, but you’re known for playing with women’s hearts, so I guess Camilla is another victim.”
I hadn’t done anything like that yet, but I couldn’t argue because I’d have to fake confessions of love in the future.
“Haha… Let’s just leave it at that for now.”
All I could do was laugh awkwardly and defuse the situation.
“Dogeon… You shouldn’t do that. Do you even realize how much Hoyeon cares about you? Even if the rumors are a bit exaggerated… She cherishes you deeply. Yet here you are, trying to meet another girl. Haven’t you thought about how that could hurt Hoyeon, even if you don’t mean for it to?”
Anya, who wasn’t one to talk much, said something surprisingly long-winded. Hearing her words, any feelings of surprise quickly faded.
I knew how deeply Hoyeon valued me. When we were alone, she’d treat me casually, calling me her closest friend.
And I knew I was the only one she acted that way with. If I hadn’t read the author’s Q&A, I wouldn’t be running around like this now.
What was supposed to be an advantage—knowing the story—had turned into a shackle, binding me. It was ridiculous, but now that I knew, there was no escaping it.
I didn’t know what happened after the bad ending or exactly how the happy ending played out, but there was no other choice but to aim for the happy ending.
“I understand. Still, if I don’t apologize, I feel like something irreversible will happen.”
So, all I could do was avoid giving a clear answer and convince myself I was doing my best.
Other web novel protagonists started out as overpowered. Why did this author make me so unimpressive from the start, only to eventually turn me into one?
“If you understand, then just leave. I bet you snuck here without telling anyone again, right?”
“…I didn’t sneak in. I just didn’t say anything.”
“Are you even sane?! Boldly admitting you’re meeting another girl! Go back right now!”
Maybe I was too honest because Anya freaked out and practically shoved me out the door. She wasn’t annoyed—just genuinely alarmed. This time, it was definitely my fault.
She might still be struggling to find the nonexistent cat.
Thinking about that, I couldn’t afford to dawdle. She might still be searching for the cat, so I activated my mana and dashed to the flower bed.
And there was no one there.
…Good. She must have given up and gone back inside. If she’d kept looking, she would’ve been really upset.
Relieved, I grabbed the doorknob, but an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me. For some reason, I felt like something was behind the door.
If anything, it’d just be Hoyeon… but I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something more.
“Dogeon… you’re here…? Look, I caught the cat. What do you think…?”
And as the saying goes, “what you dread most happens.” What I saw was something I never would have imagined.
Hoyeon was proudly holding out a cat she’d somehow caught—where or how, I had no idea—as if asking for praise.
I had lied about the cat, but where on earth had she found one? Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t have gone out to buy it. She didn’t have the time for that, either.
“Hoyeon… where exactly did you find this cat?”
“Oh… the cat? It was in the flower bed…?”
There shouldn’t have been any cats near the dormitory. Did one wander in from outside? I couldn’t figure it out.
“Oh, I see. Yeah, that’s the one I was looking for.”
Its white belly and black back reminded me of Hoyeon somehow. The golden eyes made it even more so.
But that aside, I was in a tough spot now.
The cat supplies I bought were just a cover to purchase catnip. If I’d only bought the catnip, it would’ve seemed suspicious.
Originally, I was only going to buy food, but she didn’t like that idea, so I had to act as if I was actually raising a cat.
Was this karma for my lies? If so, I’d have to accept it.
“So… what do you want to name it?”
It seemed like I’d end up raising it. I didn’t intend to, but since Hoyeon brought it, I couldn’t ignore it.
“A name… hmm.”
Half black, half white—maybe Asura? No, that was too corny. I couldn’t think of anything better.
After all, this cat only existed in my imagination before. Of course, it didn’t have a name. One idea did come to mind, but I wasn’t sure if it was good.
“Yunho… is that too much…?”
Since it was Hoyeon’s cat, I reversed her name. Hoyeon… Yunho. It felt like a terrible idea, but the alternatives were worse.
“Yunho… Yunho. Hmm. I like it!”
But Hoyeon enthusiastically approved, even of such a terrible name. Or maybe she genuinely thought it was a good one.
…I really put no thought into that name.
“Alright, let’s go with Yunho. From now on, your name is Yunho. Hello.”
“Meooow…”
What was I supposed to do to raise a cat? I had seen a few things about it before, but now I couldn’t remember anything.
For now, I was holding the cat Hoyeon handed over to me, but I had no idea where to start. Should I feed it first?
“You must’ve had a hard time finding it, Hoyeon.”
“Oh, not at all. It was nothing. Let me know if you ever want to raise a lion in the future—I’ll catch one for you!”
Surely, what she just said was a joke… right?
***
Iris sat in an empty room, trying to figure out why she was there.
She had come to attend one of Stefania’s infamous “special lessons,” which had become a part of her daily routine. Yet, for some reason, the room was completely empty.
Usually, Stefania would be waiting with a candle and a whip to greet her. It was an experience Iris could never get used to, but now, even the absence of that dreaded routine was making her more uneasy.
The silence in the room was so oppressive it felt as though it might be better if Stefania suddenly appeared from behind her—or even if a corpse fell from the ceiling. Anything was preferable to this stifling stillness.
Exhausted from the punishments disguised as lessons that Stefania had imposed on her for failing to guard or monitor her properly during the midterms, Iris was in an even weaker state than usual.
“This isn’t funny, Lady Stefania. Please come out…!”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Iris braced herself, mentally preparing for whatever punishment might await her as she called out Stefania’s name.
Even if she got hurt, Stefania would heal her quickly anyway.
But what Iris expected did not happen.
The room remained steeped in awkward silence and darkness, its eerie stillness fueling her anxious imagination.
“…Ugh… But I can’t just leave, can I?”
If, by any chance, Stefania was delayed because of some urgent matter, Iris feared what Stefania might do to her for not waiting. Trapped in this dilemma, she couldn’t bring herself to leave or stay.
Why did the sins of her parents have to fall on her? It was her parents who owed Stefania a debt—why was she the one paying for it?
But when she thought of her younger sibling’s face, Iris quickly resigned herself. If she didn’t endure Stefania’s wrath, her sadistic tendencies would inevitably turn toward her sibling instead.
As Iris continued to waver between determination and doubt, she caught the faint scent of blood in the air.
Today, she must be tormenting me with blood-soaked towels. I’d prefer the whip to this. With that thought, Iris opened her eyes—and what she saw was beyond anything she had imagined.
There, Stefania lay collapsed on the ground, drenched in blood and gasping for breath.