After the announcements in the auditorium, the student council members immediately instructed everyone to line up.
A long table had been prepared at the front, where the professors handed each student a white envelope containing their schedule, section, and welcome letter.
As student council president, Xylia was naturally the first to receive hers.
Aciel watched the scene with growing irritation.
He hated how the professors and the women treated Xylia as if she were royalty. But what annoyed him even more was the fact that Xylia seemed completely used to it.
In his eyes, she was exactly the type of person he despised.
A privileged woman who had always been treated as the most important person in the room.
Someone who always got whatever she wanted.
"You're classmates with Xylia again?" Liliana complained dramatically to Chelsea after opening her envelope. "Why is it always you? We've never even been classmates before."
Xylia chuckled softly at her reaction.
Sometimes, she found it strange how attached Liliana was to her despite knowing that Xylia's mother disliked her.
Liliana was genuinely kindhearted.
Her family owned a small restaurant, and Xylia loved eating there. During lunch breaks, Liliana would often visit their classroom carrying different kinds of food and desserts just for her.
"We're still in the same university," Xylia said gently, trying to comfort her. "And besides, we always spend time together outside classes anyway. It doesn't matter whether we're classmates or not."
She smiled warmly.
"We're friends. That's what matters most to me."
Deep inside, Xylia already knew why she and Chelsea were always placed in the same class.
Her mother arranged it.
She never complained about it, but she sometimes felt guilty for the other students who had no choice in the matter.
And somehow…
she had the feeling Chelsea already knew the truth too.
"Xylia," Zoey, another student council member, called out, "Dean Romero asked if we could start the campus tour for the new students."
Xylia nodded while mentally calculating how they were supposed to guide nearly three hundred men around the university.
"Maybe we should ask for volunteers from our side," she suggested. "There are only six of us. We'll definitely need help."
"We'll help."
A familiar female voice interrupted them.
Xylia turned around and saw a group of five women approaching.
At the center of the group was Heather Spade.
Heather came from another wealthy family and was known for her glamorous appearance and heavy makeup. She had never liked Xylia and constantly competed against her in everything—even though everyone already knew she could never surpass her.
Xylia quietly sighed.
As much as she disliked Heather's attitude, they genuinely needed help.
"Fine," Xylia agreed calmly. "But you'll follow my instructions. This isn't the time to compete with me, Heather. We can continue that another day."
Heather rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I know," she replied. "I'll cooperate for now. But don't misunderstand things. After this, you're still my enemy."
Chelsea immediately made an irritated face behind Heather's back.
Xylia pretended not to notice.
Ignoring the tension between the two, she quickly began assigning responsibilities to everyone. Not long after, several more women volunteered to help.
In the end, they managed to gather twenty volunteers and divided the men into smaller groups for the campus tour.
"Are we ready, Xylia?" Dean Romero asked while approaching her. "The men are waiting."
Xylia nodded politely and explained the arrangements she had prepared.
However, the dean suddenly lowered her voice.
"Xylia," she said carefully, "I think it would be better if you personally guided Mr. De Silva. Alone."
Xylia froze for a moment.
Ever since the announcements earlier, her head already felt heavy from stress and exhaustion. Hearing those words only made the dizziness worse.
But before she could even process it, Dean Romero spoke again.
"There's something else I need to tell you," she continued awkwardly. "The board has decided to hold another election for the student council."
Xylia blinked in surprise.
"They want to give the men an opportunity to vote for representatives from their side," the dean explained. "You'll still remain as president, of course, but two positions in the council will need to be replaced."
For a brief second, Xylia felt completely overwhelmed.
Everything was changing too fast.
The merger.
The classes.
The student council.
Nothing was stable anymore.
She wanted to protest.
She wanted to ask why nobody informed her beforehand.
But instead—
Xylia smiled politely.
"I-I think that's a good idea," she answered softly. "The men might feel excluded if the council is made entirely of women. So… I understand."
Dean Romero's face brightened with relief.
"Oh, I was worried you might disagree," she admitted happily. "You truly are a good girl, Xylia."
A few steps away from them, Aciel silently observed the entire exchange.
He could not hear what the dean was saying, but he clearly saw Xylia's initial reaction.
She disliked whatever she had been told.
Yet only moments later, she smiled and acted as if she completely agreed with it.
Fake.
Aciel narrowed his eyes slightly.
Why would she pretend like that?
Why agree to something she clearly hated?
At that moment, Xylia suddenly felt someone staring at her.
When she turned around, she immediately met Aciel's dark gaze.
Her chest tightened.
For some reason, she felt as though Aciel could see straight through her carefully crafted mask if she looked into his eyes for too long.
She quickly looked away.
"Mr. De Silva!" Dean Romero called out while waving at him.
Aciel walked toward them calmly before offering the dean a polite smile.
"Well," Dean Romero began cheerfully, "I asked Xylia to personally guide you around the university. Just the two of you. I want you to familiarize yourself with the campus and feel comfortable here."
So that was the favor she asked from Xylia earlier.
Aciel wanted to reject the idea immediately.
But creating trouble on his very first day would only attract unnecessary attention.
So instead, he silently agreed.
When the campus tours finally began, Chelsea clearly disliked the idea of leaving Xylia alone with Aciel.
Still, Xylia insisted she would be fine.
Before Chelsea left with her assigned group, she shot Aciel a warning glare that nearly made Simon laugh.
"I'm sorry about Chelsea," Xylia said awkwardly once they were finally alone. "She's my best friend, and she tends to get overly protective sometimes."
"It's fine," Aciel replied coldly. "Let's just finish this quickly so we can both rest."
The coldness in his voice instantly made Xylia anxious again.
Still, she forced herself not to react.
She refused to let Aciel know his words affected her.
"Alright," she answered quietly. "Let's go."