"Whoosh…"
The wind brushed softly against the classroom windows.
Lunivara's gaze remained fixed on the door.
[Something will go wrong.]
She was sure of it.
Minutes passed.
"Flip…" pages turned.
"Tap… tap…" quills against desks.
"Creak…" chairs shifting slightly.
Nothing happened.
Her fingers rested still on the desk.
[…Strange.]
The teacher continued the lesson as if the world had no intention of breaking. No sudden accusations. No whispers turning sharp.No scene.
Just… normal.
Lunivara slowly leaned back in her chair, eyes half-lidded.
[The story should have moved by now.]
She glanced sideways.
Velarisse was focused on her notes, calm, untouched, exactly as the "heroine" should be. No tension around her. No signs of conflict.
[No trigger… no incident… nothing.]
The bell rang.
"Ding—"
Students began to stand. Conversations rose. Laughter returned.
Still nothing.
The afternoon passed the same way.
Normal.
Too normal.
Yet something had changed.
"Whisper… whisper…"
Lunivara caught fragments as she walked through the corridor.
"She didn't do anything today…"
"Wasn't she supposed to—?"
"She feels… different."
Her steps didn't stop.
[So even doing nothing… changes things.]
Not louder. Not crueler.
But different.
"Creak…"
The dormitory door closed behind her.
Silence.
Lunivara didn't even make it to the chair.
She fell onto the bed.
"Fwap—"
"…Tired…"
Her arm covered her eyes.
Not from effort.
But from restraint.
[Holding back… is harder than acting.]
The ceiling blurred slightly as her thoughts drifted.
Then—
Her eyes slowly widened.
"…Wait."
She sat up.
[This day…]
Her heartbeat picked up.
"Thump… thump…"
[This is the day.]
Memories aligned.
The original story.
The villainess—Lunivara—
Bullied Velarisse.
Publicly.
Harshly.
And that's when—
Cedric intervened.
Protected the heroine.
Silenced everything.
And marked the beginning of Lunivara's downfall.
"…But I didn't…"
Her fingers tightened against the bedsheets.
"I didn't do anything."
Silence filled the room.
Then—
A slow breath escaped her lips.
"…I avoided it."
No humiliation.
No confrontation.
No trigger.
No downfall.
A small pause.
Then—
A faint, almost disbelieving smile.
[So it can be changed…]
Not through force.
Not through power.
But through choice.
Outside, the sky dimmed.
The end of the week.
Tomorrow—weekend.
Lunivara leaned back again, calmer this time.
[What did the original Lunivara do…?]
She didn't need to think long.
"…Shopping."
Lavish. Excessive.
Noble district.
Expensive items.
Attention.
Everything she shouldn't do.
Lunivara stared at the ceiling.
Then—
"…No."
A quiet decision.
[That's not me.]
A different idea formed.
Slowly.
Naturally.
[If I'm going to move… I'll go somewhere the story doesn't expect.]
Her eyes softened slightly.
"…The common district."
The Next Day — Weekend
"Clink… clink…"
Coins shifted softly.
"Chatter… chatter…
Voices filled the streets.
The air was warmer. Livelier.
Different.
Lunivara walked quietly beside Clara.
Both dressed simply.
No royal colors.
No status.
No attention.
Clara glanced at her.
"…Milady… are you certain?"
"Yes."
A simple answer.
But firm.
Clara didn't question further.
The marketplace stretched wide.
Food stalls.
Handmade goods.
Voices calling out prices.
"Fresh bread!"
"Spices from the south!"
"Take a look!"
Lunivara's steps slowed.
Her eyes moved—not like a noble…
But like someone who had seen this before.
[This feels… familiar.]
Not in this world.
But in another life.
Ana's life.
Simple.
Loud.
Real.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"…I like it here."
Clara blinked slightly.
"…It suits me."
Then—
She stopped.
"…Hm?"
Something caught her eye.
A small stall.
Among ordinary items…
A glint of green.
An emerald.
Lunivara stepped closer.
Her gaze softened.
[Emerald…]
Back then—
She could only see it through screens.
Something distant.
Unreachable.
But now—
"…How much?" she asked quietly.
The seller hesitated.
Before he could answer—
"Ah… you have a good eye."
A different voice.
Smooth. Calm.
Not ordinary.
Lunivara looked up.
Oceanic hair.
Sand-colored eyes.
Watching her.
Closely.
[Thalric Orivane.]
Her heartbeat skipped.
But her face remained composed.
"I just like it," she replied.
A simple lie.
Thalric's lips curved slightly.
"Most don't."
He picked up the emerald, examining it.
"It's often overlooked."
Lunivara's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Then they don't understand its value."
A pause.
Then—
A quiet shift in the air.
Interest.
Real interest.
"…I see."
Thalric looked at her again.
Differently this time.
"Then tell me… what do you see in it?"
And just like that—
The conversation began.
Time passed unnoticed.
Emeralds turned into trade.
Trade turned into stories.
Stories turned into laughter.
Light. Easy. Natural.
Not forced.
Not calculated.
Just… real.
For once.
"Milady."
Clara's voice.
Soft.
A reminder.
The sun had lowered.
"…Ah."
Lunivara stepped back slightly.
"…I suppose it's time."
Thalric nodded.
"…It was… interesting."
He didn't ask her name.
She didn't offer it.
But something passed between them.
Unspoken.
He watched her leave.
A faint thought behind his eyes.
On the way back—
"Bump—"
"…Ah—sorry."
Lunivara stepped back slightly.
The boy in front of her paused.
Black hair.
Red eyes.
He stared at her—just a second too long.
"…It's fine," he muttered.
Then walked past.
Lunivara tilted her head slightly.
[Strange…]
But she didn't stop.
Back in the dorm—
"Creak…"
The door closed.
Lunivara held the emerald in her hand.
It caught the light softly.
Green.
Beautiful.
Real.
A small smile formed.
"…I finally have one."
She lay back on the bed.
[This world…]
Her fingers curled slightly around the gem.
[It's different.]
Not just a story.
Not just a script.
But something she could…
Live in.
And for the first time—
Lunivara Morcant felt something simple.
Something quiet.
Something real.
"…I like this."