“Field transferred to your class, right?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Although Liyakade was still speechless every time Irina Zi barged into her dorm without permission, she had already gotten used to it.
“Any idea why?”
Irina Zi asked knowingly.
“Perhaps…”
Liyakade knew the reason well enough, but Irina Zi perversely insisted on having her say it herself.
“Because a few days ago, I bullied Alice and took her away, and since Princess Field and Alice are close, she came to protect her.”
“That’s right!”
Irina Zi’s calm demeanor vanished as she slammed her fist on Liyakade’s dorm table, her expression twisted.
“Why? She’s just a commoner, a lowlife, yet she’s so close to Field that Field transferred classes just for her!”
“Mistress, Princess Field has been staying by Alice’s side constantly.”
Liyakade cautiously tried to reason, hoping to find herself a way out.
“I can’t get to her anymore, otherwise…”
“What did you say?”
Irina Zi’s eyes widened as she interrupted, “Can’t get to her?”
“N-no!”
Liyakade quickly backtracked when she saw the look in Irina Zi’s eyes.
“What do you know!?”
Irina Zi suddenly stepped forward, her face twisted with rage as she grabbed Liyakade’s silver-white hair. “Do you understand? Do you understand how I feel?”
Pain…
Liyakade winced at the sudden assault, her eyes twitching. Irina Zi roughly threw her to the ground and screamed hysterically, “Don’t you have any consideration for your Mistress? Don’t you understand your Mistress’s feelings?”
Liyakade’s vision blurred from the impact to her head as she tried to slowly get back up.
“Lie down!”
Irina Zi’s voice carried an irresistible power, like a curse inherent in the Slave Contract—this was the main reason Liyakade endured all the humiliation without resistance.
Move…
She couldn’t move.
“Squeak—”
“So what if Field noticed? As a slave, your duty is to fulfill your Mistress’s wishes!”
Irina Zi pressed her heel heavily onto Liyakade’s hand, looking down at her with cold disdain.
Her heel twisted as she coldly lectured, “Do you know how painful it is for me to see Field laughing and chatting with that vixen? Do you? You have no idea!”
“You, a filthy commoner, only think of yourself. Can’t you even relieve your Mistress’s worries?”
Crazy…
The pain in her hand intensified, but suppressed by the curse, Liyakade couldn’t even cry out.
After an unknown length of time, the pressure on Liyakade’s body lessened, and Irina Zi finally lifted her foot. She seemed to regain her composure, taking a deep breath before smiling again.
“A cursed child like you—who else but me would take you in?”
Irina Zi crouched down and gently patted Liyakade’s cheek, smoothing her messy hair.
“So you better work hard… Oh, and go curse that vixen. Fill her textbook and desk with curses. Tell that lowlife she doesn’t deserve to be by Field’s side, doesn’t deserve to stay in this school. Do it tomorrow.”
“…Y-yes, Mistress.”
Liyakade weakly met Irina Zi’s gaze, accepting her orders without protest.
“Good girl.”
At last, Irina Zi released her grip and left Liyakade’s dorm.
“…Crazy.”
Once Irina Zi was out of earshot, Liyakade muttered the complaint to herself.
“I really can’t stand this XX.” Liyakade got up from the floor, glared at her dirty clothes, angrily stripped them off, and tossed them aside. “Just washed these, and now I have to change again.”
“Hiss…”
Liyakade silently disinfected her wound, pulled out some ointment from her cabinet, and applied it to her hand. She couldn’t help but think how utterly insane Irina Zi was—just a tiny suggestion and she’d throw a fit like it was the end of the world.
Liyakade took a quick shower and lay on her bed, sulking. At this rate, getting beaten up every two or three days, who could stand it?
Until she found a way to break the Slave Contract, it was best not to argue with Irina Zi. Whatever Irina Zi said, Liyakade only needed to nod and agree.
But she had to resist in action. If Liyakade really bullied Alice, the Death Ending would draw even closer. With Irina Zi on one side and the Death Ending on the other, she was truly trapped in a hellish difficulty dungeon…
***
The next day.
“Miss Liyakade? What happened to your hand? Is it injured? Why is it bandaged?”
Alice’s voice was as warm as ever, her concern immediate upon seeing Liyakade’s wrapped hand.
“I suddenly felt like learning to cook yesterday, but accidentally cut my hand.”
Liyakade blurted out a random excuse to brush it off.
“Let me help you treat it.”
“Ah, thanks, Alice-chan.”
“Pfft… Miss Liyakade is such a klutz. How does someone cut the back of their hand cooking? So silly.”
Alice chuckled, holding a small glowing orb, and moved closer.
“…Alice’s the silly one, isn’t she?”
“Eh? Why?”
That’s obviously not the kind of wound you get from cooking! If you believe that and don’t see she’s the idiot, what else could it be?
“It’s nothing…”
After some awkward small talk with Alice, Princess Field entered the classroom. Liyakade respectfully greeted Field, then, like the past few days, barely said a word more.
In fact, ever since Field transferred in, Liyakade’s daily interaction with her had been limited to greetings. Field didn’t initiate conversation, and Liyakade didn’t want to provoke her.
Alice didn’t find the atmosphere strange at all; she chatted freely with both of them.
The morning classes ended quickly. Alice and Field left the classroom.
After everyone else left, Liyakade remained alone, her gaze falling on Alice’s textbook.
…Should I do it?
The classroom was eerily silent. Liyakade swallowed hard, nervously staring at the neat, tidy textbook.
She vaguely recalled how seriously Alice took notes in class. If she erased all of Alice’s notes and filled the pages with curses and insults, Alice would be heartbroken.
If she didn’t do it, Irina Zi would be on her case. If she did, Field would punish her.
“…Damn it! Just wait! If it comes down to it, I’ll really summon the Demon Race!”
After an internal struggle, Liyakade resolutely picked up a pen and reached out to Alice’s textbook.
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