Chapter 19: CH 19

As Riett entered the classroom and opened the door, the air seemed to change its flow. The children who would usually greet her brightly were either looking elsewhere or speaking in hushed tones. Riett sighed as she glanced around.

This subtle atmosphere perfectly matched what she had anticipated before going to bed last night. The appearance of the girl who had taken the throne. They must feel betrayed by the appearance of an unexpected rival.

Riett took a deep breath and firmly returned to her seat.

“Hello, Riett.”

A deep voice broke the silence, and Riett looked up to see her interlocutor. It was Lucas. On a sunny day like today, Lucas’s platinum hair shimmered even more than usual.

“Hello.”

Riett responded, and Lucas replied with a bright smile.

Come to think of it, Lucas was in third place. It made her feel somewhat relieved to know they were in the same class. After all, while becoming public rivals, Lucas and herself were on the same side.

How was Lucas feeling? He must have been somewhat nervous.

“The classroom seems unusually quiet today, don’t you think, Riett?”

However, contrary to Riett’s expectations, Lucas didn’t seem tense at all. He spoke even louder than usual.

“Could it be because of the exam results announced yesterday?”

Some people who were facing forward seemed startled. Observing their reactions, Lucas raised his voice even louder.

“If that’s the case, I don’t understand.”

It seemed like he was intentionally trying to attract attention with exaggerated behavior. Riett looked at Lucas with a face that seemed to say, “Is this guy crazy?”

But Lucas didn’t stop.

“Don’t you think so, Riett? Instead of that, I’d rather read another book…”

Thunk! At that moment, someone slammed their desk and stood up.

“Hey, don’t you see that I did well on the exams?”

It was Jackson. As the son of a viscount family, he was a student who studied more desperately than anyone else to obtain a title. He approached Lucas in a threatening manner.

“I never liked you. Since the other kids seem to hold you in high regard, do you think everyone likes you?”

“…”

“But is that it? Even if you inherit some nameless noble title from a minor noble family, what can you gain from studying so hard? Everyone just laughs at you.”

Jackson sneered with a bitter smile and carefully observed Lucas’s response. Lucas, who didn’t react at all, grabbed Jackson’s wrist and effortlessly brought him down. The murmurs of the onlookers could be heard.

“Wow, Lucas, what the hell? I thought you couldn’t throw a punch at Jackson…….”

“Did you see how smoothly he dodged?”

Riett’s thoughts were the same.

Lucas didn’t respond as amiably as usual, perhaps to establish a strong position against those who were trying to challenge him. His determined expression was noticeably different from usual.

“You…”

Jackson stood up, showing courage, and swung his fist at Lucas again.

Thunk!

However, the sound of impact resounded not from Lucas but from Jackson’s face. Jackson, who took a direct hit from Lucas’s fist, fell to the ground instantly.

“Ouch!”

“What are you guys doing?”

At that moment, the teacher entering the classroom noticed them and hurriedly approached. The fight that was about to break out due to Jackson’s one-sided provocation came to an end with the teacher’s arrival.

Lucas raised both hands as if surrendering.

“Teacher, Jackson attacked first.”

“Ugh, both of you, come with me.”

The teacher helped Jackson up and led them out of the classroom. Before following the teacher, Lucas winked at Riett and mouthed the words.

‘Now, it’s your turn.’

Riett quickly understood the meaning behind “it’s your turn.” As they had placed within the top three, they had become a common enemy among the students vying for that position.

In the current situation, Riett had two options: to defend against the enemy’s attacks or to prevent them from mustering the courage to attack altogether. By displaying a completely different demeanor than usual, Lucas managed to accomplish both.

During the incident, Lucas noticed something. He didn’t react immediately to Jackson’s provocation and instead glanced at the corridor outside the classroom before speaking.

In other words, Lucas calculated his actions to ensure that the fight didn’t escalate too much while estimating when the teacher would enter the scene.

‘He wanted to show a threatening presence within reasonable limits.’

If the teacher hadn’t arrived just in time, a few more punches would have been thrown. Riett had thought Lucas was just a friendly and gentle golden retriever type who wagged his tail everywhere, but he turned out to be a hidden fox.

‘As Lucas said, now it’s my turn.’

Riett pressed her forehead with her clenched fist and bowed her head.

Evan would have firmly established his position by now, ensuring that no one could surpass him. As of today, Lucas had also declared his intentions using a clever strategy.

But they both shared a common trait:

‘They have a larger stature and a strong physique compared to others.’

Evan didn’t need to say anything, and although Lucas had a handsome face, his body was quite robust. It’s just that his soft image and gentle personality overshadowed that fact.

However, Riett was different from Evan and Lucas. She was shorter and smaller in size compared to the guys. So, the methods Evan and Lucas used wouldn’t work for her to overcome the problem.

While pondering over this, a voice that wasn’t pleasant reached her ears.

“You still look pretty today, Riett.”

When Riett raised her head, she saw Samuel, the leader of the delinquents known for his rough behavior.

“Congratulations on second place.”

Samuel, who was offering insincere praise, had a massive build with gray hair. Whenever Riett saw him, a grey bear came to mind.

‘No, that’s disrespectful to bears.’

Riett quickly corrected her thoughts.

It was puzzling how he managed to gather people like himself; every member of the delinquent group seemed unsavory. They behaved like neighborhood thugs, forming gangs and intimidating children.

However, the reason Riett disliked Samuel was not just because of that. He wanted to select and become friends with famous figures within the school to show off his power.

Lately, Riett had become the target of his attention. Samuel would approach her persistently, but Riett would always respond coldly. It was as if she was saying,

“Go away.”

Just like now,

“You’re still arrogant today.”

Samuel seemed to smile as if he didn’t care about Riett’s reaction. The gang

did not back down easily.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Say it here.”

Riett ignored Samuel’s group, took out a book, and spoke.

“I have something to say privately.”

Riett stared back at Samuel’s lecherous gaze with an expressionless face. Nevertheless, Samuel didn’t give in and spoke again.

“It’s an intriguing proposal.”

Riett felt the eyes in the classroom focusing on Samuel’s group and himself. Not wanting to create any more disturbances, Riett suppressed her annoyance and reluctantly stood up.

“Follow me.”

As Riett exited the classroom first, Samuel and his followers chased after her. The place where Riett’s footsteps stopped was the back of a secluded building, the school’s correctional facility.

“What’s this about?”

Despite Riett’s urging, Samuel raised the corner of his mouth and slowly opened his mouth.

“You know, Riett, I really like you.”

“Get to the point.”

“I also like your tough side.”

The gang chuckled. When Samuel snapped his fingers, one of them handed him a single rose. Samuel pretended to smell the flower with disgust and glanced at Riett.

“But unfortunately, things have changed since you came in second.”

“….”

“So what I’m saying, Riett, is that I have the power to protect you.”

He extended a fully bloomed red flower to Riett.

“In return, help me become third. Then I’ll protect you so that you can be as beautiful and noble as this flower.”

This was the final destination of the twisted words.

‘If I help him become third, he’ll watch my back.’

Riett accepted the flower offered by Samuel. Then she said,

“Thank you.”

Samuel’s eyes widened at Riett’s positive response. However, as if Riett hadn’t finished speaking, she raised her index finger and wagged it.

“Thanks to you, I realized something. I have to work even harder to not give guys like you a chance.”

Samuel’s face that had been listening silently contorted.

“…You dare to refuse?”

“Yes, I dare.”

Riett smirked with her arms crossed.

“Even if I carry guys like you on my back and help, you’ll never become third.”

Samuel’s unnatural eyes blinked at the blatant reality.

“…You’ll regret it, Riett.”

“Regret? The only regret is wasting time listening to such a proposal.”

Samuel’s face turned red. The gang, too, looked at the unexpected turn of events, sensing the leader’s mood.

However, Riett was extremely angry about the part of being beautiful and noble like a flower, so she didn’t care about anything else.

Unlike Samuel, who was fluttering, Riett turned around as if she had nothing more to say. But then, looking down at the flower in her hand, she turned back to Samuel.

“And…”

Riett threw the flower at Samuel’s face. The flower weakly brushed against Samuel’s face and fell to the ground.

“I hate dahlias the most, you bastard.”