How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 77

“No, no way.”

“Are Kamon and Lady Cecilia really in that kind of relationship?”

“No, they’re just getting to know each other.”

“That’s basically the same thing!”

“No, it’s not. There’s a big difference!”

“Hey, let it go. He’s a fan of Lady Cecilia. Don’t get him all worked up.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that. My bad!”

For a while, the academy was buzzing with rumors about Lady Cecilia and Kamon Vade.

“But she was really cool. Even though she knew it wouldn’t benefit her, she went for it
head-on for love… As expected of Lady Cecilia!”

“So, if Lady Cecilia actually dates Kamon, are you going to support them?”

“Shut the fuck up. If you don’t want to die.”

Even though the harsh words were unexpected from a girl, everyone just burst into laughter.

“Hey, Lois. Is that bullshit?”

“I don’t know either.”

“How can you not know? Lady Cecilia is your cousin!”

“M-Mellin.”

“It doesn’t make sense that you wouldn’t know about an official announcement from your cousin’s election campaign.”

“I don’t attend the major meetings.”

“But you attended that meeting with Kamon last time.”

“Ah, that was a bit different.”

“How is it different?”

“I…”

Lois, who was reminded of Kamon Vade’s face at Mellin’s question, opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again.

“…Never mind.”

“What? Tell me.”

“Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Mellin looked at Lois with an incredulous expression as Lois turned his head away sulkily.

“Hey, are you sulking?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are sulking.”

“I’m not sulking!”

Lois, who shouted in frustration, fell into deep thought with a slightly sullen expression.

‘They both told me it wasn’t true.’

Both Kamon Vade and Lady Cecilia had assured him that the rumors were absolutely false. So why did the official announcement say otherwise? Although his mind was a mess, Lois decided it was best to keep his mouth shut here.

“Lois, are you okay?”

“Phew, I don’t know if I’m okay or not…”

“Hey, why are you so down again? Let’s go to the café. I’ll buy you a drink today, so cheer up.”

Mellin lightly patted Lois’s shoulder and eventually, the three of them headed to the famous ‘Lupinus’ café at Flance Imperial Academy.

And there…

“How the hell did he win over Lady Cecilia?”

“He didn’t. She just fell for Kamon’s charm while he was just standing there.”

“Huh? Kamon’s charm? Well, he doesn’t look bad, but doesn’t he look kind of scary?”

“Even though he looks a bit scary, he’s not actually scary… right?”

“Ha ha ha, Kamon is quite manly. They actually make a good pair.”

“Who says they make a good pair? Please, stop talking nonsense!”

A noisy group was causing a commotion.

“What the hell are those people?”

Mellin, of course, frowned and muttered in a disgruntled tone, and Lois let out a deep sigh beside her.

“Ugh, why are they doing that here again?”

“Huh? Do you know those people?”

“Lois, who are they?”

At that moment, one of the group members made eye contact with Lois.

“Oh, brother!”

He immediately called out cheerfully and gestured toward Lois.

“What are you doing? Come over here. We were having a pretty interesting conversation!”

“Lois, who are they? Do you know them?”

Elaine asked naturally, while Mellin’s tone was slightly cautious and combative, making Lois shake his head unconsciously.

“Well, you see…”

“Hey, Lois. Come quickly! We’re all fired up about Kamon and Lady Cecilia right now!”

“Oh! Can you please shut up, Senior Elliot?!”

Finally unable to bear it, Lois shouted irritably.

“Huh?”

“Senior, stop it. Lois is angry.”

“What? Why is he suddenly angry?”

Elliot looked puzzled at Lois, then shouted in disbelief.

“What, are you trying to act tough because there are girls with you? That’s not good. This elder brother won’t allow such behavior.”

“Ha.”

At Elliot’s nonsense, Lois turned to Mellin and Elaine quietly.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can go to the café with you today. Let’s go next time.”

“What? Lois. W-where are you going?!”

“Hey, what the hell? Why are you just leaving… Hey!”

With that, Lois quickly left the Lupinus café, leaving Mellin and Elaine standing there in a daze, watching his retreating figure.

At the same time…

“That bastard ran away? A guy who abandons his brother should be struck by lightning.”

“Senior, please stop.”

The empty chatter between Bren and Elliot echoed hollowly.

* * *

Clang, thud!

“Phew, I got lucky.”

“Damn, it was so close… Well, that’s the difference in skill.”

Fabian grumbled regretfully, while Kyle shook his head and mumbled.

“Come on, it wasn’t about skill. I just got lucky this time.”

“Stop it, you’re making me feel worse.”

“I’m serious! I almost lost.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just didn’t try hard enough.”

Laughing, Kyle and Fabian sat down on the training ground after their sparring match, exchanging such banter.

“Hey, Kyle. Aren’t you sparring with Chelsea today? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, nothing like that. Chelsea just said she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest today.”

“Oh, so you got ditched by Chelsea and had no choice but to come to me?”

“Ditched? It’s just one day off. And stop making weird comments and focus on training.”

“Haha. Okay, okay. By the way, did you hear the news?”

“What?”

“Lady Cecilia and Kamon are really dating.”

“What? Where did that come from? That’s just fake news.”

As part of Princess Francia’s election team and knowing about the plan, Kyle couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Well, I don’t know the details either. Recently, there have been rumors about it, but last night, Lady Cecilia herself acknowledged it.”

“Lady Cecilia herself?”

“Yeah. She gathered people in the fountain garden and made an emergency announcement. Now the whole academy is in an uproar.”

“Hmm…”

“What’s with that reaction?”

“Nothing.”

Kyle instinctively felt that something had gone wrong, but he wasn’t foolish enough to show it.

“I just think Kamon doesn’t seem like the type who would go well with Lady Cecilia…”

“Are you seriously discussing their compatibility now? Kyle, this isn’t the time for that. Worry about yourself.”

Fabian laughed incredulously and then seriously asked his close friend Kyle.

“How are things with Princess Francia lately?”

“Princess? Same as usual.”

“Even that crazy bastard Kamon is in a relationship, so you should step up your game.”

“Step up what game? There’s nothing like that between the Princess and me.”

Fabian shook his head at Kyle’s firm tone and grabbed his spear again.

“Geez, whatever. Let’s go another round.”

“Sure, let’s go!”

* * *

“So, what happened?”

“….”

“….”

Princess Francia’s sharp question left everyone speechless. Especially Rosen Ravenia, who had planned and led this, stood with a flushed face and head bowed, unable to speak.

“We never expected Lady Cecilia to find a breakthrough in this way.”

Vice President Obern spoke up in her stead.

“However, I believe the first goal of the plan, to eliminate negative perceptions about the Princess, was effectively achieved, so it’s not a complete failure.”

“That’s right. It’s not a failure.”

Princess Francia nodded in agreement with Vice President Obern’s words and then spoke in a cold voice.

“But I’ve heard that there’s been a significant change in Lady Cecilia’s approval ratings?”

“That is…”

Since Lady Cecilia gave a somewhat ambiguous but acknowledging statement about her scandal with Kamon, her approval ratings had slightly increased.

“It’s ridiculous that her ratings went up because of a mere scandal.”

“Everyone here is full of hot-blooded teenagers. Still, it’s not yet a significant threat. There’s still a consistent gap of about 20%.”

Rosen murmured, shaking her head, while Vice President Obern continued his report.

Princess Francia, who had been watching them, spoke again.

“That’s the situation now. What about later?”

“….”

“If they keep catching up like this, we might end up being overtaken without anyone noticing. That’s what worries me.”

“Honestly, who would’ve expected that crazy bitch to acknowledge it like that? Especially with that lunatic Kamon Vade!”

“Rosen!”

“I mean, it’s true! It can’t be real. It must be fake news. Unless… were they really dating? Damn, that’s just ridiculous.”

Rosen Ravenia, who had been muttering to herself, shook her head with a drained expression.

“Sigh, I’m sorry, Princess. This is all my fault. I’ll take responsibility and resign…”

“That’s enough, Lady Rosen.”

Princess Francia gracefully raised a hand to stop her.

“I didn’t call this meeting to blame anyone or demand responsibility. Instead, I want to hear how we can stop Lady Cecilia’s side from continuing their pursuit.”

Princess Francia looked at them for a moment and then spoke again.

“But it seems the atmosphere has become a bit heated, so let’s end the meeting here. At the next meeting, please present a more definitive solution rather than excuses.”

After Rosen Ravenia and Vice President Obern left, Princess Francia remained alone and quietly closed her eyes.

Clenching her fists tightly under the table, she whispered the hated name.

“Kamon Vade.”

There was no significant change that posed a real threat yet. But…

‘He’s irritating.’

From the posters to President Alex and the voice manipulations, everything he did was dirty and underhanded, aiming to bring her down. So she tried to mimic his actions this time…

‘And he gets away like this? Dragging me into this filthy mud fight?’

Princess Francia seethed with quiet fury but soon calmed herself.

‘Rosen is right. That foolish Cecilia must be out of her mind.’

No sane noble lady would ever acknowledge Kamon Vade as a lover.

‘How could she acknowledge that? Unless… are they really dating… Ugh, it makes me sick.’

Grimacing at the thought, she let out a sigh.

“Ha, really, those two are a perfect match.”

She briefly considered that they might actually suit each other, but then…

“Yeah, if they’re going to go this far, they must want to see it to the end. Fine, I don’t dislike this kind of battle either.”

Princess Francia muttered quietly towards the unseen Lady Cecilia and Kamon.

“I will never lose. The next president of this academy will be me, Francia Khan Flance.”