Evilliana's POV
I was about to return to my seat when Miss Sandra's desk suddenly split in half.
I sighed in relief. I really thought my sword was broken.
"Oh, you saw that, right? It split, didn't it?" Avy said with a grin. "Tsk, you shouldn't react so quickly," she added.
"Is it our fault the table reacted late? HAHAHA!" Harmony laughed, making Avy's expression darken.
"Miss Sandra? May I have your permission?" Avy asked Miss Sandra with a smile.
What is she planning now? Whenever she smiles like that, she's definitely up to no good.
"Permission for what, Miss Alvarez?" Miss Sandra replied, smiling as well.
"Can we try splitting Miss Rivera's mouth next?" Avy asked with a smirk.
I could only sigh and shake my head. I knew it.
"W-What?! You b\tch!" Harmony snapped in anger.
"Watch your words, Miss Rivera. And you too, Miss Alvarez," Miss Sandra said before turning to me and sighed. "Miss Alfena, apologies for our behavior. You may return to your seat."
"Alright," I replied with a smile and headed back to my seat. At least now, they've seen that I wasn't lying.
I transformed my weapon back into an earring and wore it again.
"Okay everyone, quiet now and let's continue the introductions."
"My name is Axel Connor Byneir. Earth element is my power."
I looked at the one who introduced himself—he was a snake. Like Princess Alvena and Prince Kai, his uniform and the girl beside him were different from the rest. I guess that means they're special?
"Andiana Florve Margian is my name. Water element is my power," said a bespectacled fairy girl.
I noticed most fairies are elemental users. They're truly fascinating.
"Greetings, everyone. My name is Chanfera Alvena Campbell. Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth elements are my powers," Princess Alvena, a fairy, introduced herself.
Wow! Amazing! She possesses all four elements. So cool! How I wished I had them too...
"Jaxon Kai Howard. Fire, Wind, Earth, and Lightning are my powers," introduced Prince Kai, a wolf.
His abilities are amazing too. He can wield so many elements.
People here in academy surely is amazing.
As sad as it is that I'm not like them, I can't do anything about it. This is what I've been given. I should accept it. One day, I believe I'll have powers too, like them.
"Yes, you will."
"Really?"
"Hmm, just wait a little."
"Okay."
"Since all of you have finished introducing yourselves—and because we spent so much time laughing earlier—this class is over. We'll begin our lessons tomorrow," said Miss Sandra. "Just wait here for your next teacher. They're probably on their way," she added.
She was about to leave when she suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, please fix the desk. See you tomorrow. Bye!" Then she exited the room.
"Hey, Princess of the foxes who doesn't even look like a fox, fix the desk. You're the one who broke it," ordered Victor Martin, an elf and the top 7 scorer in the entrance exam.
"Yeah, fix it already," agreed Loisa Miller, a snake and the top 8.
"How dare a slapsoil like you order a princess like Lia," Avy said, raising an eyebrow. "Mind your manners," she added.
"They can't, but I can~." Harmony chimed in with a grin.
Avy frowned, looking at Harmony with a puzzled expression.
"Well, I, Harmony Rivera, am a princess of the Fairy Kingdom AND a royal student," she emphasizes, still grinning.
Whaaaat?? She's a princess too? And what is this "royal student" thing they keep mentioning? Can I be one too?
Avy chuckled.
Oh no! Why is she laughing? She's picking a fight with a princess! Ugh, that Avy! But wait, I'm a princess too, aren't I? Sigh… But what can I do?
"Didn't you hear what I said? Well, maybe you were so shocked you didn't know how to respond. You're speechless, right?" Harmony chuckled. "It's normal to react like that. You guys just entered the academy, so—"
Harmony's words were cut off by a sudden, "Pfft!"
"What the!? What are you laughing at?" Harmony asked, annoyed.
"Nothing, don't mind me—pfft!" Avy answered, laughing.
"You've lost your mind!" Harmony snapped.
Avy's expression suddenly turned serious. "Let me tell you, Princess Harmony—oh wait, I forgot. I have no reason to call you princess." Harmony frowned, clearly irritated. "The only people I respect are the ones who respect Lia."
Oh my! I think I'm blushing. Gosh, Avy is always like this. But I'll admit, I'm quite happy.
"And you, Miss Rivera, you say Lia is a misfit, but do you even realize you're not qualified to be a princess yourself? You lack manners, and your mouth is full of insults. So don't expect us to respect you."
"How dare you say that to me? You know nothing!" Harmony's anger was obvious in her voice, and I knew I had to stop them before this escalated further.
"Oh, what? Don't tell me—"
"Avy, that's enough."
"Enough." I turned at the sound of the voice behind me.
When I looked, Prince Kai was staring at me. Oh my! I quickly looked away, embarrassed.
I turned to Avy, who was also looking at me. "Avy, that's enough," I repeated, smiling at her.
Her ears drooped slightly. "Okay," she replied simply, smiling back.
"Jax, let Miss Alfena clean that up. She's the one who broke it."
I looked at Harmony when I heard her voice again. Then I looked at the one she was talking to—it was Prince Kai.
Huh? How did he get over there?
"Stop it, Harmony," Prince Kai said. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not—his face was somewhat expressionless.
"Why did you even help her?" Harmony asked him, clearly upset.
Helped? Was she referring to me?
"Nothing," he answered simply and walked back to his seat.
I glanced at the desk earlier, now fully restored. Is that what Harmony meant?
"Good morning!" greeted the teacher who just arrived.
Everyone fixed them selves and we all returned her greeting.
"I'm Ruth Molly, your teacher for the subject of history." Miss Ruth was a snake.
"Today, we'll study the history of the Fox Kingdom."
Hmm? I wonder what part of our kingdom's history we're going to study today?
"July 14, 8813," said Miss Ruth.
Huh? What's that? July 14, 8813? Hmm? It's 8824 now, so that means… almost 11 years ago?
"Any idea?" Miss Ruth asked us.
I had no idea what that date meant. I haven't read any books about what happened in our kingdom from 10 years ago.
"Foxes?" she asked.
I'm part of the Fox Kingdom, but I really have no clue.
I was surprised when Avy suddenly raised her hand. Ehhhhhh? She knows?
"Yes, Miss…?"
Avy stood up and replied, "Aviel."
"Yes, Miss Aviel? What is it?"
"July 14, 8813—the day Goddess Rumine attacked the Fox Kingdom."
"Very good, Miss Aviel. You may sit." Just as she was told, Avy sat back down, proud.
"You're amazing," I whispered. She just smiled at me.
Miss Ruth began the lesson, so I focused on listening.
According to Miss Ruth's story, Rumine was a goddess of the Fox Realm and had a twin named Raviele. Both siblings were strong and powerful.
Miss Ruth also said no one knew the reason why Goddess Rumine attacked the Fox Kingdom. Maybe something happened that upset her. Hmm… but what she did was still wrong.
Miss Ruth said a lot more about what happened back then, but I won't mention everything here.
"I assume most of the fox students here already know this history, right? You were just kids when it happened," Miss Ruth said.
Maybe the others do know that history… but why don't I? I can't remember anything that matches what Miss Ruth just said. It really feels like I'm missing pieces of my memory—or maybe I just forgot? We were young then… maybe that's all it is.
"Yes, Miss," my classmates answered in unison, including Avy.
"Miss, I have a question," Harmony said, raising her right hand.
"Yes? What is it, Princess Harmony?" Miss Ruth asked with a warm smile. Whoa, she just called her "princess"—but why not Miss Sandra?
"The foxes… I mean, the princesses and princes of the Fox Kingdom—what did they do during the goddess attack?" Harmony asked with a sly grin.
Sigh. That grin of hers always means trouble. I've met people like her before, so I'm not new to this game.
"Of course, they helped fight the goddess. It is, after all, their duty to protect the kingdom."
If what Miss Ruth says is true, does that mean I helped, too? But… I really don't remember anything.
"Oh…" Harmony said, still smirking. "But… I'm pretty sure there was one princess who didn't help. Pfft!"
"What do you mean, Princess?" Miss Ruth asked, puzzled.
"Well, one of them..." she teased, dragging it out, "has no powers. Pffft!"
"True, Princess," agreed Marlin Miles, the top 5 scorer in our entrance exam and also a fox. She sits beside Harmony.
They're talking about me again. Even my fellow foxes don't like me. They only act nice when I'm around Mom, Dad, or my older brother.
Mom and Dad are aware of how others treat me. Knight Plair, Avy's mom and my teacher, told them everything. They wanted to punish them back then, but I convinced them to let it go, thinking they'd eventually stop. Turns out, my expectations were way off. When they realized there were no consequences, they got even worse—especially now that I'm no longer in the Fox Kingdom.
Was it a mistake to let them go unpunished? Probably. But there were some upsides. Like Avy. She accepted me even though I have no powers.
Just as I expected, laughter erupted again. But then my attention shifted to Avy—she stood up.
"Hey! You, Harmony! You're really testing my patience! And you, Marlin! You're a fox too, yet you side with that Harmony girl? Eviliana is still a princess of the Fox Kingdom no matter what you say! And by the way, what she does is none of your business!" Avy shouted, releasing a swarm of her insect familiars and sending them charging toward Harmony and Marlin.
But before the insects could reach them, they suddenly turned back—returning to Avy.
"AHHHHHHH!" Avy screamed.
H-huh? What's happening?
I stood up and rushed to her. "Avy, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?" I asked in panic. Something was terribly wrong. I could feel how much pain she was in from her screams. "Miss, what's happening to her? Please, help call help," I pleaded with Miss Ruth—but froze when I saw her grinning, her eyes glowing eerily. Wha—please, tell me I'm wrong about this…
"I forgot to mention, this is my power—to torment a creature's mind until it dies. It's called Sound Venom," she said coldly.
No, no, no! My suspicion was right. She is using Sound Venom. I've read about it in the books Mom gave me. It's extremely dangerous. Just like she said—it can damage the mind until it dies. Very few possess such an ability… and it's exclusive to snakes.
"I had a good first impression of you, Miss Aviel. But I don't tolerate students who attack others, so you will be punished."
"AHHHHHH!" Avy cried out again.
"Miss, please stop!" I begged.
"Don't worry, she won't die just yet… unless her ears are weak," she added with a chilling smile.
What do I do? She's not listening, and I don't even know if Avy's ears can withstand this. If I don't act, she'll die. And if that happens… I'll lose the only friend I have. No one else will stand up for me, annoy me, make me laugh when I'm sad, teach me things I don't know—and most of all… I'll lose Avy, the one who's always been there for me. I won't let that happen. I won't lose my friend.
I know this weapon isn't fully developed yet, but I have to try. I have no choice.
I took my hairpin and transformed it into a defensive weapon. It's called Heapinshīrudo. I only recently created it, so I'm still unsure of its strength. It's a shield—extremely tough, resistant to nearly any kind of power.
"What's that now?"
"A new weapon?"
"Does she really have no powers?"
I held the Heapinshīrudo between Avy and Miss Ruth, hoping it would block the effects of Sound Venom. Please… work!
Avy's screams began to fade… until finally, she went quiet. I exhaled in relief. Thank goodness… it worked.
"W-What just happened? Why isn't my power affecting her anymore?" Miss Ruth asked, stunned. "What is that item? How did you get it? That wasn't with you earlier!"
"I… have no reason to answer your questions," I replied coldly.
I'm furious. Absolutely furious. What she did to my friend was unforgivable. She's completely biased.
I looked down at Avy—she was pale, her consciousness is fading. I caught her just in time before she collapsed.
"What did you say?" Miss Ruth snapped. "Answer me. How did you get that shield? Where did it come from? And why wasn't it with you before?"
"Can you please be quiet? I know my friend did something wrong—but what you did was worse. You almost killed her, Miss." I said, trying to be calm as possible.
She had no response. Even our classmates fell silent.
I turned to Alvena, who sat quietly in the back, watching with her rowmates. "Alvena, can you heal her?" I asked.
She looked surprised but smiled and nodded. "O-of course!" she said, quickly making her way over and beginning to heal Avy.
"What a nice show…" came a voice from behind me.
Who was that?
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