Chapter 105

“What’s up? Why do you keep staring at me?” Seeing Aesphyra’s captivating gaze fixed on him, Winnie instinctively averted his eyes, afraid to meet hers, lest he accidentally fall into the boundless galaxy within them.

“Could it be that you’re enchanted by my good looks again? Ah, what can I do? Who made me such a dashing and handsome young man?” Winnie ran his hand through his hair, lost in self-admiration.

“But unfortunately, I’ve told you many times, Miss Aesphyra, my heart already belongs to someone else. You, my dear, have no chance.”

“Oh? I remember last time I guessed that Lord Winnie liked Mirexia, but you said I didn’t understand anything, didn’t you?” Aesphyra tilted her head, giving Winnie a sidelong glance. “Could it be that Lord Winnie likes someone else?”

“Well, I’m not going to reveal that,” Winnie replied, not intending to delve further into the topic.

“I think I already know who Lord Winnie likes.”

“…Huh?” Winnie looked at the stunningly beautiful girl standing beside him, her silver hair fluttering in the wind like a galaxy.

Wait, you know? What do you know? I don’t even know who I like, and you already figured it out?

“Lord Winnie, the nun you mentioned doesn’t exist, but she also does, right?” Aesphyra said meaningfully.

“What do you mean, exist or not? What are you talking about?” Winnie was utterly confused.

“That lady taught you a lot, didn’t she?” Connecting all the clues, Aesphyra felt like she had suddenly figured everything out, understanding much more.

This also explained why Winnie, who was originally a great villain in this life, had undergone such asignificant change.

The reason was that in this life, there were people who didn’t exist in the original world, altering the course of events and changing the trajectory of the original world.

As for whether it was multiple people or just one, that remained to be investigated.

So far, Aesphyra couldn’t be sure that Vanessa was the only one who didn’t exist in the original world.

But, isn’t it too much of a coincidence?

Vanessa’s soul armament happened to be [Saint Envoy], and she was likely closely connected to the Varelis family, of which Winnie was the only direct descendant.

Aesphyra had considered the possibility that the nun Winnie knew was Vanessa, but she still couldn’t be certain.

However, if it was true that in this life, a sister named Vanessa suddenly appeared by Winnie’s side, guiding him and giving him advice, leading to his sudden change in temperament, that wasn’t impossible.

Of course, this was just her speculation. It was also possible that Vanessa and Winnie didn’t know each other, and Vanessa wasn’t the extra person.

It could be that in the previous life, she hadn’t met Vanessa, and no one knew that the Varelis family had an unknown direct descendant.

But regardless of the truth, there was undoubtedly a mysterious nun by Winnie’s side, who likely changed him, making him less extreme and wicked than he was in the previous life.

“So, the person you like must be that nun who has been guiding you towards goodness, right?”

“?? What are you talking about??” Winnie’s eyes were filled with confusion.

Aesphyra seemed to have concocted some elaborate theory in her mind, making it impossible for him to understand what she was saying.

Seeing that Winnie wasn’t admitting anything, Aesphyra decided not to waste any more time.

“Lord Winnie, do you know a girl named Vanessa?”

“Vanessa? Never heard of her.” Winnie frowned, puzzled. Ever since he told Aesphyra his name, he had been on guard against her asking this question. He had prepared for it privately, so he answered without hesitation.

“Really, you don’t know her?”

“Miss Aesphyra, your questions are getting stranger and stranger. Who is this Vanessa to you? Why would I know her?” Winnie said, exasperated.

“Guess?” Aesphyra’s tone was playful, her expression mysterious, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

“Guess if I’ll guess,” Winnie rolled his eyes. “I can’t read your mind, Miss, and I don’t like speculating about others. Don’t test me.”

Aesphyra knew that continuing to ask wouldn’t yield any results. Whether Winnie knew or not, he wouldn’t tell her the truth, so she changed the subject.

“The elf girl who was bullied by those tribesmen earlier, is she your roommate?”

“What, interested in her? She might look a bit feminine, but she’s a proper boy. Don’t go causing trouble for her.” Winnie glanced at Aesphyra, thinking that this harem protagonist must be up to her old tricks again.

Though she probably didn’t know Shikondell’s true gender.

“Is that what she told Lord Winnie?”

“Why wouldn’t I believe “him”? What does he gain from lying to me? There are differences between elves and humans. It’s normal for male elves to look a bit delicate. Besides, even if he did lie, that’s his business. No one would go through the trouble of lying for no reason. Maybe he has his own reasons. Always trying to uncover others’ secrets, isn’t that just mean?” Winnie said dismissively.

“Pfft.”

“? What are you laughing at now?”

“Nothing, it’s just that what Lord Winnie said is very similar to someone I care about.” Aesphyra smiled, resting her chin on her hand.

“Princess Mirexia actually said something like that to you?” Winnie feigned ignorance.

“Hmm~ Guess?” Aesphyra gazed deeply at Winnie, smiling without saying more.

“…Never mind, it’s getting late. I should head back.” Being alone with Aesphyra still made Winnie uncomfortable, so he spoke up after a while.

“Thanks for today, Miss Aesphyra.”

“Gratitude is one thing, but shouldn’t there be some tangible reward?” Aesphyra said with a smile.

“Well, I’d like to give you something tangible, but after thinking about it, you’re much richer than a poor guy like me. You’re loaded with treasures and magical items, lacking nothing. All I can offer is my thanks and some emotional support.” Winnie said with a grin.

“See you later.” Winnie waved and left the balcony.

“Winnie, where did you go just now? Did it take you that long to go to the bathroom?” Fred asked as soon as he saw Winnie return.

“Can’t help it, I’m a bit constipated.”

“Constipated? Why go to the bathroom for that?” Fred looked disdainful. “We’ve been waiting for you for ages, discussing where to play cards tonight.”

“Cards? I’ve got something to do tonight, so I won’t be joining. Sorry, guys, go ahead without me. I’ve got some urgent matters.”

“What’s so important?” Fred was puzzled.

“My roommate’s sick, so I need to go take care of him and bring him some food. I won’t be joining tonight. Have fun, everyone.” Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Winnie asked a waiter for a new box, packing some whole wheat bread, a bowl of salad, and a few chicken legs. His soup was untouched, so he packed that as well.

Leaving the banquet hall, the sky was completely dark, and the crystal street lamps were lit one by one.

It didn’t take long to walk from here to the villa area, just over ten minutes.

From a distance, Winnie saw the soft, bright lights shining from his villa. He took out his keys, opened the door, and entered, noticing a pair of small leather shoes at the entrance.

“Who is it?” A slightly nervous voice came from inside upon hearing the door open.

“It’s me, Dell. Who else would it be?” Winnie walked in with the bag. “Besides the two of us, who else has the keys to this place?”

“Phew…” Seeing that it was Winnie entering, Shikondell, who was curled up on the sofa, let out a sigh of relief.

She hugged her knees, as if only this posture could give her a sense of security.

“Didn’t I tell you? This is the Carillian Academy, a completely neutral place. No one dares to harm you here as a student.” Winnie took out the food box and placed it in front of Shikondell.

“You must be hungry, right? I brought you some food. Eat up.”

“Th-thank you…!” Shikondell had been starving since noon and eagerly opened the food box.

However, even though she was this hungry, Shikondell didn’t eat in an unseemly manner. Her long-standing eating habits made her instinctively avoid overeating.

She picked up a piece of white bread and curled back up on the sofa, nibbling at it like a squirrel gnawing on a nut. Her delicate, white-socked toes wiggled cutely as she ate.

“Virtue +50.”

“Current Virtue: 1434.”

So much virtue from just giving her some food?

Looking at the white-haired squirrel curled up on the sofa, Winnie thought to himself that this girl was really easy to understand.

“Um, Lord Winnie?…” As she nibbled, Shikondell blushed and averted her gaze.

“Sorry.” Realizing he had been staring at her for a while, Winnie looked away.

This moon elf girl was too shy; even someone watching her eat made her uncomfortable.

Winnie stopped looking at Shikondell and pulled out his cards to examine them.

The cards were indeed exquisitely made, catering to the vanity of wealthy players. The rarer the card, the more beautiful and finely crafted it was, making Winnie feel the urge to start a collection.

Putting the cards away, he knew he couldn’t afford such a hobby. Collecting was a luxury for the rich, and a poor guy like him couldn’t indulge in it.

Before long, Shikondell finished the bread and soup, holding her full stomach, feeling satisfied.

“Full?” Winnie asked.

“Yes, thank you, Lord Winnie.”

“Today, thanks to Lord Winnie, I didn’t go hungry and wasn’t bullied by those people.”

“Don’t be afraid of them. This isn’t their territory; it’s the Carillian Academy. Here, everyone must follow the rules, even the princesses of the empire and the kingdom. If they dare to break the rules again, report them to the instructors. The instructors won’t tolerate their behavior.”

“Mm…” Shikondell nodded weakly.

This girl really left Winnie at a loss for words.

PFrom what he observed, Shikondell’s personality was very meek. When bullied, she would endure it passively, sometimes even suffering needlessly. In short, bullying her was like kicking cotton.

“Since you’re full, go back to your room and rest.” Winnie pondered for a moment. “You’re actually afraid of humans, especially human males, aren’t you?”

“N-no! I’m not afraid of you, Lord Winnie…”

“When you first met me, you were so scared you couldn’t even speak properly.” Winnie smiled. “Did human males give you a lot of trauma?”

This was likely because Shikondell had witnessed the brutal atrocities committed by the tribal invaders in the moon elf kingdom, mixed with the pain of losing her family, filling her heart with fear and hatred towards those humans.

“…” Shikondell remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing again? You didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you always apologize to others?” Winnie frowned.

“Because I don’t understand anything, and I can’t do anything. All I can do is apologize…” Winnie couldn’t see Shikondell’s expression, but he could hear the hint of tears in her voice.

Her voice was filled with helplessness and fear.

The moon elf princess, who had escaped her homeland under the desperate protection of her kin, was constantly burdened with immense pressure.

Combined with her naturally timid personality, enduring until now was already her limit.

She constantly told herself to be strong, that from now on, she could only rely on herself.

Bearing the expectations of the deceased and the hopes of the living, her life no longer belonged to her.

No matter what, she had to rebuild the moon elf kingdom.

This heavy burden fell on the shoulders of a princess who, just half a year ago, had been carefreely strolling through rose gardens with her parents.

She had thought that entering the Carillian Academy would make everything better, but the events at the banquet earlier had made her realize the harsh reality once again.

Even in a neutral place like the academy, she faced discrimination and harassment from her enemies, and she didn’t even dare to think of resisting.

She hated herself, hated her weakness, hated her helplessness, but there was nothing she could do.

Now, she had no attachments or reasons to live, and she no longer cared about life or death.

But she couldn’t die. If she died, or if the tribesmen recognized her and captured her, the moon elf race would truly be finished.

But now, she felt like she was suffocating.

She was so tired…

Looking at the elf girl who had buried her face in her knees, sobbing, Winnie remained expressionless.

Did she expect a villain like him to comfort a crying girl?

He wasn’t that kind of gentle, good-hearted person.

Shikondell, crying like a delicate flower, wiped her tears. Through her blurred vision, she caught the scent of perfume.

It was a cheap perfume, one that reeked of low quality.

When she looked up, she found a handkerchief in front of her.

“You look awful when you cry.” Winnie looked down at her, handing her the handkerchief with a look of disdain. “Wipe your tears. Crying over a bunch of scum, you’re really stupid.”

“Sniff… I’m sorry…” Being called stupid, Shikondell shrank like a quail, not daring to look up.

“I said stop apologizing.” Winnie glanced at her. “Being sad is punishing yourself for others’ mistakes. That’s why I called you stupid. If I were as stupid as you, I’d have killed myself long ago from anger at the idiots in this world.”

“Remember, instead of tormenting yourself, torment those who make you sad. Vent your anger, don’t just swallow it.”

“You mean I should take revenge? But… I… I can’t…”

“That’s why you’re stupid, you don’t know how to think.” Winnie shook his head, taking out the memory stone from his pocket with a mysterious smile. “Do you know what this is?”

“Wh-what is it?” Shikondell’s face was pure and innocent, untouched by knowledge.

“A memory stone.” Winnie tossed it in his hand. “I activated this stone when you were sitting and talking with those tribal guys.”

“Huh?!” Shikondell’s beautiful blue eyes widened in shock.

“Watch, tomorrow I’ll teach those arrogant tribal guys a lesson. I’ll make them understand that this isn’t their hometown, and they can’t act recklessly here.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll come with me, and we’ll report them to the student council.”

“Lord Winnie, thank you…!” Seeing Winnie’s smug expression, Shikondell’s nose tingled, and her big eyes, which had just stopped crying, filled with tears again.

This was the first stranger who had shown her such concern since she left her homeland, even though he was gruff.

“What are you thanking me for? I’m not doing this to stand up for a crybaby like you.” Winnie snorted. “It’s just that you’re my roommate, and in a way, you’re under my protection. Those uncivilized tribal guys bullying you is an insult to me.”

“Since those blind idiots have crossed me, I won’t let them off easily. If I don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll think I’m just some fake noble from the Capital of Camella.” Winnie grinned.

“Sniff… Thank you, Lord Winnie.” Shikondell smiled through her tears, taking the handkerchief Winnie handed her to wipe her tear-streaked face.

“Virtue +400.”

“Current Virtue: 1834.”

So much virtue from this?

Winnie suddenly felt a bit guilty for focusing on virtue in such a situation.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Go wash up and get some sleep.”

“Okay!” Shikondell, still clutching the handkerchief, ran upstairs.

The cheap perfume on the handkerchief was far from the luxurious fragrances of the moon elf lands, but itgave her a sense of comfort and made her heart race.