Watching Tilisha’s retreating figure, then glancing at the silver-haired Elf beside him who couldn’t let go, Cole knew full well Astrid hadn’t moved on from that blind Divine Child.
Cole was a petty man. His humble origins made him resent anyone seemingly better off—especially those he deemed beneath him.
Why was Astrid still hung up on that useless Divine Child? Stronger Divine Children were everywhere. Why did this talentless, unworthy trash at Coleman Academy get the Elf princess’s favor?
If it was about saving her life, he could’ve done that too. Why hadn’t fate blessed someone superior like him instead of that fluke-admitted idiot?
Anyone could’ve rescued the Elf princess in distress. Anyone would’ve naturally won her affection. Why did Dilin get so damn lucky?!
Cole couldn’t understand. Cole fumed.
Back then, he’d joined Dilin’s team just for a beauty like Astrid. Only to find she’d already given her heart away.
He refused to accept it. Dilin, that backwoods brat, didn’t deserve the Elf princess’s attention. So Cole stirred trouble, spreading rumors until the whole academy knew—and turned Dilin into every boy’s enemy.
Yeah, besides Freund, Cole wasn’t harmless either. Birds of a feather flock together.
---
Meanwhile, after seeing Tilisha off, Astrid parted her lips slightly—then closed them again.
It’d been a while since she’d seen him. A while since they’d lived together.
Astrid had surrendered to her elders and family, believing time would fade everything. Until she saw new Divine Maidens around him.
That girl hadn’t undergone Divine Maiden Transformation yet. A scar marred her face, but post-Transformation, she’d surely be stunning.
Once classes started, each team would get their own house. He and she would live under one roof…
Astrid clenched her fist. Just thinking about it soured her mood.
Imagining them walking streets as strangers—her watching him laugh with his Divine Maiden from afar…
Her heart twisted painfully at the thought.
Would they really become strangers?
Astrid was a rule-abiding, tradition-bound Elf.
When elders learned of her feelings for Dilin, they forbade it. Astrid obeyed, as always.
But this time, rebellion stirred inside her—a first in her life. She was shocked by her own defiance.
The Moon Elf elders tried to lock away love. Unaware the vines of affection had already scaled the walls, beyond control…
Elves were aloof and extreme in love.
Those they’d never love? Cold indifference—not even a glance spared.
But for the one they loved? They’d give everything. Stars, moons—they’d move heaven and earth. Some even reshaped their very desires to please their partners.
Their icy pride hid a devotion humans could never match.
‘Loyalty’ defined Elves. Especially when mixed with ‘love at first sight’.
Lately, Astrid felt lost. Too afraid to trust her instincts, too confused to see her own heart. She just followed elders and kin.
Complex emotions flickered in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed faintly.
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket—a little raccoon pattern on it. Staring at it, her gaze grew hazy.
---
This incident shook Astrid deeply—and landed Tilisha in trouble.
Now, she trudged toward Divine Maiden Academy, skin crawling.
Just remembering that bastard’s grip on her elbow—his stench clinging to her skin—made her want to chop the arm off.
This arm was ruined…
Tonight, she’d shower three times. No—ten times!
She had to scrub every trace of that creep off her body.
If class hadn’t started, Tilisha would’ve bolted home to bathe right now.
Frankly, she wasn’t surprised Cole targeted her. She knew his goal.
Freund, who’d sparked the team-quitting scandal, must’ve talked to his teammates. And like-minded scum always teamed up again.
That snobby half-Elf wanted her team isolated—and to poach her sole Divine Maiden.
Little did they know: this Divine Maiden would never be poached.
Divine Maiden Academy, like all Divine Maiden buildings, boasted lavish materials and design—far beyond other vocational schools. It showed the academy’s priorities.
No outright discrimination, really. Divine Maidens objectively mattered more. Plus, they all came from noble houses—favoritism was expected. Other schools, like Divine Child or Mage Academy, were similar.
Still, fancy halls and polished manners didn’t guarantee good character. High IQ bred geniuses and villains alike. Values came from upbringing, not bloodline.
Especially now: this freshman batch of Divine Maidens was mixed. Noble-born, yes—but who knew how many polite-faced scoundrels hid beneath the surface until time revealed them?
