Yifia was naturally directionally challenged, so she really was just strolling around Pris Academy.

But as she wandered, trouble found her.

【[Male Lead, Prince Caroy has appeared]】

"Your Highness Prince Caroy, in half an hour you are to join your fiancée Lady Barron for afternoon tea—and be sure to compliment her beauty enough to leave one utterly enchanted."

Whoa!

She’d actually run into the male lead and his attendant!

Peeking sneakily from the thick bushes, Yifia held discarded pruning branches in each hand to blend in, covering most of her face. Only her wide, round eyes remained visible.

Her gossip-loving soul burned fiercely!

Back when Yifia was the pampered heir of a wealthy third-generation family, her life of comfort had dulled ambition. With no cutthroat clan struggles and her naturally easygoing laziness, she’d grown up sheltered—delicate, naive, almost foolishly innocent.

That was why, even after becoming the tragic foil to the female lead, she never steered clear of the main characters.

Instead, she felt intensely curious about these storybook figures.

Having never faced true despair, she stayed optimistic through setbacks.

Of course, she also knew her limits and never pushed beyond them.

Her motto: when in doubt, just lie flat and give up.

So when the system demanded she save the world, Yifia flatly refused.

But this new task seemed manageable—she perked right up.

"Kai, don’t you find Amelia difficult to approach? Though our fathers arranged this engagement since childhood, after ten years I still can’t figure her out."

Prince Caroy had the quintessential male lead looks: strikingly handsome, radiant golden-blond hair, deep sea-blue eyes, tall and graceful.

Even his slightly furrowed brow of troubled melancholy couldn’t dim his charm—any noble lady would swoon.

But Yifia wasn’t admiring his face. Her focus locked on his words.

*Amelia, difficult to approach?*

Ridiculous!

Amelia only seemed cold and aloof—beneath it, she was deeply kind. Why else gift gold coins and pearls before parting to ease Yifia’s crisis?

Compared to nobles who looked down their noses, Amelia was a true angel of kindness and beauty!

Solid proof: the prince was blind.

He’d accepted Amelia’s help and money just days ago. Even though Yifia once considered distancing herself from the Villainess Heiress, she now couldn’t say a single bad word about Amelia.

Hearing his complaints, Yifia’s opinion of him plummeted.

"Your Highness, please choose your words carefully! Unless Lady Barron commits an unforgivable offense, the royal engagement won’t be altered. Duke Barren has publicly stated marriage will only be considered after she turns twenty—not right after graduation."

Kai, the brown-haired, brown-eyed attendant, had an utterly ordinary face. Next to the prince, he was as unremarkable as roadside grass.

Sensing his tone was too stern, he hurriedly added soothing words for the prince’s pre-wedding anxiety—but clearly failed.

Prince Caroy’s brow stayed knotted. He let out a cold laugh, blue eyes sharp with mockery. "My father can’t wait. Duke Barren isn’t satisfied with mining rights—he’s now meddling in maritime shipping."

"Duke Barren is the wealthiest noble in the entire Westis Empire. Even the royal family treads carefully. With no easy move against him, a marriage alliance is clearly the best option."

Eavesdropping, Yifia rolled her eyes. The prince’s resentment wasn’t about Amelia being "hard to approach"—it was royal-ducal tension making him feel like a pawn. No wonder he radiated resistance.

Political marriages were common among nobles; Yifia wasn’t surprised.

After all, even pigs are raised for meat—those without value aren’t welcome anywhere… *Except me*, she thought. As the only child in five generations, doted on since birth, even if she caused a massive disaster, her family would clean it up.

Honestly, growing up like that and *not* becoming a spoiled brat was already impressive.

Among her wealthy peers? Clubbing, drugs, wild parties, gambling… Ambitious ones existed—but rarer than giant pandas.

Family businesses hired professionals; trusts secured livelihoods.

In such comfort, without threats or crises, most turned into good-for-nothings.

"Your Highness, Lady Barron is the empire’s most captivating red rose—no other young lady compares. Please don’t mix state affairs with feelings. She is your ideal fiancée and will make an excellent future queen!"

Prince Caroy could speak freely, but Kai swiftly sidestepped the tension.

The prince shook his head, sighed, and waved him off. "You may go. I’ll attend Amelia’s afternoon tea."

Sensing irritation, Kai bowed and withdrew without lingering.

Alone now, Yifia saw no more gossip worth watching. Time to leave.

*Hmph. A prince this blind isn’t worth my time.*

Better to head back to the dorm and lie down!

"Eavesdropping is hardly ladylike."

Before Yifia could slip away, Prince Caroy’s voice cut through the air.

She froze, breath held, guilt flashing in her eyes—*surrender or resist?*

"Speaking ill of others behind their backs is hardly gentlemanly."

A familiar voice rang out. Yifia looked up to see Amelia approaching Prince Caroy with a calm smile, snapping her folding fan shut with a sharp *snap*.

Unfazed by his words, her expression serene, her gaze—intentional or not—flicked toward Yifia’s hiding spot.

Those lovely violet eyes sparkled with playful amusement, like she’d just caught a mischievous little kitten.

Yifia’s shock was total. *My hiding was perfect—even the prince missed me! She must’ve just glanced this way…*

Yet dread coiled in her gut. She quietly stepped back—

—and her legs, numb from crouching too long, betrayed her. She tumbled forward.

*Oh no, oh no, oh no.*

She was about to be exposed!