A tall man looked at me coldly. He had short silver hair and eyes. His body was muscular and he was wearing a red uniform, which meant he was also in the Swordsmanship Department. In his eyes, I thought I might have caught a glimpse of curiosity, but I was most likely wrong, because his face bore an overall annoyed expression.

A short young woman was standing beside the man. Her long silver hair fell over her shoulders beautifully, and her red eyes shifted from Nari’s troubled expression to me. I could not help but think she was attractive, even if every fibre of my being was screaming she was dangerous.

It was the woman who spoke first.

‘Hello ladies, I’m sorry for interrupting your meal, when it seems you were having so much fun. However, I couldn’t help but want to see the face of the woman who defeated my Gin so mercilessly’.

The woman’s words confirmed my initial guess. The man was Gin, the male lead of the novel, also known as my most likely cause of death. I did not expect to meet him on my first day, but thought that, on the bright side, now that I knew what he looked like it was easier to avoid him.

A glass half full is always better than a glass half empty, I suppose.

Selfish, deceiving and cunning. That was the general impression that Sena had of the Saintess, after reading Villainess Undone. Ironically, she was nothing like a real saint, and even her appearance, thought to be angelic, was actually more like that of a vampire. I could not help but wonder how could the people of this world not suspect anything was odd with the Saintess’s personality.

Her wickedness was out in the open for everyone to see, but people were blind to it.

Were they really blind though? Or were they afraid of something? It was much too early to tell.

That being said, the young woman who stood in front of me could only be the infamous Saintess Ishtar, also known as my murderer. She was, after all, the only person who would refer to Gin in such a possessive manner. 

I was determined to run away from her as fast as the devil from the cross.

‘The woman who defeated my Gin’ on the other hand, was most likely me. It is true that I had Tsisana’s memories, but the most recent ones were still a bit hazy in my mind.

I believe she was referring to the fight in the entrance exam but, according to the novel, Gin had won, so I could not be sure. I looked at both of them and studied their expressions: he seemed both bored and annoyed about something, and she seemed to be having fun. I wasn’t sure how to react, so I kept staring at them without realising how much time was passing.

‘It’s been nearly five minutes, aren’t you going to say anything?’, Ari asked, looking concerned.

Both Nari and Ari seemed uneasy about the situation. Lady Ishtar was most likely the highest ranking person in the Empire, overpowering even the Emperor. Some said that, if she truly wished for it, the Saintess could lead a rebellion, and most commoners and noble houses would support her. Such was her power.

In other words, she was a like a bomb, waiting to blow everything up.

The royal family was wary of her, and tended to all her needs and desires. It had been a long time since they wielded any real power, and the dukes and duchesses of the Empire kept the Emperor in check.

And here I was, keeping the Saintess waiting because my brain had somehow stopped working and I could only stare at them. Coming to my senses, I just blurted out whatever came to mind:

‘Both of you look pretty’.

‘Well… thank you. Is that why you were staring so much? I thought I had done something wrong. Now, how about sparring again with my….’

At that moment, the Lady Ishtar was interrupted by a loud sound and, soon after, her face was wet with orange juice.