Her hair was styled differently today: Dutch-braid pigtails trailing neatly down to the middle of her back, polished yet youthful. Afterward came the corset, the uniform, the jewelry, and the finishing touches befitting a proper villainess.

Only then did Mina remember she still hadn't learned where the student cafeteria was. The private kitchen in her suit meant for nobles to prepare small refreshments, not full meals, and she doubted she'd survive on tea and biscuits alone. She quickly summoned another nameless servant to escort her, and soon they were walking a covered path that connected the residence hall to the main building. The design, she noted, accounted for rain and snow   though whether weather ever truly inconvenienced characters in novels was debatable.

Unlike the cafeteria tables of her old world, this one was styled after a French salon   rows of polished chairs with velvet backs, gilt edges, and waitstaff in crisp black uniforms carrying trays with a white cloth draped elegantly over their arms. One noticed her immediately and hurried forward, bowing.

"Welcome, Lady Seraphine. Allow me to escort you to your table."

He brought her to a window seat overlooking the school grounds and fields. Mina sat with the composed air someone who expected nothing less. He waited, patient for her command.

"I want eggs Benedict with a warm strawberry matcha latte," She said, waving him off with a flick of her hand.

As he disappeared, She sighed softly, her thoughts dragging back to yesterday. Somehow, in less than a day, she'd already managed to earn herself an enemy   another villain, though thankfully more nuisance than true threat. He was arrogant, unpredictable, a brat who thrived on chaos. In the novel, he'd been written that way at first    shadowy, sharp-edged, the kind of person no one should have trusted. But then Elara appeared, and suddenly his recklessness was rebranded as boldness, his sharp tongue as hidden wit. With Seraphine around to play the monster, it became easy   too   easy for him to be polished into something sympathetic. Easy enough to be cast as a male lead.

Before her thoughts could wander further, her order arrived on a silver tray. She ate slowly, deliberately, mainatining the elegance expected of a villainess of her caliber. It wasn't as though the hall was bustling with students, but appearances mattered. Besides   slovenliness never suited a woman who intented to tame the world around her.

Still...solutions had to be found. She let her fork rest against the porcelain plate as an amused thought crossed her mind. Perhaps I should treat him like a dog. A biscuit here, a command there. Even wild things could be broken if you knew how to leash them.

A tiny giggle escaped before she quickly schooled her features back into neutrality.

And then, without warning, someone sat down across from her.

Mina's smile froze and vanished. Callum Whitlock.

His family, though lesser-known, was still tied to the queen's line   powerful enough to be respected. Generations of Whitlocks had produced commander-level knights, though Mina hardly cared for bloodlines. What mattered was why this mutt had dared to sit uninvited at her table when the hall had more than enough empty seats.

"May I help you?" she asked cooly, meeting his gaze head-on.

He grinned cheerfully, unbothered. "Sorafin, right? I'm Callum. I saw you in class the other day, when the chestnut mare bolted. The professors didn't explain anything   I thought you were dead, to be honest."

Her irriation flared. "Greetings, Lord Callum. Mu name is Seraphine Arlowe. I am very much alive, and you may sit elsewhere."

Instead of leaving, he waved to a waiter who had just appeared. "Glad to hear it. That horse was acting strange, huh? Anyway, I'll join you,"

Mina could feel the veins threatening to pop in her forehead. First Kael yesterday, now this. Why had she agreed to attend this school?

Moments later, Callum was devouring what looked like half a farm's worth of protein. Mina wouldn't have been surprised if he regularly ate whole chickens for breakfast. It was so at odds with her refined meal that she drained her latte in haste, preparing to excuse herself.

"I shall take my leav   "

"Perfect!" he interrupted, beaming. "I'm done too. Let's walk to class together. What's your first lecture? Maybe we have the same one."

Of course they did. Mina already knew.

But opportunity flickered. She softened her expression, lips curving into a sweet, angelic smile. "I have historical politics with Professor Hudgins. What about you?"

His face lit up. "That's so cool! I'm in that class too. It's like destiny we met."

Internally she rolled her eyes. He was exactly as the novel described   golden retriever energy, impervious to rejection, hopelessly loyal. How such a dense fool became so enamored with the female lead, she'd never understand. Still, that density might be useful.

She slipped her hand around his arm as they moved toward the exit, only to spot her "favorite" adopted brother entering from the other side. His brows furrowed as his gaze landed upon them, a silent broadcast of his suspicion and concern for his friend.

Mina smirked menacingly towards him, then deliberately softened her expression as she looked up at Callum. "We should hurry, so we can choose the best seats."

Callum grinned with blindingly bright earnestness. "Shall we?"

By the time they reached the lecture hall, Mina was already weary from his cheerful chatter. Every class had one person who didn't know whe to shut up    unfortunately, hers was now glued to her side.

She spotted her seat in the back row and gestured toward it. "I'll be over here. I understand if you'd rather sit elsewhere."

He paused, then shook his head. "I don't see a problem with this area. Let's go."

So she continued her act   charming, sweet, almost innocent. The plan wouldn't work otherwise. And despite everything, she found Callum... tolerable. Pleasant, even. He was the first to speak to her without suspicion or scorn, and that alone eased some of the pressure coiling inside her.

Still, she knew her peace wouldn't last. When Kael arrived, the game would begin.