There's A Bully In Every Academy

Lucy walked alone past the lecture buildings, headed towards the east courtyard. Between her arms were two large books, which I presumed she borrowed from the library.

She walked like a true noble, with a particularly elegant gait. Despite the permanent scowl on her face, she appeared just like any other student; a calm, attractive girl trying to focus on her studies.

But I knew better.

She was the Shadow Queen.

Well, not yet. But soon enough.

In my past life, she murdered ruling nobles in cold blood and wiped out an entire city.

But here she was. Young, naive, and truly adorable.

Part of me wanted to let her be. But the other part couldn't let her destroy the world again.

I had to take her out, and the best time to do it was at a young age, when she was most vulnerable.

Theo was somewhere close by, lurking, waiting patiently for my signal to make the kill move.

So, I quickened my pace to catch up to her before she reached the outer fence of the female nobles' dorm.

But before I could reach her, something else happened.

Three young girls walked out of the building right in front of Lucy.

The most noticeable of the trio was a bit tall, with pale cheeks and eyes that glinted with mischief. Her hair was a gradient of black and green, knitted in a single long braid that hung from her head like a whip.

Her stride was slow and deliberate, like the whole world had to pay attention to her or they'd miss something important.

She was closely followed by two other girls. Matching postures, matching sneers, and matching academy uniforms with deep green blazers.

The colour of House Lillith of Viridale.

Well, I'll be damned.

The green-haired girl was Freya, the Queen of Viridale.

Not yet anyway, but she was going to in about twelve years.

For now, she was just another pompous, entitled princess in a magic academy.

I initially thought they were going about their own business, but when they headed in Lucy's direction, I knew something bad was about to happen.

I observed them from a reasonable distance, close enough to see what they were doing but far enough to avoid them noticing my presence, unless one of them had some sensory spell I didn't know about.

"Well well," Freya said, cutting Lucy off. "If it isn't the cursed princess."

Lucy kept moving, trying to pass between the trio.

Freya stepped in her way again. "I haven't given you permission to leave yet."

Lucy looked up slowly, her expression neutral. "Excuse me."

"Yeah. Excuse you."

The trio giggled among themselves.

"I'd like to pass," Lucy replied calmly.

"But you're headed in the wrong way, See, this way leads to the nobles' dorm. The dorm for commoners is that way…"

"I'm not a commoner."

"Is that so? What's your house then?"

Lucy kept mute.

"See girls," Freya laughed, "She knows she doesn't belong here."

She moved closer to Lucy and slapped away the books between her arms. Both books fell to the ground with a dull thud. Lucy tried to pick them up, but one of the other girls stepped a foot on them.

"Don't worry," Freya sneered. "I'll help you return them to the library where you stole them. In the meantime, you can just return to whatever cemetery you crawled out from."

The girls snickered.

All the while, Lucy remained silent.

I was half-expecting her to fight back or use her magic, but Lucy remained still.

Part of me wanted to help her, but I shrugged it off. It wasn't my business anyway.

"Why so quiet, princess?" Freya mocked.

Lucy didn't reply, but her eyes slowly darted towards the fallen books.

Freya caught her gaze. She leaned in toward Lucy, her voice mockingly gentle. "Say please. Beg me, and maybe I'll let you pick it up."

Lucy said nothing.

The look on her face wasn't anger or fear. It was helplessness. She looked distant, like she had no will of her own.

"Did you hear me, commoner? Or did the cursed blood eat your manners too?"

I clenched my fist. I couldn't watch this go on.

I decided to intervene.

I tried to remind myself that Lucy was the same woman who set fire to entire cities and watched them burn.

But my eyes were finally open.

For the first time, I didn't see the Shadow Queen, who destroyed the world.

I saw Lucy Daevalia, the only survivor of a tragic war that took away her entire family.

Rin was her friend. Her only friend. Possibly the only one who cared about her. And he wouldn't watch her go through such humiliation.

"Evening ladies," I said, loudly enough to gain the attention of the trio. "Is there a problem here?"

They all turned to me, a bit startled. I calmly walked over and slipped myself between the girls and Lucy.

"Oh wow…" Freya mocked. "It's Stormborn, the boy who cheated."

I ignored her and turned to Lucy.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Lucy kept mute, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Wow," Freya laughed wickedly. "Who would have thought? The cursed princess has a babysitter."

"She can speak for herself," I said, turning back to her. "But hearing you talk is pretty exhausting."

Her smile disappeared. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"No," I lied. "But if you think bullying a harmless girl makes you powerful, you're pretty dumber than you look."

She scoffed, "Bold words coming from a cheater."

"You're right," I smiled.

"What?"

"The Grimwolf was large and scary. I tried to fight it and it nearly chewed my head off."

"So?"

"I defeated it, and I didn't need magic to do it. I sure don't need magic to teach you a lesson."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all."

I hardened my gaze, my smile completely fading.

"It's a promise."

Freya glanced at her friends, then at Lucy, then back at me. She opened her mouth to say another word, but I cut her off.

"If I were you, this would be the time I'd walk away."

Her eyes locked onto mine, burning with cold hatred. But eventually, I noticed her flinch.

With a slight hiss, she turned around and walked away, her escorts quickly following behind.

As soon as she was gone, I sighed with relief.

For a moment, I imagined she was going to cast a spell on me.

If she were half as powerful as she'd be in twelve years, that would have meant a lot of trouble.

Lucy slowly recovered from her daze. Quietly, she picked up the fallen books and dusted them with deliberate care.

"Are you alright?" I asked again.

In response, she stared at me with a grim look.

"I didn't need your help," she said coldly.

I really wasn't expecting a thank you, but it would have been nice to hear.

Lucy folded her arms over the books, straightened her posture, and walked past me.

Without turning back, I grabbed her arm.

"What are you doi…?"

In one swift move, I pulled her closer and locked her in an embrace.

She protested at first, but eventually, she leaned closer and slowly wrapped her arms around me. Her books fell back to the floor.

"I'm sorry," I whispered softly. "I'm never going to let anyone treat you that way again."

She rested her head on my chest, and I felt her tremble in my arms.

"I hate you, Rin," she sobbed.

"I know."

Our embrace tightened for a long, beautiful while. Then suddenly, she pulled away and kicked my left leg. Hard.

"Ouch..." I winced in pain.

"Serves you right. Don't ever grab me like that again."

"Sure... Noted."

In that moment, I realised a harsh truth.

Lucy Daevalia was just an innocent girl.

Her conversion to Shadow Queen began because somewhere along the line, there was someone like Freya, who treated her like a villain before she ever chose to become one.

Someone who probably hired an assassin to kill her at a young age.

F**k!

I had to find Theo. Fast.

I glanced around the school, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before it was all too late.

Eventually, I found him. In the distance, well hidden in the trees.

He was dressed in a black garment, holding up an armed crossbow that was aimed at Lucy.

I subtly waved at him, trying to call it off. But he didn't notice it. His attention was fully focused on Lucy.

Soon, he fired and I heard the whistle of an arrow fly past.

Lucy!!!