“She smiles, you know. Looks ugly. Better if she doesn’t smile. Look at this! Trued’s impression! Yuna, are you going to laugh that loudly?”

“Huh? You’re talking to me? Hey, why’d you do that. My ears are rotting! Right, Benny?”

“Sorry for not answering earlier? No, I told you not to talk, and you’re talking again. Just die if you have the time. Ashling was embarrassed because you acted smart and couldn’t answer, right?”

Alecto’s strategy of full-blown mockery and violence was successful.

The children in the past life laughed uproariously every time Alecto made a harsh comment about Neris, and the overall level of bullying increased proportionally.

Simply put, Alecto was the spearhead. She even knew the strategic importance of this side well.

Young Neris believed Alecto’s words. How could Alecto’s opinions, which all the children unanimously agreed were ‘correct,’ be incorrect? Neris barely knew that phrases like “my ears are rotting” were exaggerations.

Neris accepted that what she said and did to Alecto was the ‘justifiable’ reason for the ostracization. And she avoided the behavior that had been pointed out.

She smiled as little as possible. She talked to the kids as little as possible. She didn’t pick up objects others dropped.

She didn’t hold the door for the person behind her. She made no sound while eating. She didn’t answer even when she knew the answer during class…

But it was strange. When Neris corrected her ‘problematic behavior’ as directed by Alecto, the children hated her more.

Alecto herself continued to make contradictory points.

Why do you look so sullen? Everyone else is smiling, why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you picking up the dropped object? Why did you let go of the door when someone is passing? You’re really weird. This is why children hate you.

Young Neris was confused. So she tried doing the opposite of what Alecto pointed out, tried doing the same, and even tried imitating Alecto for a while.

But even when she used the same words, the children agreed when Alecto said it, but were disgusted by Neris.
Neris sighed in relief as graduation approached. At least now, she no longer had to worry about what interesting tidbit Alecto would dig up about her day-to-day life every morning in class.

But the biggest shock came after Neris became the Crown Princess.

“Wow, for real. Neris! Remember me?”

It was at some small gathering, she couldn’t remember which party it was since becoming the Crown Princess.

Tired from the murmurs of the crowd, Neris sought a darker, quieter spot. Alecto approached her. Although her face had grown more mature, her tone was the same as in their academy days.

How could she forget her? Neris steeled herself against the resurgence of childhood fears, then greeted her formally, keeping the dignity of the Elandria duchy and the royal family in mind.

Then Alecto spoke in a warmly familiar manner.

“It’s been too long. How’ve you been? I was a bit worried about you.”

Worried? Neris paused, caught off guard by a word she had never expected to hear from Alecto.

Perhaps she had harbored a foolish hope. Alecto was, after all, the only one who ever ‘talked’ to her; maybe she had thought they were kind of friends.

That naïve thought shattered at Alecto’s next words.

“People really didn’t like you back then. I’m glad you turned out okay. One of my friends becoming the Crown Princess, it’s something, isn’t it?”

Since then, Neris sometimes wondered. Did Alecto change her behavior because she wanted to get along with the Crown Princess?

Or did she actually think they were friends, and was concerned because others disliked her?

Probably both. Perpetrators easily forget; victims pay the price for that oblivion.

So.

‘I’ll make her unable to forget.’

Neris vividly remembered the news that would rush in tonight. It hadn’t made a huge impact in her previous life, but it had been frequently discussed among her peers. Some even said she was lucky.

Squeak. A chair scraped nearby.

Neris kept her eyes downcast and stayed still. The light footsteps of a child grew closer.

“If kids dislike you, you should think about what you did wrong and try to fix it. No one hates for no reason! Tattling to your dad because you don’t have friends. What do you want us to do, be your friend because your dad is scary?”

Ha. Alecto’s increasingly loud voice found a willing chorus among the other kids. Diane started giving Alecto a glare due to the noise.

Then she suddenly saw a small figure blocking her view and widened her eyes.

The next moment.

Crash. A dish fell to the floor. Pieces of creamy mushroom soup, buttered grilled chicken, and boiled egg pudding mixed and spilled not only on the floor but also all over Alecto—her bright red hair, round glasses, freckled cheeks, and yellow rabbit fur scarf were all stained.

The children gasped. Even those who hadn’t been paying attention to Alecto’s story were now on edge due to the sudden silence.

Alecto, who had closed her eyes due to the food, took off her glasses and wiped her eyelids. She then looked up at Lianon, who had flipped the dish onto her.

“…Hey, Nona. Are you crazy?”