After the entrance ceremony ended, students began dispersing in all directions. Some rushed to secure spots in the dormitory, while others lingered in the courtyard, desperate to form early connections with powerful houses or influential peers.
I didn't bother with any of that. I wasn't here to make friends.
Most students were too absorbed in themselves to notice me slip away. My appearance didn't draw eyes—I wasn't a noble, didn't wear flashy robes, and carried no visible weapon. I was just another scholarship case tucked away into the background.
But not everyone ignored me.
From the edge of the courtyard, standing beneath an ivy-laced archway, Aria von Crimsonhart observed the scene like a sovereign watching over her people. Her long silver hair was bound in a tight ponytail, swaying faintly in the breeze. She wore the student council emblem on her left shoulder and the distinct crimson mantle over her uniform that only elite houses were permitted to don.
Her beauty was something else entirely—refined, intimidating, and impossibly cold.
She was speaking to another noble girl when her gaze briefly shifted.
It was only for a second. But her eyes landed on me.
No curiosity. No hostility. Just a flicker of attention—as if my presence, despite being irrelevant, had made some part of her mind itch.
I didn't stop walking. I passed through the corridor leading toward the scholarship dormitory, keeping my pace even. I wasn't interested in interaction just yet. The seed had been planted.
> System Notification
Trait [Universal Allure – Corruption Mode] Activated
Target: Aria von Crimsonhart
Initial Reaction: Fleeting Awareness
Progression: 1%
Passive Influence: Tension Detected
So it begins. Just a subtle shift. I didn't need her attention. Not now. Let her feel it grow like a splinter she can't quite dig out.
---
The scholarship dormitory was a modest building compared to the ornate towers the nobles occupied. Two floors, stone walls, clean but undecorated. Functional. Forgettable.
Perfect.
My room was already prepared. A single bed, plain desk, an enchanted mirror for personal hygiene, and a locked wardrobe containing two sets of uniforms. One casual, one formal. A small mana crystal hummed faintly near the ceiling—a leftover surveillance feature meant to monitor mana surges at night. The Academy liked to pretend it wasn't spying.
I stood in front of the mirror, eyeing the reflection.
Black uniform, gray eyes, unremarkable face. Not ugly. Just forgettable.
And yet…
>
Trait [Universal Allure] Status Update:
Active Targets:
▸ Lily (Maid) – 6%
▸ Aria von Crimsonhart – 1%
Affliction Type: Gradual Obsession
Progression affected by status gap, target pride, and interaction frequency.
Even nobility couldn't fully suppress instinct. The moment they breathed the same air, the system began its work.
I sat on the bed, resting my hands on my knees, thoughts quiet.
A knock came fifteen minutes later. Soft. Hesitant.
I opened the door.
Lily stood outside, hair slightly disheveled, cheeks tinted pink. She held a folded piece of parchment—my class schedule.
"I, um… forgot to hand this to you earlier."
Her eyes were on the floor. Her fingers trembled slightly when she extended the parchment.
I took it, brushing her knuckles as I did. She flinched.
"Is that all?" I asked.
She nodded, though she didn't leave.
There was a delay. A hesitation behind her silence. Her body swayed slightly forward, like some part of her was resisting the urge to lean in closer.
But I said nothing. I simply watched her.
"Thank you," she muttered and turned quickly, walking down the corridor with small, rushed steps.
>
Target: Lily
Corruption Progress: 9%
Reaction: Guilt-tinged interest
Subconscious desire rising
She'd be back. I didn't need to pursue her. Her own thoughts would twist the longer she stayed away.
---
Evening came quickly.
The campus took on a different atmosphere under moonlight. Lanterns lit up with soft magical glow, illuminating the stone walkways and casting long, elegant shadows across the garden paths.
I didn't return to the library or join the other scholarship students in the mess hall. Instead, I wandered toward the upper levels of the central campus. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere few dared to loiter at night.
That's when I saw her again.
Aria stood alone on a white stone terrace that overlooked the academy lake. Her coat had been removed, draped over one of the nearby chairs. Her uniform was pristine as always—flawless lines, silver trim, red tie. She stood with her arms behind her back, posture perfect, as if the moonlit view was hers to survey and mine to ignore.
I didn't expect her to acknowledge me.
But she turned slightly.
"You," she said.
I stopped but didn't speak.
"You're the commoner from orientation," she added. Her voice held no disdain, just a clinical note, like she was confirming an entry in a ledger.
"I prefer 'scholarship student.'" I glanced sideways. "It sounds more valuable."
She didn't smile. But she didn't leave either.
"You were staring at me earlier."
"Then you were staring first."
That got a reaction. Brief. Barely a twitch of her brow.
"No one looks at me like that," she said after a pause.
I turned to face her fully.
"I'm not everyone."
Her eyes scanned me again, slower this time. Not out of curiosity, but as if calculating risk.
"Your name?"
"Kai."
"I don't recall seeing you on the council's recommended list."
"Because I wasn't on it."
"You're bold."
"I prefer honest."
Silence again. But not cold. Not empty.
Aria's presence felt deliberate. Like she wasn't quite sure why she hadn't dismissed me yet.
Target: Aria von Crimsonhart
Corruption Progress: 2%
Emotional Interference: Present
Passive Alert: Barrier of Pride beginning to strain
She took a step closer, slow and smooth. Not intimate. Just within a boundary that most nobles wouldn't cross with someone of my status.
"You're nothing special," she said.
"You noticed me."
A longer silence.
Then, finally, she turned and walked away. Not hurried. Just enough to show she ended the conversation.
But her back stayed straight. Too straight. Her hand lingered at her waist longer than necessary, as if distracted.
> [Corruption Progress: 3%]
She didn't know it yet.
But she'd keep noticing.
---