"You have been a bad student, Eva." Zareth drawled lazily, his long scaled tail curled possessively around Evangeline who strangely wore an enchanted bunny costume that left little to the imagination.
"Please master forgive me. I won't do it again," Evangeline sniffed, her bunny ears slightly twitching.
"A bad student deserves to be punished," Zareth's voice was low, rough, the words laced with heat. His palm gripped her firmly through the thin barrier of cloth, fingers pressing just enough to make her gasp.
He leaned in, his breath brushing her ear like a threat. "Say it," he murmured, each syllable deliberate. "Admit you are a bad student. You deserve to be spanked."
"I… I'm a bad student… I deserve this," Evangeline gasped, her voice shaking as heat coiled low in her chest. Zareth's hand came down in controlled, merciless strikes, each one a sharp, biting rhythm against her.
The sting spread, twisting with something unfamiliar yet impossible to ignore, a tremor running through her legs. Her breath hitched, caught between shame and the strange pull of forbidden sensation, every slap marking her in ways that went far beyond pain.
Zareth's predatory senses caught the faintest trace of her, a sweetness laced with something far more intoxicating. His smirk deepened, shadows dancing in his gaze as Evangeline's alluring scent curled through the air, stirring a hunger he didn't bother to hide.
"What a naughty student you are. You are already so...wet." He began to rub her butt in a more sensual way. Under the fall of his garments, something pressed insistently against the fabric—slow, undeniable, and burning with raw intent. The space between them felt suffocating, thick with heat and the dangerous promise of what he might do.
"You make me want to fu...."
"Host! Stop entertaining such sinful thoughts!" the system wailed, dragging her out of her spiraling imagination.
Veronica clutched her head. "System, help me! This isn't just my imagination... It actually happened in the original storyline!"
Yes… as unbelievable as it sounded, the cold, ruthless villain wasn't just a tyrant—he had a seriously twisted personality under all that regal pride. A sadist... and a kinky freak.
After Evangeline became Zareth's student, she quickly realized that "training" with him had nothing to do with helping her enhance her abilities or anything.
His lessons were laced with impossible demands, unrelenting pressure, and a subtle cruelty that wormed its way under her skin. He broke her down piece by piece—testing her endurance, stripping away her pride, and forcing her to confront fears she never knew she had.
At first, she forced herself to endure, biting back tears and swallowing her protests. But over time… something in her began to shift. The pain became familiar, the suffocating intensity almost intoxicating. She hated herself for it yet part of her couldn't help but crave his approval, no matter how twisted it was.
If it hadn't been for the male protagonists' interference, perhaps Evangeline would have fallen completely into Zareth's grasp.
"System!" Veronica's voice cracked, panic bubbling in her chest. "How did I end up getting picked by the villain of all people?!"
She could feel her will splintering, the weight of the situation pressing down like a vice. "At this rate, I will die before I even finish my missions!"
"Calm down, host. You might have unknowingly triggered the villain's... interest," the system offered cautiously, though it didn't sound confident in its own words.
"Interest?! You call that negative 999 favorability value, interest?!!" She screamed.
... The system really did not have a reply to this.
And why in the world was the favorability value negative 999? That wasn't dislike—that was pure, unfiltered hatred.
"What did I even do to deserve this?" Veronica muttered under her breath, frowning.
Had the original Veronica met Zareth before she transmigrated here? Did she maybe offend him somehow?
She rubbed her temples, frustrated. "System, are you sure I'm not missing a memory or two?"
The system let out a nervous beep. "Uhm… records are unclear, host. But whatever the original did… it must have been catastrophic."
"Do something immediately! I don't want to become the villain's plaything!" Since Evangeline wasn't selected, does this mean she was going to experience everything Evangeline experienced when she was Zareth's student?
"Let's just wait a bit," the system coughed awkwardly. "Maybe he's saving Evangeline for last."
So they waited...
And waited.
Even the sound of a crow flying by would have been a welcome distraction.
But it didn't come. The Dragonspire Class seemed done with its picks.
Veronica squinted up toward the platform where the professors sat, but the villain was too far and shadowed to make out.
"The Dragonspire Class actually picked her? That's… impossible."
"Wait, isn't that class reserved for the best of the best? It's the most elite in the academy!"
"But Veronica Noire Ravenshire has no magic at all. Not even a flicker!"
Confused murmurs quickly spread through the hall. Some voices were dripping with disbelief, others laced with jealousy and outrage.
Meanwhile, Veronica stood frozen in place, expression unreadable. Of all the outcomes she had imagined, this wasn't one of them. She didn't even want to be part of some elite snob class.
Up on the professor's platform, stunned eyes turned toward the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness… are you certain about this selection?" one of the senior professors asked cautiously.
Zareth didn't answer at first. He leaned back in his seat, eyes cool and unreadable, as if daring anyone to question him.
Everyone knew—His Highness only chose the best.
So why… a magicless human?
Seeing how the Crown Prince remained firm in his decision and showed no intention of selecting another candidate, the other professors exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing further. No one dared to question His Majesty again. The selection continued.
Meanwhile, Veronica stood frozen in place, her legs weak and barely holding her up.
There had to be a way to refuse this. Right? She couldn't actually be forced into the Dragonspire Class… could she?
"Don't be so down, host," System 5060 chimed in, trying to sound optimistic. "Maybe it won't be that bad…"
Yeah, right. Why was her future so bleak?
At last, Evangeline's name was called. "Elementara Class," one of the professors announced.
Evangeline turned to her with a warm smile. "Looks like we won't be in the same class after all."
Veronica blinked. Wait, was the heroine actually hoping they would end up together?
Before she could ask, a voice echoed through the academy courtyard.
"Those who were not selected, please make your way to the exit. You may try again next year. As for the chosen, you will now be guided to your assigned dormitories. Welcome to Draconveil Academy. From now on you shall be known as mages."