Elena had already been under immense pressure just trying to scrape through her exams. Now, add to that a betrayal-confession ambush from her supposed "brother" — it was no surprise she'd fail.
And when that happened, wouldn't she hate him to death?
No big deal, Linen thought. I'll just compensate her afterward.
Once he proved his value, the resources he could pull from the royal family would increase significantly. Filling the emotional gap of one little Elena? Piece of cake.
As for the system's warning — that Elena might accept a confession from someone as handsome and high-status as himself — Linen wasn't worried at all.
In the original novel, Elena supposedly possessed a rare ability under certain conditions — something like "hearing the voice of all things." It allowed her to glimpse a target's innermost thoughts.
So naturally, when it came to choosing a partner, she cared less about appearances and more about what was inside. A pampered royal brat like him? Absolutely not her type. At best, he'd get a "just friends" card.
That said... the exact trigger condition for that ability? He couldn't remember.
Who reads these wish-fulfillment novels with their brain on?
To make absolutely sure Elena didn't get the wrong idea about him being some upstanding gentleman, Linen had taken precautions. Every time he "saved" her, he'd mentally recite the names of his formative Japanese sensei — those glorious sensei who had introduced him to the wonders of degeneracy.
No way she'd misunderstand after that.
As he neared the student dormitories, a commotion erupted up ahead. Several horse-drawn carriages were parked outside, each emblazoned with a blazing red emblem.
Linen's eyes lit up.
"That crest… I was right. It's her!"
Back in the novels, thanks to the author's divine intervention, Prince Linen always managed to show up and offer his face for the heroines to step on. But now that this was a stitched-together world from multiple overlapping stories, making sure every heroine got to trample him took some serious time management.
That's right — today's cast didn't just include Elena.
There was another female lead. One who had arrived late to the academy because she lived farther away and had missed the opening ceremony.
The dorm's current uproar? It was all thanks to that woman.
Unlike the common-born Elena, this new arrival was a heavyweight in every sense — in both background and power. Even someone like Linen, a prince of Zijinghua who carried the dragonblood of House Norton, wouldn't dare underestimate her.
She was one of the few people in the original story that the old Linen had known better than to provoke.
Each of the source novels was set in its own parallel world. Every protagonist had their own brand of "winning," so Linen wasn't entirely sure how things would play out now that they were all sharing the same story space.
But it didn't matter — the system would handle it.
Linen's approach was simple: use the same betrayal plan on each heroine.
"Anyway... no point hesitating."
With that, he adjusted his expression into a subtly cold and aloof mask and strode confidently toward the dormitory.
---
Elena had a secret — or rather, a gift.
In quiet settings, she could use an arcane ability to hear the most powerful thought inside a living being.
Right now, having just activated her ability on Linen, Elena blinked in surprise.
It was the first time she'd ever encountered resistance. She even felt like something had noticed her trying to peek. Still, before she gave up, she managed to catch a glimpse of one of Linen's most dominant thoughts.
She'd assumed he was just like every other entitled noble brat — either mocking her or lusting after her body.
She hadn't expected... such depth.
And his strongest thought? Apparently... he just wanted to be her good friend?
It was a little odd, sure — but ever since arriving in this cold and unfamiliar capital, Linen was the only one who had shown her real kindness.
A faint warmth rose in her chest.
This cold and distant prince… is kind of cute, actually~
Still, Elena didn't fully drop her guard. Her ability had limits — she could only hear one dominant thought. Whatever lay beneath that... remained unknown.
Just as she didn't blindly believe the rumors of Linen being some lecherous degenerate, she wasn't going to fully trust him just because of one heartwarming thought.
At the very least, she needed to observe his true nature first.
Wait — he's heading back to the dorms?
That troublesome new roommate of hers was supposed to move in today...
Could he run into her?
Elena hesitated. She didn't want to get involved in drama — but Linen had helped her twice now.
After a brief internal struggle, she bit her lip, then turned and headed toward the dormitory as well.
---
A few minutes later, Linen arrived at the student dorms.
He had to admit — as one of the crown jewels of the Zijinghua Empire, Eden Academy didn't skimp on architecture.
On the outside, the dorm resembled a dignified, traditional academy building. Inside, though? Opulence at every turn.
The entrance opened into an absurdly large hall. A huge banner bearing the Norton family's purple blossom crest hung proudly on the far wall. Spiral staircases led to the male and female dorm wings. There were lounges for study and leisure, a recreation zone, and even a modest bar (non-alcoholic, of course) — all top-tier.
Linen figured even half the student body couldn't fill the hall.
And yet, today... one person had managed to do it.
A girl in an elegantly tailored dark red dress adjusted her round-brimmed hat, crimson eyes narrowed slightly. A wry smile danced at the corner of her lips.
"Hmph. So this is the famed Eden Academy of the Zijinghua Empire? I'm underwhelmed."
"As for the students~"
She glanced casually around at the gathered crowd.
"Just a bunch of small fry. Nothing more."
Her arrogant tone and barely disguised disdain made the rest of the students bristle with indignation.
To insult them — the Empire's future elites — was a clear jab at the country itself.
But the worst part? She had the status to say it.
"Who the hell does she think she is?"
"Some late-arriving freshman? Sure. But dragging in all that luggage and acting like she owns the place? What kind of princess—"
"Watch your mouth. She is a princess."
"So what? This is Zijinghua! I don't care if she's a dragon — she still has to crawl like the rest of us!"
"She's the third imperial princess of the Flame Rose Empire."
"…Oh. Uh. Thanks for gracing us with your presence, Princess."
The Flame Rose Empire — one of the few nations that could stand on equal footing with the Zijinghua Empire. Maybe because the two didn't share a border, relations weren't as tense as with other countries. In fact, the empires often exchanged diplomatic niceties.
Sending one's princess to study abroad was about as "friendly" as gestures got.
Still, based on her behavior, it was hard to tell whether this princess was here to study, or to start a war.
A woman dressed like a teacher finally stepped forward from the crowd, bowing politely.
"My deepest apologies, Your Highness. I'm a faculty member here at Eden. Please, allow me to show you the way."
The princess gave a dismissive snort.
"Fine. If there's truly no one more suitable to do the job."
God, I want to punch her so bad.
The sheer precision of her disdain had every student's blood pressure spiking — but none dared speak out.
After all, none of them held a rank high enough to put her in her place.
Well... almost none.
And just then, a voice rang out.
"More suitable? Perhaps Your Highness would consider... me?"
Stepping from the crowd with a mane of dazzling golden hair and an aura that radiated confidence — Linen made his entrance.
[Ding! Target Heroine Detected!]
As the system's voice echoed in his mind, Linen's lips curled upward. Only one thought remained in his brain:
Let's go.