There was a buzz about a new transfer student with black hair and black eyes. It was a rare combination even in Arundel. Naturally, everyone in the school would be curious...as am I since the witch has finally shown herself.
No matter how hard I tried to find her, the world was against me. It appears that there are certain events that were meant to happen and that I cannot avoid unless I do something drastic to avoid the event. I guess the laws of the world about our confrontation are not easy to escape.
Maybe I can move up our confrontation earlier?
Our confrontation occurs from my marriage with Erik and his coronation as King soon afterwards.
If I can antagonize her enough, we can have our confrontation while I am at the peak of my strength.
I went to the most knowledgeable person I could think of during lunch.
"Gavin, are you familiar with ways of bullying someone?"
His eyebrows scrunched up so much that it seemed that his face would stay like that forever.
"What are you asking about with that face of yours?" Gavin asked.
"I am asking about how to go about antagonizing another female."
"You just rephrased the question...Help me sweep the front porch," he said as he began sweeping. "Why are you asking an apprentice clergy anyways?"
"I thought that you must be the most in touch with the world's evils due to your profession."
"You are wrong, but you are not that far off...What a complicated statement," Gavin said. "Why are you researching about how to bully a person? What did that person ever do to you?"
She killed my husband and brought me to despair.
"Nothing...I just dislike her," I said as I left. "I will donate some money later. I hope that you will distribute some of the funds towards the mainland to buy winter coats for the orphanages."
As I thought, I do not have it in me to play the villainess role...I have been surrounded by too many good people. If only I had been a dull person who grew up without being loved, maybe things would have been different.
"You are too cocky for a freshman!" a lady screamed.
I happened upon Kaya Ouchi while she was being verbally bullied by other girls.
This scene again.
I let the confrontation grow to physical means between the ladies before intervening.
"The teacher will be coming around soon. It is best that you lot get on with your day," I told them.
They quickly left.
"You helped me?"
The same conversation again...
"My name is Arielle Ira Maddox."
"Why would you, of all people, help me?"
Instead of being grateful, she continued on with her rude tone.
...Wait, she knew of me before she met me?
I never thought too much about it, but she has met me before?
"...Do you know of me?" I inquired her.
She averted her gaze.
"How could this lowly Noble know a Duke's daughter?" she asked.
"...From when did I ever say that I was a daughter of a Duke?" I asked.
Did she return to this cycle as well?
A group of men came coming our way.
I want to interrogate her further, but I am unable to with these people around.
The group consisted of a follower of the church sect Gavin Lord, my cousin Randall Maddox, and the son of a high ranked official Channing Wells, and the son of a Knight, Dolton Grass.
This time, they stood beside me instead of her.
A strange rearrangement...
"Is she bothering you in any way, Lady Arielle Maddox?" Dolton Grass asked.
I thought these people were in love with her.
Well, I did build up a respectable relationship with all of them this time around...
For what reason would they need to look at me with contempt?
I am the one who wants to choke her to death...
"No, I was just passing by when I saw this young lady being bullied," I answered them truthfully.
Why would I need to lie?
Gavin has a slightly worried look on his face.
"That must be a lie! You must have been the one who ordered the girls earlier to bully me because you were jealous of me!" Kaya Ouchi bursted.
I have not met those other girls before, and this is also our first encounter in this cycle.
On what basis is she accusing me from?
"Pardon?" I said.
I am shocked. I have not even done anything yet. Should I just accept the accusations and make her hate me more so? She will come after me and I can deal with her sooner.
"Hold your tongue, Miss!" Dolton Grass said. "Those are some vile accusations without any proof. May I remind you that you are speaking to Lady Arielle whom is the daughter of a Duke. Unless you are someone of the same position or higher, you are not allowed to speak down to her."
"Dolton..."
I was touched that he would defend me...
"Why, Dolton?" she asked him with a hurt expression. "You are supposed to be on my side!"
Is she still stuck with the mindset that all men were her servants?
"I barely just met you, and you want me to be on your side after accusing My Lady of a heinous crime?" he asked.
"Is it not true? She is mad at me for being close to her fiancé!" Kaya Ouchi said.
Our argument began gathering a group of onlookers from Kaya Ouchi's loud voice.
"Lady Arielle has a fiancé!" the group exclaimed in unison.
I shook my head.
Is this confrontation of ours really going to occur this early on our first meeting?
"I am not engaged to anyone," I said.
I had broken off my engagement before the announcement. There is no way that anyone unrelated could possibly know that I was engaged.
How does she know of my engagement?
"Are you really not engaged?" Dolton Grass asked me again.
Why is he curious?
"...No. I am not engaged, but I have a lover," I announced.
"It must be Prince Erik then. She is jealous of me being close to Prince Erik," Lady Kaya said.
Does she know that I was engaged to Prince Erik?
She does not seem like a returner from the way she speaks, but she has prior knowledge of the world before my marriage.
"That is where you are wrong," a voice from the onlookers said.
From the crowd, Garett emerged.
"I am her lover," Garett proclaimed.
I felt my face flare up in embarrassment.
"You? Why are you using such an image?" she asked as she clutched onto Garett's clothing. "You of all people should be on my side as well!"
Does she know Garett as well?
As I thought, the largest contradiction is that woman.
"I have no idea about who you are," he said as he brushed her aside.
She fell onto her knees and put on a look of despair since she had no one to rely on.
I almost pity her situation. However, I still dislike her personality that puts blame on others without reasonable evidence.
It is not like I wanted her to like me either.
It is a bit worrying that things are different compared to my first life. One of them being that the ones beside me used to be on her side. Another was that she had an intense hatred towards me despite me never doing anything to her. The amount of contradictions are too many to count...
Garett quickly went to my side and held my shoulders as he took me away from the scene.
"Do you know that person?" I asked Garett.
He took my hand into his as he began pulling me along.
"No, she is just a crazed girl...I should be asking you that question because you look like you could kill someone with that glare."
I touched my face.
"I was glaring?"
"It appears that you were unaware of it..."
I hate that girl enough to want to kill her. She killed Erik in the first cycle. If she loved him, maybe I could come to understand her. However, she only went after me because of selfish reasons.
"I suppose I do hate her," I said as I stopped in one place.
She was the person who took away the most important person to me...
Garett turned completely towards me and coughed into his fist slightly before letting my hand go.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I tried to keep the number of people knowing about our relationship on the down-low for your sake," Garrett said.
I smiled at him.
"How could I get mad at my savior? Thank you for everything, Garett."
"...You are welcome, Arielle."