" Professor Jade must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed."
"Yeah, she's a demon for making us do 100 laps of the training ground just to warm up."
"I can't feel my knees anymore."
The Students of Class A complained as they walked inside their classroom. Today, their first class was a combat lesson and all they did was run around the practice grounds.Jade didn't teach them anything new, because the Stars were absent.
Lim, also in Class A, walked to the very back of the classroom and sat on the last bench, alone.
'I was happy when she said we were doing something basic. What a fat lie. If that was basic than anyone could lift a mountain on their finger.'
The worst part- this was their first class and they still had two theory classes left. Lim had no energy to concentrate. Sleeping in the class would only add more to his assignments, and scornful looks from his classmates.
'I am already the black sheep in the class.'
Nobody was sitting beside him. To them the back seat was empty as if Lim didn't exist.
The reason- He was ranked 896 and every student in this class was from the top 100. He stood out, as the weakest in the class.
'It's typical and cliche.'
Lim grinned as he thought of the situation he was in. Every book he read about the author being reincarnated ,99% of them were always the weak character, ostracised by their class. Though they could kill a dragon with a flick of their finger.
Lim, of course, couldn't do that. But he was confident in his abilities to beat most of the students in the class…..maybe all, except-
' I still cannot imagine winning against her.'
Lim looked around and noticed some seats were empty. He knew the Club Orientation was about to start and the Stars would come to their class and inform them.
This was a big event for the students. After all, students of collective interest gathered around, to gain new insight from their seniors as well as the club professor and the best part…..it was fun.
.
As Lim was stretching his back, three people entered the classroom. Two of them were of this class and while the other was his partner in crime.
'But what's with this atmosphere?'
The murmurs around the class stopped as everyone stared at the three. Not because of how dazzling they looked. Just the three being together was enough to put whatever they were doing at a halt.
Again the murmurs in the class started but it was so that the three at the front wouldn't hear them. But the Stars could tell what was on their mind.
"Please stop the gossip."
Oscar said and most of them stopped. He started briefing them about the club orientation but Lim couldn't care
He hated being left out. He leaned a bit closer to the front and listened to the tea being spilled by the two girls sitting in front.
"Stella and Oscar look so uncomfortable. They must be out of their mind to put that guy in their group."
"Yeah ... .it just looks so awkward."
Lim still couldn't understand why. He looked ahead and Stella caught his attention the most.
'Did I ever write about her having such an expression?'
The frown she had and hate on her eyes was something new for him. To see one of the main characters different from what she was supposed to be, was interesting.
The two girls ahead, still continued their talk.
"Of course it is awkward, why wouldn't it be. I also would hate to be in the same group as my ex-fiance with my current fiance."
"WHAT?"
The girls ahead looked back at Lim.
"Sorry."
He said with a small grin and they just looked ahead.
"Creep."
Both said, but Lim didn't care, not for now.
This whole fiance thing was messing his head. The way Stella was closer to Oscar and how far Felix was to the two, he could tell who was the ex in the story.
'But I never wrote about Stella and Oscar being engaged.'
Stella was a love interest for Oscar, but both never got in a relationship at this stage. Stella had eyes for him and Oscar for another. That was how Lim wrote about the relation between those two.
It was meant to be a love triangle but not with Felix in it.
'Well he doesn't look like he loves her. But why didn't he talk about this?'
Lim stared at Felix and as if he could feel it,he looked back. He looked innocent and most of all confused why Lim was making faces while looking at him.
' I see….He didn't hide it. He must have thought that I knew about Stella and Oscar. Also, talking about a broken engagement isn't the best way to start a conversation.'
Being the author, Felix thought, Lim must have known about it, which he didn't.
Lim felt pity for Felix, not because of being Stella's ex fiance, but because of how he must have thought that his existence, which wasn't meant to be, became a nuisance to Stella and Oscar's relationship, after he found the truth.
One thing bothered Lim. Why was everyone looking at Felix with such hate?
He somewhat understood Stella's hatred. In a noble family, a girl faced much more humiliation than the man for a broken engagement, but what did the rest have to do with it? It wasn't like all of them were Stella's die hard fans.
'Did Felix throw the engagement ring to her face or something worse than that?'
Lim had many guesses, but only the boy in front could satisfy his curiosity. He was pulled out of his thoughts, as he watched the paper Oscar had in his arms, float around and be placed in front of everybody.
'That is one way to cement your place as the 2nd star.'
"Please fill the form and take it to the club you want to join. Different clubs have their own intake process, which we cannot brief you about."
Oscar's voice rang in everyone's ear. The girls of course blushed, and squealed. If only Stella wasn't his companion, they wouldn't leave him alone.
With her being there, they had no chance. No in terms of talent or beauty.
Oscar added more,
"Please submit the forms before Friday. The Club Orientation will end after that and if you have to join, you have to speak with the club professor. most of the time they will reject you. If you have any question, please raise your hands."
Nobody raised their hand.
"Thank you for giving us your time. If you lose your form, then please visit the [Cygnus] hall or the reception for another one."
Oscar walked away and Stella followed him. Felix lagged behind them, looking at Lim.
"Meet me after the classes end."
Lim mouthed. Felix gave him a small nod before leaving the class.
Oscar and Stella were at the front, matching their strides. Both were saying something and each time Oscar opened his mouth, Stella smiled.
Felix behind them couldn't see it but knew Oscar was her new sunshine, just like how she always wanted.
He wasn't jealous but just awkward.
' I feel like I am one of those obsessive lovers who can never let go.'
Felix noticed the silver ring on Stella's finger.
'She broke the school rules, just to show it to me. Hate does make people childish.'
The academy forbade the students from wearing any jewellery. It could be an item that could cause issues in the academy and even if it was just for the sake of fashion, it was against the academy's dress code.
Stella valued rules and regulations.
"There are rules for a reason, and our job is to follow them."
She once said those words to him and now broke it for him.
Stella noticed his gaze and frowned. She was searching for a hint of guilt, a whisper for forgiveness, in his green forest-like eyes but just like that day, they were devoid of any life.
******
"Good work"
Oscar said as he and Stella were about to leave for their classes. They had finished their work in Class E which was the last one left. Although they couldn't attend the first class, after fifteen minutes of break they could attend the class.
"Good work? All I did was stand while you did everything."
Felix stood there beside Oscar, like his bodyguard without contributing anything. He felt Stella's gaze piercing his soul.
'No need to look like that, I'll leave.'
"I should get going now."
Felix said and hurried away before Oscar could speak.
Felix was heading back to the class, walking down the long hall on his own. This whole team situation today was suffocating and having to be in front of so many students wasn't good for his mental health.
As he was taking in some deep breaths to calm down, Lim came out of nowhere. He was breathing like a dog and holding on to his knees.
"I knew you are a stalker"
Felix said with a grin. Somehow Lim always found out where he was.
Lim lifted his finger, and took in a deep breath.
"Wait, let me breathe...the training really messed me up."
And after a minute, Lim got back up and leaned on the wall.
"I know I said we'd meet after the classes for today ended, but it keeps bugging me. So much that I ran around the whole hall, up and down the seven floors just to find you"
"About me and Stella?"
Felix back when he saw Lim's expression knew that this whole engagement thing wasn't something written by Lim.
"Yeah. Why does she hate you so much?"
Lim wasn't curious about why they got engaged. It was again some butterfly event that had happened, because of Felix's existence.
"Because I broke the engagement and also because of the statement I gave."
Breaking of an engagement between two big noble families was a big deal. After all, the engagement wasn't a vow just for the two, but for the families and the business they plan to make after their marriage.
His breaking the engagement dealt a blow to the financial plans of the families and so, he had to give a reason that would be published in the daily newspaper.
"What stupid statement did you give?"
As far as Lim knew, Felix must have said something outrageous to bring him this much hate.
"I don't like her. That's all I said."
Felix wrote what he felt like at that moment without any sugar coating.
Lim sighed. That answer was like Felix but still it was rude. That is why everyone looked at him that way.
'Also, the norms in this world are a bit fucked.'
The world setting was in the 80s where the nobles treated marriage as a contract. But still getting two kids engaged, when they haven't felt the raging hormone of teenager was messed up.
Not just that, Felix must have been a ten or eleven year old kid when he gave such a rude statement. To take a kid's words to heart and hate him was nothing but immaturity.
'A world with magic seems to have lost common sense.'
The way the students looked at him back then was because of this. All of the seemed to have the same thought
'He doesn't deserve Lady Stella.'
But for Stella, it was-
'He doesn't deserve to live.'
It was much colder and hostile. And that definitely wasn't because of what Felix said and the broken engagement.
And he wanted to know why Stella of pure and kind heart had a spot of hatred with Felix's name on it.
'But I don't want to cross a line.'
Felix was hiding something. If it was easy today , he would have already talked about it.
Lim was still curious and maybe sometimes he acted like a stalker to satisfy his thirst. But he wasn't a scum and never could be.