It was just after 9 AM, a time when most students gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast. Normally, the cafeteria was filled with first-year students and a few second-years, but today was different.
A third-year student, Lortell Mariette, had joined them for breakfast. This was a rare sight. Dressed in her academy uniform, she sat with a group of her third-year classmates. Everyone around kept sneaking glances at her, curious yet cautious. However, what caught everyone's attention even more was the first-year student sitting beside her—Bella.
Bella was trembling, clearly uncomfortable, even though Lortell was smiling at her. Her fear was obvious.
"Why... why are you doing this?" Bella whispered, her voice shaky, filled with fear, yet still polite. It was clear she didn't want to upset Lortell further.
Lortell raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised. "What do you mean? We're just playing a little game," she replied, her voice soft but carrying an undertone of malice.
Bella kept her head down, unable to look Lortell in the eye. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry for whatever I did. Please, let me go... I'm begging you." Bella's words were barely audible, filled with desperation, but she didn't want to make a scene. She was scared of what Lortell and her friends might do.
But Lortell's expression suddenly twisted into one of disgust, as if Bella's plea had offended her. "Are you trying to order me around, you little bitch?" Lortell's words hit hard, making Bella tremble even more.
The other third-year girls sitting with Lortell burst into giggles. One of them, with an evil grin, said, "Pftt... Let's give her another glass!"
"Hey! This girl wants a huge glass of juice! Bring it over, quick!" one of the girls called out, smiling brightly, but the intent behind her words was anything but kind.
Bella's eyes widened in terror. "No... no... please don't do it!" she begged, her voice quivering, but it was clear they weren't going to listen.
Soon, an academy maid arrived with a large glass of fruit juice and placed it on the table. Lortell's smile widened as she picked up the glass and turned to Bella, her voice unnervingly sweet, "Here, drink it!" she ordered, though her polite tone masked the cruelty behind her words.
Bella shook her head, refusing to look at Lortell, turning her gaze away in fear.
But Lortell's smile faded instantly, replaced with cold rage. "I said, drink it!" she barked, standing up abruptly. She grabbed Bella's face with one hand, her grip tight and painful, forcing Bella's mouth open. Without hesitation, she tipped the glass, pouring the juice down Bella's throat.
Bella choked as the juice spilled down her mouth, with most of it spilling onto her clothes. Her body shook as she struggled to breathe, but Lortell didn't stop. The surrounding students froze, their eyes wide with shock at the sudden commotion.
Everyone's attention was now on Bella, watching as Lortell finally pulled the glass away. It wasn't because the glass was empty, but because something even more humiliating had just happened.
One of Lortell's third-year companions burst into laughter, pounding her fist on the table as she laughed cruelly. "Pftt, hahah! Look! She peed herself! Hahaha!" she cackled, her laughter echoing across the cafeteria.
The room was silent for a moment as everyone stared in disbelief. Bella had wet herself, right there in front of everyone. Her face turned ghostly pale, her body trembling with shame. The stain on her skirt was painfully obvious. It was humiliating—too humiliating.
Tears streamed down Bella's face as the reality of her situation sunk in. The reason for her misery, for this public humiliation, was simple: Lortell.
Bella was one of the four girls who had beaten Esdeath on the rooftop not long ago. This was her way of revenge—bullying Bella far worse than anything she had done to Esdeath.
Bella had been holding in her need to pee since the night before. When she woke up that morning, she found herself trapped with Lortell and the other third-year students. They had cruelly refused to let her go to the bathroom and had forced her to drink more and more juice, watching her beg and cry, but never showing any mercy.
Now, the inevitable had happened. Bella couldn't hold it any longer, and she had wet herself in front of the entire cafeteria.
Her tears continued to fall, streaming down her face in an endless flow. "My reputation... my family's name... it's all ruined. What do I do now?" she thought desperately, her heart sinking with each passing moment. She could hear the whispers, the quiet laughter, the judgmental stares from the other students. It was too much.
Lortell and her friends stood over her, grinning wickedly, satisfied with the misery they had caused. Bella's humiliation was their entertainment, and they showed no remorse.
Bella's whole body trembled with shame and fear. There was no escape from this nightmare.
She felt all eyes on her, whispers filling the cafeteria as the other students exchanged nervous glances.
"Should we... should we stop them?" a boy muttered to his friend, his voice trembling.
"Are you crazy?" his friend snapped back, his eyes wide with fear. "Who would dare go against Lortell Mariette? I don't want to die!"
The murmurs spread, but not in Bella's favor.
"That girl must've done something wrong," one girl whispered, her voice low but judgmental. "Why else would someone as graceful as Lortell bully her?"
"Yeah, I know her," another student added, her tone filled with disdain. "She's always acting high and mighty in class. She probably deserved it."
The crowd quickly fell in line with Lortell, siding with her without question. Bella, sobbing quietly, felt the weight of their judgment. Her tears blurred her vision, her heart sinking further into despair.
But then, someone stood up, cutting through the whispers. "Stop it! This is clearly bullying, and you all know it!" A voice rang out, filled with determination.
Every head turned to see who had dared speak against Lortell. A young man with striking blue hair and deep ocean-colored eyes stood tall, his expression a mix of anger and courage. It was Ethan.
Lortell raised an eyebrow, annoyed. "Cavya, who's this idiot?" she asked, her voice dripping with contempt.
Cavya, one of Lortell's classmates, chuckled. "Oh, him? That's Ethan. A commoner, but apparently he topped the theory exams."
Ethan's fists clenched at his sides, his anger barely contained. The sight of Bella's humiliation burned in his mind, reigniting memories from his past life. He loathed Lortell, knowing the terrible things she had done before. In that life, she had been crueler than anyone could imagine, but it was all because Esdeath had died. But how could Ethan know of this?
"I thought you might have changed when you didn't attack Swann," Ethan thought to himself, his jaw tightening. "That's why when I first saw you, I decided to completely ignore you But now I see you're the same evil person you were before."
His clenched fists didn't go unnoticed. Lortell's eyes flashed with irritation, her anger rising. "Oh, you think you're brave, huh?" she sneered. "If you're so smart, maybe you should stick to the wall—like a poster."
With a flick of her fingers, a powerful force slammed into Ethan. **BAM!** His body shot through the air, crashing against the cafeteria wall with a thunderous impact. The force was so great that the wall crumbled, and his body flew past it, disappearing into the rubble.
Gasps filled the room. Shock rippled through the crowd, their eyes wide with horror. No one dared to move, unsure if Ethan had even survived the brutal attack.
The cafeteria was deathly quiet, save for the chilling sound of Lortell's cold, mocking laughter. Her voice echoed in the silence, sending a shiver through everyone still seated, frozen in fear and disbelief. After a few moments, she finally stopped, wiping away imaginary tears of amusement from her eyes, as if this whole scene had been the most entertaining part of her day.
She rose from her seat, casting her gaze over the others, their expressions a mixture of confusion and horror. It was the first time they had seen this side of Lortell—vicious and heartless. Not one person dared to move, let alone check if Ethan was still breathing after the brutal attack.
"Tch... don't look at me like that," Lortell scoffed, rolling her eyes at their pitiful expressions. "He's alive. I didn't hit him that hard," she added, her tone dripping with arrogance.
With that, she stood up fully, stretching as if the whole situation had simply bored her. Her gaze shifted to Bella, who was still trembling in her seat. Without warning, Lortell reached down and grabbed Bella's vibrant vermillion hair, yanking her head back cruelly. "And you, bitch," she spat, her voice low and dangerous, "I'm not done with you yet. Come with me."
Bella whimpered but had no strength left to resist. Lortell dragged her out of the cafeteria by her hair, forcefully pulling her along as if she were nothing more than an object. Everyone watched in stunned silence, wincing at the sight of Bella's hair being pulled so brutally. Some even ran their hands through their own hair, wincing at the imagined pain, but not one person dared to move or speak up.
"Show's over, guys!" one of Lortell's third-year classmates called out, her voice laced with cruel amusement. The group laughed as they followed Lortell out of the cafeteria, leaving behind the faint echo of their heartless mockery.