Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 30: The Broken Crest

Because of the curse cast by the chieftain of a monster tribe, Lumia had to be hidden from the world. She never mingled with the aristocratic society, interacting only with her family, her handmaiden, and Gelwood.

Though she was home-schooled by Gelwood and her father, learning about the outside world, and seeing it are two different things.

“Wow......So this is the Royal Academy...!”

For Lumia, who chased knowledge like none other, this place was akin to a sacred temple.

“You are truly pleased, aren’t you, My Lady?”

As she arrived at the Royal Academy with Ronica, her now-deceased handmaiden, Lumia felt all her exhaustion being washed away, replaced by excitement.

Such a novel place, so different from her home, excited Lumia to no end.

“Yes! This place is marvelous!”

Soon, the entrance ceremony was held. Many young nobles from distinct houses gathered in the auditorium.

There are so many people...

In the auditorium, there were easily a hundred students.

Among them, Lumia stood timidly, reciting the Academy’s oath following the Principal’s lead.

“I swear to adhere to Article 1 - Under the sacred mantle of education, all are equal! There’s no distinction of class in the Academy!”

This oath resonated deeply with her.

Since Lumia was forced to hide her true identity due to the curse, she was unable to impersonate someone of a higher rank than a Baroness without risking being discovered.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

As such, Lumia assumed the identity of a baroness from an unknown border territory - Making such an oath perfect for her.

Therefore,

“Professor! I have a question!”

Following Article 1, Lumia threw herself at her education without worrying about status.

She wholeheartedly welcomed this change from her previous solitude. Now she always had someone to help her resolve any doubts she had.

Thus, Lumia quickly became one of the most passionate students, who would confidently approach the professors with questions after class ended so she could clarify any sort of doubts she had.

It felt like she had been transported to a whole new world.

Her past days, filled with boredom were forgotten as Lumia’s chase for knowledge began in earnest.

During lectures, she would always sit in the front rows, being the first to raise a hand to the professor’s questions.

But her enthusiasm became her undoing.

Lumia Winterfell was naive. She didn’t know the darker aspects of noble society. And thus, failed to realize that the Academy’s oath was a futile promise.

So, she inevitably attracted the scornful gaze of Deron’s gang.

That’s when it started,

For the simple reason of a no-name baroness from a border territory, who ‘dared’ to speak up during lectures, her torture began.

“You imprudent wench! If you are a lowborn, then you should just learn how to keep your head down.”

“W-Why are you doing this...? We all made an oath...”

“Hahaha-! Oath? What nonsense are you saying, you stupid woman?”

“I...I just want to learn...”

“Oh? You want to learn, eh? Congratulations then! From today on, you’re learning from us.”

“W-What will I learn....?”

“Life lessons, Bitch!”

Thwack!

Thump!

“Kyaa!”

Every day, Lumia was dragged to the Academy’s backyard, where she would endure harsh treatment.

Her face was bruised, her neck scarred. Yet, not a single person stepped forward to help her, or simply apply an ointment to her wounds.

Thus, she suffered for three years.

Her torture was diverse, including things like a deadly game of a tag, or recurring chases.

“Hehehe! If you are caught, you’re dead! So better run fast little wench.”

“P-Please...Stop it...”

Crack!

“Ahhh!”

“Don’t you understand, you stupid bitch! Whether we stop or not, it’s up to us! Now, since I’m a generous Lord, I shall grant you 10 seconds. So, run fast.”

Just because she stood out.

She was tormented.

However, Lumia didn’t give up.

With a bruised face, she sat in the front row of the classroom, delivering her best and focusing on research and experiments despite her painful body.

Even if her passion and stubbornness provoked their anger further, turning into greater fury, she never gave up.

As a result, Lumia enjoyed the honor of being selected as the top student.

And then,

“Fucking hell! You’ll share that glory with us, won’t you?”

Deron’s gang also became top students, graduating as valedictorians.

For Lumia, who loved to learn, she didn’t find this unfair.

The young woman was simply sad that she would have to leave the Academy after the three-year course.

“Heh-. So our lovely relationship is finally over? Are you feeling relieved, Erenscia?”

“Now we don’t have to stare at your face anymore, kekeke-.”

“You better never forget the life lessons we have taught you over these years!”

That was the end of it.

Her three years of hell had concluded in such an anticlimactic manner.

But she wasn’t resentful.

Like they said, Lumia was relieved.

She would never see them again.

She would never meet them again.

As she returned to the Northern Regions, Lumia Winterfell threw herself into her research and experiments to forget the memories of the past. And they seemed to be almost fading away.

The pain she had suffered, and the scars she had endured, all seemed to disappear into oblivion.

No,

If only their names had not appeared on the candidate list, they would have surely vanished.

However,

Had she not seen their names, if her scars hadn’t throbbed, if only those suppressed memories hadn’t flared up...

And in that moment, Lumia realized.

Those three years of hell weren’t to be easily forgotten.

**

“Ah, there come the candidates.”

Lumia opened her eyes at Gelwood’s words.

And then she saw,

Kyle Beallon running towards them.

Behind him, Blund Rosfell rushed, his face pale as snow.

And the last of them, Deron Caelid, with a somber face, closely resembling her own during those games of tag she was forced to play.

Lumia had to restrain a smile as she gazed at the trio.

Since they had gone in the opposite direction of Elden, they wouldn’t have brought the crest.

They must have given up, after being chased by the monsters stationed in the caves.

Rising from her seat, Lumia moved towards Kyle.

“Fufu~ You’ve returned rather early. How was your hunt?”

It was terrifying.

It was horrible.

I give up.

Those were the words Lumia wanted to hear.

But...

“Your Grace! Look at this!”

What Kyle had in his hands, was none other than the Winterfell crest, which was supposed to be in the cave, 800m northeast.

The one Elden should have gotten.

Lumia took the crest from his hands.

“......”

“I nearly died, Your Grace! But after a fierce battle, I have recovered the crest!”

“......”

Soon, Blund and Deron also arrived.

From their expressions, it seemed both had much to say, but they merely glared at Kyle in silence.

For Lumia, however, whatever happened to them was utterly irrelevant.

Shudder-.

With trembling hands, Lumia questioned Kyle, barely restraining the agitation behind her tone.

“Elden...You didn’t happen to see, Lord Elden, did you?”

“Pardon?”

“Wasn’t Lord Elden there?”

“You Grace? Why are you interested in hi-”

“Answer my question.”

Contrary to Kyle’s expectations, after handling the Winterfell Crest, the Third Northern Duchess wasn’t pleased at all.

Indeed, Lumia was enraged.

“Ah...Well, he wasn’t there...?”

Lumia sighed deeply.

Her grip on the crest tightened.

Just the thought of that man, no that villain, whom she even went as far as ‘confessing’ caused tremors of rage within her.

She had employed her last resort, one that she never wished to use because of the sheer disgust it caused her.

But even after all her efforts, where was Elden, who headed northeast?

Lumia was furious.

She felt humiliated.

Despite her confession,

Despite visiting Ariel,

She was met with yet another failure.

Lumia knew that it was likely that Elden hadn’t tried at all.

His absence was merely a form of ‘rejection’ towards her ‘confession’.

Her whole body trembled.

Her face flushed with shame.

The plan she spent so long deliberating had a 100% chance of success.

It was perfect.

After all, Lumia had promised a certain victory to him, so his participation was simply guaranteed.

Such radical motivation was necessary to show Elden how terrifying a deadly tag game could be.

What was the cause?

Why did her plans always fail?

Her stomach churned, and her fury burned with the force of a thousand suns.

She had written a confession note, enduring her rising nausea, only to end up as a laughing stock.

Perhaps she had got it all wrong?

Perhaps Elden truly withdrew as a form of atonement?

Ridiculous.

Such a thing couldn’t be true.

It just couldn’t.

“Y-Your Grace...? This means I won the competition, r-right...?”

“Shut up.”

Kyle’s words provoked a harsh response from Lumia.

Lumia’s emotions were preventing any sort of rational thought.

She had used a sacred festival of her house, the Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest, as a means of achieving personal revenge.

Thus, she had to succeed, but Elden, the slippery snake, always slipped through her fingers.

And then, at that moment,

“......!”

Elden Raphelion appeared on the forest path and leisurely walked back to the starting point.

He was nibbling on a random fruit without a care in the world.

His carefree demeanor was utterly frustrating.

It made Lumia’s frail self-control snap.

Her shoulders trembled.

All that Lumia wanted was to walk towards him and slap his face then and there.

But she clenched her teeth and managed to hold back her impulses, as she realized her feelings of malice were exactly the ones Deron and his group had nurtured against her during those three years.

Then,

Crash-!

She threw the emblem Kyle brought onto the ground as she stomped her way down the mountain.

The Emblem hit a rock and shattered.

Just like Lumia’s morals and beliefs that were shattered on this day.

As Elden arrived at the starting point, biting into his fruit with a loud crunching noise, he looked at the frozen forms of Deron and Blund and asked them both.

“Something happened? The mood here is rather off.”

Crunch, Crunch-!