HLM 01

Chapter 1

“Hey, did you hear? His Highness the Prince is supposedly attending our academy!”

“No way. Why would His Highness attend an academy in the middle of nowhere?”

“Well, it is managed by the Imperial Family. There’s no reason he couldn’t.”

Drawn in by the intriguing gossip, I found myself glancing at the students walking by.

Sensing my gaze, two girls shot me a quick look before whipping their heads back around and breaking into hushed whispers.

“Who is that? I’ve never seen her before.”

“Oh, I heard she’s the new transfer student in Class B-4. You know, from the House of Rietberg!”

The first girl flinched in surprise at her friend’s answer, immediately ducking her head and quickening her pace.

“…Wow, I’m going to lose my mind.”

It had been a week already.

A whole week of the academy kids staring and whispering about the new transfer student. A whole week of them shrinking back in fear the moment they heard my family name…

In other words, I had been surviving academy life for an entire week without making a single friend.

‘Is the title of Marquis Rietberg really that intimidating? Is it something to avoid like the plague…?’

I let out a soft sigh, my lips jutting out in a slight pout.

“Seriously, is it a crime to have a dad who works alongside the Emperor? It’s not like I’m going to tattle to His Majesty. I haven’t even met the man!”

It felt like the entire world had ostracized me. Feeling suffocated, I pushed open the window right in front of me and gazed out at the campus.

A summer breeze, thick with the scent of vibrant greenery, washed over me, carrying the day’s gentle warmth. I stood there for a moment, enjoying the contrast between the cool, shadowed hallway and the balmy air outside.

Clang, clang, clang.

The bell for the start of classes rang out. Listening to its heavy, unrefined toll, I quietly made my way toward ‘Lindsay’s’ classroom.

“Now, you take the value we just found and substitute it into this magical formula. When you do that, the result is…”

I didn’t understand a single word. Of course I didn’t. I had transmigrated.

And into a novel where I could only recall vague, disjointed fragments of the plot, no less.

At first, I threw a complete fit trying to figure out what was happening. I even tried running away with the body I now possessed, desperate to find a way back to my original world.

But every time I acted out, ‘Lindsay’s’ father—the Marquis Rietberg, who was now my dad—would pull me into a tight embrace and sob his heart out. Because of him, I eventually gave up on causing any more trouble.

Since there was no way back to my old life, my only option was to adapt and survive in this one.

Truthfully, Lindsay’s life wasn’t bad. As the only daughter of a prestigious imperial marquisate, Lindsay Rietberg was a naive young lady who, despite growing up without a mother, had been showered with endless love and affection from her father.

Maybe that was why this girl… was so utterly hopeless.

“Lindsay? Lindsay Rietberg. Could you solve this problem for us?”

The moment Mr. Schuler called my name, total silence fell over the classroom. Everyone threw sidelong glances my way—from the kids sitting up in the front row to the classmate sharing the desk right next to me.

As I stared blankly at the incomprehensible formula on the board, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Right, this is a perfect opportunity! The more confused I am, the more confident I need to act. I’ll show them that while I might not be an easy mark, I still possess a bold, undeniable charm!’

Easily brushing off the heavy, awkward atmosphere, I kicked back my chair and stood up. And with absolute conviction, I answered:

“Negative one.”

“Oh, dear. That’s incorrect. Please, take your seat.”

Unbelievable. Wasn’t it a universal law that the blind guess to any obscure math problem was always either -1, 0, or 1?

Feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment, I rubbed the back of my neck and sank back down into my chair.

I was quietly mourning the failure of my grand charm offensive when Mr. Schuler, perhaps trying to save me from further humiliation, quickly shifted his gaze to find his next victim. His eyes landed precisely on the seat next to, next to, next to… the seat four desks away from me, and he addressed the student sitting there.

“Right, Martin. Why don’t you give it a try, Martin?”

His tone was noticeably softer than when he’d called on me. Wasn’t that blatant favoritism?

That’s just unfair, I was thinking, when a voice as gentle as that warm hallway breeze drifted over.

“T-the answer is… i-it’s three…”

Except that warmth came across in a fragmented, stuttering mess.

I looked over at the boy who had stumbled over his words. A gust of wind blew in through the slightly open window, ruffling his shaggy blonde hair.

‘Huh?’

Through his messy fringe, I caught a glimpse of soft green eyes, as bright and refreshing as the summer canopy outside. It was like holding up a flawless emerald to the sunlight. Captivated by their startling beauty, I found myself staring at him in a daze.

Sensing my gaze, the boy cast a fleeting glance my way.

But then…

‘Huh?!’

He immediately jerked his head away…?

‘What the?!’

Did he just avoid me?

No. There wasn’t even a need to question it. When I refused to drop my disbelieving stare, he turned his back to me completely.

My jaw slacked open. I was still staring at the back of his head in sheer dumbfoundedness when—

“Pfft.”

A sharp, mocking snicker broke the silence.

“Ah, that stuttering nerd. How long is he going to keep talking like an idiot?”

Egged on by the cruel remark, the rest of the class erupted into giggles, throwing derisive looks in the boy’s direction.

As the classroom atmosphere quickly devolved into chaos, Mr. Schuler furrowed his brow and rapped sharply on the chalkboard.

“Quiet! Settle down, all of you! Honestly… Quiet down! To think that children who can’t even embrace their own peers are the future of the Empire…”

Mr. Schuler looked like he had a lot more to say, but he ultimately swallowed his words, pressing his lips tightly together.

He didn’t really have a choice. The academy’s rules proudly proclaimed that all students, regardless of status or rank, would receive an equal education within these walls. But even a teacher couldn’t stop the quiet, insidious discrimination that brewed beneath the surface.

‘It’ll just end with a light warning. He has to walk on eggshells around the powerful parents. Plus, once they leave the academy, even this flimsy protective fence will disappear.’

As if confirming my silent prediction, Mr. Schuler let out a heavy sigh and gestured for Martin to sit back down.

“Correct. That is the correct answer, Martin. Our top student certainly lives up to his reputation. It would be wonderful if the rest of you applied yourselves as much as he does.”

Shooting the class a mild glare, the teacher quickly shifted the mood.

“Alright, Class B-4 is a bit ahead of schedule, so we’ll stop the lecture here for today… Now, let’s discuss your performance assessments.”

Mr. Schuler explained that the assessment would require pairing up. For the rest of the semester, each pair would tackle math assignments and write joint reports.

“Three times a week, I’ll hand out a full worksheet of math problems. Your task is to solve them with your partner, draft a report explaining how you arrived at your conclusions, and submit it alongside the worksheet.”

“What about partners? Can we choose whoever we want?” a girl seated on the far right raised her hand to ask.

Mr. Schuler pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Yes. Let’s do that. If you collaborate with a close friend, I’m sure you’ll be able to work through even the most difficult problems together.”

Granting us the rest of the class period to select our partners, Mr. Schuler encouraged everyone to stand and mingle. Immediately, the students in front of me, and even the classmate right beside me, bolted from their seats to find their best friends.

Sadly, the only ones left sitting silently in our chairs, blankly watching the lively atmosphere, were me… and that boy.

‘What should I do…?’

I remembered how he had actively avoided my gaze earlier. If it was just because he was terribly shy, I could march right over there. But what if he actually disliked me…?

Hesitating for only a fraction of a second, I decided I had nothing to lose and sprang up from my seat. I had to partner up with someone for the assessment anyway, and we were the only two outcasts left without a match.

Mr. Schuler, who had clearly been fretting over the two of us, met my eyes.

‘You can do it, Lindsay.’

Seeing my teacher enthusiastically mouth words of encouragement, I offered him a slightly awkward, strained smile in response.

Amidst the cheerful chatter of the classroom, I took the most stiff, awkward steps of my life toward the boy’s desk. He seemed acutely aware of my approach; with every step I took, the hand gripping his fountain pen trembled a little more.

‘Oh, do I have to take the lead here?’

Suddenly filled with an unwarranted sense of duty, I feigned complete nonchalance and slid into the empty seat beside him. Then, I turned my body to fully face him.

‘His name was…’

Glancing down at the incredibly neat handwriting etched across his notepad, I opened my mouth.

“Hi, Martin. I’m Lindsay Rietberg. If it’s alright with you… do you want to be partners for this assessment?”

My voice wavered foolishly at the end. It wasn’t like I was confessing my love to a crush, so why on earth was my heart pounding so loudly?

Martin must have been feeling just as nervous. Peeking out from beneath his shaggy blonde hair, the very tips of his ears were flushed a deep crimson.

“……”

Instead of answering, Martin turned his face slightly away and offered a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.