My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 30
The old professor looked visibly irritated, understandably so. On the first day and first class, who would have expected a student to fall asleep despite trying to make a good impression?
Regina made her best effort to appear remorseful. The professor snorted softly and continued the lecture.
Turning away from the professor’s back, Regina touched her forehead in frustration.
What’s the most boring thing in the world? Stories one already knows.
Listening to a tale with a beginning, middle, and end that she was already completely familiar with can feel torturous, especially if it’s repeated over and over again.
The topic the old professor was covering was something Regina had heard multiple times during her previous life as Yekarna and had recently reviewed in preparation for the entrance exams.
As a result, she found herself dozing off without realizing it. Yekarna never embarrassingly nodded off like this even after staying up all night.
It seemed that this body lacked self-control compared to her previous one. Perhaps it was a matter of mindset, not self-control.
A princess born to the imperial family like Yekarna could not afford to show any weakness, unlike Regina, a commoner with nothing to lose. While she enjoyed the freedom and ease of this life, she found herself longing for the self-control of the past.
Getting penalized with a demerit point for dozing off in the first class was humiliating.
‘Oh, but I’m getting sleepy again.’
Listening intently made it clear that the old professor’s monotone was the real issue. Somehow, his speech lacked any difference between words. It was dreadfully slow, making it feel like wandering endlessly in a maze.
“Student Regina Heather.”
“Yes, Professor?”
Regina snapped, her eyes wide open just in time to respond. The professor’s brows furrowed in disappointment.
He was ‘preparing’.
Regina could tell he was slightly frustrated for not catching her off guard. His gaze was predatory, like an eagle eyeing its prey, sending a chill down Regina’s spine.
Receiving seven demerit points would necessitate a meeting with the dean, according to the academy’s regulations. Being on a professor’s bad side from the start wasn’t ideal.
With an awkward smile intended as an olive branch, the professor turned his head away as if he’d seen something unpleasant.
‘Come on, give me a break.’
Flexibility is part of being human.
Resting her chin in her hands, Regina kept her eyes wide open and stared intently at the old professor. She was determined to see who would win.
The old professor hesitated upon noticing her while lecturing, then let out a forced laugh. Regina then stopped pretending to rest her chin on her hands. Even a forced laugh is still a laugh. It seemed the old professor was starting to get entangled with her.
‘I have to make up for the first impression, I’ll have to charm him diligently.’
It was a desperate struggle to avoid further demerit points. And there were eyes secretly observing Regina’s every move.
“Report everything about Regina Heather. No need to shadow her too closely, just watch her discreetly without getting noticed. But when gathering information, be as detailed as possible. Don’t miss anything, no matter how trivial.”
The spy from the underworld diligently noted Regina’s actions in their notebook, while pondering the orders from the upper echelons.
* * *
In a dimly lit office, the scratching of a quill and a hum filled the air.
“Obviously this. Next…”
A man wearing a half-mask that obscured the upper part of his face swiftly filled out the answers on the Imperial Academy’s entrance exam paper. He completed it effortlessly without hesitation, and casually set the quill aside. It was too easy for him.
“It’s a tragedy for not being able to enroll because of the age restriction.”
He decided to receive reports on her activities from a guild member infiltrated within the academy. Though hearing about it a hundred times could never compare to seeing it firsthand.
Leaning back in his plush chair, the man sighed softly. He gently stroked a crystal ball, which projected a video into the air.
“To think I am the valedictorian, it seems the empire’s future is bleak.”
The wheat-haired female student standing on the podium spoke calmly.
“For the sake of our nation, I hope everyone will strive to do their best.”
He replayed this short clip several times in his mind.
Once seen, his brain had memorized every detail within the footage. So it was unnecessary to keep viewing it. Yet, he was captivated and looked at the girl in the video.
“Haa, I wish I could have attended the academy with Her Majesty.”
He imagined being in the same class, sitting side by side, studying, eating, and doing assignments together. What fun would that be?
Never before had his age been an obstacle. Forging his identity was all too easy for him.
The identities he currently possessed varied in age, status, and gender, easily exceeding a dozen. What difference would adding a twenty-year-old youth make?
Without resorting to cumbersome magic, his skills in disguise could change his appearance to match any age.
The obstacle was Dean Bliss, also known as Skyler. No matter the disguise, they recognized each other. This realization came from several minor confrontations they had.
So, even if he changed his identity and appearance, Skyler would never allow him to enroll or transfer to the academy. If he were genuinely twenty years old, Skyler would have no reason to stop him, but unfortunately, this time he was born too early.
The saying goes that even fellow lovers cannot stand each other, and from the previous life, his relationship with Skyler was far from good. After all, among the seven, there were none who were on good terms. How could there be? A harmonious relationship between fellow lovers was more like a fairy tale for children than reality.
The man who was the Empire’s Chancellor long ago tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers and murmured softly.
“Maybe I should just kill him?”
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