My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 45
Regina thought that the idea of being a mercenary in her youth to earn a substantial sum and then living comfortably with her family for the rest of her days didn’t sound too bad.
Although her parents would undoubtedly prefer her to graduate from the academy and secure a reputable job rather than engage in dangerous physical work, trying to meet those expectations might risk ruining her life entirely.
It seemed the only sensible decision was to withdraw.
If luck was bad, she might lose her life as a mercenary, and if it was good, she could end up in servitude for thirty years.
Staying at the academy meant facing a future like that. The three decades was assuming arbitrarily that it took ten years to settle the karma from each person from her past life. Whether ten years was sufficient to compensate for the wrongs Yekarna had done to them was another matter entirely.
Despite racking her brain for a wise solution, the only viable option that emerged was to withdraw.
‘Withdrawal is the only way to save myself.’
Without hesitation, Regina opened the door to the administrative office and declared.
“Hello. I’ve come to apply for withdrawal.”
“Ah. First, you need to fill out the withdrawal form properly. It requires a parent or guardian’s signature. You’ll also need to have a meeting with your advisor and a one-on-one with the dean. After those steps, you can submit your withdrawal form.”
The administrative staff member listed the steps monotonously, mentally noting this as another routine occurrence.
Every year, there were always a few students who couldn’t handle the academy life and came to ask about withdrawal. However, hardly any of them followed through. Most faltered at the requirement for a ‘parent’s signature.’ Then, the meeting usually discouraged them further, leading them to return dejected.
The staff member watched Regina’s expression, predicting if she would follow the same pattern. Indeed, she looked restless and uncertain.
“Is there another way…?”
“There isn’t.”
Regina left the administrative office feeling defeated.
She had the withdrawal form but was overwhelmed by the steps ahead. How would she travel the roughly two-month journey home to get her parents’ signatures? And a meeting with Skyler? The very reason she wanted to withdraw was to avoid him.
“There really is no easy way in life.”
Currently, the fastest method she can choose to obtain her parents’ signatures on the withdrawal form is through mail. The expected time for this is two months, which is half the time it would take if she went in person. It’s also much less expensive.
However, she was concerned that her parents, Melissa and Henry, who are sensitive by nature, would be quite shocked to see the withdrawal form without any explanation.
‘I’ll write the letter as detailed as possible to ensure Melissa and Henry don’t worry too much.’
Of course, even if she managed to get her parents’ signatures, there was no guarantee that Skyler would easily agree to her withdrawal… But doing nothing wouldn’t yield any results at all. Taking some action is more likely to lead to the desired outcome than doing nothing.
Regina considered skipping class to stay in the dorm and fill out the withdrawal form but then changed her mind. Since she had to pay for this semester anyway, attending the lectures seemed less wasteful.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that this decision was a mistake.
“You will work in groups of three and submit the report by the specified date.”
The history professor unexpectedly assigned a group project. Regina checked the due date; it was two and a half months from now.
‘I won’t even be at the academy by then?’
She thought, albeit with a ‘if things go well’ premise.
“This assignment evaluates not only your performance but also teamwork, autonomy, responsibility, and coordination skills. If there is an uncommitted member, it will be considered a failure of communication within the group, and the lowest grade will be given. All group members must be present at submission to answer questions I may have after reviewing the report.”
“Professor, I have a question.”
“Go ahead, Student Regina Heather.”
“What happens if a member leaves the academy during the project?”
“If a member drops out for any reason, that group will receive the lowest grade.”
“What if a student participates diligently in the project but becomes so severely ill on the submission day that they are physically unable to attend? Is there no consideration for such cases?”
Regina, searching desperately for any exceptions that might apply and asked her question with tenacity. She needed to ensure that her withdrawal from the academy would not adversely affect her group members.
“Suppose a prospective student is ill on the day of the academy’s entrance exam and cannot attend. Do we provide that student with a separate opportunity?”
The professor adjusted his glasses and countered with a question. It was clear from his tone that no exceptions were made, regardless of the circumstances.
‘Is there such an impenetrable barrier in this world?’
Disengaging his gaze from Regina’s discontented face, the professor added.
“You might find it unfair, but that’s the nature of a group assignment.”
Regina internally scoffed, suspecting that terms like teamwork, communication, autonomy, and responsibility were just shiny excuses for offloading tedious tasks.
‘I’ve seen enough in my past life to know… Wait, what?’
She was suddenly enveloped by a strong sense of déjà vu.
“Your Majesty! The four of us have united in purpose, but Viscount Tydal is not someone who understands reason. No matter how much we discuss, we end up back where we started, and we lack the skill to persuade him. Please, concerning the canal project…”
“Reach an agreement with Viscount Tydal and come together.”
“Your Majesty, although I hesitated to say this, the four of us have nearly knelt before Viscount Tydal to beg.”
“That’s correct. Before that, we even threatened to start a feud within our lands and tried every possible means to coax and persuade.”
“Viscount Tydal is not ordinary; he has cognitive issues. No matter how much we explain, once he turns away, it’s over. He forgets everything, and when we meet again, it’s back to square one with the contradictory statements.”
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