“What’s up? Why do you keep staring at me?” Seeing Aesphyra’s captivating gaze fixed on him, Vinny instinctively averted his eyes, afraid to meet hers, lest he accidentally fall into the boundless galaxy within them.

“Could it be that you’re enchanted by my good looks again? Ah, what can I do? Who made me such a dashing and handsome young man?” Vinny ran his hand through his hair, lost in self-admiration.

“But unfortunately, I’ve told you many times, Miss Aesphyra, my heart already belongs to someone else. You, my dear, have no chance.”

“Oh? I remember last time I guessed that Lord Vinny liked Mirexia, but you said I didn’t understand anything, didn’t you?” Aesphyra tilted her head, giving Vinny a sidelong glance. “Could it be that Lord Vinny likes someone else?”

“Well, I’m not going to reveal that,” Vinny replied, not intending to delve further into the topic.

“I think I already know who Lord Vinny likes.”

“…Huh?” Vinny looked at the stunningly beautiful girl standing beside him, her silver hair fluttering in the wind like a galaxy.

Wait, you know? What do you know? I don’t even know who I like, and you already figured it out?

“Lord Vinny, the nun you mentioned doesn’t exist, but she also does, right?” Aesphyra said meaningfully.

“What do you mean, exist or not? What are you talking about?” Vinny was utterly confused.

“That lady taught you a lot, didn’t she?” Connecting all the clues, Aesphyra felt like she had suddenly figured everything out, understanding much more.

This also explained why Vinny, who was originally a great villain in this life, had undergone such a significant change.

The reason was that in this life, there were people who didn’t exist in the original world, altering the course of events and changing the trajectory of the original world.

“So, the person you like must be that nun who has been guiding you towards goodness, right?”

“?? What are you talking about??” Vinny’s eyes were filled with confusion.

“Lord Vinny, do you know a girl named Vanessa?”

“Vanessa? Never heard of her.” Vinny frowned, puzzled.

Ever since he told Aesphyra his name, he had been on guard against her asking this question. He had prepared for it privately, so he answered without hesitation.

“Really, you don’t know her?”

“Miss Aesphyra, your questions are getting stranger and stranger. Who is this Vanessa to you? Why would I know her?” Vinny said, exasperated.

“Guess?” Aesphyra’s tone was playful, her expression mysterious.

<!–

–>

“Guess if I’ll guess,” Vinny rolled his eyes. “I can’t read your mind, Miss, and I don’t like speculating about others. Don’t test me.”

“The elf girl who was bullied by those tribesmen earlier, is she your roommate?”

“What, interested in her? She might look a bit feminine, but she’s a proper boy. Don’t go causing trouble for her.” Vinny glanced at Aesphyra, thinking that this harem protagonist must be up to her old tricks again.

Though she probably didn’t know Shikondell’s true gender.

“Is that what ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ she told Lord Vinny?”

“Why wouldn’t I believe ‘him’? What does he gain from lying to me? There are differences between elves and humans. It’s normal for male elves to look a bit delicate. Besides, even if he did lie, that’s his business. No one would go through the trouble of lying for no reason. Maybe he has his own reasons.”

“Pfft.”

“? What are you laughing at now?”

“Nothing, it’s just that what Lord Vinny said is very similar to someone I care about.” Aesphyra smiled, resting her chin on her hand.

“Princess Mirexia actually said something like that to you?” Vinny feigned ignorance.

“Hmm~ Guess?” Aesphyra gazed deeply at Vinny, smiling without saying more.

“…Never mind, it’s getting late. I should head back.” Being alone with Aesphyra still made Vinny uncomfortable, so he spoke up after a while.

“Thanks for today, Miss Aesphyra.”

“Gratitude is one thing, but shouldn’t there be some tangible reward?” Aesphyra said with a smile.

“Well, I’d like to give you something tangible, but after thinking about it, you’re much richer than a poor guy like me. You’re loaded with treasures and magical items, lacking nothing. All I can offer is my thanks and some emotional support.” Vinny said with a grin.

“See you later.” Vinny waved and left the balcony.

Leaving the banquet hall, the sky was completely dark, and the crystal street lamps were lit one by one.

From a distance, Vinny saw the soft, bright lights shining from his villa. He took out his keys, opened the door, and entered, noticing a pair of small leather shoes at the entrance.

“Who is it?” A slightly nervous voice came from inside upon hearing the door open.

“It’s me, Dell. Who else would it be?” Vinny walked in with the bag.

“Besides the two of us, who else has the keys to this place?”

“Phew…” Seeing that it was Vinny entering, Shikondell, who was curled up on the sofa, let out a sigh of relief.

She hugged her knees, as if only this posture could give her a sense of security.

“Didn’t I tell you? This is the Carillian Academy, a completely neutral place. No one dares to harm you here as a student.” Vinny took out the food box and placed it in front of Shikondell.

“You must be hungry, right? I brought you some food. Eat up.”

“Th-thank you…!” Shikondell had been starving since noon and eagerly opened the food box.

However, even though she was this hungry, Shikondell didn’t eat in an unseemly manner. Her long-standing eating habits made her instinctively avoid overeating.

She picked up a piece of white bread and curled back up on the sofa, nibbling at it like a squirrel gnawing on a nut. Her delicate, white-socked toes wiggled cutely as she ate.

Virtue +50

Current Virtue: 1434

So much virtue from just giving her some food?

Looking at the white-haired squirrel curled up on the sofa, Vinny thought to himself that this girl was really easy to understand.

“Um, Lord Vinny?…” As she nibbled, Shikondell blushed and averted her gaze.

“Sorry.” Realizing he had been staring at her for a while, Vinny looked away.

This moon elf girl was too shy; even someone watching her eat made her uncomfortable.

Vinny stopped looking at Shikondell and pulled out his cards to examine them.

The cards were indeed exquisitely made, catering to the vanity of wealthy players. The rarer the card, the more beautiful and finely crafted it was, making Vinny feel the urge to start a collection.

Putting the cards away, he knew he couldn’t afford such a hobby. Collecting was a luxury for the rich, and a poor guy like him couldn’t indulge in it.

Before long, Shikondell finished the bread and soup, holding her full stomach, feeling satisfied.

“Full?” Vinny asked.

“Yes, thank you, Lord Vinny.”

“Today, thanks to Lord Vinny, I didn’t go hungry and wasn’t bullied by those people.”

“Don’t be afraid of them. This isn’t their territory; it’s the Carillian Academy. Here, everyone must follow the rules, even the princesses of the empire and the kingdom. If they dare to break the rules again, report them to the instructors. The instructors won’t tolerate their behavior.”

“Mm…” Shikondell nodded weakly.

This girl really left Vinny at a loss for words.

From what he observed, Shikondell’s personality was very meek. When bullied, she would endure it passively, sometimes even suffering needlessly. In short, bullying her was like kicking cotton.

“Since you’re full, go back to your room and rest.” Vinny pondered for a moment. “You’re actually afraid of humans, especially human males, aren’t you?”

“N-no! I’m not afraid of you, Lord Vinny…”

“When you first met me, you were so scared you couldn’t even speak properly.” Vinny smiled. “Did human males give you a lot of trauma?”

This was likely because Shikondell had witnessed the brutal atrocities committed by the tribal invaders in the moon elf kingdom, mixed with the pain of losing her family, filling her heart with fear and hatred towards those humans.

“…” Shikondell remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing again? You didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you always apologize to others?” Vinny frowned.

“Because I don’t understand anything, and I can’t do anything. All I can do is apologize…”

Vinny couldn’t see Shikondell’s expression, but he could hear the hint of tears in her voice.

Her voice was filled with helplessness and fear.

The moon elf princess, who had escaped her homeland under the desperate protection of her kin, was constantly burdened with immense pressure.

Combined with her naturally timid personality, enduring until now was already her limit.

She constantly told herself to be strong, that from now on, she could only rely on herself.

Bearing the expectations of the deceased and the hopes of the living, her life no longer belonged to her.

No matter what, she had to rebuild the moon elf kingdom.

This heavy burden fell on the shoulders of a princess who, just half a year ago, had been carefreely strolling through rose gardens with her parents.

She had thought that entering the Carillian Academy would make everything better, but the events at the banquet earlier had made her realize the harsh reality once again.

Even in a neutral place like the academy, she faced discrimination and harassment from her enemies, and she didn’t even dare to think of resisting.

She hated herself, hated her weakness, hated her helplessness, but there was nothing she could do.

Now, she had no attachments or reasons to live, and she no longer cared about life or death.

But she couldn’t die. If she died, or if the tribesmen recognized her and captured her, the moon elf race would truly be finished.

But now, she felt like she was suffocating.

She was so tired…

Looking at the elf girl who had buried her face in her knees, sobbing, Vinny remained expressionless.

Did she expect a villain like him to comfort a crying girl?

He wasn’t that kind of gentle, good-hearted person.

Shikondell, crying like a delicate flower, wiped her tears. Through her blurred vision, she caught the scent of perfume.

It was a cheap perfume, one that reeked of low quality.

When she looked up, she found a handkerchief in front of her.

“You look awful when you cry.” Vinny looked down at her, handing her the handkerchief with a look of disdain. “Wipe your tears. Crying over a bunch of scum, you’re really stupid.”

“Sniff… I’m sorry…” Being called stupid, Shikondell shrank like a quail, not daring to look up.

“I said stop apologizing.” Vinny glanced at her. “Being sad is punishing yourself for others’ mistakes. That’s why I called you stupid. If I were as stupid as you, I’d have killed myself long ago from anger at the idiots in this world.”

“Remember, instead of tormenting yourself, torment those who make you sad. Vent your anger, don’t just swallow it.”

“You mean I should take revenge? But… I… I can’t…”

“That’s why you’re stupid, you don’t know how to think.” Vinny shook his head, taking out the memory stone from his pocket with a mysterious smile. “Do you know what this is?”

“Wh-what is it?” Shikondell’s face was pure and innocent, untouched by knowledge.

“A memory stone.” Vinny tossed it in his hand. “I activated this stone when you were sitting and talking with those tribal guys.”

“Huh?!” Shikondell’s beautiful blue eyes widened in shock.

“Watch, tomorrow I’ll teach those arrogant tribal guys a lesson. I’ll make them understand that this isn’t their hometown, and they can’t act recklessly here.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll come with me, and we’ll report them to the student council.”

“Lord Vinny, thank you…!” Seeing Vinny’s smug expression, Shikondell’s nose tingled, and her big eyes, which had just stopped crying, filled with tears again.

“What are you thanking me for? I’m not doing this to stand up for a crybaby like you.” Vinny snorted. “It’s just that you’re my roommate, and in a way, you’re under my protection. Those uncivilized tribal guys bullying you is an insult to me.”

“Since those blind idiots have crossed me, I won’t let them off easily. If I don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll think I’m just some fake noble from the Capital of Camella.” Vinny grinned.

“Sniff… Thank you, Lord Vinny.” Shikondell smiled through her tears, taking the handkerchief Vinny handed her to wipe her tear-streaked face.

Virtue +400

Current Virtue: 1834

So much virtue from this?

Vinny suddenly felt a bit guilty for focusing on virtue in such a situation.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Go wash up and get some sleep.”

“Okay!” Shikondell, still clutching the handkerchief, ran upstairs.

The cheap perfume on the handkerchief was far from the luxurious fragrances of the moon elf lands, but it gave her a sense of comfort and made her heart race.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep