Heroine On Strike

Magicians from the Magical Tower of the Long Moonlight were just as astonished as Ella herself. They, too, froze from the shock of seeing their master doing something unbelievable. The man was known for his amazing memory, awareness of people’s intentions, and dislike for humans. Because he considered humans to be greedy and worthless, he saw them as objects to play or bully with and not equal beings.

But here he was, the Master, looking at a woman, a noble who he especially hated, so affectionately and even kissed her. Some of these magicians even dropped the valuable books in their arms while some of them dropped to the ground, forgetting that they were hovering in the air. Moans from these fallen magicians could be heard around them.

Clara, however, couldn’t see or hear any of that. She was overwhelmed with thoughts racing through her mind. ‘Dammit! Is this world going to revolve around her no matter what I do?’

The crown prince was an important figure she needed on her side if she were to become the main character of this world. In some ways, Xyle was even more important. He was the key to every hardship and trial that was awaiting her in the future, and Clara knew his knowledge and abilities were necessary to survive in this world.

‘I’m the only one who sees your worth!’ There were dumb and simple fools everywhere in this world. Even the prince, who was considered a genius, had fallen for her with some work. Although not entirely, it was enough to say he was on her side now. She knew from the book that having him and his friends by her side was important. There was nothing for her to be afraid of anymore. She knew these characters inside out, which made it easy to manipulate them the way she wanted to. Because of her success, Clara had almost forgotten the time when Xyle had rejected and shunned her. Everything just seemed so easy.

‘Soon, I will have everything under my feet soon. No one will undermine me anymore.’ After spending the past six months at the Academy, those thoughts became even stronger. Clara was sure she could do it. She believed she wasn’t the same fool who tried to meet with Xyle when she first arrived in this world.

But her world began to take turns as soon as the heroine of this world, Ella, entered the scene. These deviations from her plan made Clara frustrated, and she was afraid of what was going to happen when Ella met with Cladis at the Glass garden. The current Ella was different from the one in the book, and Clara sensed that Cladis was beginning to change too. There was something different about him compared to when they had met at the Academy. When she heard Cladis went to the House of Constance to meet Ella, it felt like the world was coming to an end. He even forgot he promised to meet with her after his visit and returned home immediately.  

Was everything going to go like the book? Was all that work for nothing? Was she stuck being a minor villain, a person of the past? ‘I won’t let that happen!’ Just like how Clara thought of a plan to seduce the crown prince at the Academy, she needed a plan to convince him to stay with her. But she couldn’t think of one. Every idea her dumb and slow mind came up with ended up being a reckless one. This body she currently possessed did whatever appeared in her mind. The original Clara lived a foolish life, but this body was even more stupid. But there were times when this stupid body came up with a great idea.

‘The Tower.’ Clara remembered the magic flowing throughout the tower had made her remarkably smart. Cladis from the novel was going to visit the tower today, so she knew he was going to bring her there. Her plan had worked out perfectly, and now she thought her stupid body still had some use as she entered the tower. Unfortunately, her plan began to crumble when Xyle appeared with Ella and was ultimately destroyed when he kissed Ella on the head.

Clara hated how she was a supporting character. She hated how her body couldn’t understand or execute any of the plans she came up with. The thought that there was nothing she could do to change her fate drove her over the edge. Then, when Cladis, who stood next to her, began to move, she laughed halfheartedly.

Immediately, Cladis walked over to Ella and Xyle, pulled her arm away from Xyle, and moved her behind him. Then he glared at the Master. At that moment, he had no idea what the source of his rage was and yelled, “What is the meaning of this?” 

“I would say the same thing to you, crown prince. How dare you look at me like that?” responded Xyle, with a threatening smile.

Feeling his body retreat a bit, Cladis forced himself to stand tall and hid Ella behind his back more securely. He didn’t want Xyle looking at her. Despite all this, he still couldn’t understand why he was acting this way. Then he retorted, “She’s my fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée, you mean.”

“His Majesty himself ordered this marriage. It’s as good as done. Ella was mine the moment she was born.” 

Everything he had said was true. As the daughter of the Constance family, Ella was chosen to become the future crown princess from the moment she was born. Similarly, Cladis was born to be the crown prince and was raised as one. Not once has he ever been romantically interested in Ella. Still, she was his lifelong partner. That part would never change. Although Clara’s appearance brought some turmoil into their relationship, he believed it would be resolved soon.

‘Clara…’ Frustrated, Cladis turned to look at Clara. All this chaos started with her. She was his first love. Her words and actions quickly raced through his head. As if a breath of fresh air swept through, his thoughts became clear. Soon he realized what he hadn’t noticed before.

What was it that made him think she was beautiful then? What was it that made him believe every word she said? Who was she directing that hostility in her eyes? As soon as Cladis found out who it was, he needed to protect Ella from her. His actions surprised him. After all, Clara was a kind person, who couldn’t even kill an ant.