She slowly unbuttoned her clothes before lying back against the bed in an oddly vulnerable position. Cassien stared at the ceiling for a second, then looked back at Amelia with visible confusion.
"…What?"
She opened her arms slightly, though her bra remained intact. She hadn't actually gone that far. Not yet, anyway.
"You heard me." Amelia turned her face away, clearly unable to maintain eye contact any longer. "I gave you information. You know my secret now. This is usually how these situations go, right?"
For the first time in a while, Cassien looked genuinely offended.
"What kind of ridiculous logic is that?"
Amelia froze completely while Cassien let out a dry sigh, casually placing his knife onto the nearby desk.
"You break into my life, attempt to stab me on the way home, tell me some mildly useful information, and somehow conclude the next natural step is…" He gestured vaguely toward her awkward position on the bed. "This?"
Her cheeks immediately flushed bright red.
"When you say it like that, it sounds horrible."
"Because it is horrible."
Amelia quickly sat up and began buttoning her top back up, nearly fumbling halfway through in embarrassment.
"I-I just thought…"
"That I'm some deranged noble?" Cassien asked.
She stayed silent, which was honestly answer enough. Cassien crossed his arms, leaning slightly against the wall while thinking for a moment.
"Well, your assumption isn't completely unreasonable," he admitted. "But I'm not interested in whatever strange survival strategies you picked up before getting here."
That only seemed to confuse Amelia more, and naturally, her mind drifted back toward her previous life. The one before all of this.
She had been a model. A beautiful one too. But beauty was rarely a blessing. More often, it simply attracted the wrong kinds of people. Men who saw her as little more than something to possess, control, or ruin.
'Sleep with me, or I'll leak your photos.'
'Do what I say, or I'll destroy your career.'
Secrets in the wrong hands had almost always become weapons. Her life had taught her one very simple lesson. Once someone powerful held leverage over you, there was usually only one direction these situations went.
But there had been one exception.
One man. A blurry face she could barely remember anymore. A dark alleyway. A wall pressed cold against her back while rough hands forced her still, some disgusting man fumbling with her clothing.
And then suddenly, violence.
Someone had stepped in. Someone had saved her.
…
Cassien blinked for a moment.
'She reminds me of that one model I saved back then.'
He leaned lightly against the wall.
'That woman tried offering herself afterward, too.'
A faint smirk formed.
'Different world. Same trauma.'
Clearly, Amelia had carried those habits with her even after death itself. Cassien's expression softened, if only slightly.
"So…" He paused for a moment. "Are you happy you transmigrated here?"
The question was simple, but it struck Amelia far harder than expected. She opened her mouth, only to realize she had no proper answer prepared. Not one she could say confidently, at least.
Before she could think any further, the familiar system voice echoed throughout their individual system interfaces.
[Transmigrator #55 Has Died.]
[Information:]
[Transmigrator #55][Role: A Baron's Son][Name: Chris Afterfall][Points rewarded to anonymous killer: 10]
Amelia slowly lifted her gaze toward Cassien.
"You remember the man who got shot earlier?" she asked. "Yeah. He's officially dead now."
Cassien smirked slightly.
"Is that so?"
He casually glanced outside the dormitory window, where knights were still scattered throughout the academy grounds.
"That's cool."
Amelia stared at him. Somehow, his reaction disturbed her more than the announcement itself.
After a moment, she stood up from the bed.
"I should leave now."
Cassien nodded.
As Amelia slowly approached the dormitory exit, Cassien suddenly spoke again.
"Hey, Amelia."
She turned around.
"What?"
Cassien thought for a second, then smiled.
"What if…" He tapped lightly against his chin. "How do I explain this?"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"What if I told you I was also a transmigrator?"
Amelia froze.
Cassien's expression remained unreadable.
"I had a boring and miserable life before this one. Nothing special. Nothing remarkable."
His hand slowly reached into his pocket.
"What would you think?"
Then he pulled it out.
A pistol.
Amelia's body instantly stiffened. She physically couldn't move, her breathing immediately becoming shallow and uneven.
"W-what…" she whispered. "What are you?"
Cassien slowly raised the gun toward her face.
"If I kill you right now," he said calmly, "I get ten points."
His finger rested against the trigger.
"So tell me." He tilted his head slightly. "What exactly is stopping me from doing it?"
Amelia's blood ran cold. Only now did it fully hit her. She had been manipulated from the start.
"D-don't do this…"
Cassien's expression remained blank.
"Not a valid answer."
Amelia immediately dropped to her knees, her hands instinctively coming together while tears began falling onto the floor beneath her.
"I'm innocent!" she cried. "Please don't do this!"
Cassien narrowed his eyes.
"Still not good enough."
Then—
Boom!