"What is this...?"
The third son of the Prime Minister, Marquis Colden, Dennis Colden, had travelled five years back in time while retaining his memories of the future.
What he remembered was the quiet condemnation of Angelina.
And then, Merc Schliegen and Leonhardt getting together.
Although he, Dennis, had personal feelings about their "engagement," all of it had gone smoothly...?
"No. It hadn't..."
Leonhardt and Merc Schliegen never got married.
The cause of that was, surely...?
"Ugh...!"
He felt as though he were on the verge of remembering something, but his headache grew worse and he couldn't recall things clearly.
Dennis first focused on grasping the situation.
Time, it seemed, really had been rewound, and everyone was reliving their lives from five years ago.
Next, Dennis wrote down everything he could remember about what had taken place in the Kingdom of Beltsuri.
He had to make effective use of "information from the future".
That said, in the end, it was nothing more than knowledge for the next five years.
"Merc..."
Dennis recalled the woman he had met before time was reversed.
A woman who had cherished his lord and never once looked his way.
Dennis was smart. He had a lot of pride and didn't think much of those who he considered less intelligent than himself.
Despite that, he was able to accept Merc.
Merc was among the top students at the Academy and was one of the few people Dennis actually respected.
They also got along really well.
At times, almost as if she was reciting from a script, she would offer Dennis the very words he had wanted to hear.
And each time they talked, Dennis fell for her even more.
If there was one thing he was dissatisfied with, it was that she had been careful not to get too close to him.
Whenever the distance between him and Merc had closed beyond a certain point, she would suddenly pull away.
As if she was teasing him. She would get close to him, only to pull back out just out of reach.
(If she had taken a single step closer, I would have...)
Dennis often wondered if she might actually feel the same way as him.
But that distance between them never seemed to close.
If only that detestable fiancée of his had not existed.
Before Leonhardt had snatched her away, perhaps Dennis could have made Merc Schliegen his.
He felt crushed whenever he thought that.
"... That woman."
Dennis had a fiancée before.
Misha Treimel, the daughter of a viscount. A woman who had been one of Angelina's entourage.
Before regression, when Angelina was engaged to Crown Prince Leonhardt.
A betrothal had been arranged between the Treimel house, a vassal house under the Schteizen house, and the Colden house.
There was a disparity in ranks between the houses, but Dennis was the third son. His elder brother was likewise excellent, so there was no chance Dennis would inherit the marquess title.
And the betrothal had been arranged with the future in mind.
Dennis, who would support Leonhardt at his side, and Misha, who would support Angelina at hers.
The idea was that the two of them would support the future King and Queen.
But that was not what Dennis wanted.
It wasn't what he desired, and was forced upon him purely for political reasons.
The reason this engagement, which left him with nothing but discontent, was arranged was because of the Schteizen house.
That "wicked woman" who had abused her authority; Angelina Schteizen.
Because Angelina had stuck her nose where it didn't belong, Dennis and Misha had gotten engaged.
He also heard that Misha wanted to marry him so she had asked Angelina to make it happen.
"... How utterly detestable."
That is a reason why Dennis hated his former fiancée, Misha.
It was because before time reversed, "Misha Treimel's" name appeared among those who had bullied Merc.
She had bullied Merc as a member of Angelina's entourage.
That had been a major factor in cornering Angelina, but...
"In the end, Angelina never allowed us to obtain any evidence against her."
Even though Angelina must have harmed Merc, she managed to get away with it without leaving any evidence behind.
In the end, it was concluded that Misha had bullied Merc without anyone instructing her to do so.
Dennis and the others could only question Angelina about how she couldn't control her entourage.
Her inability to control her entourage.
In other words, they could only criticise her for not being fit to be Queen and for lacking administrative skills.
They had publicly announced that Angelina was the ringleader, and that was the reason why her engagement with Leonhardt was broken off.
But it was hardly a fitting end for a wicked woman.
Dennis had wanted to corner Angelina in a more public setting.
He had wanted to expel Angelina from the Academy in front of everyone.
In the end, his wish was granted when Duke Schteizen had her withdraw from the Academy, but...
A lenient punishment, very different from being driven out after being convicted.
To Dennis, Angelina was a detestable presence.
Not just because of his engagement to Misha, but for other reasons too.
His mind, which he took such pride in, had been "tarnished" because of Angelina's existence.
It was during the first semester of the first year when Angelina, Dennis and Merc entered the Academy.
It was neither Dennis nor Merc who had taken the top spot in the final exams, but Angelina.
Dennis had later reclaimed this position.
But the rumour had been that this was because Angelina has been too busy with her queen education.
People said that the outcome would have been different if she had focused on her studies.
As if to say that no matter how well Dennis did, Angelina was always above him.
That had wounded Dennis's pride considerably.
Angelina's very existence had been a "humiliation" to him.
"Damn that Angelina... This time, without fail..."
While writing down his memories of the "future," Dennis set his goals.
First, the first year, first semester exams. To take first place.
Dennis now possessed knowledge about the future, so he was confident he would do well.
Last time, he hadn't been able to get proof that Merc was being bullied, but he was certain he could get it this time.
"No, that's..."
Is that even a problem?, Dennis reconsidered.
And so, Dennis first took immediate action to keep his former fiancée away from him.
This time, he wouldn't enter into an unwanted engagement.
"Hmph! It's jealousy, no doubt... Misha. With this, I'll be free of her."
Through his father, who was both Prime Minister and a marquess, he had a protest lodged with the Treimel Viscount house.
That swiftly resulted in Misha being forbidden from approaching Dennis in the future.
Misha was the one who liked him on her own, used Angelina and forced herself to be his fiancée.
Then, on top of that, she even helped bully Merc. And yet, she never confessed that Angelina was the mastermind.
It would have been too easy to push her away.
If he made use of his future knowledge, he could surely do more things.
"First, I'm going to be the top student in my grade this semester."
Of course, he had considered approaching Merc Schliegen right away and winning her heart.
But this was a chance to erase a major "stain" on his record.
So, Dennis prioritized raising his academic results.
"This time, without fail... I will defeat Angelina."
He already knew what would be on the exam from his future knowledge, but the questions could still be changed.
He would need to prepare more thoroughly than before.
"That's right, I let my guard down last time."
I'm brilliant. That's why even the final exams are a breeze.
I had not thought anyone could outdo me. So that's why.
There's absolutely no way I'm inferior to Angelina.
"... Ah, that's right. And."
He needed to put down a "warning".
Angelina was a wicked woman. That was a fact that he had learnt in the future.
If so, she might resort to underhanded tactics during the final exams.
So Dennis, after entering the Academy, sought the cooperation of a certain person.
"Draught-sensei."
"Hmm?"
The Academy teacher, Niel Draught.
As far as Dennis knew, he had been on Merc's side in the previous timeline.
Conversely, he seemed to harbour a sense of disgust toward Angelina, making him a teacher Dennis could trust.
"Regarding the final exams. I would like you to keep close watch for any 'cheating'."
"... Cheating?"
"Yes. In particular, I'd like you to keep a close eye on Lady Schteizen."
"Schteizen? The Duke's daughter? What for?"
"I've heard a slightly suspicious rumour. That's why."
"Rumour, huh. I think all high-ranking nobles are surrounded by rumours though. Besides...."
Niel looked down at Dennis, exasperated.
"That Duke's daughter looked plenty capable to me even without cheating. She's not gonna do something like that."
"... Pardon?"
Dennis was stunned by those words.
Considering the attitude that Niel Draught had toward Angelina in the past, those words felt impossible.
"'Pardon?' What's that supposed to mean? I've no intention of slacking off while supervising the exam, but to take a rumour at face value and go out of your way to single out one person to put your guard up against... that's too much, Dennis."
"Eh... but... Draught-sensei?"
Dennis could not hide his unease at Niel's attitude. He seemed like a completely different person from the one Dennis knew.
'Could it be that he remembers too?' Dennis suspected; but if he did, then he would sympathise with Dennis and be wary of Angelina.
"Haa... Look, that's enough. You've got something on your mind, don't you? Factions and whatnot. I won't deny those kinds of feelings, but the exams will be conducted fairly. It's not just the Duke's daughter. I won't let any cheating happen, by you or by any other student. This is the Royal Academy, Marquis Colden's son."
"No, that. I, I do understand that, but."
"Right. If you understand, then leave the rest to me. And focus on your own affairs. You don't have time to be sabotaging others, do you?"
And with that, Niel shooed Dennis off with a wave.
"... What in the world is with that teacher."
His attitude was completely different from the one in his memories.
"No, that's right... Not yet."
Niel's attitude toward Angelina had only changed after Merc was bullied.
So at this point in time, Niel's attitude was, perhaps, only natural.
Dennis concluded that although his attitude was dramatically different, Niel Draught did not have memories of the future.
"... Well, whatever."
All that remained was for him to focus on his studies. This time, he would take first place in the first final exam.
And then he would walk the future he had been meant to walk.
With that resolve, he worked hard and took the exam. And when the first semester's final exam ended...
The result was...