I Start with a Bad Hand!

‘She’s harassing me now that I’ve quit the student council, coming all the way here to pick a fight.’

Turning around, I saw Aiden and his group approaching, wooden swords in hand.

“So you ranked first this time? Looks like you barely passed the archery standards, huh?”

I glanced at my target. The arrows I had shot in sequence from 1 to 8 were indeed haphazardly scattered across the target. It seemed he was indeed speaking to me.

The distance from the training ground to the archery range was quite long, indicating that Aiden had walked all this way just to start a quarrel. His dedication to such petty disputes was almost admirable.

He continued to provoke me when I didn’t respond.

“I bet I could shoot better than that right now.”

“Really?”

I was about to casually agree and move on, but then Aiden blocked my path as I tried to pass him and his group.

“Didn’t get that, did you?”

“…What?”

“How someone who shoots like that managed to pass the midterm and rank first is beyond me.”

“Hmm…”

“Right.”

I shrugged off his hand from my shoulder and replied. Aiden, undeterred, continued to needle me.

“You somehow managed second place in the entrance exam under dubious circumstances, quit the student council under a cloud. It’s strange that someone with your skills passed the exam.”

It was irritating how he brought up past issues as if they were some grand revelation, especially since he had been present during my previous explanations. To bring his whole crew over just to say something so trivial was rather pathetic.

“You’re right.”

“What?”

But as usual, my annoyance outweighed my irritation. I decided to let it slide. He looked serious at my response, but I shrugged.

“Well, you might think so. Next time, why don’t you come and watch the exam? See for yourself whether I pass or fail.”

Honestly, I don’t really see how my past or my archery skills are related. Ha. I laughed and brushed past Aiden. However, he seemed a bit flustered by my words and soon blocked my path again, speaking irritably.

“What do you mean they’re not related? In that entrance exam you…”

But he glanced somewhere and suddenly shut his mouth.

‘The entrance exam? What’s with him bringing it up all the time?’

Something felt off, so I frowned at him, but he just grinned without saying anything further. Instead, he continued to hold onto my shoulder, refusing to let go.

“You’re unsure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m not confident.”

I pushed his chest with my chin, causing him to stagger backward, his feet tangling. A snicker from someone in the crowd made his face turn red. However, it seemed he couldn’t just back down; he started jeering in a new way.

“Archery actually suits you well.”

What was he trying to say now? I took off my protective gear while looking down at Aiden, who was still on the ground.

“Lacking in spirit and everything. Just always hiding behind others and running away, it seems you’ve chosen a discipline that fits you perfectly. Right?”

Aiden, trying to hide his embarrassment, spoke louder. His friends gathered around, catching the cue, laughed uproariously. At that moment, cutting through the chaos, someone quietly spoke up.

“I’ve been listening for a while now… Do you think archery is a joke?”

“…What?”

The student looked around in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. I too turned, taken aback by the unexpected intervention, and saw it was a student from the archery club, someone I had barely spoken to. Not just him, but all the club members looked displeased as they stared at the student.

‘Why are they suddenly…’

“Saying you could shoot better than someone who’s practiced for months, even though you’ve never properly held a bow. And now you call others cowards for hiding… I can’t stand listening anymore.”

It became clear then.

‘No, they’re not standing up because of me.’

The archery club, the least popular among the academy students, consisted of those like me who had no other options for some reason, or true die-hards. Naturally, any die-hard would be infuriated if their beloved sport was demeaned as something ‘only cowards do,’ or if someone who hadn’t even properly held a bow claimed they could do better.

‘They can tolerate disregard for Dietrich, but not for archery.’ That seemed to be written on their faces.

The argument took a bizarre turn. What had been a simple training session for the archery club turned into a widespread dispute when the fencers from the training ground swarmed in. It escalated into a fight between the archery and fencing clubs. I slipped away quietly while they argued over who could shoot or which team to form.

‘Good thing I stayed out of it.’

But why did he say there was something dubious about my entrance exam score? Ridiculous. As these thoughts crossed my mind, I heard the patter of footsteps behind me. The person seemed to pass by but then blocked my way.

It appeared that even the Second Prince had been watching the commotion. I relaxed my tense expression and stared blankly at him.

“Where are you going?”

“Rehearsal room.”

“A script?”

“Yes.”

“Prince, you need to come by later too. We still have to practice.” Although I wasn’t thrilled about his arrival, once Icarus had committed to a role, there was no escaping it.

If he or anyone else dropped out, we’d be doomed! We were already half-failed, but if anyone else left, the rest would surely collapse!

Seeing the intensity in my gaze, he nodded in understanding, then unexpectedly took my equipment from me. Matching my slow pace, he walked backwards. Just as I was about to ask for it back, he brought up something unexpected.

“You could shoot well, couldn’t you?”

Icarus’s voice was full of amusement. However, I pretended not to understand and replied,

“Being the center of attention like that doesn’t suit me.”

I’m a humble person and I absolutely despise being set up like that. As I cringed, he chuckled. But then, his gaze shifted past me, and his expression hardened slightly. Leaning in, he whispered quietly,

“Enough to be okay with being called a coward?”

“Does what others say about me really make me who I am?”

Although it was true. I gave up on getting my equipment back and responded to his statement. He laughed shortly, and seeing him laugh, I thought momentarily, ‘So he can laugh like that.’

“Still, take it easy on me next time.”

Otherwise, it’ll keep being a nuisance. Really needs to confirm that he’s worse before he can relax. He spoke and then suddenly stopped walking. I, walking without looking and bumping into him, followed his gaze as he stopped talking. Behind me…

“Brother.”

The original male protagonist, Prince Elius in training clothes, was standing there.

He approached the Second Prince directly without even glancing at me. Icarus’s lips curled into a smile as if his serious demeanor had never existed. Elius just nodded slightly.

‘So he calls him brother.’

In the past as well, their sibling relationship seemed not as bad as I thought. Not good, just not as bad. In the original story, since there was little mention of Icarus, I assumed they were somewhat distant…

It seemed like the right time to step aside. I retrieved my belongings from Icarus’s hand and vigorously winked to signal him to come to the rehearsal room.

“Well… you know? Anyway, I should get going now.”

“Alright. See you in a bit.”

I nodded casually and hurriedly moved on, feeling a sticky gaze following me, whose it was, I couldn’t tell.

***

What is this unsettling feeling?

For the past few days, a strange sensation had enveloped me. Perhaps it was the relentless rain adding to the humidity, but it wasn’t just that; there were a series of slightly irritating occurrences that nagged at me like minor disputes at the archery range—not infuriating, but annoyingly persistent.

It felt as if someone had leaked my personal information, and now I was receiving spam calls five times a day—a lingering, uncomfortable feeling. As my leg throbbed, I leaned on the corridor wall, walking gingerly. Rain pattered against the windows outside.

‘Is it because it’s broken? It always feels worse when it rains.’

I grimaced as I carefully navigated the damp hallway. Approaching the staircase, I cautiously held the railing and began my descent.

“Ah.”

Focused solely on the steps, I hadn’t noticed someone coming up from the opposite direction. When I looked up, I momentarily caught my breath at the sight of a strikingly handsome man gazing down at me.

‘Uh…’

In this academy, if it wasn’t Hayden, then it could only be the male protagonist. Yet, again, I quickly averted my gaze from him, realizing there was nothing good in getting involved with him.

“…Your Highness.”

I bowed my head in greeting, and he looked at me impassively. Just as I was about to pass him, I tried to alter my path due to his proximity, but the dampness on the narrow stairs made my foot slip.

“Whoa!”

My body wavered and tilted forward. However, thanks to a year of rigorous firewood chopping and subsequent archery club activities, my left arm was strong enough to grab onto the staircase railing.

But it wasn’t just the railing that was caught. The chill from the hand that grasped my waist seeped through my uniform, sending a shiver up my spine.

“Be careful.”

Elius whispered firmly into my ear as he steadied me. The sudden accident made my hands tense up, quickly becoming sweaty. Just as I relaxed and was about to ease the tension in my arm—

“If you don’t want to find yourself tumbling down again due to poor behavior…”

He too released his supporting hand. His voice was as cold as the chill that had touched me, resonating beside my ear.