Feeling that hand lingering on her waist, the red-haired girl felt her mental fortitude crumbling. She was on the verge of breaking character.

  Fortunately, she managed to stabilize at the last second. Gritting her teeth and suppressing the wave of revulsion, she maintained her facade of a nervous commoner. "I... I grew up poor, and..."

  Eros almost burst out laughing at her performance, but he held it in. He slapped her shoulder with grand bravado. "Say no more! Follow me from now on, and I'll make sure you eat your fill every day. Look at how starved you are!"

  "No... No thank you!" the girl blurted out. Is he serious? Work for this perverted creep who’s probably into guys? Not a chance!

  "Don't be modest! It’s settled! I'm your Boss from today on!" Eros declared, leaving no room for argument.

  I’m doomed... The red-haired girl felt like she was chewing on broken glass. Her mission was going smoothly—why did such an eccentric freak have to ruin it? What irritated her most was that she had to maintain her "low-key undercover" persona, which meant she couldn't just punch him through the wall.

  Across the room, Undine watched Eros laughing and talking with the scrawny male student. She felt a twinge of confusion. Did Eros know this 'Thomas' from before? Impossible.

  Just then, Prince Saliba walked into the classroom. His eyes scanned the room before locking onto Undine. He marched straight toward the seat Undine had reserved for Eros next to her.

  The moment Undine saw him approaching, her expression twisted with undisguised disgust. She stood up immediately and headed toward Eros. Saliba’s eyes narrowed into slits, but he remained silent. His lackeys, however, weren't as patient.

  "That Undine really thinks too highly of herself," one muttered. "Exactly. It’s her blessing that His Highness even looks her way."

  Undine reached Eros, who was still acting all buddy-buddy with the "boy." Her tone was sharp with irritation. "Thomas, right? I want to swap seats with you."

  It wasn't a request; it was an order. But the red-haired girl didn't look offended at all. On the contrary, she looked overjoyed. She scrambled out of Eros’s reach instantly. Praise the Goddess! Finally, away from that creep! She grabbed her things and bolted to the other side of the room.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Eros sighed, looking a bit disappointed. Undine sat down beside him, her face full of questions. "Is there something wrong with that person?"

  Eros saw no reason to hide the truth from her. "Remember that red-haired woman I told you about two months ago?"

  Undine recalled the day. Eros had pointed out a strikingly beautiful red-haired woman in an alley. "What does she have to do with Thomas?"

  "Everything. I’m betting that woman is her sister!" Eros stroked his chin thoughtfully.

  "How can you tell?"

  "They look almost identical." Eros’s use of the word "her" caught Undine’s attention.

  She leaned in, whispering urgently, "Are you saying Thomas is actually a girl?"

  "Exactly. She’s used some high-level illusion to disguise herself as a boy. My guess? She’s not with the Three Great Churches. Otherwise, there'd be no need for such a elaborate cover-up."

  "If you knew she was a girl, why were you so touchy-feely with her?" Undine’s voice dropped an octave, her fingers creeping toward Eros’s waist. He probably saw how pretty she was and decided to take liberties! She gave him a sharp, painful pinch.

  Eros hissed in pain. "I was just trying to see if I could recruit her! Since she’s not with the Churches, she could become our... accomplice." He paused, correcting himself, "I mean, companion! Companion!"

  Undine narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Are you sure it’s not just because she’s pretty?"

  "How could that be? No matter how pretty she is, she can't hold a candle to Sister Undine," Eros flattered her with a dry laugh.

  Undine huffed, tilting her chin up proudly. "At least you have some taste."

  Shortly after, a priest in golden-yellow robes entered to teach Level 2 Spells. As the priest droned on, Eros felt his mind wandering.

  The material was "bargain-bin" universal magic that his family elders had already taught him. Besides, with a "Compressed Skill Pack" in his head ranging from Level 1 to Forbidden Curses and Divine Arts, he found these basic spells utterly beneath him.

  He began looking around the room, feeling like he was back in his high school days in his past life. Eventually, his gaze drifted to Saliba. The Prince was staring at him with a bizarre, possessive intensity.

  Eros found it baffling. Undine has made her hatred so obvious. Does this blue-haired brat have zero self-awareness?

  Seeing Eros notice him, Saliba wrote something on a piece of paper and held it up. "Follow me after class."

  Eros blinked, confused by what the "Blue-Hair" was planning. Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of him. After class, he followed Saliba to a secluded corner of the campus. Saliba dismissed his guards and looked Eros in the eye.

  "Give Undine to me, and I will help you become the next Duke of the Rose."

  Eros actually let out a chuckle. "You’re trying to make me laugh. Congratulations, you succeeded."

  Sensing the dripping sarcasm, Saliba’s face darkened, but he pressed on. "I know you are the legitimate heir. Even without my help, the title would likely be yours."