NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Plan
This wasn't Kael's first time dealing with the privileged child of someone important.
Back when he was Lucas Gray, he'd had a run-in with the son of a city councilman—another rising star in the military track.
Back then, the bastard who picked on him was also older, bigger, and a senior.
So this? This shouldn't be that difficult. Right?
First off, a direct confrontation would be reckless.
Physically outmatched and outnumbered, Kael knew rushing in would only get him beaten again.
So he aimed for something more vulnerable—something bound to shatter: pride.
It had been harder to pull such tricks as Lucas. But as Kael? No security cameras. No hyper-regulated cleaning staff schedules like back on Earth.
So when he told Ellaria to sneak into Gideon's classroom, snatch his uniform, and dump it into a public trash bin where everyone could see it, Kael knew it would hit hard.
A third-year battle simulation class was happening at the time. The professor normally assigned to that room was busy supervising elsewhere. Even if someone spotted Ellaria, they'd just assume she was a maid collecting her master's belongings.
No one would report it.
Professors rarely got involved in student disputes anyway.
If Kael had one regret, it was not being there to see Gideon's face when he found his uniform dumped like trash by an unknown hand.
Next up?
Discrediting.
Kael crafted fake identities, wrote anonymous notes, and scattered criticism across the bulletin—comments that painted Gideon as someone already hated, someone anyone could have lashed out at.
It would've been easier if this world had internet or social media.
But the academy had something close enough.
The Advocacy Board.
Usually, it was used by students to lodge complaints about professors. And one name appeared on it often—Vanessa.
That woman...
In The Heavenly Bond, Vanessa was eventually a side heroine. She could fall in love with Samael (though the student-teacher thing was always a little odd), and the player had the choice to bind her or not.
Regardless, in both worlds, Vanessa had a rep as a strict teacher who was feared and hated by many.
Always stylish—stockings, tight blouse, hair dyed a new shade every week—but with a cold and sharp tongue that rubbed people the wrong way.
Well, now she wasn't the only one making waves on that board.
Kael timed his posts carefully.
Sometimes every other day. Sometimes three days apart. Sometimes once a week.
This was a long game. He took a week to prepare, and another month to execute.
And on the night before his final strike on Gideon, someone knocked on his dorm door.
Kael and Ellaria exchanged a look.
"Were you expecting someone, Young Master?"
"Do I look like someone who expects visitors?"
After a pause, Ellaria went to open the door—only to freeze.
Kael stiffened too.
He'd assumed Gideon might've pieced everything together. Maybe he'd solved Kael's little puzzle before Kael could finish placing the last piece.
But the one standing there… wasn't Gideon.
It was someone who, by all logic, shouldn't have anything to do with Kael's revenge.
Or maybe she did.
"Is… is Lord Vyle in?"
It was Thalia Greymore.
#
Ellaria showed Thalia in and quietly retreated to the kitchen to brew tea.
As an academy filled with noble brats, this place had absurdly spacious dorms.
Even a single room was closer to a full apartment.
Lavish, over-the-top… but convenient. Especially when Kael didn't want to greet guests in the same room he slept in.
Not when the guest was Thalia Greymore.
Unlike her Fated Ones, Gideon, Thalia was a significant character.
In most timelines, Gideon would die after saving one of the heroines.
Thalia, left behind, had two choices: take a vow of celibacy—or find an unbound partner, which was practically impossible.
In this world, everyone was meant to be paired.
If she tried to forge a new Bond, she'd risk stealing someone else's Fated Ones. That meant any future bond she formed would be monitored by the Main Cathedral.
Unless, of course, it was with Samael—who could bond with as many people as he liked.
"I'm not really interested in touching you," Kael said plainly.
Thalia blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You're here because of the rumors, aren't you?" Kael shrugged. "Well, I'm not apologizing. Your beloved already gave me more than enough of a 'lesson'." He held up his mutilated right hand—what was left of his thumb.
Thalia gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "That's …"
"A gift from our dearest Gideon Halbrecht," Kael smirked.
Just then, Ellaria returned with two cups of tea. Speaking Gideon's name always left a bitter taste in Kael's mouth. He needed something warm to wash it down.
"I … I'm sorry." Thalia lowered her gaze.
"For what?"
"For what… Gideon did. I told you, the rumors never bothered me. Especially because…"
"Because they came from a liar?"
She looked at him. "I genuinely thought it was all just a joke."
Kael let out a dry chuckle. "I know someone whose mother was called a whore for a joke. He reacted with something almost as vile as what Gideon did to me.
"So it's a bit baffling to hear you, the actual subject of the joke, brushing it off like… what? A joke?" He shook his head. "How noble you are."
Thalia stayed quiet, and Kael clicked his tongue in irritation.
Not clear enough?
He slammed a hand on the table, voice sharp. "Drop the phony politeness and tell me—what do you want from me?"
Thalia stared back, defiant. After a pause, she finally answered.
"I know it was you. You wrote all those awful things about Gideon."
And as if on cue, amidst the chaos in his head, Kael heard the mechanical ding of the system:
[[Requirements to activate Love Meter on Thalia Greymore fulfilled]
[Current Love Meter: Thalia Greymore – 8%]