Jealousy and Intolerance

Aayla stayed where she was, wondering if she should intervene. She couldn't hear the full conversation. However, the faces that she could see had some unpleasant expressions.

Snide comments quickly turned into aggressive action. The Halcyon students angrily pushed back their chairs to shout at The Butterflies. Those young ladies held their fans in front of their faces like Southern belles to hide their ugly expressions and cruel taunts.

The situation among the minor characters intensified, but the chat between Vanessa, Daren and Chris still seemed calm. With tightened expressions, Vanessa and Chris exchanged backhanded comments. Daren remained neutral while keeping an eye on their friends.

A ring of students formed around the bickering groups. While the surrounding tables tried to sneak away, the other tables tried to get closer to see what was going on.

At this point, Aayla knew that she was probably going to get involved. She frowned. Situations involving The Butterflies could get tricky. A tiny object poked her back. When Aayla turned, a curtain held a question card with a golden star. That was the final question of the night.

"Good thinking, Dormi! Let's stop the game early tonight."

Once again, the horrible knife-on-glass noise blasted from the windows. Several Butterflies shrieked in pain. The silent observers and the arguing students put their hands on their ears in pain. Dormi really knew how to get a crowd's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the final question. Please get ready, because this next question is worth a total of 50 points. As a gentle reminder, the kitchen will close soon so be sure to get your food within the next 30 minutes."

Several students gave Aayla an appreciative look. Few would intervene with The Butterflies. It's best to end the game and shut everything down. Who cares about the lost questions? Extra bragging rights from the trivia game wasn't worth getting caught up in the aftermath of a Butterfly-related conflict.

The Butterflies disdainfully sniffed and backed off. There was no point arguing and leaving a bad impression for a game that would be ending soon. Vanessa sharply glared one last time at Chris before she turned to Daren with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Is it so late already? Have a wonderful evening Sir Forolan. The girls and I need to have our dinner. Please let me know when you have some time for us to catch up."

Corrine's eyes flashed. House arrest clearly allowed Vanessa to regain some of her wits and calm. That was not good for Corrine. The conservatives wanted her to recover her prestige. City Lord Landrienne and their allies wanted Vanessa quietly replaced.

Unlike them, Corrine wanted Vanessa destroyed and publicly humiliated. Simply replacing her wasn't enough. That witch could still have an excellent political marriage abroad and live in luxury. Corrine would never accept that.

She couldn't stand the undeservedly arrogant Eldest Young Lady of the second Landrienne Main Family. Corrine had the talent, yet Vanessa always had the best for simply being born. Vanessa had isolated and bullied many others, even in the conservative class, for being a lesser rank than her.

The current Landrienne City Lord cared about the family's reputation and the conservative faction's reaction, but Corrine secretly had no such qualms. Vanessa would never accept it if a vassal married into the Landriennes. That witch would undoubtedly isolate Corrine in the social circle. To make things worse, her father was at the top of the list to become the next City Lord. For Corrine to marry the future City Lord, the second family had to fall.

A subtle smile flit across Corrine's face. The first step of many was to push Vanessa further towards the edge of the abyss. She subtly eyed the girl reading the final trivia question as The Butterflies strutted towards the exit.

"Ah, so she was hosting the game night," Corrine murmured just loudly enough for Vanessa to hear. "Doesn't look like anything special."

Vanessa followed Corrine's line of sight, and saw Aayla Glowery reading the final question. So that was the vixen hanging around her fiancé. Vanessa's hand clenched around the ornate fan in her hand. Her brows wrinkled in disgust. Still, she walked gracefully towards the exit.

Her dorm room arrest seemed to do Vanessa some good after all. Ever since the first semester, Vanessa went from a Daren Forolan fan girl to a fanatic stalker. She was still crazy, no doubt about it, but it had returned to a simmer rather than a full rolling boil.

Nevertheless, the cracks in her façade and reputation remained. Her previously restrained temper started to boil again. The fan in her hand snapped in half.

Like the whispers of the devil, a delicate voice continued right beside her. "Tch. Such an excellent opportunity for Lady Landrienne to build her relationship with Sir Forolan was wasted because of that girl. How convenient for Sir Vear."

Fury exploded in Vanessa's mind. Of course! Only meddlesome lower-class idiot would allow a random woman around her fiancé. He would do anything to break them apart. That was why that vixen dared to be so bold.

Hmph. Vanessa couldn't beat the master, but she could beat the dog. Rage warped her face as Vanessa turned on her heals and stomped towards Aayla. She was clearly on a warpath. Corrine brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. A small ring flashed on her finger.

"Lady Landrienne?! Is something the matter?" Corrine questioned with an innocent, puzzled expression.

Vanessa didn't notice her words, but The Butterflies did. In fact, Corrine's weak voice seemed to weave its way throughout the entire dining hall. Many turned their heads towards The Butterflies as they turned to follow Vanessa.

"YOU F**KING WH**E! STAY AWAY FROM MY FUTURE HUSBAND!"

Before anyone could react, Vanessa grabbed a glass and threw it at Aayla. Shocked, Aayla barely dodged it in time. The glass shattered on the wall. That signaled several students to yelp in fear and run out of the dining hall. The tables around Aayla cleared out in seconds.

"Ms. Landrienne, stop immediately or you will be stopped with force."

"Please, Lady Landrienne, your image! As the bride to be –" Corrine tried to quietly advise her before Vanessa pushed her away.

Corrine was dramatically 'pushed' into the concerned Enid. She shivered in fright as she clutched onto Enid's arms. Enid tried to push her off, but Corrine refused to let her go. The young lady started to hiccup with reddened eyes.

"Please, Miss- Miss Heriot! Lady Landrienne's gone crazy for some reason! You're the only one who can stop her."

Corrine let go a few seconds later, but Enid had already lost her best chance. Vanessa had gathered mana in her hand. A fireball shot towards Aayla. She kicked over a table and ducked behind it.

Other residents screamed and flooded out of the room. The sea of fleeing residents swept away those who tried to help and calm the scene. The Butterflies were stupefied. Sure, that little homewrecker was getting what she deserved, but they were losing all of their face! If Aayla knew what they were thinking, she would loudly protest. Daren wasn't taken and she didn't want him.

Aside from Enid, none dared to step in. They quietly comforted Corrine and discussed whether they should find Marc or let this play out. More than just Corrine had impure motives. Her hand hid a crafty smile.

"What in the Celestials' name are you doing, Ms. Landrienne!" One of the remaining onlookers shouted. "Attacking with magic on campus is prohibited! Do you want to piss off the University and the Student Council?"

Vanessa sneered and mana gathered in her hand again. She could handle a mere commoner from a subsidiary of the Student Council with her status. Unfortunately, Vanessa misjudged the situation in two ways. One, Aayla was officially appointed by the president as the chair of the Residence Council, making her a full Student Council member. Two, the residence hall had an outdated but still very effective defense system.

Within milliseconds her angry roars turned into a terrified screech. The curtains wrapped around her like a snake and lifted her in the air. With most of the residents out of the hall, Dormi had more freedom to act. Vanessa really should have believed the rumors about the first move in day.

Aayla rubbed her temples as she staired at the ruined table. A blond-haired young man entered the dining hall. He blankly stared at the struggling cocoon suspended in the air. The remaining students filtered out of the room except for the pair.

"Nice for you to join us now that the action is over."

"Yeah, sorry. I had to take Daren away just in case that woman went full on ballistic… What is that thing?"

"Oh, that?" Aayla pointed to the struggling cocoon of curtains. "That would be Vanessa Landrienne wrapped in curtains. Dormi-style."

"Are you alright, Ms. Glowery?"

"I should be. Could you call security? I need to find Nurse Rouse."

Trouble never seemed to stop for Aayla. Why did this psycho attack her out of the blue?