Chapter 2 Disguised as a Male
Without hesitation, Aether grabbed the scissors and hacked off her waist-length hair, cutting it short above her ears. Still unsatisfied, she chopped it even shorter.
Time was tight, and the Fabled Four were closing in, so she didn’t bother styling it. The result was a jagged, uneven mess. Then, she buried all the discarded hair.
Fortunately, Aether had worn unisex casual clothes for the abduction. It was neutral enough to pass as male attire.
She took out her phone and unlocked it with facial recognition. After turning on the camera, she stared at her reflection and saw the heavy, dramatic makeup covering her face.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a bottle of makeup remover and wiped everything off. Only then did she realize that she was looking at her own face. So that was what she looked like with makeup on. She hadn’t even recognized herself.
Mostly, it was because she had lipstick smeared beyond her lips and way too much contour. And her eyes—loaded with eyeshadow, eyeliner, and false lashes—had looked unnaturally large and glittery. They were nothing like her real features.
Her natural appearance was now more apparent. She had an oval face, delicate arched eyebrows, cat-like eyes, slightly upturned nose, and thin lips.
Aether got up, ready to leave. She would need to go to a hair salon first to get her hair sorted out.
But before she could get far, someone called out, “Stop right there.”
She froze, too nervous to move. Out here in this desolate place, every encounter with the Fabled Four would result in her death.
Now, whether she stayed or ran, she was screwed either way. After all, the man had a gun. One shot, and it’d be over for her.
The footsteps behind her grew closer.
Aether panicked and blurted, “D-Dude, I’m just passing through. I came to visit my family’s grave. I don’t know anything, I swear.”
“Did I say that you did?”
His response stunned her into silence. By then, the man had already stepped in front of her, and their eyes met.
The man before her looked refined and gentlemanly, yet there was a cold, distant air about him. He had an untouchable presence, almost like a deity.
Individually, his features were unremarkable, but together, they formed a strikingly handsome face. His posture was rigid, his expression solemn, radiating melancholy and depth.
For a brief moment, his looks genuinely stunned her—until his glacier-like gaze triggered a ripple of inexplicable fear through her chest.
Since Wesley, Neil, and Zachary had already killed her, the man before her could only be Russell Harper, Rosvenia’s next ruler.
He was so tall that he had to bend slightly to meet her gaze. He locked his eyes onto her as if trying to see right through her.
“What are you so nervous about?” he asked.
Aether instinctively took two steps back, guilt gnawing at her. She frantically shook her head and scrambled to explain, “I-I’m not nervous. I-I just thought that you were going to rob me.”
“Really?”
“Yes!” She feigned confidence. “You sounded so aggressive just now.”
“Your voice sounds familiar.”
Just four simple words, yet they sent Aether’s heart straight into her throat.
Russell brushed his fingers against her neck. Aether was so nervous that the veins on her neck popped, and she started to tremble.
“Where’s your Adam’s apple?” Russell asked.
Aether couldn’t handle the pressure of his probing gaze. Afraid of slipping up, she abandoned all pretense and immediately ducked past him and power-walked away.
Russell didn’t chase after her. He simply observed her skittishness and, for a moment, seemed to take a bit of amusement in it.
After she finally managed to escape safely from Russell, the mechanical voice sounded again.
[Congratulations on completing the side mission. You have successfully escaped danger.]
[Main mission unlocked: Increase the main cast’s favorability to the maximum, and you will be able to return to the real world.]
“The main cast? You mean the female lead and the Fabled Four?”
[Yes.]
“The female lead’s favor should be easy to raise, but the Fabled Four are so violent and distrustful of everyone. Can I really win them over?”
[That’s your challenge to solve. Only by maxing out the main cast’s favorability will I be able to send you back.]
“Fine. So what’s the main cast’s current favorability level?”
[The female lead, Gloria Anderson’s favorability: 0. The Fabled Four’s favorability: -100.]
“Can there be negative favorability?”
[Yes.]
Aether felt a bit deflated. She aimlessly wandered down the bustling street, speaking to the system in her mind.
“According to the setting here, does that mean that you’re the system?”
[You could say that.]
“Since you’re the system, can you give me a new identity in this world so I can approach them as a male?”
[You have a student ID in your bag. Tomorrow, just go to the corresponding class and enroll as a transfer student.]
Aether pulled out the student ID to study it.
“Low-tier, Class F, Aether Blair.”
At Imperialism Royal Academy, students were divided into different tiers, and the treatment they received varied greatly depending on which classes they were in.
Overall, the classification was based on three factors—family background, social status, and contribution to Rosvenia. The classes ranged from highest to lowest: Top-tier Class S, Super Class A, Advanced Class B, Intermediate Class C, Lower Class D, and Low-tier Class F. There were a total of six classes.
Class S originally had five students, including Aether. However, after she harmed the female lead, the Fabled Four turned against her, leading to her fall from grace. Now, Class S only had four members left—all of whom were the Fabled Four.
Those from Class S could bully anyone below them at will, and all students beneath Class S had to obey them without question.
In Rosvenia, a country where social hierarchy and class distinctions were deeply ingrained, the class system was not only reasonable and legal but also commonplace.
The novel’s female lead, Gloria Anderson, came from a poor family, so she was assigned to Class F. However, no one dared to bully her since the Fabled Four protected her.
Naturally, a few couldn’t stand Gloria and tried to cause trouble, but most would face collective retaliation from the Fabled Four.
Aether made a trip to the hair salon. After getting her hair fixed, she bought a few loose-fitting male outfits. Finally, she went to a lingerie store. When the staff looked at her oddly, she explained, “They’re for my girlfriend.”
Once she bought the bandeau, she booked a room at a hotel and prepared to report for school the next day.
…
The next day, Aether arrived at school without any trouble. Standing at the podium in Class F, she began to introduce herself.
“Hello everyone, I’m Aether Blair. The name Aether is inspired by ‘ether’. My dad loved playing the Theremin, often called an ‘ether instrument’, but he passed away before I was born. So, in his memory, my mom named me Aether.”
Aether had introduced herself earnestly, using her real backstory despite this being a new identity. She felt that there was nothing she couldn’t face anymore. It was all in the past, so she could speak about it openly.
But the class only erupted in jeers.
“Oh, so your dad loved playing the Theremin? Do you know how to play one, too? Why don’t you play a song for the girls?”
“You were born right after he died? Damn. Are you some kind of jinx?”
“Wait, if your mom got pregnant after he kicked it, then who’s your real dad? I can’t believe she named you after him when she’s married to a new guy.”
