The Villain Professor's Second Chance

"Of course, only Draven," Amberine muttered under her breath as she stomped down the corridor, her fiery red hair bouncing with each step. "Only the great, perfect Draven could do it. It's not like anyone else matters."

Ifrit stirred beneath her robe, sensing her growing frustration. "Amberine, you know you're letting this get to you more than it should," he whispered, his voice calm but with a touch of concern.

Amberine snorted. "Of course it's getting to me! All they ever do is sing his praises. Like he's some kind of savior." Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "I can't stand it."

As she turned the corner, still mumbling under her breath, she heard someone call her name. She stopped in her tracks and turned to see a university staff member, an older man with graying hair and a stern expression, making his way toward her.

"Amberine," he said as he approached, his tone clipped. "I need to speak with you about your tuition."

Amberine frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion. "My tuition? I thought I applied for the university's scholarship program."

The man's expression didn't soften. "That's exactly the issue. Your tuition for this semester hasn't been paid yet."

Amberine's heart skipped a beat. She had been relying on the scholarship—counting on it, really. Her grades were excellent, far better than most, and she had assumed she would be a shoe-in for the financial aid. She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a strangled, "What?"

The staff member sighed, clearly unimpressed with her reaction. "You haven't paid your tuition, and we're already well into the semester. If you don't settle the matter soon, you will be expelled from the university."

Expelled. The word hit her like a slap to the face. She stared at the man, her mind racing. "But… I applied for the scholarship. I have better grades than most of the students here—better than the son of that minor noble, what's his name—Lenard! He got a scholarship, and I didn't?

That doesn't make sense! How could someone like him—?"

The staff member raised a hand to cut her off. "I understand you're upset, but there's nothing we can do. Scholarships are based on more than just grades."

Amberine's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you saying I didn't get it because I'm not a noble? Because I'm just a commoner?"

He gave her a pointed look but didn't respond. His silence was answer enough.

Amberine's temper flared again, her chest tightening with a mix of anger and frustration. "This is ridiculous! I've worked harder than half the people here! I—"

"Enough," the man said sharply. "You need to either pay your tuition or leave the university. Those are your options."

Amberine's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find the words to respond. She couldn't afford the tuition, not without the scholarship. She had barely scraped by paying for rent, food, and books. There was no way she could come up with that kind of money. Panic began to creep into her chest.

Then, a sudden thought hit her like a lightning bolt.

Draven.

Her eyes narrowed, and a deep scowl crossed her face. Of course. This had to be Draven's doing. She remembered the way he had coldly admitted to killing her father, the way he had stood there, emotionless, as if it didn't matter at all. This was his way of sabotaging her, of making sure she would fail. He was her thesis supervisor, after all.

He had the power to pull strings behind the scenes.

Ifrit's voice whispered in her ear. "Amberine, don't jump to conclusions. You don't know if it's him."

But she wasn't listening. She was too angry, too caught up in the idea that Draven was pulling the strings to ruin her future. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as her scowl deepened. "Of course it's him," she muttered. "He's always had it out for me."

Before she could say another word, a second staff member came rushing down the hallway, his face flushed and his breathing heavy. He skidded to a halt in front of the man Amberine had been arguing with and leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

Amberine watched as the man's face went pale. He swallowed hard, casting a nervous glance in her direction before straightening up. "It seems there's been… an update," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Please follow me to the office."

Amberine frowned, suspicious but intrigued. She followed him through the twisting hallways of the university until they reached a small, private office tucked away in a quiet corner. The man gestured for her to sit down, and she did, her impatience bubbling just beneath the surface.

He cleared his throat awkwardly before placing a thick envelope on the desk in front of her. "It appears," he began, choosing his words carefully, "that you've been awarded a full sponsorship for your tuition."

Amberine blinked, her mind struggling to process what she had just heard. "What?"

The man nodded quickly, his hands fidgeting nervously. "Yes, a full sponsorship. It's… quite a significant amount. One hundred million Elnes, to be exact."

Amberine's jaw dropped. "A hundred million Elnes?" she repeated in disbelief. "That's enough to buy ten houses!"

She reached for the envelope with shaking hands, her heart pounding in her chest. There was no way this could be real. She had applied for financial aid, sure, but she had only expected to get enough to cover her tuition for the next few years. Ten million, maybe. But a hundred million? It was far more than she had ever imagined.

Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of it. Who could have given her this kind of money? She glanced up at the staff member, who looked like he would rather be anywhere but in that room.

"Who gave me this?" she asked, her voice suspicious.

The man's face paled even further. "It was… anonymous."

Amberine narrowed her eyes. "You're lying. You know who it is."

He swallowed nervously. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. The donor insisted on remaining anonymous."

Amberine's mind whirled with possibilities, but she knew—deep down, she knew—who was behind this. It had to be Draven. Who else could have this kind of money, this kind of influence? It made no sense otherwise. But why would he give her this money after everything that had happened? After admitting to killing her father?

She wanted to press further, but the man's expression made it clear that he wasn't going to say another word. Frustrated, but too stunned to argue, she grabbed the envelope and stood up from the desk.

Without another word, she stormed out of the office, her mind still spinning as she clutched the envelope tightly in her hand.

___

Amberine practically floated out of the university, her steps light as a feather as she made her way to the bank. The hundred million Elnes sponsorship weighed heavily in her mind, but for now, all she could think about was withdrawing a small part of it. A million Elnes would be more than enough to cover her rent and other expenses for a long time, and she was eager to get her hands on it.

When she arrived at the university bank, she handed the envelope over to the teller, her heart racing with excitement. The teller raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any questions as she processed the request.

After a few moments, the teller returned with a large stack of cash, all neatly bundled in crisp notes. Amberine's eyes widened as she stared at the pile of money in front of her. She had never seen so much cash in her life.

"One million Elnes, as requested," the teller said, sliding the stack of money across the counter.

Amberine could barely contain her excitement as she stuffed the cash into her bag, a wide grin spreading across her face. She thanked the teller and practically skipped out of the bank, her heart pounding with exhilaration.

As soon as she stepped outside, she threw her arms up in the air and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I'M RICH, BABY!"

Heads turned, but Amberine didn't care. For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't worried about money. She wasn't worried about rent or tuition or anything else. She was rich—well, rich enough for her, anyway—and for now, that was all that mattered.

As she walked through the streets, her grin never faded, and for the first time in a long time, Amberine felt like maybe—just maybe—things were starting to look up.

And once again, she opened her arms wide, and shouted the same line.

"I'M RICH BABYYYYYYY!!!!"