Narrator: After lunch, Dav headed to his room, a large 50 m2 suite with a balcony overlooking the city and a well-furnished sitting area.

  He made sure to tidy up the room, removing any trace of disorder, before making his way toward the library.

  He also had to take out the trash—a routine that allowed him to maintain a semblance of normalcy in his day.

  Dav: It seems like the other students don’t understand that a little bit of order helps keep things under control.

  But if I were like them, I wouldn’t be able to stay calm for even a moment.

  Narrator: Most students had smaller rooms, ranging from 15 to 20 m2, but those for nobles and the elite were significantly more spacious, reaching up to 45 m2.

  Yet even those rooms were not a refuge from one's thoughts, Dav reflected as he walked down the corridors toward the library.

  As he entered, the sight of Valeria Moretti and Lucrezia Bianchi made him pause for a moment.

  Valeria seemed as composed as ever, but Lucrezia… Lucrezia looked tense, awkward, and noticeably uneasy.

  Dav: What do you want?

  Lucrezia: (Thinking) I can't look him in the eyes… I just can’t…

  What if he thinks I’m just a fool? That I don’t deserve to be here?

  Narrator: Lucrezia struggled to find the right words to apologize, but her voice trembled, as if every sound she tried to make was too difficult to utter.

  Breaking the uncomfortable silence, Valeria spoke firmly.

  Valeria: Lucrezia is apologizing, Dav.

  She didn’t realize she was speaking to the Hero that day.

  Dav: (Irritated, with a hint of anger, he replied coldly) Even if I weren’t the Hero, what you did would still be wrong.

  You should apologize regardless.

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  (Thinking) Why does this irritate me so much? Why can’t I just ignore her and move on? I’m not here to play therapist, and yet…

  Narrator: Lucrezia, overwhelmed, began to cry, collapsing at Dav’s feet.

  Lucrezia: I truly… truly apologize… for everything…

  Narrator: Her voice was broken, desperate, as if she had lost all hope.

  Valeria: (With a stern gaze, she added) Lucrezia also apologized to me… out of jealousy.

  But at least, I think she regrets it.

  She didn’t really believe it was you—the Hero—that day when we went to ask for her help.

  If it weren’t for your status, I don’t know if she would have even considered apologizing.

  Lucrezia: (With tear-filled eyes, she looked at Dav in despair) I watched you all every day, from afar… I couldn’t do anything but observe, too afraid to get close.

  The fear of hurting others… the fear of being rejected… became my prison.

  For two years, I lived like this, locked in my room, never speaking to anyone.

  And the other day, when you both came to my room, I saw a chance… but I couldn’t do anything but hide behind a proud smile.

  Narrator: Dav, his heart tightening at the pain in her eyes, tried to maintain his cold demeanor, but inside, he felt a struggle between anger and understanding.

  Dav: I don’t know if you’re apologizing out of fear or genuine remorse.

  Perhaps both…

  But I wonder—am I the one who has to forgive you? Or is it you who has to learn to forgive yourself?

  Valeria: (Still protective, she concluded) It’s not just about apologies, Dav.

  It’s about growth.

  Lucrezia was brought here by the director for her talent.

  But no one ever taught her how to interact, how to be part of something.

  She’s a loner, one of those people who live locked in their own world, too afraid of hurting others… and herself.

  Lucrezia: (With a trembling voice, she added) I don’t want to be alone anymore.

  I don’t want to just watch from afar… I want to change.

  But I don’t know how.

  Dav: I’ll forgive you on one condition—you will never treat anyone the way you have until now, ever again.

  You have to be honest with others, without fake smiles to hide your sadness.

  Show me tomorrow at the cafeteria. Now leave—I have work to do.

  Narrator: Valeria was not someone who could easily scold or hurt others.

  Her protective and gentle nature always pushed her to defend, not condemn.

  However, at that moment, she saw Lucrezia crying so intensely, as if all her bottled-up frustration was finally being released.

  She was like a fountain that wouldn’t stop flowing.

  Valeria: (Thinking, biting her lower lip nervously) He was so harsh on her…

  maybe too much… but was he right?

  Is he just trying to help her, or is he pushing her further away?

  Narrator: She looked around, observing Lucrezia’s devastated expression, her trembling body.

  Every single tear seemed like an old wound being reopened.

  Despite her instinct to protect everyone, Valeria realized that Dav wasn’t acting out of cruelty, but because he felt he had to.

  Despite his harshness, his gaze was clear: “I had to do it for her own good.”

  It wasn’t about humiliating Lucrezia, but about making her understand that apologies, no matter how sincere, are meaningless without real change.

  His harshness, though painful, might have been the only way to shake her and force her to face her inner demons.

  Valeria: (With a sigh, she approached Lucrezia, who was slowly lifting her head, trying to wipe away her tears.)

  Don’t worry, Lucrezia.

  Sometimes, to learn, you have to face the truth… even when it’s hard.

  Narrator: Lucrezia, still shaken, nodded without saying a word.

  But in her heart, a small glimmer of hope began to take shape.

  Perhaps, that very harshness would be the key to her change.