Chapter 4
He knows
I understood that he meant he’d noticed and knew. And yet, even after knowing I cursed at him, he still smiled like that. Indeed, Royce was not an ordinary guy.
“…but not that you did it that much.”
“Oh, right. But still, I haven’t done it once since we came back from the practical!”
Royce’s expression suddenly stiffened. It seemed like there was something he was dissatisfied with.
“Not even once?”
“Yes, not once.”
“Why?”
Upon closer inspection, there was disappointment behind his look of dissatisfaction.
I’ve never seen someone disappointed because I didn’t swear at them.
“Just say it. If you want to do it a lot, then do it a lot.”
Even telling me to do it a lot? Royce seemed to be more open-minded than I thought. “You want me to do that?”
“It’s a matter of your feelings, and you have the freedom to express it, Serdin.”
“Well, then I’ll do it a lot in the future,” I replied somewhat hesitantly. As I walked out after a casual bow, I looked back to see Royce leaning slightly against his desk, staring in my direction.
* * *
All the food at the store was delicious. Mina looked at me with contentment as I was stuffing my mouth. “Oh, our Serdin, you eat so well.”
“You should eat a lot too.”
“Just watching Serdin eat fills me up.”
Mina always treated me like her little sister. I didn’t mind this kind of attention either, so I liked Mina a lot too. After swallowing the food in my mouth, I pushed a glass toward my colleagues.
Our four glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.
“We have the end-of-term party soon. It’s my first end-of-semester party in Eudelin, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Serdin, you won’t drink too much and pass out like that day again, will you?”
Mina giggled at Risher’s words, teasing me. They were talking about the masquerade party at the Bennet House. I had gotten so excited since it was the first time I ever went to a masquerade party. Until then, I had never seen such a variety of alcoholic drinks. I got carried away and just tried every drink I saw.
I definitely only had a few sips, like a taste test. Suddenly, I woke up and was at home. I was able to go through a really unique experience of closing my eyes for a moment and opening them on my bed—like part of the night had been erased.
It was a very rare and headache of an experience.
“I didn’t know my limit back then, but now I do, so it won’t happen again.”
“Sure, sure, Serdin.”
But, I really don’t remember much about that masquerade party. It left faint traces and afterimages, but… I think I remember seeing a man at first glance, but I couldn’t remember who it was.
* * *
Several days passed, and summer came in earnest with lush greenery, the sound of cicadas, and the bright sun. On the last day of the spring semester, the final class was the ‘Knight Survival Practicum,’ which was very challenging for me.
I arrived a little later than usual, and Royce was sitting in the same spot as in the last class. As I was about to enter through the back door, our eyes met through the window. Royce looked at me and gestured towards the seat next to him. I could see something lying there.
“Ah…”
When I entered the classroom, someone had left their bag on my seat. “That’s my spot.”
I had been sitting there all semester, and now, on the last day, I had my seat stolen by someone. I was wondering whether to move to the front seat when Royce grabbed the bag and placed it next to himself.
‘Was he just leaving his bag there for a while?’
Thinking it was fortunate, I sat down, and Royce, resting his chin on his hand, looked at me. A lazy smile, fitting for summer, was directed at me. “Is this your seat?”
“It was my seat from the beginning.”
“Yeah, who else would it be if not yours?” Royce put on a cheerful face and smiled, but I couldn’t figure out what was so funny.
He seemed to have a lot of wealth, talent, and laughter. In the original, he was depicted as a man who was indifferent to everything and didn’t smile often, but looking at him like this, it didn’t seem like that at all. Maybe it was because these were his days as a cadet before developing his trauma.
When I was about to get up after the end of the last class, Royce asked me, “Are you coming to the end-of-term party today?”
“Of course.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, me too.”
According to what was known, Royce wasn’t the type to particularly enjoy parties. Although he reluctantly joined in with his friends’ enthusiasm a lot of the time, he was said to not be necessarily interested in socializing, but listening to how he was talking about it right now, Royce seemed quite excited for today’s party.
As they say, ‘People don’t know anything until they experience it themselves.’
Anyway, whether he came to the end-of-term party or not didn’t matter much to me. He wouldn’t be my partner, after all.
* * *
“Serdin, come on, get out there!”
The end-of-term party, where everyone from Eudelin gathered. The banquet hall was bustling with people. Everywhere was a commotion, filled with noise and joyful cheers. People dressed in all sorts of fancy clothes were enjoying the party with great excitement. They were all so full of vigor that it made me wonder how they managed to hide it during knight training.
The highlight of the Eudelin end-of-term party was a rather grandly named group dance session called, ‘Festival of Sponsors.’
The cadets attending the party had to choose a partner to dance with. Originally, I had planned to dance with Risher, and Mina with Hale.
‘Serdin, sorry. I have an upset stomach…’
However, Risher, who had fallen victim to the representative summer illness, food poisoning, returned home ten minutes ago. Suddenly, I became completely lost, and found myself in a very awkward situation, when Mina nudged me from behind.
“That’s it, that one! Serdin, hurry!” Excitedly, Mina took me to a place that randomly matched partners. “Hand over an item, and partner with the person who chooses it.”
There must have been a lot of people like me, for there were many items placed there.
“Can’t I just choose from here?”
“All the tickets for choosing have been taken. It’s possible if you pay 500 Hark.”
“…I’ll just pay with an item.”
‘Hey, you’re making a lot of money, huh.’ Since I had to pay for the item, I opened the bag I was carrying and rummaged through it. This was my first time using this little party bag since the masquerade party.
“I don’t have anything to pay with.”
I wasn’t the type to carry many items to begin with, and the few things in there were just odds and ends.
“What is this now?” It was a 4th-year badge. Who put this in my bag? There was nothing worth taking out. “Mina, lend me something.”
“Do you not have something to pay with? Oh? This will do!”
Mina pulled out an item from the corner of the bag. It was the red hairband I had borrowed, but really, received from Royce a few days ago. It definitely looked the most intact among the items I had now. It hadn’t been long since I used it, so it still looked new, and the quality was good.
“Let’s go with this.”
I might not have any more business with Royce now, but this might leave a good final impression. Now that he has been of somewhat practical help, I guess I can’t curse at him anymore.
About thirty minutes later, the coordinator responsible for the random pairing called me over and said, “Go to the third terrace on the right on the second floor.” It seemed like the person who picked my stuff was there.
Who could it be? I didn’t need much, just someone who danced well. I hoped they’d at least not step on my feet.
Next to the stairs leading to the second floor, there was a large window. The darkened garden at night reflected my figure in the window like a mirror. Fine strands flowed through my tied up light red hair. I was wearing a white silk dress. It wasn’t flashy, but it seemed to suit my hair color well.
“Hello, I’m Benjamin Rudlett, second year.”
“I’m Lilia Everstein, third year.”
I could see people who’d met their partners coming down chatting.
Everyone had a joyful anticipation on their faces. Seeing them, I suddenly became very curious about my partner, so I ran up the remaining stairs. When I arrived at the second-floor right corridor, in front of the third terrace.
“…?”
I found someone who I hadn’t thought would be standing there. A man in a black linen suit, bathed in the moonlight of a summer night, turned around. A cool breeze blew, causing the man’s navy-blue eyes to flicker. I blinked as I looked at the man.
“Senior Royce?” Why was Royce standing there?
Royce held a red hairband lightly in his hand. It was the hairband I had submitted for the random pairing. Royce, who had been staring at me without saying anything, cleared his throat, then spoke.
“…Oh, you’ve been waiting, haven’t you?”
“It was you who was waiting here, senior.” I pointed out.
The hairband fluttered in the wind, and he stared at me, clasping it tightly.
“You must have waited for someone to choose this item, right?”
“Then you must have paid 500 Hark.”
“500? I was asked for a thousand Hark…”
“You paid for it?”
“I can’t not pay.”
What the hell did he mean by ‘I can’t not pay’? As expected, rich people have a different way of thinking.
He looked at me, slightly dazed, like a person suffering from the heat. Well, it was a scorching summer day, hot enough to give Risher food poisoning. The air of the summer night was relatively cool, but Royce’s face was flushed, perhaps because he was vulnerable to the heat.
“So, are you my partner, senior?”
When I approached him and asked, Royce covered his face with his large hand and muttered,
“..You already knew that.”
