Chapter 5
I don’t do things like jealousy
“I didn’t know.”
“Alright, let’s go with that.”
I took Royce’s hand off his face. He flinched momentarily when I grabbed his arm, but soon lowered his arm along with my hand. The tips of his ears and cheeks were slightly reddish, making them look hot.
“Is it that hot?”
“Not really.”
“Is that so? Then, is it because of the alcohol?”
Since I had to match up with him soon, I decided to be very kind and go get him water. As I was about to turn around, Royce grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going?”
He pulled me lightly, and my shoulder bumped into his firm body. As our bodies got closer, I smelled a cool, grassy scent.
“You should be with me today. Since I’m your partner.”
He must’ve thought I was gonna run away, but then again, he also knew I often cursed at him, so it wouldn’t be unthinkable. Royce had gone as far as to pay a thousand hark to find a dance partner through random matching, so he’d be at a loss if I left.
“I’m not running away, senior.”
After releasing my arm, Royce said with a warm smile,
“I know. You said you’d never give up.”
“…?”
I couldn’t understand why he was talking about that when the practical had ended long ago. I completed the entire practical without escaping or cutting off Royce.
“Yes, but that’s already over.”
Royce’s pupils, which had stabilized, shook once again.
“… Over? Are you giving up?”
“I never said I was.”
“…?”
“…?”
It seemed like Royce was either overheating or drunk.
“Then where are you going now?”
“This here is too red.”
I pointed at Royce’s cheek with my finger before turning around. He followed me with his eyes until the end, as if I might lose my way in the crowd.
* * *
After the dance, we briefly rested in a corner of the terrace on the first floor. As I found out, Royce, fortunately, was a pretty skilled dancer.
‘Even though I stepped on his feet a few times, he just laughed…’
Seeing that, he seemed like quite the sociable person.
“Where are your friends, senior?”
While searching for his companions with his eyes, Royce, for some reason, stayed by my side in that corner of the terrace instead of leaving. At that time, I saw two fourth-year seniors approaching us.
“Royce, you were here? Oh! You’re a freshman, right?”
“Yes. I’m Serdin Vivi.”
“Nice to meet you, Serdin! I’m Enya Chedrian from fourth year.”
The bright blond senior introduced herself first. The guy next to her was Simon, whom I had seen in the knight survival practicum. Suddenly, Simon moved closer to me and said something with a smiling face.
“Serdin Vivi, Royce…”
“Yes?”
“To you… he…”
“What?”
He was mumbling something, but the party hall was so noisy that I couldn’t make out what he was saying. As I kept failing to understand, Simon leaned toward me and cupped his hand near my ear.
“… serious…”
I only heard that one word before Simon suddenly disappeared. When I turned my head, I saw Royce holding him and glaring at him with intense eyes that looked like they could re-freeze even snow.
“What are you doing, Simon?”
Royce’s voice felt even colder because it sounded devoid of emotion.
“Enya.”
He called out to Enya with a cold tone.
Enya, who was smiling beside me, swiftly took Simon and disappeared. Watching that, I pondered about Simon’s actions and Royce’s reaction…
‘For Royce to react like that…’
It definitely seemed like Simon was trying to tell me about Royce’s dark history.
* * *
Even after the fourth-year seniors disappeared, Royce remained by my side.
“Aren’t you going to go join them?”
“You’re my partner.”
The chill I saw in his eyes earlier when he looked at Simon had vanished. Maybe it was because he’d prevented his dark history from being revealed.
‘I’ll be sure to ask Simon what he was trying to say when I see him later.’
By the way, why did Royce participate in random matching anyway? There must have been plenty of people eager to partner with him.
“Senior, did you not choose a partner beforehand?”
“I knew I’d meet one here.”
Royce seemed to be more of a fatalist than I had thought. That’s probably why he left his choice of partner to something like random matching.
“I see.”
“And if I had come with another partner…”
Royce leaned slightly on the terrace to match his eye-level with mine.
“…what would you have done, Serdin?”
‘Me? I probably would have danced with someone else.’
If Risher hadn’t fallen sick, I would have danced with him. Risher. I wondered if he was feeling better now.
“I originally had a different partner for today.”
“… A different one?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I guess that’s possible…”
Royce’s seemingly indifferent response carried an oddly sharp edge.
“Anyway, my partner got an upset stomach and went home.”
An upset stomach could be pretty scary. I should advise Royce to be careful too. Before I could say that, Royce spoke first with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Even if you say that, I won’t get jealous or anything.”
“Jealous? Of what?”
Suddenly, Royce stated the obvious.
‘Is there really someone who gets jealous because of an upset stomach?’
I had never heard of such a thing.
“Are there really people who get jealous over that?”
“A lot, probably.”
“Is that so?”
“In a situation like this, almost everyone would feel that way.”
It appeared that I wasn’t quite up to date with the trends of this world.
“But I don’t.”
“Me neither.”
It was my first time knowing there were people like that. Yet, when I agreed with him, Royce seemed surprised, as if it was unexpected.
“Really?”
It was true. I didn’t feel jealous of Risher’s upset stomach at all. After a moment of contemplation, Royce asked,
“So, even in the opposite situation… If I were the one in that position, it wouldn’t matter to you, Serdin?”
Just because Royce had an upset stomach didn’t mean I had to react in any specific way.
“No, it wouldn’t matter to me at all.”
“… I see. I guess that’s possible.”
“I might just think this…”
Royce looked like he was listening intently to me.
“… ‘Ah, senior’s ultimately human after all…’”
No matter how much of a main character one might be, one can’t stand an upset stomach.
* * *
As soon as Royce heard Serdin’s words, he felt as if something was tightening his chest.
He’d said he wasn’t jealous, but that wasn’t true.
The thought of Serrdin dancing with someone other than him made him angry.
Didn’t jealousy surge within him when he just saw Simon almost touching Serdin’s ear? He couldn’t understand it himself. When did he get to the point that he began feeling this way?
“No, it wouldn’t matter to me at all.”
Serdin, on the other hand, said so with an exceedingly calm expression that she wouldn’t mind if he danced with another partner at the party. Was that really the case?
“… I see. I guess that’s possible.”
He couldn’t comprehend the lack of strength in his voice himself. It was a lonely admission, but that had always been the case. Somehow, in front of Serrdin, he always felt full of things he didn’t understand.
Clearly, it was Serdin who had said she liked him. It was her who said such a thing and did all that, so why was he feeling like this now?
“I might just think this…”
Even delving into his thoughts alone was just for a moment. As soon as Serdin opened her mouth again, Royce’s nerves were all focused on her. Serdin blinked her sapphire eyes and added,
“… ‘Ah, senior’s ultimately human after all…’”
She looked at him with big, clear eyes, as if nothing was wrong. However, from the way her words trailed off, it seemed that Serdin was hurt just by imagining it.
Did she think a person’s mind eventually changes, and that his heart would turn to someone else?
When he thought of it like that, it suddenly made his heart ache…which wasn’t normal at all.
Royce spoke hurriedly as his expression hardened,
“It won’t happen, something like that.”
To which Serdin replied with a casual smile on her pale face,
“That would be for the best.”
* * *
“That would be for the best.”
It’s better not to have indigestion. After all, health is the most important. Except, Royce still had a troubled face.
“Would you be disappointed if I did that, Serdin?”
“No, it can’t be helped.”
“So you won’t be disappointed?”
“I won’t be disappointed, but take care of your health.”
Royce was someone with very high standards for himself. He was confident because he always met his own standards, but I hadn’t realized his high standards would extend to such trivial areas. Anyone can get indigestion, so what’s there to be disappointed about?
Was he more sensitive to matters of health because of the necroquad in his body?
‘That could be the case.’
In the original story, it was mentioned that when Royce’s body occasionally weakened, the Necroquad would try to torment him. And in a few years, it would go berserk enough to the point of killing me.
If I hadn’t known that, would I have joined the Elche Knight Order, where Royce is based, and become his subordinates like in the original story?
‘Then I’d meet my end by the Necroquad’s hand.’
But I never intended to create such a traumatic event for him.
‘I can’t just go on the path to my death.’
I won’t go to Elche, and I’ll just live a life unrelated to him from now on. But in the meantime, Royce would continue to carry the Necroquad within him. That is, until the appearance of the original female lead, Lucille.
I looked up at Royce and asked,
“Is it not scary?”
In a sense, he was living with a constantly ticking time bomb in his body.
“What is?”
“The magic beast you have in you, senior.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Well, yes.”
Strictly speaking, my worry for him was a spoonful, while for myself, it was ten spoonfuls…
“Thank you, Serdin.”
He smiled with the night breeze. It was a warm and affectionate gaze rarely seen from Royce Velkerente. Royce looked into my eyes for a long time, and I, too, looked at his face. After all, once the results came out, we would have no reason to see each other anymore.
Despite being a bit brusque and unlucky, he was probably the most exceptional person in this world, so it wouldn’t hurt to see him while I still could.
‘Should I ask for one last sparring match?’
Royce was supposed to be the strongest person I would ever meet. It would be a little regretful to part ways without clashing swords even once with such a person.
“Senior, do you have time the day after tomorrow in the afternoon?”
Royce blinked his eyes a couple of times. Then, with a small chuckle, he nodded.
“I do. I do have time.”
“Then please come to the back of the academy building that day.”
Royce smiled awkwardly with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“…Alright.”
