CHAPTER 53……..
Why had he pretended not to know Melin in front of me all this time?
And why had he helped her with her assignments?
The answer is obvious…
What wouldn’t you do for someone you like? The reason was painfully clear.
“You called for me?”
Just then, Lennox came in. Perhaps he had guessed why I summoned him, because he looked far more tense than usual.
Seeing his expression, I suddenly felt my resolve waver.
From what Melin had told me, Lennox hadn’t even been the one to suggest she look at his assignment.
If the two of them had been dating, he might have shown her his work out of concern that she’d fail the class.
The reason they hadn’t been caught until now was partly because assignments differed from class to class, even within the same subject—and partly because their submitted works had been subtly altered to look different.
That sort of careful planning bothers me a little.
Could he have had some ulterior motive? Even for lovers, this was… a bit much.
Wasn’t this the first sign of obsession? The thought made me open my mouth.
“Ren, I have something to ask.”
To confirm whether my suspicion was correct, there was one thing I needed to check first.
“Did you give up on early graduation voluntarily?”
He froze, clearly not expecting that question from me.
Yesterday, I had gone to the professors to discuss Lennox’s situation.
‘If you want to punish Ren, holding him back a year won’t work. He got perfect scores on the early graduation test except for Imperial Studies.’
‘Right? That was strange, wasn’t it? Imperial Studies is the subject he’s usually best at.’
The moment I heard that, a chill ran down my spine.
Not only had he attempted early graduation—he had given it up on purpose, right at the finish line.
Could the reason for giving up be related to Melin?
The possibility seemed very high.
“…Yes.”
As expected, he admitted it.
“The reason?”
I could already guess, but I wanted to hear it from his own mouth.
“…Actually,”
Lennox began, guilt clouding his face.
“I already knew Melin was being bullied.”
He said that he felt if he left as well, she wouldn’t be able to hold out alone.
But he’d kept quiet because he was worried Melin’s sister would find out.
Hearing the whole story left me momentarily speechless.
This is… true love, isn’t it?
Was it really okay to let Melin and Lennox get tangled up like this?
Yet instead of anxiety, what I felt after his answer was gratitude.
“Ren, do you… plan to keep seeing Melin?”
There was no point hiding anything now.
I openly revealed that I knew about their relationship and waited for his answer.
Honestly, at this point, even if he liked Melin, maybe he wasn’t such a bad match.
As long as he didn’t follow the original story’s path, there’d be no reason for him to turn dark…
Besides, after pressing Mion, I had learned something else:
‘Yeah! As annoying as it is, he’s the one who’s been stopping the bullying against Melin all this time!’
Knowing Lennox had been protecting Melin from behind the scenes softened my heart a little.
But at my question, his face slowly turned cold.
I was startled by the unfamiliar look.
Had I asked something I shouldn’t have?
“I’m not dating Melin. I just wanted to protect a friend.”
His sharp tone made it clear that there was no hidden romantic feeling in his words.
“So you two weren’t going out?”
“Didn’t Alfeo tell you?”
“Alfeo…?”
That was news to me. He never even shows up in front of me.
“…So he didn’t say anything.”
Lennox let out a small, humorless laugh.
Unlike his usual smile, this one carried a chill that made me uneasy.
But I brushed it off as my imagination and felt relieved at his words.
“I see. If you’re just friends, that’s a relief.”
“Why is that a relief?”
His question left me speechless.
That was a rather sharp counter.
Because if you knew our families were enemies, being lovers would feel far more like betrayal than being friends.
That was the honest answer.
I had no intention of letting Melin become some tragic heroine.
Now that I thought about it, I realized I had been too careless in even momentarily approving of the idea of these two together.
“…Professor?”
His puzzled look told me my silence had gone on too long.
“Uh… well, it’s just… now’s not really the time for either of you to be dating.”
I dodged the question with a vague answer. A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
Why does he look disappointed?
Was he hoping I’d give my blessing? That would be a problem.
I quickly changed the subject.
“Regardless of your intentions, you know what you did was wrong, right?”
He answered calmly, as though expecting it.
“Yes. I’ll accept whatever punishment you give me.”
I had already decided on an appropriate penalty since yesterday. Something that looked like a punishment, but wasn’t too harsh.
“Come to the lab in a week.”
“Yes.”
He started to leave, thinking that was all, but I quickly grabbed his arm.
There was something I’d wanted to say to him from the start.
“Wait. I have something to tell you.”
He turned back to face me.
Through the window bars, the winter sunlight lit up his green eyes, clear and bright like early summer foliage.
Looking directly into them made the small wall I had put up against him melt away completely.
I helped you because it was in my own interest…
But he had helped Melin simply because she was his friend. And he considered that natural.
Even though he could have felt wronged—punished because of Melin—there wasn’t the slightest trace of resentment in his expression.
Gripped by a feeling I couldn’t describe, I held onto him for a moment without speaking.
But Lennox simply waited quietly for my words.
Letting go of his arm, I instead took his warm hand in mine and spoke sincerely.
“Thank you. For protecting Melin.”
I was grateful that he had willingly protected her where I could not see.
Even if their relationship wasn’t what I’d thought, the fact remained that he had looked out for her.
For the first time, his gaze dropped away from mine.
His cheeks flushed red.
“…It’s nothing.”
From the way he avoided my eyes, it was easy to tell he was embarrassed.
Blushing over something like this…
Cute.
I couldn’t help but smile warmly.
I was truly glad he had grown up straight and pure.
Meanwhile, Melin’s face was clouded with worry now that everything had come to light.
When she called Lennox to the academy’s backyard, he asked,
“Why’d you call me?”
“What did my sister say? Did you get punished too?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
Melin fidgeted with her fingers for a while before speaking.
“Sorry. It’s my fault.”
She felt bad that Lennox had been dragged into trouble because of her.
Seeing her look so down, Lennox replied,
“It’s fine.”
“But…”
“I don’t really care.”
“Really? That’s a relief!”
If he said it was fine, then he truly meant it.
Melin’s face instantly brightened with a smile.
See? Ren’s actually a good friend.
Even though she had traded his notes for the letters, she had always felt uneasy about it.
Was it okay to just let Ren get closer to my sister?
That had been her lingering doubt. But after this incident, she felt he wasn’t such a bad match for her sister.
He was decently good-looking, skilled with a sword, and smart to boot.
Though my sister’s still way too good for him!
Still, among the people around her, Ren was probably the best option.
Shaking off the guilt she had felt toward him, she asked lightly,
“By the way… did they find out you’re Aquila?”
“…Not yet.”
He shook his head.
“I’m going to keep it a secret.”
“Until when?”
Lennox stayed silent.
He still hadn’t decided when—or if—he would reveal that he was the Aquila from the letters.
