ISTV 17

As Mary carried warm tea at Themahnon’s request for a chat, she ran into him in the hallway.

“Ah, sorry about that. Something urgent came to mind all of a sudden.”

Perhaps feeling guilty about Mary’s effort, Themahnon gulped down the hot tea on the tray once again.

“The tea was lovely. Thank you. I’ll be on my way now.”

He gently patted Mary’s trembling head—still clearly frightened—and laughed heartily before walking off.

Mary touched her own head.

“Ah… I didn’t get eaten!”

Maybe he’s not a goblin after all.

Still feeling uneasy, Mary returned to Seyla’s room.

Just then, Seyla was putting on some rugged cotton gloves over casual work clothes, clearly preparing to go out.

“Young lady, are you going somewhere?”

“I’m just going to visit the garden for a bit.”

Seeing that Themahnon had given flowers to Mary sparked a good idea in Seyla’s mind.

“The garden? Is there anything I can help with?”

“No, I’ll ring the bell if I need you.”

At the mention of the bell, Mary grinned widely.

“Okay! If you ring the bell, I’ll come running like an arrow, my lady.”

“Good.”

Mary hummed a tune as she walked away, and Seyla headed to the garden.

The Dvernon estate’s garden bloomed with colorful flowers, regardless of the season.

Arsagil and Themahnon will be staying at the mansion for the next two days.

In the meantime, fourteen-year-old Seyla had to do everything she could during this short window.

For a slightly safer future.

Lady Arsagil loves blue roses, and Quaybec’s Themahnon… well, he’d probably be happy with anything.

Just imagining Themahnon smiling happily over a simple bouquet lifted her mood.

Somehow, it made her feel like she was a very important person.

Anyway. Let’s look for the blue roses first.

Let’s see… maybe to the left?

Surrounded by the flower beds, her heart felt warm.

The breeze carried a sweet floral fragrance.

Huh?

She suddenly heard laughter between the flower beds.

What’s that?

Seyla walked toward the sound.

It was coming from a patch of delphiniums—tall flowers blooming in various colors.

Among the white and yellow flowers, she spotted violet-colored hair.

A boy with purple hair was surrounded by squirrels, raccoons, a small fox, and birds.

As Seyla approached, the animals perked up their ears and began to watch her warily.

The purple-haired boy raised a hand to Seyla.

“Hi there.”

Seyla almost stared at him in a daze.

He’s really handsome.

Surrounded by pretty flowers and adorable animals, the boy looked too surreal.

If forest fairies existed, they’d probably look like him.

If it weren’t for her ‘dignity,’ her jaw might’ve dropped in awe.

Her first impression of the boy’s face was nothing short of a shock.

Seyla steadied herself and opened her mouth.

“Who are you? Do you know where you are?”

“I just… got lost.”

Got lost, huh?

The Dvernon estate was heavily guarded. There’s no way someone simply “got lost” and ended up in the garden.

The boy turned to the animals.

“It’s okay. I don’t think she’s a bad lady.”

Strangely enough, the animals seemed to understand him.

Seyla stared at the curious sight, half in a daze.

The more I look, the more handsome he is. So good-looking, it doesn’t feel real.

And rightly so.

He was one of the male leads crafted with enormous time and resources.

One of the trio known as the “Crazy Handsome Male Leads.”

This boy was Jermiel—the subtle, chaotic type, and the sole heir of the Bi Palace.

She’d seen him many times in 2D, but this was her first time seeing him in 3D—and 2D hadn’t done him justice.

In real life, Jermiel was pure beauty.

“State your name and identity clearly. Otherwise, I’ll call the guards.”

“My name is Parun. I’m a noble sorcerer of the Bi Palace.”

He was originally known for a distinctive tear mole beneath his right eye, but it was missing—probably concealed with makeup.

Jermiel smiled softly and added,

“By the way, did you know there’s an evil spirit clinging to your back?”

“…….”

Creepy.

“It looks just like you, Seyla Dvernon.”

Wha—Seyla’s clinging to me?!

I almost screamed on the spot.

If it weren’t for ‘dignity,’ I really might’ve shrieked.

Urk!

Thankfully, the scream got stuck in my throat and didn’t make it out.

That very same ‘dignity’ was what stopped the scream—and helped me stay a little grounded.

No. That can’t be true.

I recalled a few key details.

“My name is Parun. A noble sorcerer of the Bi Palace.”

Jermiel usually introduced himself like that when he was about to pull one of his sneaky pranks.

Jermiel doesn’t have the ability to see ghosts.

All three male leads were characters our whole team had spent days designing and tweaking.

We knew their traits and abilities inside and out. Jermiel couldn’t see ghosts.

I barely held onto my wits and asked,

“She must be pretty.”

“Huh?”

“You said she looks just like me.”

“……”

“Then she must be very pretty.”

“Hm.”

Jermiel smirked and answered,

“Yeah. The prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

Jermiel was the subtly crazy type of male lead.

He did things that didn’t quite make sense by normal standards, with thoughts and actions far from ordinary.

He was also someone that Seyla Dvernon from the game was very wary of.

Never show him any weakness.

Jermiel was a master manipulator.

One of his traits was how well he could pick out people’s vulnerabilities.

Later on, he would exploit villainess Seyla’s weaknesses to protect the heroine, Aileen.

One of the few people who could shake villainess Seyla to her core.

I’m not going to become a villain, but… still, there’s no point in showing weakness.

So I said:

“You’re pretty too. The prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks.”

“You look nice, but you’re sneaky.”

“Huh?”

“This is your last chance. Say your name and affiliation again—Jermiel.”

Then Jermiel smiled once more.

His eyes curved into soft crescents.

And before I realized it, the signature tear mole beneath his right eye had reappeared.

Jermiel slowly stood from where he’d been sitting.

“You knew?”

As Jermiel stepped closer, a sweet scent lingered in the air.

Was it his natural scent? Perfume? Or just the fragrance of the garden?

It was dizzyingly sweet.

Placing a hand over his chest, Jermiel gave a polite bow.

“Yes. My name is Jermiel. Son of the Mistress of the Bi Palace.”

“My name is Seyla Dvernon. Third daughter of House Dvernon.”

I naturally extended my right hand, and Jermiel lightly kissed the back of it.

“Kissing a rugged work glove. That’s a first.”

“……”

“Thanks for the unique experience.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I heard you were a cowardly crybaby, but I guess rumors can’t be trusted.”

“And rumor has it the Bi Palace’s son is a dragon.”

“What? A dragon?”

Jermiel burst into laughter.

That pure, carefree laugh made my heart flutter unexpectedly.

Whoa, calm down, heart.

That wasn’t logic. It was my body reacting instinctively.

After all, the male leads were designed to be able to charm anyone with their looks alone.

Still… it’s kind of nice.

Putting aside his absurd good looks, just talking to someone my age felt fun.

Maybe it was a basic emotional need of this fourteen-year-old body.

Looking back, friends felt like the most important thing in the world back in middle school.

I didn’t expect to run into Jermiel, but maybe it’s fate in its own way.

Thankfully, there wasn’t the usual “impending doom” vibe.

But there was one thing I needed to address.

“Didn’t you forget something?”

“Forget what?”

I let out a light sigh and said slowly:

—You scared me half to death earlier. Pulling that kind of prank? You want me to smack you?

“You played a mean prank on me. Apologize—sincerely.”

Before I even finished, Jermiel chuckled lightly and said:

“Sorry.”

That sunshine-like smile almost had me saying, ‘It’s fine. Let’s be friends.’

‘Dignity’ was saving me again today.

Seriously, that face should be illegal.

Of course, he looked great in illustrations, but this real-life version was on another level.

I never thought a day would come when those gorgeously drawn illustrations would feel inadequate.

“I really am sorry.”

“……”

“I didn’t mean any harm.”

There it was again—that smiling gaze.

My heart thudded against my will.

I’m fourteen. A teenage girl’s heart and body don’t always obey her mind.

“I’ll formally apologize. I, Jermiel, heir to the Bi Palace, was rude to Seyla Dvernon, the third daughter of House Dvernon, and I sincerely regret it. I was so happy to meet someone my age that I couldn’t help myself.”

It’s okay.

…is what I almost said without thinking.

Let’s just leave it here.

I’m not forgiving him because he’s handsome.

Definitely not.