Episode 7
* * *
“Don’t try to make a reckless pregnancy sound romantic.”
“Either way, someone born like me—do you really think I’d give up on her that easily?”
Del smiled, and it was so creepy that the Duke’s heir almost shivered, barely managing to hold it in.
Instead, he just glared at him with a look that clearly said he didn’t want to deal with him anymore.
But Del didn’t care.
“What should I do to make her like me?”
He was fully absorbed in thinking of ways to meet Arpina naturally.
“If I just rush in, she might feel pressured…”
“Then just propose properly.”
The Duke’s heir, starting to get bored, replied without much effort.
“I hate to say this, but you’re not lacking in anything.”
“Exactly. There’s hardly anyone as great as me.”
“Ah, right. Except your brain. That’s missing quite a bit.”
Even if you ignored that—
Del had it all: looks, family, wealth, connections. On top of that, the power he’d inherit one day and everything else that came with it.
There wasn’t a single thing missing.
Except, of course, his personality.
“If you propose as your true self, her family would probably be thrilled.”
Who would turn down a marriage proposal from the strongest and most fearsome noble family in the Empire?
They might be scared, but they’d definitely say thank you first.
However, Del shook his head.
“But she’d hate it.”
“Hmm…”
Even the Duke’s heir had to agree.
“She doesn’t seem close with her family.”
“Exactly. So that’s my last resort.”
He was saving that as a secret weapon, only to use if nothing else worked.
“I read a lot of this stuff in my mom’s and aunt’s romance novels. They start off with no love, but after the wedding night, they fall for each other…”
“……”
At this point, the Duke’s heir started feeling sorry for Arpina.
‘Shouldn’t I stop him?’
Out of basic human decency, wouldn’t stopping this crazy love be like saving an innocent person?
“Hmm… for now…”
Del, having finished thinking, stood up with a grunt.
He dusted the dirt off his pants. His face was still a little troubled, but there wasn’t the slightest hesitation.
“First, I need to gather information. I need to know what she likes. Then I’ll plan a ‘coincidental’ encounter.”
“…What are you planning?”
“I think she has a close friend.”
Del smiled slyly.
“Information warfare is just the basics.”
* * *
“…What are you doing?”
After class, Arpina returned and blinked in surprise at the sight of Sonia standing in front of her desk.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Sonia, who had come back earlier, waved at her.
“Just saying this in case you misunderstand—I didn’t look through your desk.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Please. It’s written all over your face.”
Feeling slightly caught, Arpina mumbled that she wasn’t thinking that, then walked over to her desk. Sonia stepped aside for her.
Sitting down, Arpina asked,
“So, what were you doing?”
Sonia didn’t answer directly. Instead, she tilted her head and pointed to the books neatly lined up in Arpina’s bookshelf.
“Looking at your books.”
This time, Arpina tilted her head in confusion. Sonia wasn’t exactly a big reader.
“I mean, I know you read a lot, but you really read anything, huh?”
“Reading’s become a habit.”
Arpina replied.
“Before I came to the academy, I didn’t have any friends, so I always just read books.”
“Hmph. And now, even though you have me, you’re still always reading?”
Sonia pouted and grumbled.
Arpina paused, then quickly realized it was just a playful joke. She pouted right back.
“Haha.”
“Puhaha!”
They both laughed out loud at the same time.
“Here.”
After the laughter faded, Arpina shyly pulled out one of the books from the shelf and handed it to Sonia.
“This is my favorite book.”
“What’s it about?”
“The main character gets revenge on the people who ruined her life.”
“…Wow.”
Sonia gave a half-laugh as she took the book.
“You read stuff like this? Didn’t know that about you.”
“I like justice served.”
Arpina, who read all sorts of books, especially liked stories where the main character gets revenge on the family who bullied them as a child.
And those parents or relatives always had to be punished. The lonely, struggling kid had to end up happy. That was a must.
When she was younger, Arpina had obsessively read fairy tales and novels with those kinds of endings.
“Yeah, those are the most fun.”
Understanding the kind of books Arpina liked, Sonia sat on her own desk to start reading.
But the moment she opened the book, she let out a huge yawn.
Meanwhile, Arpina started unpacking her things.
“Hey.”
Sonia suddenly spoke up while staring blankly at the book.
“I didn’t say anything, okay?”
“Huh?”
“What I mean is—I’d never betray you.”
“…Yeah.”
Arpina, who had been loosening the buttons of her uniform, nodded.
“I know.”
There were only a few people Arpina truly opened her heart to.
And Sonia was one of them.
* * *
It had already been a month since the new students entered the academy.
Now that they’d started adjusting, the excitement from the entrance ceremony was completely gone.
“Ughhhh…”
“Uuugh…”
Especially for the first-years in the Political Department, every class left them on the verge of collapsing.
Back home, they were considered smart kids. But at the academy, those proud little geniuses quickly had their pride crushed by harsh reality.
The endless classes and even worse homework left them miserable and exhausted.
“This… this is only first-year level?!”
“Ugh, I feel like I’m gonna puke…”
“Who even teaches this stuff?!”
“Don’t you know? Professor Erkina used to be the head of the Academy of Sciences.”
“Then why is she here teaching us?!”
“Her first student was the Duchess. So maybe that’s why…”
Despite all this, some students remained calm and full of energy.
One was the Duke’s heir — the very reason the retired professor had come back. The Duke’s younger brother still looked flawless even after brutal classes.
And then there was another.
“Wow, this class was actually really fun!”
The extraordinary commoner student from the first day — Del.
“Young master, want to do the homework together today?”
“No.”
“Let’s do it together! I always want to be with you!”
Del was impossible to read.
On the first day, people gossiped about his beauty, saying he wasn’t even outshined standing next to the Duke’s heir.
Then he suddenly confessed to a third-year senior — twice — and got rejected both times, which earned him a bit of pity.
“Young master, would you like some cookies from home?”
“Go away.”
“Then how about strawberry milk-flavored candy?”
“Don’t you have class?”
“I do! But I have the exact same schedule as you! Hehe.”
Now, he was known as “the super good-looking, cheerful weirdo.”
“…You’re really something, you know.”
Boves, who shared a dorm room with Del, quietly approached him.
“What?”
Del asked with an innocent look.
“Aren’t you scared, young master?”
“Scared of what? He’s just a person like us.”
“Still, he’s a noble! And the little brother of the scariest Duchess in the Empire!”
“I think it’s even more amazing that you say that so boldly.”
Del finally introduced himself to his dorm mates.
“I’m Del. What’s your name?”
“Dude, we’ve been sharing a room for almost a month…”
A slightly hurt Boves still told him.
“I’m Boves. And the quiet one over there is Agnus.”
“Then why haven’t we introduced ourselves until now?”
“Because you were always crying like a baby, saying you missed your senior from the Tech Department!”
Boves had a cheerful personality. Agnus didn’t talk much, but he was a good listener.
“Wanna go to the library and do the homework together?”
Del threw his arms over both their shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world.
* * *
Arpina felt like she had fallen into a trap lately.
“……”
It was so bad that even her usually unreadable face now clearly showed worry.
Her friends, seniors, and juniors all asked if something was wrong.
Eventually, she decided to talk to Sonia.
“I keep seeing him.”
“…What?”
That was way too vague. Sonia, who was chewing on some fruit before dinner, dropped it in shock.
The apple rolled across the floor and hit the door.
“…W-What, are you seeing ghosts?!”
Arpina shook her head quickly.
“I keep noticing him.”
“Please speak clearly. Who are you even talking about?!”
“……”
After a pause, Arpina whispered in a scared voice,
“The guy who confessed to me…”
Arpina’s biggest issue lately was Del.
It wasn’t like he came to her again or tried to talk to her cheerfully.
“No matter where I go, I see him.”
It started in the library.
She went to return and borrow books, and in the crowded reading room, one guy stood out — Del.
Among all the ordinary faces, only Del looked like he had been blessed and favored by the gods. He glowed.
His bright blonde hair was a little messy, and his blue eyes narrowed in focus gave him a surprisingly serious look.
“…He really is pretty.”
Seeing Del properly for the first time, Arpina was honestly impressed.
When he confessed, she had been too nervous to notice. But now, watching him calmly from a distance, he truly was beautiful.
He was the third most beautiful person she had ever seen.
The first was the Duchess.
The second was the Duchess’s son — someone she met once as a child.
But that was as far as her thoughts went.
She quickly found the book she needed and left the library in a hurry.
But the next day—
