Chapter: 08
“Ah…… the earring……”
Only then did Julia realize Jerome’s intention and stop her restless movements.
Jerome carefully removed the earring with both hands and put it back in its proper place.
Since speaking was uncomfortable for him, it was faster to show it through action than words.
“Thank you……”
Julia muttered softly, her face looking dazed.
Jerome smiled and lightly tapped her cheek once, replacing words with the gesture that meant he understood.
“We’re done, right? Let’s go……!”
Snapping back to her senses, Julia pulled down Jerome’s hand that had lightly tapped her cheek and quickly stepped forward.
Jerome obediently followed her and turned his head to look at the closed door of Room 207.
“……”
He had already noticed that someone was inside.
There were many things he wanted to say and ask, but she looked very out of it right now, so it seemed better to find another time later.
Besides, asking so many things all at once wouldn’t be easy anyway.
As Julia hurried ahead, he felt her glance back at him with a puzzled expression.
“Jerome……?”
Jerome met her gaze and smiled brightly as usual, with a childlike innocence.
Only then did Julia’s worried expression change into one of relief.
‘If you’re relieved……’
Jerome thought.
He could show her this kind of smile as many times as she needed, without asking anything in return.
* * *
After the whirlwind graduation banquet, Julia was spending a busier month than ever before.
As soon as the graduation term ended, a large number of letters arrived in the academy dormitory mailbox as if they had been waiting for it.
“Wow…… Our Count Gritell sent ten letters in just one week.”
“My father is asking when I’m coming back to the estate. What about you, Evan?”
“Just a simple greeting letter asking if I’m doing well.”
“That’s not just a greeting letter. It’s obvious he’s worried you might get into trouble.”
“Is it? But Julia, where are you getting so many letters from?”
Everyone had received a lot of letters, but none as many as Julia.
Julia unfolded the envelopes in both hands and muttered in a low voice.
“This is from the Louisvel Empire Bank, this one is from the Shifga Trading Company, and this one is from Miss Ellen’s Jewelry Company……”
The papers in Julia’s hands were recruitment offers sent directly from famous companies across the empire.
The companies ranked highly in the “Top 20 Companies Young People in the Kingdom of Tritan Most Want to Work For” survey were sending her letters one after another.
Some even scheduled interviews without hesitation, while others sent temporary contracts first in fear that rival companies might steal Julia away.
“Alright…… this is it, this is it!”
Julia smiled happily as she entered her room with the envelopes in her arms.
All that remained was to carefully read each offer letter and decide which company she would start her first career with.
The smile never left her face.
At last, everything was falling into place like perfectly meshed gears.
Yes.
Soon, the smooth, successful “rising-from-poor-background-to-success” path she had wanted would unfold before her.
* * *
After staying locked in her room for days writing responses to job offers one by one, a strong hunger suddenly hit her.
Grrr……
She wanted to shove anything sweet into her mouth right away.
Julia turned to look at Lili, who was lying comfortably on Julia’s bed reading a book.
“Lili, are you hungry?”
“What’s with you all of a sudden? You’re the one who’s hungry, right?”
“Hehe, yeah……”
“Alright! I was just getting hungry too. Stop looking at those and let’s go out to the city!”
Lili jumped up.
Julia grabbed her wallet from the desk, and the two of them left the room.
They immediately headed toward Mr. Willis’s dessert shop.
The desserts made by Mr. Willis, famous as the most delicious in Mondinium, were not only tasty but also beautifully made, which made them extremely popular.
“Ughh, looks so good……”
“Julia, look at the color of those macarons……”
Julia and Lili drooled while looking at the macarons, éclairs, and chiffon cakes in the glass display.
They always looked unbelievably delicious.
Julia picked up a tray and tongs from beside the cashier and began placing desserts onto it one by one.
There were endless choices.
‘I want to try all the macarons, and I want to stuff my mouth with chocolate éclairs, matcha éclairs—everything! Why do they all look extra good today?’
“Julia, are you really going to eat all that?”
At Lili’s questioning voice, Julia looked down at her tray and flinched.
Without realizing it, she had piled up a mountain of desserts.
“Huh? When did I pick up so many?”
Her sudden increase in appetite felt strange.
But she thought maybe her brain was low on sugar after thinking too much lately.
“…I was going to eat them slowly!”
“Are you a squirrel? These all have expiration dates, you know.”
Lili took the tongs from Julia and neatly began putting the desserts back.
A sudden irritation rose in Julia.
Huh? Wait. Irritation? Am I getting annoyed over something this small?
Julia was surprised at her sudden negative emotion.
The strange surge of appetite seemed to be controlling her mood.
“……”
Julia silently stared at the shrinking dessert mountain with sad eyes.
“Seriously, when did you pick up so much?”
“Lili……”
“Yeah?”
“Leave that éclair……”
Meeting Julia’s pitiful gaze, Lili put the éclair back down.
“Alright…… eat as much as you want……”
She wondered how hungry Julia must be for someone who usually had almost no appetite to act like this.
They took a simplified tray and sat by the window in a good seat.
As Julia sat in the soft chair, she thought back to what she had felt earlier.
Why did I act like that just now?
The uncontrollable surge of appetite surprised even herself.
It was too much to just be from needing sugar after a tiring day.
“Hey Julia, if you’re that hungry, should we go to a restaurant instead?”
“Huh?”
Julia, who had been lost in thought, looked up.
Lili pointed at the plate.
“These are just snacks. If you’re really hungry, let’s go to the new restaurant next door instead! We can take these back to the room.”
“The new place…? The one across from Aunt Dorothy’s bicycle shop? The one that serves lamb steak?”
“Yeah! You said you wanted to try it!”
“Oh! Should we? I like lamb……!”
At Lili’s suggestion, Julia imagined a delicious lamb steak.
A steaming, juicy slab of steak…… cut into small pieces and eaten in one bite……!
But at that moment, the smell of lamb invaded her imagination, turning it into something horrible.
A wave of nausea hit her instantly.
“Lamb…… ugh!”
“Julia! Are you okay?”
Julia quickly covered her mouth.
Lili grabbed her arm.
Her stomach churned violently, as if she might throw up any second.
“Ugh……?”
Julia loved lamb.
So why just thinking about it made her want to vomit?
Confused, she suddenly stood up and ran into the bathroom.
She grabbed the toilet and began dry-heaving.
“Ugh! ……Blegh!”
She hadn’t eaten anything all morning.
Only clear liquid came up, dripping into the toilet.
“Haah…… haah……”
As the nausea subsided, Julia staggered to her feet and walked to the mirror.
She looked at her tear-stained face.
Something was definitely wrong.
From the strange appetite to the sudden nausea……
“Julia! Are you really not feeling well? Shouldn’t you go to a hospital?”
Lili, who had followed her, approached with a worried expression.
“I’m fine, Lili…… I think something just didn’t sit right with me.”
“You haven’t eaten anything all day…… maybe you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. Let’s go back and rest.”
“…No, I’m okay.”
Julia returned to the window seat and looked at the tray of desserts.
The macarons and glossy éclairs were neatly arranged.
Just moments ago, she had wanted them desperately, but now her appetite had vanished as if it had never existed.
“I think I’m better now! Lili, eat. I’ll eat too……”
She forced a smile and picked up a macaron.
But the moment she touched it, the same horrible feeling returned.
Lili stopped her hand.
“Julia, don’t push yourself. Stop pretending you’re fine. Let’s go back.”
Lili pulled her up firmly.
Julia had no choice but to follow weakly.
Back in the dorm room, Julia lay silently as Lili covered her with a blanket, turned off the lights, and left.
“Rest, Julia. I’ll come back later.”
“Thanks, Lili…… and sorry for worrying you.”
“Hey! Don’t apologize! Why would you be sorry for being sick? Next time just treat me to a big lamb meal.”
“Yeah…… I will……”
Julia smiled weakly.
After Lili left, Julia lay staring at the ceiling.
Even on the way back, she couldn’t calm her anxious heart.
The reality she was trying so hard to ignore was painfully pressing against her chest.
She slowly sat up, walked to the desk, and picked up the calendar.
With trembling hands, she turned back the pages of last month.
“……”
Her anxiety was growing uncontrollably.
