Chapter 8

‘That man… seriously!’

The man standing outside the door definitely remembered what had happened last night.

And to him, it clearly meant nothing.

The memory that had left Anette too flustered to sleep seemed, in his eyes, no heavier than a passing joke.

Then again… what did it matter?

Nothing had really happened.

He was just a foreign soldier, stuck in bed all day, probably bored enough to amuse himself with a little teasing. Soon he would leave this village, disappearing as mysteriously as he had arrived.

So what if he had held her for a moment?

So what if their lips had nearly touched?

Why had she been the only one whose heart raced, searching for meaning where there probably wasn’t any?

The thought made her feel painfully foolish.

Don’t attach meaning to everything he says or does.

Anette silently made herself that promise.

*

The house remained quiet throughout the afternoon.

After eating a light breakfast, Eliorz had returned to his room and fallen asleep again. He stirred now and then, but nothing out of the ordinary happened as the hours drifted by.

Meanwhile, Anette cleaned the house with the front door left open and washed the dishes.

She would have to return to work tomorrow, so she also prepared enough food to last Eliorz through the day while she was away.

Only after every chore was finished did she finally sit down at the dining table.

Her gaze wandered out the window.

Sunlight filtered diagonally through the faded pale-yellow linen curtains, stretching the window’s shadow across the middle of the living room.

Time flowed slowly in Iblen.

If she wanted to enroll in university next year, she would have to work even harder this year.

I should start looking for another evening job soon.

*

Darkness had completely settled over the village by the time Eliorz finally opened his eyes.

It’s night already…

A day spent doing absolutely nothing had never existed in Eliorz’s life before.

He was always surrounded by people.

Always busy.

Every moment demanded another decision, and another schedule was always waiting.

But here, in this quiet countryside village of Solenea, time flowed differently from the world he belonged to.

So… it’s actually possible to spend an entire day doing nothing.

Perhaps because he had lain down all day, every muscle in his body felt stiff.

He pushed himself upright.

The pain had eased noticeably compared to the morning.

Compared to yesterday’s agony, it was practically insignificant.

No one’s here?

He stepped out into the living room.

Anette was asleep with her head resting on the dining table.

He quietly pulled out the chair opposite her.

The wooden legs scraped loudly against the floor, yet she didn’t stir in the slightest.

Sitting down, he looked at her sleeping face.

Her thick hair, tied back with a red ribbon patterned with white polka dots, spilled over her shoulders and arms before cascading beneath the table.

Without warning, memories of the previous night resurfaced.

Her pale face.

Those sapphire-blue eyes that glittered like jewels.

The soft warmth of her body fitting perfectly against his chest.

Even her faint scent.

“…Damn it.”

He shook his head.

I’m acting like some dog in heat…

Last night’s incident had simply been an accident.

An unusual situation.

A tedious recovery.

An unfamiliar place.

And the only woman around happened to be her.

That was all.

He had only mistaken the moment for something more because of those circumstances.

He repeated the thought to himself.

She was pretty.

But girls this young and innocent weren’t his type.

Which meant restraining himself before kissing her last night…

…had been the right decision.

Just as he reached that conclusion, Anette slowly opened her eyes.

“Good evening, Anette.”

At the sound of his gentle voice, she jolted upright.

“Ah… I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“So this is how you care for an injured patient? Leave him abandoned until nightfall?”

Trying to bury the thoughts he’d just been having, Eliorz tossed out the teasing remark.

Anette immediately answered with a mischievous smile.

“I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep for days.”

She looked straight at him.

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

“Haha. That’s amusing.”

He laughed.

“So what? Should the injured man sleep on the sofa instead?”

“I’m kidding.”

She chuckled before narrowing her eyes.

“But aren’t you getting a little too comfortable treating my bed like it’s yours?”

“Then tonight…”

Eliorz answered magnanimously,

“…you may sleep in the bed.”

Anette blinked.

“Then… where will you sleep?”

“Where else?”

He looked at her as though the answer were obvious.

“In the bed too.”

Her cheeks instantly turned crimson.

She really is fun to tease.

“I-I should make dinner.”

She hurriedly began straightening the table to hide her embarrassment.

“You must still be sick if you’re saying such ridiculous things.”

As if.

He wasn’t ready to give up these small moments of amusement they shared.

Smiling to himself, he watched her bustling around until his gaze landed on the book tucked beneath her arm.

“Advanced Mathematics?”

He tilted his head.

“Are you a student?”

“Oh… not yet.”

She smiled awkwardly.

“But hopefully next year.”

Instead of replying immediately, Eliorz shifted his gaze from her eyes to the empty chair beside him.

The silent command was unmistakable.

Anette obediently sat down.

“Why next year?”

Money, he guessed before she even answered.

“Because of tuition.”

Eliorz looked around the modest living room again.

Judging by the condition of the house, attending university would never be easy for someone like her.

Truthfully, even nobles and ordinary commoners alike struggled unless they possessed considerable wealth.

A university education demanded money, status… and often even judged one’s gender.

Anette was obviously no noble.

Solenea, sister nation to the Blet Empire, was unlikely to be any different.

So how does she intend to pay for it?

Seeing the playful smile disappear from his face, Anette hurriedly explained.

“You met Karl before, didn’t you?”

He nodded slightly.

“We both passed the university entrance exams together.”

She smiled gently.

“But neither of us could afford to attend at the same time… so Karl’s going first.”

Eliorz frowned.

What kind of arrangement is that?

Just what is she to that red-haired brat?

“…Karl.”

He paused.

“Are you two lovers?”

Anette’s eyes widened.

“What? Me and Karl?”

She waved both hands frantically.

“No way!”

She laughed.

“We’re more like brother and sister.”

Watching her bright smile, Eliorz felt an unexpected wave of relief.

Good.

…

Wait.

Why is that good?

What does their relationship have to do with me?

Suppressing the smile threatening to appear, he casually changed the subject.

“So what do you plan to major in?”

He nodded toward the textbook.

“Judging from that, are you hoping to become a mathematics professor?”

Her face lit up instantly.

“Actually…”

She smiled so brightly it was impossible not to notice.

“My dream is to teach mathematics.”

She laughed softly.

“If I were lucky enough to become a professor someday…”

Her eyes sparkled.

“…I’d be incredibly happy.”

“Of course, I know it won’t be easy.”

After chattering excitedly for a while, she looked back at him.

“What about you?”

“Did you ever go to university?”

“Hahahaha!”

Eliorz burst into laughter.

Go to university?

Not only had he attended—

He had graduated at the top of every class while serving as student council president throughout his entire university career.

More than that…

He was the chairman of the finest private university in the Blet Empire.

The Duke of Herminus himself.

Eliorz de Herminus.

Seeing Anette staring at him in confusion, he finally answered.

“I double-majored in Industrial Engineering and Diplomacy.”

Her eyes shone with admiration.

“Wow!”

“So both science and the humanities?”

She nodded eagerly.

“I knew it.”

“You never looked like just a soldier.”

“Oh?”

His lips curved into an amused smile.

“And what exactly does ‘just a soldier’ look like?”

“Ah…”

She scratched her cheek.

“I can’t really explain it…”

She tilted her head thoughtfully while absentmindedly touching her chin.

“It’s just… a feeling.”

Watching her dreamy, innocent expression, Eliorz unconsciously reached out toward her.

His hand froze halfway.

Startled by his own action, he quickly withdrew it and casually rubbed his own chin instead, pretending nothing had happened.

“So…”

He smiled dryly.

“You’re quite prejudiced for such a young lady.”

Anette immediately shook her head.

“No!”

“I wasn’t looking down on soldiers.”

She looked genuinely flustered.

“I’d never do that.”

“What I meant was…”

She met his eyes honestly.

“…you just don’t seem like only a soldier.”

There wasn’t the slightest trace of deceit on her face.

After a brief silence, Eliorz spoke again.

“Well…”

“If you ever get stuck on your mathematics…”

He shrugged lightly.

“…ask me.”

“Anytime.”

Anette’s face brightened all over again.

She immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation of which problems she couldn’t solve and which formulas made no sense.

Her cheerful chatter sounded almost like a melody.

Eliorz responded with polite nods at appropriate moments.

But in truth…

He wasn’t paying attention to the mathematics at all.

His eyes remained fixed quietly on Anette’s smiling face.