IJSMC 13

Chapter : 13

“I told him to rest today. Is Sirius still lingering in the training grounds?”

The Duke of Rode had approached them before Elena even realized it.

His voice carried an unusually gentle tone, but Elena’s heart chilled at frightening speed.

If she had known she would run into her father, she never would have stayed here waiting for Sirius.

I knew something felt off since morning. I should’ve known today would turn into the worst day possible.

Elena turned her head slightly, trying hard not to look at the duke’s face.

She found herself irrationally resenting Sirius—but that feeling was forced and unfair.

There was no way he could have predicted something like this when he brought her here.

Elena could only stare fixedly at the floor beneath her feet.

“We were just talking for a moment with Joseph.”

Suddenly, a shadow fell across the floor she’d been glaring at.

As Sirius answered the duke, he stepped back several paces—toward where Elena stood.

It was different from Joseph, who had retreated earlier out of fear.

Sirius’s movement looked less like withdrawal and more like shielding someone behind him.

“What could you possibly have been discussing for so long?”

Elena looked up in slight surprise at the back of Sirius’s head.

It was a perfectly natural movement—one no one else seemed to notice.

But she could tell. Sirius was trying to protect her.

From the moment his expression changed at the duke’s arrival, she had clearly felt his gaze checking on her.

At the same time, he spoke calmly with the Duke of Rode, as though nothing at all were happening.

“I asked Joseph a question, but since I haven’t received an answer yet, the conversation ran a bit long.”

“What question would that be?”

A trace of curiosity and amusement flickered across the duke’s face.

For a quarrel between children, the atmosphere had grown unexpectedly tense.

He shifted his gaze to Joseph, who visibly flinched.

“You answer, Joseph.”

“Well… um…”

Joseph hesitated, shrinking into himself.

When his father had ignored him earlier and spoken only to Sirius, jealousy had burned in his chest.

But now, all he wanted was to be excluded from the conversation entirely.

Because he would have to confess to his strict father that he had failed, on the very first day, to break Sirius’s spirit.

Joseph bit his lip as anxiety surged through him.

What should he do?

After agonizing over it, he made a foolish choice.

“It wasn’t anything important.”

“I’ll decide whether it’s important after hearing it.”

His father did not back down easily.

Instead, as if amused by the attempt to evade him, the duke curled one corner of his lips upward.

Frightened by that expression, Joseph had no choice but to force out the words he hadn’t wanted to say.

“Sirius… His Highness asked when he had given permission for me to speak casually to him.”

“Ah. So that’s what it came down to.”

Even after hearing that the children destined to become heirs of the Rode family had lost to Sirius, the duke merely chuckled.

For a brief moment, Elena saw a mist rise from him.

Curiosity and interest scattered outward in dark hues.

They were insidious emotions—ones she instinctively wanted to avoid.

But they vanished just as quickly, and the duke returned to an expressionless calm.

“Joseph, come with me. And Sirius, you may go now.”

He ended the conversation without hesitation and turned away.

Joseph followed him with heavy steps.

Elena was not mentioned at all.

But she had no time to register that fact.

Sirius immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

“Let’s go.”

Normally, her mind would have been filled with thoughts about the duke she had just encountered.

But today was different.

She was too curious about where Sirius intended to take her.

Elena followed him, her arm still in his grasp.

Focusing on this comparatively trivial concern oddly put her at ease.

…At ease? Did I really just think I feel comfortable next to Sirius right now?

Elena froze at the realization.

But she had felt something similar earlier too—when Sirius had stepped in front of her.

Even if he tried to hide her behind his smaller frame, it couldn’t block the duke’s voice or gaze.

As protection, it had been almost meaningless.

And yet, from behind his back, Elena had felt her heart gradually calm.

Is he… helping me right now?

She had come to the training grounds because of Sirius in the first place.

Despite his constant cycle of causing trouble and offering remedies, she found herself leaning toward gratitude.

So perhaps it wasn’t strange that being near him felt a little comfortable.

But when she considered the future, it was definitely not a good sign.

She had sworn to remain close enough to be useful, but distant enough to be invisible.

Elena looked down at the arm he was holding, her thoughts tangled.

They were pressed far closer together than she had intended.

“Hey, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Huh?”

Elena lifted her head at Sirius’s question.

Looking around, she realized they were standing in a quiet corridor.

Despite suggesting they go somewhere, Sirius apparently hadn’t decided on a destination.

Elena herself had nowhere particular in mind and could only give him a puzzled look.

“Oh!”

Suddenly remembering something, Sirius clapped his hands.

His silver hair fluttered lightly with the motion.

Elena blinked, feeling oddly refreshed.

He’s acting surprisingly childish.

…Then again, Sirius was still a child.

Even so, this behavior was vastly different from the composure he usually showed.

After a moment’s thought, Elena realized why his actions felt so unfamiliar.

Until now, Sirius had constantly scrutinized his own behavior, never allowing himself to show weaknesses to others.

But now, his relaxed expression suggested that perhaps he felt comfortable around her and was simply acting naturally.

The thought left Elena feeling strangely distant and unsettled.

That was a very different matter from her being comfortable around him.

“What do you usually do around this time?”

“I usually read in the library…”

The question came out of nowhere.

Caught off guard, Elena answered honestly.

It seemed he had decided to visit wherever she normally spent her time.

“Then let’s go to the library.”

Without missing a beat, Sirius moved exactly as she had anticipated.

He’s not planning to stick with me all day… right?

The thought had crossed her mind that morning too, and even imagining it filled her with dread.

Unfortunately, the possibility seemed alarmingly high.

If she let this continue, Sirius would truly follow her around all day.

“Um, Your Highness Sirius.”

When they arrived at the library, Elena resolved to shake him off somehow.

If this continued, things would definitely go wrong.

She didn’t want to be swept into the storm simply by standing beside him.

“Hm? What is it?”

“It usually takes me a long time to choose books. And if someone’s nearby, I get distracted and can’t concentrate very well…”

“Really?”

A faintly dejected look settled over Sirius.

Elena’s mouth fell open.

C-Cute…

With the corners of his eyes drooping slightly on that fairy-like face, he looked unbearably adorable.

For a moment, an image popped into her head—a small abandoned puppy… no, an abandoned wolf cub, desperately waiting for someone to take him in.

Those pleading violet eyes flickered behind his lashes.

You know what’s inside that head, don’t you? Don’t waver…

“Then… can I at least wait outside?”

No. Absolutely not!

“Yes!”

But the word that came out was the complete opposite.

It was impossible to say no forcefully in the face of such overwhelming visual impact.

She felt like she was being scammed in broad daylight.

Or rather—scammed with her eyes wide open.

Either way, Elena ended up allowing Sirius to wait.

“Then I’ll wait here.”

Even with only half a victory, Sirius broke into a bright smile.

Cute, as expected.

Before she knew it, Elena smiled back at him.

“You look even cuter when you smile. It’s nice to see.”

…Nice? What’s nice?

Well, if you like it, then I guess I like it too.

Elena was so captivated by his angelic face that she barely processed his words.

For a fleeting moment, she even thought she had made the right choice.

Did Sirius put some kind of reason-numbing drug in breakfast today?

Unfortunately, the effect vanished the instant she entered the library.

Since when was I this weak to a pretty face?

Now alone, Elena clutched her head as reality crashed down on her.

Was I temporarily insane?!

She floundered in a wave of delayed self-loathing.

Freed from Sirius’s visual influence, her rationality finally returned home.

No—who chased it away in the first place?!

Who else? Me.

A pointless internal interrogation played out in her mind.

She had surrendered without even attempting to resist his looks.

And it wasn’t as if she’d been forced.

The responsibility lay entirely with her.

Still, Elena couldn’t help feeling wronged.

Holding onto one’s reason firmly was nearly impossible in the face of Sirius’s overwhelming appearance.

Thinking about it again…

He’s just too cute!

She barely managed to calm herself by recalling how Sirius would eventually destroy the empire.

Be careful.

Even without knowing exactly what she needed to be careful about, Elena steeled herself with a sense of crisis.

Sirius was skilled not only in physical attacks that drew blood—but also in mental assaults capable of bewitching people in an instant.