Chapter 15
After the performance ended, Elijia and Rakan were swept outside along with the crowd.
Amid the noisy bustle, neither of them spoke.
Elijia was lost in the confusion of her own thoughts, while Rakan looked around with an intrigued expression.
At that moment, someone burst out laughing and bumped into Elijia as they passed. Her footing faltered.
Rakan caught her by the shoulder as she staggered, steadying her before stepping back half a pace.
It was a clean, impeccable gesture.
“…Thank you.”
Elijia touched the shoulder where his hand had been and expressed her gratitude.
How should she put it? If noble etiquette were given human form, it would probably look like him.
And though he sometimes seemed playful and lighthearted, he always maintained a proper, wholesome air.
Is his neat, composed attitude because he has no interest in women… or just no interest in me?
Mulling over such futile thoughts, Elijia kept walking.
Then she realized—she had been thinking about Rakan this whole time.
She crossed her arms over herself, almost like a defensive reflex.
Come to think of it, she had started thinking about him more than Damian, the person she had once had a crush on.
No—unless she made a conscious effort, she didn’t even think of Damian anymore. The one who came to mind before she fell asleep was always Rakan—the man from an enemy nation.
Rakan glanced at her.
A cool night breeze swept through, brushing past Elijia’s hair as she huddled slightly.
Without hesitation, Rakan took the outer garment draped over his arm and held it out to her.
“I’m fine.”
But Elijia firmly refused his kindness.
This kind of closeness was becoming a problem. They had grown too close recently—far too close.
She couldn’t let herself be swayed by his manners… or his captivating face.
Right. Better to cut it off early.
It wasn’t as if she had fallen for him yet, or felt desperate longing—but if things continued like this, she might.
She already had a fiancé arranged for her—and besides, he was a man from an enemy country.
It was something that absolutely must not happen. In the end, a love that could never be fulfilled would only leave scars.
“How was the performance today?”
“It was a very new experience. That’s not to say I disliked it.”
“Right? I still can’t forget my first time. It’s all lively and chaotic, bursting with energy everywhere—it really feels like another world.”
Elijia smiled faintly.
In the quiet darkness of night, just before entering the dormitory, the two stood at the entrance to the women’s dorm and exchanged a brief conversation.
Rakan gazed at the moonlight reflecting in Elijia’s hair, then loosened the cuff of his sleeve. He gave the fabric a small shake to smooth it out before looking back up.
“By the way, Elijia.”
“Yes?”
“That theater we went to today—you said you went there before with a senior, right?”
“Yes.”
Rakan’s gaze shifted to the moon, then back to her. His eyes glimmered darkly in the moonlight.
“Who did you go with?”
“Sophie, my senior. You know her—my roommate.”
Unlike Rakan’s slightly hesitant question, Elijia’s answer came without delay.
“Ah, Sophie.”
Only then did Rakan smile more relaxedly.
“Yes, Sophie. But why do you ask?”
“To thank her for recommending a good place.”
“A good place? You were squeezed into a cramped seat the whole time.”
The chirping of insects echoed faintly from somewhere. Light from the building seeped into the surrounding darkness.
Elijia looked up at the blue moon hanging above Rakan’s head. It was about time to head inside.
But before she could say goodbye, Rakan spoke first—as he always did with sudden suggestions.
“Since you gave me a good experience today, I’ll treat you to dinner sometime soon.”
Elijia laughed in disbelief and shook her head.
“Final exams are coming up.”
“So?”
So? During exam season, you study. It was hard to believe how differently he thought.
“I need to prepare for exams. I don’t have time.”
It was a perfectly reasonable refusal. She planned to study intensely—there was no way she’d have time to go out for dinner.
At her firm response, Rakan looked displeased.
“Then I’ll do it too.”
“Do what?”
“Prepare for exams.”
“Prepare… for exams?”
“Yeah.”
“…Okay. Do it.”
Elijia nodded absentmindedly. She didn’t understand why he felt the need to announce that he’d be studying.
Rakan tilted his upper body slightly toward her, arms crossed, a lazy smile on his lips.
“I mean we should do it together. You and I.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Elijia let out an embarrassed laugh. She hadn’t expected such a suggestion at all.
They shared some classes, so studying together might help—assuming he was actually useful.
“Alright. Let’s do that. But… are your grades good, senior?”
“Do you like people with good grades?”
Elijia blinked a couple of times. His words kept coming out of nowhere.
What on earth was this maze of a conversation?
But there was no clear answer. Instead of searching for one, she simply smiled lightly.
“No. Rather than liking someone with good grades, I prefer having good grades myself.”
Her answer was firm.
This time, Rakan chuckled softly. It almost seemed like he thought, That’s just like you.
Elijia glanced around. The quiet night was filled only with the sound of insects. It was time to go.
Though saying goodbye felt strangely regretful, she waved her hand lightly.
“It’s late, so you should head back.”
Rakan lifted his head and looked at the moon, now high in the center of the sky.
“For a proper princess, it must be time to sleep.”
“Aren’t you going back yet? Then go out and have more fun.”
“I’m a proper man as well.”
As he said that, Rakan lowered the sleeves he had rolled up earlier. They were slightly wrinkled from being pushed up during the performance and walk back.
He then casually fastened the few buttons he had left undone.
Elijia found herself staring blankly at his slow movements as he buttoned up near his collar. The faint glimpse of his collarbone disappeared, and his neckline became neat again.
He was merely tidying his clothes, yet it made her feel strangely unsettled.
Especially after what he had said—“I’m a proper man as well.”
He was buttoning up in such a proper manner… so why did she feel something oddly suggestive?
She swallowed and turned her gaze slightly away.
“Anyway, starting tomorrow I’ll be studying at the west library, second floor, by the window. If you want to study together, come there.”
“Alright.”
After that brief farewell, Elijia hurried into the dormitory as if fleeing.
Rakan soon turned away as well.
Only the moonlight remained, quietly illuminating the place where they had stood.
