Chapter 27

The sound of rain intensified in the darkness-shrouded silence. Damian sat quietly on the bed, looking down at her. Under the dimly lit bedside lamp, she lay tinted in vermillion, breathing deeply in profound sleep.

Originally, they had both planned to go to Caelum, but their conversation had stretched on until darkness fell completely. Of course, this wouldn’t have mattered to her. He was the one who had stopped her from leaving. And as always, she had yielded to him.

They had walked to the shops in front of the academy under the twinkling starlight, enjoying a satisfying meal. She had naturally returned to his room and spread out his notes, saying they should study. Then she began studying intently. Eventually, she started nodding off before finally falling asleep face-down.

Watching her, a smile formed unconsciously on Damian’s lips. Though his quarters had another room, he lifted Ayla and laid her in his bed, in his room. She must have been very tired, as she didn’t wake even while being carried. He wasn’t sure if this was fortunate or not. Had she awakened, she would probably have pushed him away. Well, she would have ended up in his arms anyway.

Damian slowly reached out, carefully brushing back her fallen hair. Did Ayla know? From the moment they first met, she had been his sun. A sun too brilliant and hot to grasp. That was true when they were friends, and it remained true now that they were no longer just friends. She had always been his radiant sun.

Now, even if it meant burning up, he wanted to possess that sun.

Gently gathering a lock of her hair, Damian brought it to his lips and kissed it. She seemed to smell of sweet honey.

With reluctant hands, he released her hair and rose from the bed, leaving behind words she couldn’t hear.

“Good night, Ayla.”

My beautiful sun.

* * *


”…”

Though one tends to be indifferent to other things when focused on one thing, how had this happened? How had she ended up falling asleep in Damian’s room, of all places?

Yes, she admitted to feeling drowsy. She admitted to lying down thinking she’d rest just for a moment. But sleeping in Damian’s bed was absolutely unacceptable.

When she opened her eyes, morning had dawned, the bed was soft, and the ceiling above was unfamiliar. It didn’t take long to realize she was in Damian’s room, seeing him asleep on the sofa some distance away.

His feet stuck out beyond the sofa due to his height. At that moment, her heart sank. Because she realized she had fallen asleep in Damian’s bed. Lately, her energy seemed to be declining. Otherwise, how could she fall asleep so easily, both at the palace and here? And without waking even once.

As she looked around frantically, Ayla unconsciously glanced down at herself. Thankfully, her clothes were still properly in place. It seemed she hadn’t done anything reckless while unconscious. Of course not. They were still minors.

“No, what am I thinking? Ayla Dürman.”

Ayla shook her head. Why did she keep having such thoughts lately? This was all Serina’s fault. If not for Serina, she would never have had such thoughts. She was a diligent student who came to the academy to focus on academics. Though she had become entangled in extraordinary events, once this was resolved, she would return to her ordinary life and become an imperial civil servant.

But.

Could she really be sure? That she wouldn’t see much of Damian after becoming a civil servant? If she worked until retirement, she would surely get promotions. Wouldn’t that mean seeing more of Damian?

This sudden thought made her career decision waver. But even so, she didn’t want to inherit her father’s business now. She didn’t think she had any business acumen.

While lost in thought about her career, a slight rustling sound reached her ears. Her unfocused gaze returned to clarity. And met eyes that were watching her. A spring-sunshine smile covered those eyes.

“Ayla, did you sleep well?”

They should have become the kind of relationship where such greetings were impossible.

Ayla thought about it. Crown Prince Damian Lancaster would marry someday. To another woman, not her. If Damian were to marry, would that quell her wildly beating heart?

Could I congratulate you on your marriage?

Under the covers, Ayla clutched the bed sheets with both hands. She could state with absolute certainty: Ayla Dürman, Damian’s childhood friend, would not be able to congratulate him on his marriage.

Struggling to hide her heart that had plummeted into an abyss, Ayla answered as composedly as possible.

“…Yeah. You?”

This much greeting was possible between friends.

“I slept well too. Ah, want to stop by the dormitory?”

Ayla just nodded without answering. When she closed and opened her eyes, she saw her familiar room. She buried her face in the pillow with a despairing heart. She wondered how long this would continue. And today of all days, she had to meet Camilla with Damian while harboring such feelings. But what could she do? She had to go. As always, she didn’t know how to escape from Damian.

Even if her heart always rolled in the mud.

Rising as if pulled by strings, Ayla trudged listlessly toward the bathroom. Just as she was about to fill the tub, she fell into despair again. The red light on the faucet wasn’t on. She had missed the magic stone replacement time.

Hot water came through magic, drawing power from the magic stone. It usually needed replacement every half year, meaning each semester, but she had forgotten to replace it in March this year. She hadn’t thought about replacing it since then. Which meant now she had to freeze both body and heart in cold water.

Ayla sighed deeply. She turned on the water, pushing away a thought that had just occurred to her. Borrowing Damian’s bathroom—that thought was truly insane. Yes, she definitely needed to cool her head with cold water.

The cold water wet her head. Though it was freezing, Ayla closed her eyes and endured. Her mind, which should have been filled with studies and the case, was unfortunately being filled only with Damian.

* * *


Camilla sat with her feet on the desk, smoking a cigarette while watching Ant’s behavior. It had rained last night. The ground was muddy, and naturally, soil had stuck to shoes, dirtying the steps before the door. Though she hadn’t told him to come in since it was Sunday, Ant had arrived early in the morning and scolded her for dirtying the stairs he had just cleaned. He scrubbed the stairs vigorously, also cleaning the floor where her footprints remained.

Camilla found it ridiculous. She was about to retort, asking since when he had cared about the office’s cleanliness, but stopped, thinking it pointless to argue with the boy who was like a son to her. The kid probably thought the Crown Prince would come, but she had only visited the Crown Prince yesterday. Less than a day had passed—surely the noble Crown Prince and the ducal lady wouldn’t come to such a humble place.

Moreover, though she had tried to hide it, Camilla had clearly read the distrust in the duke’s daughter’s eyes. She understood. She thought those at the nation’s peak wouldn’t easily believe the words of a mere loan shark.

That had been her thought just an hour ago.

“…”

Camilla’s lips parted unconsciously, dropping the cigarette from her mouth. The lit cigarette fell onto the newspaper on her desk. While it would naturally have set the paper on fire, the Crown Prince quickly extinguished it. Camilla closed her parted lips. Like yesterday, the Crown Prince hid the girl behind him and greeted her with a bright smile.

“Hello, Camilla. Shall we have that interesting conversation now?”

Camilla gestured to Ant, who stood behind her looking flustered and uncertain, then met the Crown Prince’s eyes and said:

“We have guests, Ant.”

* * *


With trembling hands, teacups were placed on the table with the sound of ceramic friction. Having barely managed to set cups before the Crown Prince and ducal daughter, Ant clutched the tray and looked at Camilla, who was practically his savior right now. His boss showed no trace of nervousness even in front of the Crown Prince and ducal daughter. Meanwhile, he felt like his legs might give out at any moment.

Moreover, Camilla sat in the head seat. Ant had sent signals suggesting she should yield it, but he couldn’t tell if she had read them or not. She remained unmoved. If anything, she casually started drinking tea. Ant was frightened by how unfazed his boss appeared. Even more frightening was that neither the Crown Prince nor the ducal daughter commented on this.

Ant had no idea what to do.

“Sit down, Ant. You’re making me dizzy.”

At Camilla’s words, the Crown Prince and ducal daughter’s attention focused on him. Ant thought he might collapse right there. Before him were eyes like amethyst and eyes like a lake. With creaking steps, he stood behind Camilla. Then spoke:

“I-I am c-com-comfortable h-here.”

Everyone present could tell he was anything but comfortable.

Ayla thought of the commoners in her ducal territory. Though they were also commoners, they didn’t find her this intimidating. Or was it because of the Crown Prince rather than her? That would make sense. Even most nobles found the Crown Prince intimidating. In that regard, she suddenly appreciated how the academy maintained equality, if only in name. Though there were still boundaries there, they treated her and Damian somewhat like normal students.

“…Well then, I’m looking forward to hearing what interesting stories you have for us, Camilla.”