Chapter 17
As they stepped out of the main building’s entrance, the humid air of a summer night enveloped their skin. It was evening, with a faint light lingering due to the long summer days. Clouds drifted slowly above the tranquil sunset.
Emily felt strange as she walked, contrasting with the bright lights and music seeping from the windows of the main building and the distant third-floor balcony. The three of them walked silently, listening to the sounds of insects, and soon arrived at the entrance of the women’s dormitory.
“Thank you, Lord Eden.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Please enter safely.”
Emily thanked him, and Kira followed suit. Eden nodded in response and stood in place, watching the two enter the dormitory. Emily glanced back at Eden before stepping inside the building.
Back in their room, the two caught their breath and removed their dresses and accessories. Kira went to shower first, while Emily changed into comfortable clothes and rested in the desk chair until Kira came out. Despite the fantastical atmosphere of the banquet hall, beautiful music, and delicious food, Emily felt completely drained.
“Did you wait long? Please go ahead and shower, Miss Emily.”
Kira, who seemed concerned about Emily waiting, came out after a shorter shower than usual and spoke while drying her hair with a towel.
“Yes, I’ll be quick too.”
As Emily got up and entered the bathroom, Kira walked to the bed and put away her dress and accessories in the wardrobe. She wondered if she should return these glamorous dress and jewels to the prince or if she could keep them.
Kira briefly buried her face in the splendid dress hanging in the wardrobe, then straightened up, closed the wardrobe door, and plopped down on the bed.
‘So you’re Miss Kira, who entered as a scholarship student this time.’
Suddenly, Kira recalled Prince Lucas’s voice when he approached her on the day of the entrance ceremony. The next day, invited to the royal lounge within the academy, he greeted her with a bright smile. The prince praised her excellent academic abilities and magic skills, proposing to become her patron if she was willing.
It was common for nobles to sponsor talented commoners and employ them in their households after graduation from the academy. However, he was royalty, and he said he didn’t particularly need her after graduation.
Kira didn’t hesitate long at his proposal, saying he only wanted to sponsor an excellent magician for good public opinion and that she could decide her own path after graduation. While there were suspicious aspects to his claim of pure goodwill, she desperately needed the sponsorship.
Kira wanted to become a magician with powerful abilities. She wanted to be strong enough that she couldn’t be dismissed simply for being a commoner. When she accepted his proposal, Prince Lucas nodded slightly as if he had heard the expected answer.
-Click
“Phew, I feel a bit better after showering. It’s refreshing.”
As Kira was lost in thought, looking at the necklace she first received from Prince Lucas that she had taken out from her bosom, Emily came out of the shower with a refreshed expression. Kira quickly put the necklace back inside her clothes and straightened up.
“It’s a bit of a shame, Miss Emily’s wavy hair was so pretty.”
Kira commented on Emily’s light brown hair, now straight again after washing. Emily casually replied while drying her hair with a towel.
“Well, I can style it again next time there’s an opportunity.”
Emily pulled the desk chair over to face the bed where Kira was sitting. After sitting down, she looked at Kira while drying her long, dripping hair with the towel and asked:
“Kira, how are you feeling now? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m feeling a bit better now. I was so surprised earlier that my body froze for a moment. Thank you for supporting me, Miss Emily.”
“It’s nothing, I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. Do you need anything? Some warm tea perhaps…?”
“No, I’m really fine. I’m planning to go to bed early tonight. I’m tired too.”
At Kira’s words, Emily glanced at the clock on the desk. It was still early to go to sleep. As it wasn’t completely dark yet, Emily pondered for a moment before standing up.
“Alright then, I’ll go for a short walk. It’s still early to sleep, so I’ll just spend some time outside. Kira, please rest comfortably.”
“No! You can stay in the room if you want.”
As Emily hung the towel she was holding on the chair and stood up, Kira was startled and tried to stop her. However, Emily shook her head, approached Kira, and patted her shoulder a couple of times.
“You had quite a shock today. At times like this, just rest without thinking about anything.”
“You really don’t have to…”
“No, it’s fine. The weather is nice, so I’ll just take a light walk. Sleep well, Kira.”
Kira felt bad and didn’t know what to do, but Emily insisted it was fine and told her to rest well before leaving the room. Kira returned to the bed, sat down, and let out a light sigh.
“…Phew.”
Although she couldn’t tell Emily earlier, Kira had completely frozen at the banquet hall. Having lived as a commoner all her life, her body stiffened at the sharp, piercing voice of the young noblewoman.
At that moment, she felt like a commoner sitting on the street. A compulsive thought of having to apologize with both hands clasped to that young lady flashed through Kira’s mind.
Unable to respond with her frozen body, she avoided that moment, but the emotion that surged in Kira’s heart right after was something indescribably complex. It was a mix of everything—not just anger, fear, or shame.
Sitting on the bed and recalling that emotion, Kira laughed hollowly.
“…Fire.”
She spread her right hand and softly uttered the activation word. A flickering flame appeared above her hand, asserting its presence. Kira stared at the light for a while.
In Kira’s clear, transparent blue eyes, a bright red flame was burning.
* * *
Emily, who had left the dormitory, walked alone and headed towards the main building’s garden. It was getting dark as the sun was slowly setting, making it unsuitable to go too far. Elegant music could still be heard from the third floor of the main building, but as she walked towards the fountain inside the garden, the sound became fainter. Near the fountain, roses were in full bloom as it was early June.
This area seemed to be decorated only with roses, with rose vines forming an arch overhead, and a white pebble path laid out below for walking.
Emily admired a few fully bloomed roses before sitting near a small fountain decorated at the end of the path. Due to the magic lamp attached under the fountain, the water sparkled and shone even as the surroundings darkened. Looking at the shimmering light and listening to the faint violin sounds from the distant banquet hall, Emily felt as if she was having her own private party, and her mood improved considerably.
-Rustle
As she raised her head, she suddenly saw someone passing by the garden entrance. Recognizing the familiar back and short black hair, Emily stood up hesitantly and craned her neck. Sure enough, it was Lord Eden walking along the path. Perhaps it was awkward for him to return to the banquet hall as well, as he seemed to be taking a stroll around the area.
“…Oh.”
Emily briefly bit her lip, as if debating whether to call out to him, then raised her voice to call him.
“Lord Eden!”
Perhaps the distance was closer than she thought, as Lord Eden immediately responded to Emily’s voice. He stopped abruptly as he was walking in the opposite direction and looked around.
“Lord Eden, over here.”
Seeing this, Emily called out to him again while raising her hand, and Eden quickly spotted her and hurried towards the rose vines. With an expression that somehow seemed pleased, he spoke as soon as he approached Emily.
“Miss Emily, did you come out of the dormitory again?”
“Ah, yes. It’s still too early to sleep, and Kira seemed to want to rest first, so I came out for a walk. Were you also taking a walk, Lord Eden?”
“Yes, that’s right. It didn’t seem necessary to return to the banquet hall, so I was spending time walking around.”
“I see.”
Lord Eden, like Emily, seemed to have changed into more comfortable clothes. As she absentmindedly looked at his new black shirt, Emily suddenly remembered his white shirt that had been splattered with pink drink.
“Ah, um… Thank you so much for shielding me at the banquet hall.”
At Emily’s words, Eden was initially confused, but soon understood when he saw her gaze directed at his shirt.
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
“Still, I’m really sorry for ruining your shirt.”
“It’s really fine. I’m just glad your dress wasn’t ruined.”
Eden replied, remembering how she had been startled at the thought of her lace gloves getting wet in the rain. At his words, Emily blushed slightly. She recalled how she had fussily protected her lace gloves in front of him a few days ago. But it couldn’t be helped, could it? She had saved up three months’ worth of allowance to buy them!
As Eden looked down at Emily, who was blushing and momentarily silent, he hesitated as if pondering something.
The light from the small fountain tinted Emily’s profile with a pale blue glow. The two were silent for a moment, listening to the soft sound of falling water. The summer insect sounds resonated in the silence.
Then Emily looked up at him, who was silent, and their eyes met.
Eden, looking into her bright green eyes, seemed to make a sudden decision and carefully addressed her.
“…Then, if I may, could I ask for one favor?”
“Yes?”
As Emily raised her head at Eden’s words, he blinked slowly, seeming a bit nervous. Then he continued.
“If it’s alright with you, would you join me for a cup of tea?”
At his words, Emily opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
A subtle tension arose between them.
“Um… yes, alright. Lord Eden.”
Eden smiled softly at Emily’s response. As a faint smile slowly spread across his usually expressionless face for the first time, Emily couldn’t take her eyes off him. Though the surroundings were dark, his smile was clearly visible, and his gently curved gray eyes shone brightly.
“This time, may we go into town together?”
Eden was looking at her with a gentle eye smile.
