Chapter 9
2. First Love is Like a Sudden Shower
Emily was continuously moving her head from side to side and massaging her right shoulder with her hand, feeling stiff in her neck. It seemed that after the first period, she had made a mistake by sleeping on a tree branch during her free time, as her back was aching and her neck was completely stiff.
She hadn’t intended to sleep so deeply, but it seemed that waking up early in the morning just didn’t suit her constitution.
“Emily, does your shoulder hurt a lot?”
After finishing lunch with Kira, whom she had met in Magic and Theology class, they were taking a walk when Kira asked worriedly, seeing Emily constantly massaging her shoulder.
“It’s just a bit stiff, it should get better soon.”
“You only had morning classes today, right? Why don’t you go back to the dormitory and rest a bit?”
“I might do that. You still have one more class, right?”
“Yes. I just have one more afternoon class and then I’m done for the day. After class, I’ll stop by the infirmary and get some muscle pain medicine for you. Go and rest now.”
“Thank you so much, Kira.”
As Emily thanked Kira, she inwardly marveled. Despite taking far more classes than herself, Kira never seemed to tire. It was truly impressive.
As she was inwardly praising the scholarship student, she noticed the Second Prince and two others approaching from a distance.
‘If only I had left a little earlier!’
Emily, who wanted to avoid encountering the Second Prince as much as possible, regretfully tried to head back to the dormitory immediately, but realizing she had missed her chance, she gave up.
“Oh, it’s the Second Prince.”
Kira also seemed to notice the three approaching, raising her head to look.
With their striking appearances, builds, and status, the three commanded attention just by walking. Like ripples spreading, murmurs spread around them as they passed.
Behind Lucas, who looked every bit a prince even in his school uniform, Eden Valenti and William Chase followed, their ties the only difference in their attire.
“What a lovely day. Miss Kira, Miss Emily. Out for a walk again today?”
“We greet you, Second Prince.”
“…We greet you, Second Prince.”
As he approached with a light greeting, Emily and Kira curtsied slightly and lowered their gaze. Lucas then addressed Kira.
“Miss Kira, did you receive the dress I sent? I hope it’s to your liking.”
“Thank you very much. I’m not sure if I deserve such a generous gift.”
“Nonsense, I’m the one who asked you to accompany me.”
As Lucas smiled slightly and moved closer to Kira, Emily, who had been standing next to Kira, discreetly distanced herself from the two. As she was slowly creating distance without being noticed, suddenly a dark shadow fell to her right.
Instinctively turning to look, she found Marquis Valenti standing right next to her, looking down at her expressionlessly.
“…!”
Emily flinched at the close proximity, then became flustered by Valenti’s intense gaze.
His black hair, always neatly swept back when in uniform, was slightly disheveled, and his gray eyes, somehow tinged with seriousness, were fixed on her.
“…Marquis Valenti?”
Wondering if she had unknowingly committed some grave offense against him, Emily became confused. Amidst her confusion, the silent Valenti suddenly spoke.
“Do you have any plans this weekend?”
“…Pardon?”
Startled by his stiff and heavy voice, Emily momentarily thought she was being interrogated and repeated the question. Valenti asked again.
“Do you have any plans this weekend?”
“No, I heard the question… I’m planning to go into town briefly, but is there something you need?”
Wondering what this was all about, she looked up at him and answered. He remained in his rigid posture next to her, not backing away, and asked another question.
“Would it be alright if I joined you?”
“Pardon?”
Emily’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Did I just hear what I think I heard?’
“Would it be alright if I went into town with you, Miss Emily?”
“I mean, I heard the question…”
As Emily, with a confused expression, backed away slightly from Valenti, he took another step closer to her.
“Then, can I go with…”
“No! No, I’m sorry, but I’d like to go alone!”
Suddenly faced with the prospect of going into town with Marquis Valenti, a startled Emily hurriedly refused. Not understanding why he was suddenly acting this way, Emily was perplexed.
‘W-why is he suddenly doing this?’
Although she had been running into Marquis Valenti by chance quite often recently, they weren’t close enough to suddenly inquire about weekend plans.
Even in her confusion, as Emily quickly refused after gathering her wits, Valenti closed his mouth and lowered his gaze slightly. Seeing his oddly dejected face, Emily inwardly broke into a cold sweat.
Flustered, Emily looked around with wavering eyes. Kira and Prince Lucas, being at a slight distance, didn’t seem to have noticed her conversation with Marquis Valenti.
Feeling strangely relieved, Emily turned her head and her eyes met directly with William, who was staring at Valenti with his mouth open in an expression of shock.
His pupils were also shaking like hers, seeming to be in a state of confusion. Feeling a strong sense of kinship at that moment, Emily awkwardly smiled and greeted him with her eyes before hurriedly returning to Kira’s side.
Kira, who had to go to her next class, was walking towards the garden entrance after parting with the Second Prince.
“K-Kira, let’s go together.”
“Emily? Why do you look so surprised?”
Kira looked at Emily in shock as she came running towards her with quick steps.
In that short time, something seemed to have happened that left Emily quite flustered.
“M-me? No. Haha, I’m just tired.”
Emily awkwardly laughed off Kira’s words and moved on. Kira tilted her head at Emily’s behavior but soon closed her mouth and walked along with her.
“Let’s head back now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
As Kira and Emily left, Prince Lucas stopped his walk and returned to the main building. As the prince entered the classroom, William finally attempted an attack disguised as a friendly arm around Eden’s neck, but Eden easily avoided his arm and looked at William as if to ask what he was doing.
“Wow, you’re really crazy. Do you know how tense I was? I mean, who asks for a date so menacingly?”
As Eden casually avoided his arm, an irritated William tried to kick him this time. Eden deflected William’s leg with one hand, changing the direction of the kick as if to tell him to stop.
“…I just thought I wanted to spend time with her.”
“That’s asking for a date! Do you know how surprised I was? When you suddenly got so tense, I thought an assassin had appeared and I was terrified.”
“Ah, so that’s why you were touching your sword hilt earlier while frozen in place.”
“You knew!”
As William yelled in frustration, Eden covered one ear with his hand and walked away with big strides, as if slightly annoyed.
“Of course I knew when you were so obviously tense. I was wondering why you were suddenly putting your hand on your sword hilt when there was no threat.”
“Eek!”
At Eden’s words, William’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.
Earlier, when Eden had suddenly become very tense, William thought he sensed danger and prepared for an attack, also becoming tense and putting his hand on his sword hilt.
He sharply opened his eyes and carefully observed the direction Eden was looking while gradually tensing the muscles of his entire body.
But to think it was because of asking for a date!
Realizing how ridiculous he must have looked, William felt like his face might explode from embarrassment.
“Don’t confuse me like that, Eden!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Eden glanced at the shouting, red-faced William as if he were pathetic, and ignored him as he walked forward.
As William, his face bright red, ran after him and swung his foot again, Eden dodged him with an expression of genuine annoyance.
The two bickered for a while until an exhausted William raised both hands in surrender, at which Eden walked past him with a relieved expression.
Seeing Eden without a single drop of sweat, William felt a deep sense of defeat, but the next moment, he looked at Eden with a grin.
“When did you start liking Emily anyway?”
“…Me?”
When Eden questioned back at William’s words, a surprised William opened his eyes wide.
“Huh? Don’t you like her? You just asked her on a date.”
“…Is that so.”
“No? Then why did you ask Emily if she had plans for the weekend?”
Eden, who had stopped in the corridor, rummaged through the books on the shelf in front of the administrative office and answered casually.
“Because I wanted to be with her.”
“…Why did you want to be with her?”
“Because I felt like it.”
William opened his mouth and then closed it again.
‘Have I just not noticed until now, or is this guy actually not very bright? But he always gets straight A’s?’
William lost the will to ask any more questions as he watched Eden, who was flipping through various books without any change in expression before selecting one and answering questions while turning its pages. Then, looking at Eden’s neat profile, William had a strange realization.
‘Ah, this guy is experiencing his first love.’
With his dazzling appearance, outstanding abilities, and even coming from a marquis family—and a powerful one based in the capital at that.
He had been the object of countless people’s affections since childhood, but he had never shown interest in anyone himself.
Recalling Eden’s gaze, always indifferent and never truly seeing anyone, William scratched the back of his head.
‘Well, if he’s not aware of it, that’s fine too. It might be fun to watch him struggle with his first love.’
But for someone so oblivious, he went straight to asking for a date—William thought he might be surprisingly direct as he watched Eden searching for something. Eden was diligently flipping through a book when he suddenly started examining a particular section intently.
Curious, William leaned forward and asked Eden.
“Come to think of it, what have you been looking at so intently?”
“The town teleportation magic application records.”
“…To follow Emily?”
“No, didn’t she refuse? You’re really slow on the uptake.”
“…”
At William’s words, Eden looked up from the book and stared at him as if looking at a pathetic thug, leaving William speechless.
‘…If you’re not going to follow her, why are you looking through the town teleportation magic application forms?’
William stared at Eden with shaking pupils but couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
