“What instructions are you talking about?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t gone. It’s been ten days since I couldn’t even go home because I have too many dissertations to review.”
“Could we bring Mr. Heiss to the academy?”
“Ah…”
Mahoff openly showed his annoyed attitude and frowned. Mages were a species whose skill and manners were inversely proportional, and Mahoff was the perfect example of that.
“First, I’ll go have a talk with the Roswell people. I’m the supervising professor anyway.”
“Yes. I’ll ask you to do that.”
When Mahoff left, Cedric sat beside the bed where Lionel was lying and looked at him. His hair was messed up haphazardly, probably trying to imitate Lady Lucy.
“Isn’t it more outrageous that you thought I wouldn’t notice with this?”
Cedric chuckled and poked the mole under Lionel’s glasses. He couldn’t forget his funny expression when he saw him at the disciplinary committee not long ago either.
And he also recalled his appearance squirming and answering in the student council office.
That Cesare hadn’t done anything bad ‘yet.’ The nuance of the words “hasn’t done anything bad yet” was too strange.
It was as if he was premonishing that he would commit bad deeds.
‘Does he know something? I really can’t figure it out.’
Cedric thought he should keep a closer eye on Lionel from now on. But what was this feeling of wanting to tease him a little?
* * *
Shake shake.
Something was shaking me up and down.
“Don’t do thaaaat.”
Shake shake.
“I said don’t do iiit.”
“Franceau. Wake up.”
Franceau? That’s not my name though.
Wondering what kind of nonsense that was, I barely opened my eyes and things were strangely blurry in front of me. But even beyond the blurry vision, I could tell all too well who was in front.
“S-Senior Cedric!”
“Lucy Franceau.”
Lucy Franceau? Ah! Was Rossi from the Franceau family?! No, wait, it was Lucy, not Rossi? If I was calling the name wrong, why didn’t they correct me quickly instead of staying quiet?
“Yes!”
When I jumped up, glasses swayed right in front of my nose. I guess my vision looked blurry because of the glasses. I quickly adjusted them while shaking my bangs.
‘Seeing that he’s calling me Lucy Franceau, it seems I haven’t been caught yet!’
This is the crucial moment from now on.
“Wh-why, why am I here….”
“Even though the chess friendly match ended, you weren’t visible so I searched for quite a while. But then you’re in Roswell’s infirmary. What happened?”
I met Ju Shinyoung who I worked with at Tors Burger, and it seems Ju Shinyoung was a goddess. And Ju Shinyoung said there’s no female lead. Actually, I don’t really understand what I’m saying either!
I couldn’t say that.
“Ah… um. Well, I got lost looking for club members and ran into a pillar somewhere and collapsed….”
“Oh dear.”
Cedric made a pitying expression while subtly fiddling with the back of my hand. My gaze kept going toward his chest that I could see up close without realizing it.
“You need to be careful. What if a girl’s face gets scratched.”
A girl?! Lucy was a girl?!
Wait a minute. I barely spun my head that wouldn’t turn.
“I’m… a girl… right…?”
“Lucy, did you hit your head? Of course you’re a girl. Should I call a priest?”
Oh my god, Rossi—no, Lucy was really a girl! When did you change into a girl?! You were clearly a male student originally! Wait, come to think of it, I think I vaguely heard that Rossi had a twin….
I barely held onto my confused head and changed the subject.
“I-I’m, I’m okay. Wh-what about the other people?”
“The other club members were taken back first by Professor Mahoff, and it was arranged that Professor Mahoff would come back to pick you up once you regained consciousness. Lucy, can you get up?”
“Yes! Of course!”
I answered in an awkward tone. I couldn’t help it because I didn’t really know what kind of relationship Lucy and Cedric had. Were they usually close? Or were they distant?
“Lucy. Why are you being so stiff with me?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I’d be hurt if you act like this between us.”
Between us? What kind of relationship did Rossi—no, Lucy and Cedric have?! Are they super close?!
“Uh…”
As I mumbled, Cedric made a truly hurt expression and carefully fiddled with my hand. It was the hand he’d been touching since earlier.
“If I win today’s chess match, you agreed to do one favor for me, remember?”
Not knowing what he was talking about, I decided to play along appropriately for now.
“D-did you win?”
“Of course. I won right in the second game in a best of three format. If it’s Lucy, you’d know why I won so hard.”
I don’t know though. I don’t know. Wait a minute. This atmosphere is weird.
As the sun was about to set, crimson sunset was seeping in through the window. Because of the shadow reflected in the window, black shadows and crimson sunset appeared alternately—it was that kind of strange-colored atmosphere.
“Um… um.”
Cedric carefully lifted my hand and started looking at me intently. His violet eyes sparkled like amethyst.
“Lucy. There’s a homecoming party soon.”
“…Y-yes.”
“Lucy. I want you to be my partner.”
Huh?
I’d just like to pass out again. Ju Shinyoung. Take me back.
Cedric smiled softly and asked me.
“Will you be my partner?”
“……!”
My heart started pounding like crazy at that handsome face.
Why does Cedric have to be uselessly handsome at a time like this. I glanced at Cedric’s lethal chest and backed away.
“Lucy, what’s wrong?”
“No! It’s just too sudden!”
“Sudden? I thought… we were in a relationship where this was okay….”
“…A relationship where this was okay?!”
“To Lucy… it was just light teasing then.”
Lucy! You quiet cat who climbed onto the stove first! You look so meek, but you did this and that with the Crown Prince?
Hearing that there was no female lead and then immediately having Cedric’s secret girlfriend revealed, I felt a bit dazed.
First of all, since this wasn’t my business, I tried hard to prevent the situation from getting more tangled.
“I-it wasn’t light teasing, Senior!”
“You’re calling me Senior? I guess it was burdensome because I’m the Crown Prince after all? I understand….”
When Cedric looked at me like a droopy puppy, I felt like I’d become a great sinner.
Right. I’m the bad guy. Kill me.
“What did I used to call you…?! Ahaha. I hit my head on a pillar and passed out, so I can’t remember well….”
“Cedric.”
Wow. They were in a relationship where she casually called the Crown Prince by his first name? At a glance, the two of them were definitely quite deep.
‘Right. If it’s come to this, I might as well become a messenger of their love.’
“Ahem. Um, Cedric…?”
When I raised my voice slightly higher and called his name a bit like a girl, he looked at me with an expression that somehow couldn’t hold back laughter.
“Lucy.”
Cedric’s long fingers grabbed my chin and drew close. Thinking I might get caught if we faced each other at this distance, I quickly lowered my head as if embarrassed and cast my eyes down.
“You’ll be my partner, right?”
“Y-yes! Good! Let’s do it!”
Lucy. Congratulations. You’re going to become the Crown Princess.
I answered while swallowing tears at this embarrassing situation.
“I’m so happy, Lucy. Now….”
Suddenly, strength entered the hand holding my chin. And Cedric’s face with closed eyes slowly began to approach.
Crazy. Stop! Cedric, those aren’t the right coordinates, stop!
Startled, I tried to back away, but his hand was holding my face too firmly so I couldn’t easily retreat.
“Oh my. Mellans-kun, you’re awake now.”
“Kyaaa…!”
At Professor Mahoff’s voice suddenly heard from the side, I was startled and ended up pushing Cedric away.
Wait. He called me Mellans-kun? Then…?!
And soon Cedric’s laughter began to ring out loudly.
“Ahahaha! Hahaha! Ahaha!”
The moment I saw Cedric laughing with tears hanging, I realized I’d been thoroughly fooled.
“Think of it as punishment for deceiving me first, junior. Ahahaha!”
“Senior Cedric!”
I shouted in a surge of anger while ripping off my glasses. Cedric’s laughter didn’t stop for five whole minutes.
