When I turned around, Cedric wearing a student council cloak stood there.
Perhaps because I’d been thinking about the rebellion recently, I felt startled for no reason and stared blankly up at him before blurting out anything.
“Ah, C-Cedric Senior. Did your parents come too?”
Only after spitting out the words did I realize that Cedric’s parents were His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress, and I hurriedly bowed my head.
“Eek. N-no, I mean, His Majesty and Her Majesty… No, there’s no way His Majesty would come! I mean, would he… come?”
“Kup.”
At my appearance flailing my hands while making excuses, Cedric hurriedly suppressed his laughter again and covered his mouth. That appearance seemed to be mocking me, so feeling displeased, I just shut my mouth.
Feeling awkward about making eye contact for no reason, I lowered my gaze and glared at his chest that looked like it would burst today too.
‘In good condition today too. But Cain also has broad shoulders, so why doesn’t he give that feeling?’
That bastard, did he exercise for nothing? I was having such irrelevant thoughts when Cedric spoke first.
“Your guardian is your aunt, wasn’t it? You seem like a close family, so it’s really nice to see.”
“Pardon?”
“Nobles don’t greet each other so casually in front of others, so it’s friendly and nice to see.”
Thinking he was elegantly pointing out that I’d just been rude by hugging my aunt and rubbing cheeks, my brow furrowed slightly.
Since it didn’t seem like anything good would come out, I changed the subject first.
“You said you had something to tell me last time, right? During Professor Peter’s class.”
“Ah, right. I wanted to talk about the Roswell incident. I have some doubts about that matter, so I’d like Junior to meet someone for a moment.”
Certainly, if it was about the Roswell incident, it was a secret story between the two of us. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a secret between just the two of us, but.
“Doubts?”
“Roswell Academy is a sacred place with a shrine to Saint Tors inside. I wondered if you hitting your head there might be some kind of revelation, so I’m thinking of inviting a priest. To test if you have holy power.”
“I don’t have anything like holy power.”
“Holy power is a blessing that can also be acquired later, so it doesn’t matter. A high priest will visit during homecoming—would it be okay for them to meet privately with you?”
Watching Cedric’s attitude of asking my opinion even on trivial matters, I thought he really was different from the domineering Cesare. But there was something strange about it, so I asked him back.
“But why a high priest just to test my holy power? An ordinary chapel priest could do it too.”
Even an ordinary priest could faintly sense holy power, so it was strange that a high priest would come.
“Mm. Well, with homecoming and all, it’s convenient.”
Somehow hurriedly glossing over it, Cedric changed the subject again.
“And I also wanted to tell you separately that I was really impressed by Professor Peter’s class.”
“I was just lucky that a problem I knew came up.”
“I get greedy when I see smart people. If they’re lucky on top of that, it’s the icing on the cake.”
“Pardon?”
When I asked back not knowing what to reply, Cedric lowered his posture and approached my ear to whisper, perhaps thinking I didn’t understand.
“I’m saying I like you.”
Suddenly having a handsome man bring his face close made me flush hot somehow, but I didn’t show it and took a step back.
“I-I’m not that smart…”
“Cesare Yanox is a rotten branch. I just feel sorry for the birds sitting on it.”
Cedric’s purple eyes were filled with intelligent light. The true male lead, Cedric. A person like light. The Crown Prince everyone looked up to. And the man Cesare desperately wanted to smash to pieces.
“……”
Looking at his clear eyes that would never contain anything like despair, I instinctively felt it. That Cesare, filled with black shadows, wouldn’t be able to beat him.
“Junior. No, may I call you by your name, Lionel?”
At the voice that quietly flowed in, I felt a tingling sensation in my legs for a moment. Suddenly, my imagination spread wings of mini Cesare grabbing my pant leg and staring at me intently.
Mini Cesare was looking at me with tear-filled eyes like dark red pomegranate seeds.
‘What the heck. You’re sprawled out all the time normally, so why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes now?!’
With mini Cesare going ‘hiing’ and firmly gripping my pant leg while plopping down on the floor, my heart grew heavy as if I were cheating.
But….
It’s not like I’m planning to dump our Cesare and do something pink with Cedric, you fool!
I tried to coldly push him away and reply to Cedric.
“Uh… yes, well, just a name…”
Then once again, mini Cesare’s ‘iiing’ crying sound rang in my ears. In the end, I kicked away the imaginary mini Cesare and snapped irritably.
‘I got it, I got it! You rice bucket! I’ll just keep my distance from Cedric!’
“…No! Only friends call me by my name, so just call me Junior or Mellans, I think that would be better.”
At my firm rejection, mini Cesare giggled delightfully and jumped up high into my arms with a plop. Geez. Even though it’s my imagination, he’s too pretty because he looks exactly like Cesare.
‘Ugh, you like it that much?’ As I was pressing my lips smooch smooch on the brightly smiling guy’s white cheeks, Cedric let out something like a small sigh and shook his head.
“Hmm… Alright, Mellans. It’s a shame, but this will do for now.”
“Since you’re asking, Senior, I’ll take the holy power test, but I don’t think there will be anything to expect.”
When I was about to conclude the conversation, Jayden Fellox, wearing a student council cloak just like Cedric, interjected between us.
“Senior Cedric! Are you busy? Oh, Lionel Mellans…!”
Jayden was clearly glaring at me—it seemed there were still lingering feelings from Jaina’s incident.
When I glared back with an expression saying ‘what?’, his expression crumpled more. Then Cedric patted Jayden and turned around.
“I was just saying hello. Let’s go, Jayden.”
Jayden muttered softly in a phlegmy voice as he passed by me.
“Is a nouveau riche commoner planning to flatter even the imperial family? How dare you.”
Jayden acted as if I were a villain bullying him. Of course, he was right that I was a real villain dreaming of future rebellion.
In modern terms, it was like a delinquent lackey being next to an elite student council president, so it was worth being wary.
“Sigh. He lives such a hard life too.”
With a bitter taste in my mouth, I stared blankly at the crowd where Jayden and Cedric had disappeared. Then suddenly I thought of that guy.
“Come to think of it, Cesare’s parents couldn’t come either….”
Realizing that I hadn’t seen Cesare once today, I quickly recalled his schedule.
* * *
After the advanced tactical strategy lecture ended, students began pouring out. Among them, Cesare stood out with his tall height, distinct features, and fluttering black hair, so there was no need to look for him.
I can’t believe such a handsome guy is my baby. Our fire attribute filial son. Unfilial son.
As I leaned against the wall watching contentedly with a proud heart, he recognized me and tilted his head at an angle.
At the handsome face set at a perfect 45-degree ulzzang angle, the cheekbones of my face smoothly loosened without resistance.
“Hi!”
“Lionel? What about your class?”
“I secretly snuck out in the middle. To see you.”
“Well done. Plus your aunt came today so you’d be busy.”
“I was supposed to be busy, but whether the spring breeze is still cold, my sides felt chilly so I couldn’t stand it. I wanted someone to be with me.”
When I spoke with a cheeky smile, he smirked even with a sullen face. Cesare, who came closer, habitually flicked my bangs.
“I didn’t give you the secret notes so you could skip class and wander around like this.”
It was certainly an action like ordering a subordinate around, but my heart began to flutter slightly at his fingers that lightly touched my forehead.
Afraid the sound of my heartbeat might be heard, I quickly handed over a notebook.
“It’s a return gift for the notes.”
“I don’t need your notes. What would I do looking at your messy notebook?”
“It’s not notes, open it. Like this.”
I flipped through the bottom right corner of the notebook swiftly. With a bewildered expression, Cesare took it and flipped through the pages as I had done.
And seeing the hidden device there, Cesare soon burst into loud laughter. My lips immediately rose at his pleasant laughter.
“Ahahaha! What is this, Lionel! I’m seriously going crazy! Just study, please! Hahaha!”
In the corner of the notebook was a black cat I’d painstakingly drawn during class just now, moving. As the pages were flipped quickly, the cat winked and wagged its tail.
It was a flipbook cartoon I drew small in the corner of my notebook whenever class was deadly boring.
“I can’t use magic well like you…. Compared to your magic, it’s really insignificant, but still, fev…”
“You should have made it a puppy, not a cat! Ahahaha!”
“Ah! I should have drawn a puppy…! Hehe. I drew it wrong.”
I quickly agreed with the opinion of the guy still laughing hysterically and laughed it off together loudly. It was a rare sight to see Cesare laughing so loudly.
We must have laughed so loudly that Lady Kitty, passing by in the hallway, sharply cautioned us and pushed up her glasses.
Slightly deflated by her warning, we unnecessarily cleared our throats and straightened our expressions and uniforms.
“Ahem, hmm. Hey, want to have dinner with my aunt at Saint Hall later?”
“……”
“As you know, my aunt… doesn’t have any friends who came with her…. I think it would save face if you came, so…. Um.”
On the first day of homecoming, a dinner is held with faculty, parents, and students together, but every year we, whose families didn’t come, would go out and eat together.
But this year my aunt came, so I was worried about Cesare who would be left alone.
“Uh, if the banquet hall is uncomfortable, you don’t have to come!”
“I’ll go. What’s so difficult about eating dinner together? You little shit puppy.”
I was more surprised by the ready acceptance.
“Really?!”
“We’re. Ahem! ‘Friends.’ You don’t have to stutter and ask like that over something trivial.”
I had a bitter taste at Cesare’s attitude of clearing his throat and particularly emphasizing the word ‘friends.’
“Ah, right. Friends….”
“Anyway, you’re friends with me to use the Yanox Ducal House’s name at times like this.”
“What?! No! Absolutely not!”
“Cain told me. That you’re sticking by my side because you think it’ll help the Mellans Merchant Company later.”
