“Doesn’t it look a bit strange? Like it’s too much?”
“You look more magnificent than ever. Shall I slick back your hair for you?”
Truth be told, Cesare couldn’t even remember how he’d attended his morning lectures today. As soon as the lunch bell rang, he immediately rushed back to the dormitory and got ready while nagging Chad.
‘I called a coachman to the academy’s main gate too, and the restaurant I reserved seems like a good place. Should we eat first and then exchange gifts? Or gifts first?’
—Kwarureung.
A streak of thunder and lightning finally flashed across the sky that had been dark since morning.
“Looks like it’s going to rain.”
“If it rains, don’t get wet and spend your time warmly indoors.”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”
Cesare answered arrogantly while glancing at the window. After making sure he had the gift properly prepared, he checked the time. He’d spent so much effort getting dressed up that it was already time for Lionel’s afternoon class to end.
‘We agreed to meet in front of the clock tower and go from there, but if I’d known it would rain, should I have suggested meeting right at the main gate instead.’
“I hope you have a good time.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Cesare received Chad’s send-off and headed to the clock tower in front of the community center. He’d gone out with Lionel hundreds of times, but today was different. And it would be different from now on too.
Having arrived about 10 minutes earlier than the agreed time, Cesare glanced at the clock tower.
“Time sure as hell isn’t moving.”
Occasionally students who looked like couples passed by laughing and chatting, but perhaps because the weather was gloomy, there weren’t many people around the outdoor clock tower.
He waited for quite a while, coughing unnecessarily or kicking the ground with his shoe tips. Before he knew it, Lionel was over 15 minutes past the appointment time.
‘Why isn’t he coming! That idiot is probably busy preparing again and not checking the time, right?’
Dark clouds gathered heavily, making it dark even though it was daytime. Behind Cesare, the community center lit up brightly. Through the large windows, quite a few social gatherings throughout the campus could be seen holding Rose Day events.
‘Come to think of it, that bastard Jayden Fellox also invited Lionel today.’
—Tok.
As the weather continued to be dreary, a raindrop finally landed on the bridge of Cesare’s nose.
“Damn it. Lionel, that puppy.”
He had no idea why, whenever he decided to treat Lionel well, things would strangely end up scratching at his insides.
Shuddering at the cold raindrop, Cesare moved his steps toward the shaded awning right across from the clock tower. It was a position where he could see Lionel coming.
—Shwaaa.
The rain that had been falling one or two drops at a time finally began to pour down heavily with a refreshing sound. While he killed time maintaining a small flame spell, checking if his bangs were drooping or if there were wrinkles on his collar, an uneasy feeling began to creep in. He thought about using a messenger to urge him, but that seemed a bit pathetic.
But until now, Lionel had never broken a promise. Rather, he would come out earlier than the appointment time and wait.
The option of ‘Lionel not showing up at the meeting place’ didn’t exist in the first place. Lionel had always been faithfully waiting in front of the path Cesare was walking. Though time was supposed to be equal, he acted as if his own time and Lionel’s time were of different classes.
‘I said to meet in front of the clock tower, so does he not see me?’
Worried that he might not see him under the awning because of the pouring rain, Cesare held out his palm outside. Enough rain was falling to pool in his cupped palm.
“What did you do during the time you waited for me.”
Was waiting, purely believing someone would come, such a difficult thing? Cesare walked slowly, step by step, under the clock tower. The sound of raindrops falling on the ground continued endlessly.
What if that idiot forgot about the appointment and went to another party?
He forcibly ignored the voice he heard in his heart. Had they crossed paths? Had something happened? Even if he used wind magic to deflect the raindrops, it was hard to block all the fine rain completely. As water droplets seeped in one by one, his shoes got wet, his clothes got wet, and his face got wet, but Cesare couldn’t dare move his steps.
Is it because it’s fake that you can’t be sure?
In the already frustrating situation, the dark abyss raised its head again.
If it were real, he would have come. He’s becoming strange too. Like Cain. While thinking something is off, he’ll endlessly search for his real love. And when he meets his real love…
‘Stop it. Lionel has no one but me. There’s no room for anyone else to intervene. That’s an undeniable fact.’
—Splash!
An irritated ripple formed in the puddle under his shoe.
When did you say even if it’s fake it’s fine, that you were confident? How very convincing you look.
At the voice of the abyss mocking him, Cesare squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Finding where he was should be the priority first.
Cesare pushed through the rain and headed to Lionel’s dormitory. But Lionel wasn’t anywhere in the dormitory.
* * *
Cedric, who had attended the social gathering hosted by Jayden, briefly excused himself and came into the powder room.
After looking in the mirror and adjusting his attire again, his eyes went to the cuffs of his shirt. On the sleeves he’d rolled up in the atmosphere that was hotter than usual for the Rose Day event, a platinum sleeve garter was sparkling.
It wasn’t from a famous workshop nor was it an exceptional design, but the crafted ruby was quite expensive, and above all, the sentiment contained within it was charmingly mischievous. Cedric chuckled softly as he brushed over it and muttered quietly.
“Mother would understand too.”
Though he felt a bit guilty about arbitrarily handing over the treasure he’d swiped, Cedric judged that if it were Empress Elaine’s original nature, she would have naturally given it to Lionel anyway.
Moreover, lingering attachments to the past were only baggage. Cedric was a man backed by the Empire. He shouldn’t cling to the past, nor should he spend his heart on trivial matters.
‘In a way, I’m grateful.’
He also felt relieved that Lionel seemed to have taken away his lingering attachment to the Empress that he’d kept tied to his cape.
“I really can’t explain it except by saying it’s cute.”
Cedric shook his head and left the powder room. But the salon’s atmosphere had cooled down coldly, unlike before.
“Is everyone having a good time?”
With a strange feeling, he shouted loudly and entered the middle of the salon, only to freeze like ice himself. From over there, a soaking wet Cesare was glaring at him with sharp eyes.
With water dripping from his hair and body, Cesare looked miserable in appearance, but his eyes were alive and fierce with killing intent as sharp as a blade. Next to him, dark blue mana that he couldn’t control was even rising.
Everyone in the hall was frozen by his murderous aura, unable to say a word. Cedric was just as flustered. As far as Cedric knew, Cesare was absolutely not the kind of man who would stand before others in such a wretched, rain-soaked appearance, even if he died.
His bloodshot, deep red pupils moved with a flick. The rippling mana’s movement subsided in an instant, and complete silence enveloped the salon.
Everyone shrank back, feeling the premonition that something big was about to happen. However, Cesare just glared at Cedric like that without showing any movement.
“……”
Cesare looked only at Cedric silently for a long while, then immediately turned his back and left.
As soon as he left, people began blinking their eyes one by one and tilting their heads in confusion. Cedric shook the dazed Jayden and asked.
“What was that just now?”
“Pardon…?”
Jayden also seemed a bit confused and stammered before soon asking Cedric.
“What do you mean?”
“Wasn’t Yanox just here a moment ago?”
“Yanox? You’re saying Yanox was here?”
Jayden blinked as if he didn’t understand.
“Everyone saw it. He was standing right there. There’s even a wet spot, see.”
“Huh. Why is it wet? But I didn’t even send Yanox an invitation, and there’s no reason at all for him to be here. Didn’t you mistake him for someone similar, senior?”
Strangely, everyone couldn’t remember anything about Cesare. They all said in unison that they’d only felt dazed for a moment.
‘Did I really see wrong?’
Cedric’s sleeve slipped down as he was strangely touching the wet spot on the carpet.
‘Tsk. I should have brought a belt to fasten it.’
Cedric shook his head and straightened his shirt sleeve without feeling any sense of incongruity even though nothing was attached to it.
* * *
“I’m so full. I wouldn’t need to eat until tomorrow morning, right Mitche?”
“……”
Lucy and I had gone to a cafe and ordered one of everything on the menu. I said it would be better to eat desserts in moderation, but Lucy shone her glasses with such a look of wanting to eat so badly that I had no choice but to give in.
On top of that, we chatted about sweet things and fun stories, so we didn’t even realize how late it had gotten, and we were only able to arrive at the academy close to curfew. Since it kept raining, I took Lucy to her dormitory first and was on my way back.
But there’s been something bothering me since earlier.
“Mitche, are you sick somewhere?”
“……”
Again, he just silently shook his head. Since the afternoon, Mitche had been sitting seriously without saying a word, his mouth tightly shut. Even when I tickled his cheeks and hair, he sat still as if his soul had left him somewhere.
Earlier I couldn’t look properly because Lucy was there, but even now he’s like this, so I was worried and couldn’t just leave Mitche alone.
“I can’t take him to a veterinarian either, what should I do. Mitche, don’t be sick.”
“…Hiccup!”
Suddenly Mitche jumped up and hopped away outside the umbrella. Without even a chance to catch him, Mitche flew quickly somewhere along the gravel path.
“Mitche! Hey, hey! Where are you going!”
I hurriedly chased after Mitche. Mitche weaved through the dormitory town and headed all the way to where the academy’s main building was.
“Why are you so fast when your hands and feet are so tiny!”
Panting, the place I barely chased him to was the secret spot where Cesare, Cain, and I often spent time together. The little guy disappeared between the bushes and completely hid his traces.
“Mitche! Mitche, where are you! It’s raining so much, and just because I dote on you, you’re really being so willful! Huh? What’s that… Ahhh!”
While pushing through the grass, I discovered something like a black mass on the large tree stump where we always sat and was shocked.
The black mass that had been getting rained on slowly moved. And the instant I met the ominously glowing deep red eyes from within it, the falling raindrops rippled and stopped in mid-air.
