CH 15

After the ceremony, Lucia and Herwin headed to their assigned classes.

“It’s a good thing we’re in the same class, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, what a coincidence.”

Luckily, they were in the same class.

‘A month-long wish come true!’

Lucia cheered inside.

Ever since she heard they were going to be in the same academy, she’d been praying every day until today that she would be in the same class as Herwin.

She felt like the heavens had granted her wish, and she was so happy she could fly.

“Huh? I guess she’s in the same class as us.”

As soon as they entered the classroom, she spotted Princess Lydia sitting in her seat.

At the entrance ceremony, she was surrounded by many people.

“She took all of that, that’s amazing.”

Herwin felt sorry for Princess Lydia.

If he hadn’t been so cold-hearted, he would have been in the same situation as the princess.

He had already been through that once before, before the entrance ceremony.

“Huh?”

Her eyes met with Princess Lydia, who was among the crowd. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Lucia.

The stare was so intense that Lucia stopped walking.

“Lucia, you’re not moving.”

“Eh? Eh, go.”

Only after Herwin called out did Lucia break free of Princess Lydia’s gaze.

Herwin was already in the back seat. It was a fitting choice, given that he hated to be seen.

“Gah!”

Lucia let out a sudden scream. Something snagged her foot, causing her to lose her center and fall forward.

As she flailed her arms to somehow keep from falling, someone grabbed her around the waist.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks…….”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t break your pretty face.”

Lucia calmed her startled chest and checked on the person who had grabbed her.

He was a handsome man with short, shoulder-length navy blue hair and golden eyes.

Not quite as good-looking as Herwin, but better than she’d expected, Lucia was inwardly surprised. After a moment of admiring him, she spoke up.

“Hey… can I have your hand…….”

He was still holding her hand and her waist, and she quickly pulled away in surprise.

“Oops, I didn’t realize I was holding on. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Normally, she would have been offended if someone else had done this, but strangely enough, she didn’t feel that way.

“I’m Brian Chersis, we’re in the same class, let’s get to know each other.”

Brian introduced himself, and Lucia followed suit.

“I’m Lucia Agnes, and I look forward to your kindness. Thanks for catching me so I didn’t fall.”

“I was just doing the obvious. But… your friend in the back?”

Brian turned around to see Herwin standing there, looking a little uncomfortable.

“Huh, Herwin, when did you get here?”

He was sitting in the distance, obviously just before she fell.

“Just now. I’m glad you didn’t fall.”

“Yeah, Chersis caught me.”

The men’s eyes met as they looked across at Lucia.

A tiny spark flew between them, along with an odd tension.

Brian narrowed his eyes, then smiled meekly and held out his hand to Herwin.

“Brian Chersis, and I wish you well in your future endeavors.”

“……Herwin Phoenaeus.”

“Oh, so you’re of the Phoenaeus family. You’ve got a certain air about you.”

Brian let out a small exclamation, just a joke, and Herwin wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

“Lucia, let’s go, the professor will be here soon.”

“Yes, Chersis, we’ll see you later.”

Lucia was forced by Herwin’s hand to head for her seat.

“Be careful, girl. Are you still going to be rattling around the academy?”

“No, no, no.”

Herwin scolded as soon as she sat down. Lucia blushed in embarrassment, but he was still unapologetic.

“That’s rattling. You’re making me and Lucas look at you like that.”

“……….”

Lucia was offended that he was treating her like a child.

She wanted to be seen as a woman by Herwin, but as time went on, he treated her like Henry.

Sometimes it felt like he was treating her like a child.

‘……Even so.’

On the other hand, it was heartening to know that he kept an eye on her.

Her fickle feelings were only limited to Herwin.

After a while, one by one, students began to take their seats.

Most of them glanced over, every one of them eyeing the empty seats that remained around Lucia and Herwin.

It was only natural that if they took those seats, they would have a chance to get to know Herwin, but none of them dared to do so.

Lucia wondered why anyone would hesitate to come, and when she looked to the side, she realized why.

“Herwin, impression.”

Herwin’s face was contorted as if he were angry.

To others, he might look angry, but Lucia knew him well enough to know that he sometimes frowned without thinking.

“You look so ugly?”

Lucia said again, and his expression softened a bit.

“Oh, this place is empty.”

With a cheerful voice, someone took a seat in front of Herwin.

With red hair plastered to his forehead and plain brown eyes, he had an open face to match his cheerful voice.

“Excuse me, is this seat empty?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. There’s no one.”

It wasn’t long before a girl walked up beside him.

She was a girl who could be described as sweet.

She had light ash-colored hair that she wore neatly swept back into a long bun. She was beautiful, with slender eyes that complemented her features.

“Thank you, I was just getting in trouble for not having a seat.”

“No, you’re welcome. I’m Ethan Belluna. I’m from Belluna.”

“I’m Christine Diores. Mr. Belluna, I hope we can get along.”

“Yeah! I’ll see you around, and you too!”

Ethan, who was talking to Christine, turned around.

Lucia, who had been unknowingly eavesdropping on their conversation, was startled when Ethan pointed at her.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You kept staring at me, and I thought you wanted to talk to me. No?”

“Oh, that’s… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overhear.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You just heard my name. What’s yours?”

“Lucia Agnes. And next to me here is Herwin Phoenaeus.”

“Oh! Are you two friends? I thought you’d never met, like me and Christine.”

“We’re childhood friends.”

“Really? You’re lucky to be in the same class as your friend?”

Ethan’s easygoing demeanor made the conversation feel effortless. His vibe drew Christine and Lucia into the conversation.

Even Herwin, who had been quiet, realized how much he liked Ethan.

“By the way, if you’re Phoenaeus, you must be a Northern Duke, right?”

Christine asked when much of the awkwardness had passed.

It wasn’t a question she asked to get to know Herwin, but more out of pure curiosity.

Herwin must have sensed that because he nodded obediently.

“That’s right.”

“I see, I didn’t realize you were around my age.”

“Well, I thought you were quite a famous family.”

“Do you mean me? We’re fresh blood compared to Phoenaeus.”

“Of course not, Diores, you’re known for leading some of the most prestigious groups in the empire.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad you’re being nice.”

Christine laughed softly.

“Wow, it’s quite a family honor to be acquainted with such famous people, and I’m a total peasant, so I don’t know much about aristocratic society!”

What could have been a disadvantage, Ethan was not shy about revealing.

Whether he was unaware of the class distinctions between nobles, or simply didn’t care, his demeanor remained consistent even when he knew the identities of Christine or Herwin.

“So, I assume you’re all here?”

The professor’s arrival cleared the cluttered classroom. The professor introduced himself and gave a brief explanation of the upcoming class schedule.

They can say that the start of the academy went smoothly.

* * *

It’s been quite a while since they joined the Academy.

After some initial awkwardness, the people formed groups of friends that matched their personalities.

Of all the groups, Herwin’s was the largest.

With his looks, skills, and wealth, everyone wanted to be his friend.

Similarly, Princess Lydia’s popularity was skyrocketing, but unlike her easy-going personality, Herwin was a bit more reserved.

It’s human nature to want to talk to a celebrity who is difficult to get to know.

People wanted to get to know him, so they joined his group, but they couldn’t get inside his circle.

The only people who came within his circle were Ethan, Christine, Brian, and Bianca Lawrence, whom he had talked to on the first day of the semester.

At first, Herwin seemed to have a bit of a thing for Brian, but now they were on good terms. Bianca Lawrence was a case of her being the first to approach him.

She didn’t show as much interest in Herwin as Christine did, which made it easier for him to be comfortable with her.

Lucia, of course, was the leading member of Herwin’s pack.

Not surprisingly, she was the one who was closest to him.

At the beginning of the semester, there was a lot of gossip about Lucia and Herwin.

Since they were always together, most people thought they were dating.

However, after realizing that it was a simple misunderstanding, many people began to approach Lucia.

Some were attracted to her cute appearance and docile personality and wanted to get to know her, but most of them were trying to connect with Herwin through her.

Especially the girls, who knew that Herwin didn’t have a girlfriend, would ask Lucia to introduce them to him.

They would say things like.

“Hey, Lucia, do you think you could introduce me to Phoenaeus?”

“We heard that you two are close, and we’d like to get to know him too, but it’s not easy to talk to him…….”

“Huh? I’ll ask you a favor!”

Lucia smiled and looked at the people in front of her. This was the twentieth time she had asked for this.

The girls who had asked her to introduce Herwin looked at her nervously, their eyes shining brightly.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that.”

“Ah…….”

A wistful sigh escaped her.

“Why, I thought you two were childhood friends. Isn’t this the least you could do?”

“I don’t think I can, I’m sorry. Herwin doesn’t like this kind of thing. If you want to be friends, why don’t you tell him? I’m sure he’ll be receptive.”

In a soft, finite tone, she once again refused their request.

The girls’ faces hardened as they realized that no matter how many times they asked, she wouldn’t listen.

“Jeez, you’re just being arrogant by saying you’re friends with Phoenaeus.”

One of the girls said out loud, clearly offended. For a moment, Lucia lost control of her expression and stiffened.

“Dude, what did you just say?”

Bianca, who was sitting next to her, was furious.

“What did I say? I was talking to myself. Girls, let’s go.”

“You’re not going anywhere! You stop there!”

Bianca angrily grabbed the girls as they walked away, but they were already gone.