12.1 – Gradually Unraveling Misunderstandings

Clap, clap, clap…

The sound of Liam’s applause echoed through the now silent classroom after Adolf had left. Clicking his tongue in disbelief, Liam began to speak.

“Wow… Just like during the lecture, his personality is really something.”

Encouraged by Liam’s lighthearted response, one of the male students, who had been shrinking in his seat, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Does he always act like that? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I mean, why did His Lordship, the Duke of Ludwig, suddenly get so furious…?”

Thanks to the quiet in the classroom, everyone heard his words, and murmurs began to ripple through the room. One of the students even exclaimed loudly in shock.

“What? That professor is the Duke of Ludwig’s son? Then… could he be the second son of the Ludwig family, the Sword User?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, don’t you know the rumors? About the Devil of the Ludwig Family!”

“What?”

The noise in the classroom grew louder. One of the male students, seemingly familiar with Adolf, started blabbering about everything he knew. The rumors about Adolf spread uncontrollably among the freshmen of the Imperial University.

But Ella found the entire situation baffling.

‘Throwing a glass because the wine tasted bad? He even said ginseng tea was delicious…’

She recalled the time when her father had been gifted a rare treasure from the Gorihen Continent and had brewed the tea with a smug smile. She had tasted it as well, and it had been so bitter that her tongue had gone numb. However, her father had cherished it for its health benefits, so she had kindly served it to Adolf. Though he had accidentally spilled it, she distinctly remembered him saying it tasted good.

‘Then why…?’’

Ella’s face was full of questions. The last look in his eyes before he left had been filled with shock and embarrassment. He had clearly looked like someone startled by something.

Ella began to worry about him. At that moment, an irritating voice reached her ears.

“…So the rumors about him having a split personality were rampant at the Imperial Elementary Academy! They said he was especially cruel to women and weaker individuals. Didn’t you see how he glared at the students earlier? Maybe he came here today just to bully the weakest freshmen in the Administrative Department…”

“That’s right, that’s it. Ugh, did you see the red liquid dripping from his mouth earlier? It was like an ogre that had just devoured its prey! No wonder he created such an oppressive atmosphere when he entered…”

The classroom was still abuzz with gossip about Adolf.

It was bullying!

Though throwing the wine glass had been strange, Adolf had not once frowned or intimidated the students. If anything, he had sat quietly beside her, answering questions kindly…

‘He looked so dejected when I moved away from him!’

Adolf, amusingly enough, wore his emotions on his sleeve. When he was downcast, he slumped his shoulders; when he was embarrassed, his ears turned red; and when he was startled, his pupils trembled…

‘This isn’t the time for this!’

Ella wanted to find out why Adolf had acted so out of character and left the classroom so suddenly.

Where could he have gone? His office?

As she gathered her thoughts, Ella stood up to go look for him. At that moment, Liam grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?”

Ella hesitated briefly but decided to answer honestly.

“I’m going to see Professor Adolf. I want to know why he left so suddenly…”

Liam, startled, questioned her.

“What? Why would you go to him? He doesn’t even like you. And did you see what he did today? I thought it was odd from the moment he barged in as a new professor, but… isn’t he just a psycho?”

Ella, irritated, shook off Liam’s arm.

“I told you, he doesn’t dislike me! And about what just happened… I’m sure there’s a reason for it. I’ll find out myself.”

Ignoring Liam’s words, Ella walked toward the front of the classroom. She approached Erina, who was sitting next to the sleeping Shua, and spoke up.

“Erina, I’m sorry, but could I ask you for a favor?”

Erina looked up at her reluctantly. Ella continued with an apologetic expression.

“Shua seems really drunk, but I have somewhere I need to go… Her dorm room is 302. Could you help her get there? Please?”

When Erina nodded willingly, Ella finally felt relieved and turned away.

“Rafaella!”

Ignoring Liam’s shout, Ella left the classroom.

Once outside the Administrative Department building, Ella headed toward the building where Adolf’s office was located. However, when she looked up at the floor where his office was, she saw that all the lights were off.

‘Then where could he have gone…?’

Ella began walking aimlessly. Before she knew it, she had reached the plaza. It was nearly nighttime, and the plaza was completely empty.

After hesitating for a moment, Ella decided to head toward the faculty dormitories. Just then, she spotted a figure hunched over on a bench in the corner. Ella observed the figure carefully.

A man was sitting slumped on the bench, his face buried in his hands. His broad back and wide shoulders were unmistakably Adolf’s.

As soon as Ella recognized him, she shouted loudly.

“Your Lordship!”

Startled by Ella’s voice, the large figure on the bench jumped. Adolf quickly raised his head and saw Ella approaching him. He awkwardly stood up from his seat.

Worried that he might run away, Ella hurried toward him with quick steps.

“What are you doing here?”

Ella’s voice was sharp. Adolf, caught off guard by her unexpected appearance, stammered in response.

“It’s cold out. Why did you come out without even wearing a cape…?”

“You threw a glass in shock and ran out, so of course I followed you. Why did you do that? Everyone inside is saying you have a split personality! And what’s this about the Devil of the Ludwig Family?”

“The Devil of the Ludwig Family…”

Adolf’s expression darkened as soon as he heard the phrase. He had been scanning Ella’s thin clothing with concern, but his face turned grim at her words. Seeing his reaction, Ella hesitated slightly before speaking again with determination.

“Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard about it. Why do those rumors always follow you? And what happened today? What’s all of this about…? Can you tell me?”

“…”

Adolf remained silent for a long time. Ella waited patiently. Finally, after organizing his thoughts, Adolf spoke in a low, subdued voice.

“First of all, you shouldn’t stay outside in such thin clothing. Let’s go inside, and I’ll explain everything.”  

Adolf turned to head toward his office, but Ella quickly grabbed his arm.  

“The office? You’ll run into the freshmen who just left the welcome party. Most of the buildings not used for the event are probably locked anyway. Hmm, instead…”  

Adolf tilted his head in confusion, and Ella lowered her voice slightly.  

“How about going to your faculty dormitory? It’s not like this is the first time we’ve been alone together…”  

‘I shouldn’t have added that last part!’  

Ella trailed off awkwardly, and Adolf, with a slightly flushed face, nodded.  

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll lead the way.”  

Adolf, moving stiffly, headed toward his dormitory room, with Ella quietly following behind.  

It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach Adolf’s room. Adolf stepped aside to let Ella in first and then entered after her. As soon as they were inside, he turned on the lights.  

‘Oh, it’s quite spacious.’  

Unlike student dormitories, the faculty rooms were divided into a bedroom and a living room. In the center of the living room was a sofa and a tea table, and in one corner, there were swords and various training equipment, reflecting Adolf’s knightly nature. Ella glanced around before sitting on the sofa in the living room.  

While Ella curiously looked around, Adolf busied himself. He turned on the heater to warm the room, went into the bedroom, and returned with a blanket for Ella.  

“Here, use this.”  

“Oh, thank you.”  

Ella shivered slightly as she wrapped herself in the blanket. She hadn’t realized it, but she must have been quite cold.  

‘Hmm, am I getting tipsy…?’  

As her body warmed up, the alcohol seemed to hit her. Ella raised a hand to rub her flushed cheek.  

Seeing Ella wrapped in the blanket, Adolf finally looked relieved and began preparing tea. Soon, two steaming cups of tea were placed on the table. The two of them sat across from each other, their gazes meeting. Adolf, with a serious expression, spoke first.  

“Let me explain everything.”  

At that moment, Ella burst into laughter.  

‘A split personality? More like a fool that people misunderstood!’  

There was still a stain of wine on Adolf’s lips.  

Ignoring Adolf, who froze at her sudden laughter, Ella reached for a tissue on the table and wiped his lips. The tissue came away stained with red wine.  

“Now you can talk again, Your Lordship.”  

“Ah, yes…”  

Even though the wine stain was gone, Adolf’s face remained red as he began to speak again.  

“First, let me explain the nickname ‘Devil of the Ludwig Family.’ This goes back to my time at the Imperial Elementary Academy…”  

Ella quickly focused on his words, and as he continued, her expression grew increasingly shocked.  

“…So after that incident, the nickname ‘Devil of the Ludwig Family’ stuck, and the rumors spread so much that I couldn’t associate with other noble children. Living alone for years only made my personality more reserved.”  

I see…

Ella nodded.  

“That’s when my father suggested I learn swordsmanship. Since then, I’ve spent my time alternating between home and the Imperial Training Ground. That’s probably why there were rumors that I had disappeared. Fortunately, swordsmanship suited me well, and any deficiencies in my physical condition were compensated with elixirs, allowing me to quickly achieve the level of a Sword User.”  

“Wait!”  

Ella hastily interrupted.  

“So, you didn’t have a single friend during all that time?”  

Adolf, looking slightly embarrassed, answered her question.  

“Well… I wouldn’t call him a friend exactly, but I did train in swordsmanship under the Imperial Guard Captain alongside the third son of the Carter family. He’s older than me, but we spent several years together, so I suppose we’re somewhat close.”  

‘One person…’  

Ella looked at Adolf with a face full of pity. Whether he noticed or not, Adolf continued speaking.  

“And after achieving the Sword User rank and experiencing stagnation in my swordsmanship, my father was conscripted into the Western Imperial Army under the pretext of not presenting a diamond mine to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Conscripted?

Ella’s eyes widened.  

“However, the mine was just an excuse. His Majesty, having recognized my potential to reach the Sword Expert rank, secretly sent me to develop my abilities without revealing this to others. Although I disclosed this to enter the Imperial University… Anyway, joining the army allowed me to interact with people and have conversations.”

What? He could only interact with people after joining the army…

Ella’s gaze softened with even more pity as she looked at Adolf. It reminded her of her own lonely school days before meeting Shua.  

He must have been very lonely…

“So, is that why you use different speech patterns in class and when talking to me?”  

“Yes. Since I first learned how to talk to others in the military, my casual speech tends to be stiff. With you, Lady Ella, I use the formal tone I would use with the Emperor, my family, or superiors.”  

“I see…”  

The tone he uses with the Emperor…

Ella suddenly felt a bit burdened by his polite speech. As Ella fell silent, Adolf spoke again.  

“That’s how I became a Sword Expert in the Imperial Army. Then, on the day of my discharge…”  

Adolf swallowed nervously.  

“I happened to meet you, a lady who was drunk, tried to help you, ended up spending the night with you, fell in love with you…”  

Ella’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of herself.