Chapter 100

“Did you just say my father agreed to let you work as an assistant professor? Are you sure he didn’t ask for anything in return?”

Seeing the deep distrust in Chase’s expression, Judith felt a pang of sadness.  

Unlike herself, Chase had a father who loved him, a mother, and even a brother. Yet, why did he seem unable to lean on any of them?  

“No, Chase. The Earl didn’t ask for anything in return. He only made one request of me.”  

Judith shrugged her shoulders as she continued.  

“He said he wants to have a serious conversation with you.”  

“…With me?”  

Chase pointed at himself with his finger, his face filled with confusion.  

Seeing his reaction, Judith could truly feel how strained the relationship between the father and son was. She cautiously asked him.  

“Have you never had a serious conversation with your father?”  

“A conversation? With him? Never. My father… no, that man has only ever given me orders. And whenever I tried to resist even a little, he’d bring up my mother to shut me up completely.”  

Grumbling, Chase took a sip of his cocoa, but it must still have been hot because he started coughing.  

Judith quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him. Chase accepted it with a word of thanks and spoke again.  

“Anyway, I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but… I have nothing more to say to him. I said everything I needed to last time.”  

Seeing Chase’s unexpectedly stubborn attitude, Judith spoke with a bitter expression.  

“…Still, Chase, why not give him a chance? There are people like me who no longer even have the opportunity to do that.”  

Noticing the melancholy tone in Judith’s voice, Chase closed his mouth, realizing his mistake.  

Now that he thought about it, Judith’s parents had both passed away a long time ago…  

Feeling as though he had unintentionally touched a painful wound, Chase began to feel deeply sorry.  

Judith, on the other hand, started to feel awkward, wondering if she had brought up something unnecessary.  

“What I mean is, why not hear him out first? You can decide afterward.”  

Her earnest plea eventually made Chase reluctantly nod his head.  

“I’m not thrilled about it… but fine. Only because it’s you asking.”  

Judith also gave a small nod and held his cold hands in hers.  

The two of them quietly held each other’s hands for a moment, enjoying a rare romantic atmosphere, before shifting the topic back to more casual matters.  

“So, did you learn a lot during the training?”  

Judith asked cheerfully, as if trying to change the mood. Chase smiled at her and replied.  

“Rather than learning a lot… most of it was ceremonial training in preparation for the induction ceremony. So, I didn’t get much chance to use my sword. It was mostly just exhausting drills.”  

“Oh, I see. That’s fascinating.”  

Since she knew nothing about that field, Judith simply kept exclaiming in amazement as she listened to him.  

At some point, Chase’s expression became serious as he spoke.  

“Oh, and I heard that once you become an Imperial Knight, they provide a settlement fund to help you live in the capital. What do you think, Judith? If you’re okay with it, we could look for a place to live near here after we get married.”  

Hearing Chase’s enthusiastic suggestion, Judith’s eyes widened in surprise.  

She hadn’t expected him to bring up marriage preparations first.  

“Oh… I’d like that. I’ve been thinking about that issue myself.”  

Hearing her response, Chase smiled as if relieved.  

“I’m glad to hear you’ve been thinking about it too. Honestly, I’ve been worried about it a lot. After the fight I had with my father, I figured I couldn’t expect any help from him.”  

Chase gently unfolded Judith’s small fingers one by one as he spoke.  

“But when I shared my concerns with one of my seniors, they gave me all kinds of advice.”  

“A senior?”  

“Yeah, remember the one who visited the academy last time? You met them too.”  

“Oh…”  

At his words, Judith bit her lip slightly.  

It seemed clear that Chase had grown close to that person during the training.  

The fact that Chase had opened up to someone else about his family matters surprised her. She trusted his judgment, of course, but…  

Still, hearing it directly from him made her feel a little down.  

However, the next thing Chase said made Judith realize how absurd her worries had been.  

“That senior told me they received a lot of help when they got married, including the settlement fund. So, they shared all kinds of tips with me.”  

“…Married?”  

“Oh, did I never mention it?”  

Chase’s eyes sparkled as he continued.  

“They were engaged like us and recently got married.”  

“…”  

Judith blinked and quietly listened to Chase’s words before finally speaking.  

“So… they’re married?”  

“…Yeah, why?”  

Chase asked back with a puzzled expression, as if wondering what the problem was.  

Judith had to stifle a laugh.  

If she told him how ridiculous her misunderstanding had been, Chase would undoubtedly find it amusing…  

But for some reason, she didn’t want to see him get overly excited about it this time.  

***

The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt, and she couldn’t help but sigh.  

“Ha…”  

Seeing Judith let out such a heavy sigh, Rodesha asked with concern.  

“Judith, why are you sighing like that? Is something bothering you?”  

“No, it’s nothing.”  

“Come on, you wouldn’t sigh like that for no reason. Just tell me.”  

Knowing Judith’s reserved nature, Rodesha often resorted to pestering her until she got an answer.  

If she didn’t respond, Rodesha would undoubtedly keep bothering her.  

In the end, Judith made up an excuse.  

“I was just thinking about how I’ve gained a bit of weight recently and wondering what I should do about it.”  

“What? You’ve gained weight? You don’t look like it at all.”  

“It’s just that the thick winter uniform hides it well.”  

Fortunately, her excuse seemed to work. Rodesha nodded in deep agreement.  

“Now that you mention it, I’ve also gained weight from sitting around studying too much. I looked in the mirror the other day and was shocked. But you know what they say? Times like this are perfect for shopping.”  

“Huh?”  

Judith blinked in confusion at the sudden suggestion. But Rodesha didn’t back down.  

“Let’s go to a boutique today. The semester break is almost here, so we have plenty of time, right?”  

Judith recalled the time Rodesha had dragged her out shopping for an entire day. Remembering how exhausting it was, Judith turned pale and replied.  

“I’m fine. Why don’t you go alone? I’m clueless about clothes anyway… I wouldn’t be much help in picking out something nice.”  

“No way. The more you look at clothes, the better you get at choosing them. Plus, seeing pretty outfits will motivate you to lose weight.”  

With her eloquent reasoning, Rodesha dismissed Judith’s objections and dragged her to a boutique. 

Inside, Rodesha moved about like a fish in water, browsing enthusiastically.  

“Judith, what do you think of this scarf? Let’s wear matching ones for graduation day.”  

“Oh… sure, it’s nice. It’s pretty.”

After three exhausting hours of following Rodesha around, Judith had only bought one item: a gift for Chase.  

Since his induction ceremony would take place next year, she thought a nice ornament for his sword would be a good idea.  

The red jewel with golden tassels would go perfectly with the silver and black design of the Imperial Knight Order’s sword.  

She hoped Chase would like it.  

As they left the boutique, Rodesha let out a tired sigh.  

“Ah, I’m so exhausted.”  

“Do you want to head back and rest?”  

“Sure. Oh, there’s a new cookie shop nearby too.”  

The moment they stepped into the warm shop, they shivered slightly as the cold left their bodies.  

“Ugh, I can’t walk around in this cold anymore.”  

“That’s why the winter break is coming.”  

After placing their order and settling into a seat, Rodesha asked.  

“Judith, are you staying in the dorms during the break?”  

Judith nodded at her question.  

“Probably? You’re going back home, right?”  

“Yeah… So I guess today’s the last time I’ll get to hang out with you before graduation.”  

Rodesha said this with a tone of regret.  

“You can always come to the capital for a visit. We can hang out then.”  

“Really? Can I bring Rodein with me too?”  

“I don’t mind, but do you think Rodein would enjoy hanging out with his strict older sisters?”  

At that, Rodesha burst into laughter, then suddenly switched topics as if she had just remembered something.  

“Oh, by the way, Judith, did you hear? Apparently, Amy from our class…”  

Rodesha began sharing gossip about their classmates, including someone getting married right after graduation, someone securing a position in the royal palace, and someone inheriting the family headship early.  

Everyone seemed to be embarking on different paths.  

Listening to her stories, Judith finally began to feel the reality of graduation and the changes it would bring.  

While Judith was lost in thought, Rodesha tapped the table and spoke.  

“And Judith, I’ve finally made up my mind.”  

“Huh?”  

Rodesha paused for a moment before speaking in a determined tone.  

“I’m going to graduate school.”