Chapter 14

The spoon, poised to scoop the ice cream, hesitated mid-air as if it had lost its way.

Anyone could see that the person was at a loss, so the spoon was temporarily placed on the edge of the crystal glass.

After all, there was no need for such a request because Axel wasn’t someone who struggled to eat sweet food.

In fact, Judith should have been the one stopping him from forcing it into his mouth.

Irresponsible kindness.

If he couldn’t take responsibility, he shouldn’t act kindly all the time.

While Judith was inwardly reproaching Axel, Chase’s voice sliced through the air.

“Do you really not know? It’s obvious.”

Chase took a big scoop of ice cream with his spoon and put it into his mouth without hesitation.

He had looked so displeased earlier that she was worried, but Chase ate the ice cream better than expected.

He then opened his mouth with a condescending look.

“Judith wants to keep going to dessert cafés with me. That’s why she asked me to try liking sweets. It’s a bit bothersome, but I couldn’t refuse her request.”

Judith looked at Chase in disbelief. But when their eyes met, Chase flashed a grin, showing his white, even teeth.

It was as if he was saying, “Didn’t I do well?”

Chase had interpreted Judith’s words to suit himself, but Judith didn’t particularly deny it.

She just continued to eat the ice cream in front of her. The cold, sweet treat melted like cotton candy as soon as it touched her tongue.

After a while, Axel, looking at her, spoke as if protesting.

“Judith, I’m not bothered at all. I actually like it.”

Saying this, Axel suddenly held out his spoon to Judith.

Judith stared blankly, not understanding why Axel was offering his spoon. Axel spoke to her as if asking for permission.

“Can I have a bite?”

Judith and Axel both had the same strawberry ice cream. The only difference was the sweetness.

So Judith, unable to understand why Axel wanted a bite, looked at him.

“Why? You don’t have to force yourself.”

But Axel, meeting her eyes, smiled even more sweetly than the ice cream.

“Seeing you enjoy it makes me want to try it too.”

“…”

Judith bit her tongue. Fortunately, her face didn’t turn red, but her spoon once again hovered aimlessly in the air.

Chase glared at Axel with fierce eyes as if looking at a family enemy, then spoke lowly.

“Stop being clingy. If you want to eat, take this. Give me that one.”

Chase, though eating ice cream with a neutral expression, seemed to struggle with the sweetness.

He pushed his ice cream toward Axel and tried to slyly take the crystal glass in front of Axel, but Axel blocked him.

“I can’t give it to you. Judith gave it to me, so how can I give it to you?”

Judith was a bit surprised by Axel’s unexpected reaction. Axel was usually a considerate friend who was willing to share.

Moreover, Axel wasn’t greedy about food. He would give up delicious food for Judith.

Chase, observing Axel’s firm expression, spoke quietly.

“Pig.”

Even at this derogatory remark, Axel smiled faintly.

“Better than a fox.”

“Hah, were you holding onto that like a petty person?”

Earlier, when Chase called Axel a fox, Axel hadn’t reacted, so Judith thought he hadn’t taken it to heart. But it seemed he was a bit upset.

Their fiery gazes clashed in the air once more.

It seemed that Chase and Axel weren’t compatible with each other.

Judith had known Axel for over ten years, but it was her first time seeing him so guarded.

The Axel she knew got along well with everyone and easily made friends.

That’s why she had often felt a twinge of jealousy without realizing it.

“Chase, Axel. Why are you both acting so childish?”

Seeing Judith’s troubled expression, the two withdrew their intense gazes.

However, Chase still crossed his arms with a displeased look, while Axel continued to gaze at Judith, ignoring Chase completely.

Judith felt a bit awkward under Axel’s intense gaze touching her cheek.

She thought it was time to quickly resolve the issue at hand. After all, she had met Axel for this reason.

Suppressing her heart that kept wanting to race, Judith opened her lips.

“Axel, let’s finish the conversation we were having earlier.”

She could feel Axel staring at her, but Judith lowered her gaze and fiddled with the empty bowl.

The crystal bowl, still cold to the touch, seemed to sap her warmth. Judith thought it felt like losing body heat.

“You asked if I was avoiding you on purpose, right? Yes.”

“…Why?”

The answer came a little late. Axel’s voice quivered slightly as he asked why.

Judith also took a moment before answering. She closed her mouth and gently swept her tongue over the inside of her cheek.

The lingering taste of ice cream in her mouth felt a bit bitter, though it shouldn’t have.

“You consider me a precious friend, right?”

Axel answered easily, as expected. His attitude was confident.

“Yes.”

Throb, her heart ached again.

Judith, who had been struggling to suppress the remnants of her emotions, finally raised her head. She met Axel’s blue-gray eyes and spoke clearly.

“That’s why. After graduation, we’ll eventually part ways. We live in different worlds.”

Axel’s eyes widened, and his red lips parted in surprise. As if hearing something unexpected.

Axel’s expression slowly hardened. Even seeing this, Judith didn’t stop speaking.

“That’s why I’m drawing a line now.”

“…”

“If I don’t do it now, it’ll be more painful later.”

It was a future where parting was inevitable, so she was preparing for it by drawing a line now.

Like getting vaccinated to avoid suffering from a severe cold, this was one way to lessen the pain.

Even if it hurt, she had to build up immunity in advance. That was the excuse Judith came up with.

With this reason, Axel would understand and wouldn’t refuse.

Without needing further explanation, Axel understood Judith’s intention.

Yet, his eyes looked hurt. As if Judith had said something harsh.

“Is that true?”

Judith nodded. The anguish in Axel’s eyes deepened.

However, she was sure that she was more pained than he was.

Her heart, twisted and torn for a long time, had no intact place left.

No matter how many times she thought about it, Axel wasn’t at fault. So who should this resentment be directed at?

The resentment, with nowhere to go, turned back on herself. For not knowing reality and dreaming of a sweet future, even for a moment.

If she had folded her feelings when they were smaller, it would have been much easier. But Judith delayed and delayed until it came to this.

The one who broke the sinking mood was Chase.

“Yeah, Judith is right.”

While Judith and Axel were talking, he had leaned back in his chair, looking uninterested.

Waiting for the conversation to end, Chase straightened up when it seemed to conclude.

“And as I’ve said many times, stop clinging to Judith. You have a fiancée, so why do you keep hanging around someone who’s taken?”

Hearing this, Axel asked back.

“Are you jealous now?”

“…What?”

Judith’s golden gaze landed on Chase. He quickly waved his hands, trying to recover.

“Me, jealous? No way. If anyone should be jealous, it should be Judith.”

Why did Chase keep spouting nonsense?

Even though he must have felt Judith’s reproachful gaze, Chase ignored it. Soon after, Axel furrowed his brows and asked slowly.

“Jealous? Judith?”

He reacted as if hearing something for the first time.

“Judith doesn’t get jealous.”

Axel’s reaction was natural.

She had worked hard to hide her feelings from Axel whenever base emotions surged.

Judith didn’t think she was particularly jealous. But she wasn’t without it.

Even if she didn’t want to, seeing Axel easily gain favor and affection from everyone made ugly jealousy rise within her.

Meanwhile, Chase seemed to enjoy Axel’s reaction, tapping the table with his fingers as he boasted.

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear? Judith chased away the annoying flies that followed me to the training ground. Even giving her precious accounting practice problems.”

Chase chuckled.

“She must have done it out of jealousy.”

To others, it might have seemed like a charming smile, but to Judith, it just looked annoying.

Whatever Chase was thinking, he kept making hissing sounds and twitching his lips.

Perhaps, in Chase’s mind, Judith was a girl in love, unable to handle her jealousy, chasing people away, and asking him to try liking sweets so they could go to dessert cafés together.