Chapter 17

Her orange eyes were full of interest and enthusiasm.

Judith thought, looking at Rodesha, that she was a passionate girl, unlike herself.

Rodesha was a noble lady. She didn’t need to study accounting for employment. She could live comfortably and leisurely without working.

So, Rodesha was studying accounting not for practical reasons like herself, but to achieve some goal.

Rodesha looked at Judith with admiration, but Judith found Rodesha to be the impressive and remarkable one.

Just then, the students around them stopped chattering, and the surroundings fell silent.

“Ahem.”

At the sound of a cough from the front, Judith turned her gaze forward.

There, she met eyes with Professor Karel, who was standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at her.

Professor Karel, as usual, had unkempt gray hair. He was staring intently at Judith with his murky gray eyes.

It was the first time Judith had encountered Professor Karel since receiving the probationary teaching offer.

It was inevitable to meet him during accounting class, but the matter of the three-way meeting had been left unresolved, which was a bit concerning.

Could he be mentioning that now?

Judith forced a stiff smile on her lips.

“I hear there’s a rumor going around the academy that I offered you a probationary professorship.”

The classroom, which had gone silent at Professor Karel’s appearance, buzzed briefly with murmurs.

She thought it was just an inaccurate rumor, but hearing it from Professor Karel’s mouth made her wonder if the rumor was true.

Students looked back and forth between Judith and Professor Karel with curiosity. Judith blinked in surprise and stammered an explanation.

“Professor, I didn’t spread such a rumor.”

“Of course, I know. I started the rumor.”

Judith was a beat late in reacting to his unexpected words.

“…What?”

Even after seeing Judith’s bewildered reaction, Professor Karel spoke nonchalantly.

“I mentioned to passing professors that I’ve marked you as my successor for the probationary teaching position. A sneaky professor might snatch you away, after all.”

What Professor Karel just said was undoubtedly affectionate. So Judith quickly glanced around.

If a professor showed favoritism towards a student, other students might harbor resentment.

Judith worried about receiving envious or jealous looks.

But the students’ gazes were different from what she expected. They all looked at Judith with pity and sympathy.

She met eyes with the class president sitting far away. The president looked at her with a face that said, “How unfortunate to get caught by Professor Karel…”

Should I consider this a relief…?

Feeling conflicted, Judith clasped her hands politely towards Professor Karel.

“Professor, thank you for the generous offer, but I don’t intend to become a probationary teacher…”

Professor Karel interrupted her mid-sentence.

“Why on earth? Do you love that damned Chase Cardandy more than the beautiful subject of accounting?”

What an absurd statement. What’s beautiful about accounting…

No, that’s not what’s important. Professor Karel just said she loves Chase more than accounting.

There were many students listening. Students always craved gossip, and the truth didn’t matter much to them.

Judith’s face turned pale. Professor Karel wouldn’t have said such things thoughtlessly.

He must have said it deliberately to trouble Judith.

Supporting this, Professor Karel didn’t particularly stop the whispering students. With no one to restrain them, the murmurs grew louder, reaching Judith’s ears.

Cafeteria… Dessert café… A love beyond an arranged engagement…

Her head spun for a moment.

Amidst the chaos, only Professor Karel remained calm. Finally, the line Judith wanted to avoid came from his firmly closed lips.

“What about the three-way meeting?”

“Well, I haven’t had the time…”

Her attempt to evade was thwarted by Professor Karel’s persistence.

“Judith, how long do you intend to make me wait?”

It seemed Professor Karel knew Judith was deliberately avoiding him.

His expression showed clear displeasure, with one eyebrow raised, making it hard to delay further.

Judith mumbled in a voice as small as an ant’s crawl.

“I’ll set a date soon and let you know.”

Due to the noisy surroundings, her voice was barely audible. But Professor Karel seemed to understand her words, as the wrinkles on his forehead relaxed.

He finally stopped the students who were still whispering.

“Instead of spreading nonsense, memorize one more formula in that time. If strange rumors circulate in the academy, I’ll make you write formulas until your fingers break.”

* * *

Judith frowned in a difficult situation.

She had answered Professor Karel, but honestly, she wasn’t sure how Chase would react.

Of course, she could ask him by mentioning the professor’s order.

However, Chase was known for his capricious personality, so it was uncertain whether he would comply even if it was a professor’s summons.

Judith nervously fiddled with her fingers as she stood in front of the training hall door.

The door was slightly open, allowing her to peek inside through the narrow gap. Fortunately, Chase’s silver hair was noticeable, so she found him quickly.

But perhaps Chase has eyes on the back of his head.

As soon as Judith’s gaze reached him, he turned around immediately. Their eyes met.

She saw Chase staring at her in surprise from a distance.

He narrowed his eyes, staring blankly at her, then sheathed the sword he was holding.

Then, as if he had urgent business, he hurriedly ran out.

When he finally reached Judith, he hesitated before speaking.

“…Did you come to see me?”

As Chase approached, she felt the lingering warmth emanating from him.

A faint scent of sweat. It was evident from his body that he had been practicing swordsmanship.

Did I interrupt him?

Judith glanced at his sweaty, smooth neck and then met Chase’s eyes.

Unsure of how to start, she hesitated before finally speaking.

“Chase, I have something to say…”

“…What is it?”

“If it’s inconvenient, you can refuse.”

Chase’s pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit. He covered his mouth with his hand and remained silent for a while.

But only for a moment, as Chase reached out and slammed the slightly open door of the training hall shut.

Bang!

With a sound like a bomb exploding, the gazes of those who had been watching Judith and Chase through the small gap were completely blocked.

Was there really a need to close the door so forcefully?

He leaned against the closed door, as if to prevent anyone from coming out, and crossed his arms with a relaxed demeanor.

His eyes, glowing even redder under the light, looked down at Judith.

“I wondered when you would say it, but today, in front of the training hall?”

“…Do you know what I’m going to say?”

Judith’s golden eyes widened at his attitude, as if he knew why she had come to the training hall.

Chase raised one corner of his mouth and nodded.

“Of course. I’m not someone who lacks intuition.”

“…”

“There’s no romance in it, but it’s not bad. I’ll listen and seriously consider it.”

Even if he had good intuition, could he predict what I was about to say?

Judith wondered if Professor Karel had given Chase a heads-up.

In any case, if Chase knew about the situation, it would make things easier. Feeling relieved, Judith spoke.

“Since you know, I’ll skip the detailed explanation and get to the point. Could you accompany me to a meeting with Professor Karel?”

“What?”

Chase, who had been leaning casually against the door, lost his balance momentarily.

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

“What then?”

Judith was confused by Chase’s bewildered reaction.

“You said you knew what I was going to say?”

“I thought you were going to confess to me…”

Chase bit his tongue as he spoke, his face clearly showing he was flustered.

Confess? 

Judith just blinked her eyes.

“Let’s pretend you didn’t hear that.”

But she had already heard it, so how could she pretend otherwise…

However, Chase ran his hand through his hair irritably, showing clear displeasure. He muttered to himself.

“Why do you make people misunderstand?”

The hallway was silent, so his small muttering reached Judith’s ears.

It was his own misunderstanding, yet he was showing his displeasure, leaving Judith quite taken aback.