Chapter 28

Despite the incredulous look, Cedric continued speaking.

“Think about it. We’ve known each other for a long time, but we’ve never had a proper conversation, have we?”

That was true, but they weren’t close enough to have a sudden one-on-one conversation like this.

Moreover, unlike Axel, he was someone filled with a noble-centric mindset.

He must have some purpose for doing this.

Judith narrowed her eyes.

While she was on guard internally, Cedric asked an unexpected question.

“I’m just curious, but did you have a fight with Axel or something?”

It was such an unexpected question that she almost flinched, but fortunately, she didn’t. Judith replied coolly.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, judging by your reaction, it wasn’t a fight, you just pushed him away unilaterally, didn’t you?”

Cedric wasn’t just perceptive; he was incredibly sharp. He noticed Judith’s subtle change in expression and nodded to himself.

“To be able to push away someone you like so coldly, you’re quite brave.”

“…”

She thought she had been surprised enough, but perhaps she was mistaken.

This time, Judith felt as if her heart dropped with a thud. She stared blankly at Cedric, forgetting even to breathe.

Since when, and how?

How did he know that I liked Axel?

Cedric, observing Judith frozen in shock, spoke with a teasing tone.

“Hmm, it’s a compliment, so why the face?”

“That’s ridiculous—”

“Why is it ridiculous? You like Axel, don’t you? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“…”

She was confused. Cedric was already certain. Any excuse would be futile.

At that moment, a hypothetical situation flashed through Judith’s mind.

If Cedric knew this, perhaps Axel also knew that I liked him?

What if Axel had just pretended not to know my feelings to avoid awkwardness and remain friends?

Amidst her growing confusion, Cedric clapped his hands as if something had occurred to him.

“Oh right. Congratulations, Judith, though it’s late.”

While the dazed Judith remained silent, Cedric continued speaking as if he didn’t mind.

“I heard the news that you got engaged to that sword-obsessed guy. But thinking about it again, it’s fascinating.”

He tilted his head as he spoke.

“To think of getting engaged to someone else while liking someone else. That’s not something most people can do.”

“…”

“Did you really do it because you wanted to? You didn’t, did you?”

Despite his continuous questioning, Judith, whose mind was in turmoil, just stood still.

Regardless, Cedric continued his presumptions on his own.

“Or maybe… was it Madame Fedelian who arranged it?”

Only after hearing that did Judith finally manage to open her lips.

Instead of asking how he knew that or since when, she decided to ask something else first.

“Axel.”

Her throat felt like it was burning, so she paused before speaking again.

“Does he know that I like him?”

Every second waiting for Cedric’s answer felt like a year. After what seemed like an eternity, he replied.

“Of course not.”

So Axel didn’t know.

Even in this situation, Judith felt relieved. Relieved that he hadn’t known everything and deceived her.

But there was still a problem to deal with.

Cedric not only knew that she liked Axel but also suspected that Madame Fedelian had forced her into the engagement.

Her clumsy response earlier had already confirmed his suspicions. It was too late to deny it now.

Judith stopped blaming her earlier self. Self-reproach wouldn’t change the situation.

Having come this far, she decided to ask him straightforwardly.

“Are you going to tell Axel about all this?”

“No? Why would I?”

It was an unexpected answer.

Honestly, given Cedric’s personality, she thought he might reveal everything for his own amusement.

But Cedric looked at Judith seriously.

“Judith. Since you’re engaged now, are you planning to distance yourself completely from Axel?”

Judith nodded. Seeing her nod, Cedric smiled satisfactorily.

“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

“…”

After a moment, Cedric crossed his arms and spoke again.

“Alright, then I’ll help make sure Axel doesn’t approach you so you can achieve your goal.”

Again, it was unexpected. Judith narrowed her eyes.

Though they had never had a conversation, Cedric always looked at her with disapproval, so she knew he didn’t like her.

Why would Cedric want to help me, someone he disliked?

Meanwhile, Cedric seemed to notice Judith’s skepticism and added a simple explanation.

“Because I have the same goal as Madame Fedelian. I don’t want you entangled with Axel.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cedric walked over to Judith and patted her shoulder a few times, as if encouraging her.

“You’re doing well, but keep trying a bit more like this. Can you do that?”

“…”

“It’s time. The other students will be here soon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the classroom door opened.

Creak-.

“Judith? You’re already here?”

It was Rodein, Chase, and the other remedial class students.

With their arrival, Judith couldn’t ask Cedric anything more and could only bite her lip.

* * *

She wasn’t sure how she managed to conduct the class. Fortunately, Riana didn’t come to the remedial class after all.

If Riana had come, she would have been even more distracted, so it was a relief.

After somehow finishing the first class, lunchtime came quickly.

Normally, she would have returned to the dormitory and had a quick meal, but Chase mentioned a promise and said he was hungry, so she had no choice but to head to the cafeteria.

Rodein tagged along, and somehow Rodesha found out and joined them, saying she’d buy lunch as soon as the class ended.

So now there were already four people in the group.

Just as Judith was bewildered by the rapidly growing group, Chase, who had naturally sat next to her, clicked his tongue as he looked at her food.

“You’re just eating bread again like last time?”

Chase, expressing his disapproval, soon transferred some of his food onto Judith’s plate. It was a large, greasy steak.

It seemed to reflect his dietary preferences.

“I brought this because I knew you’d do that, so eat some meat.”

Chase even picked up a knife and started cutting the meat for her. She could see the red juices seeping into the cut surface.

But Judith, having no appetite, just looked at the meat disapprovingly. Noticing her gaze, Chase spoke.

“If you’re picky, you won’t grow tall.”

“…”

“Of course, even if you grow taller, you’ll still be shorter than me.”

At the sudden provocation, Judith tightened her grip on her fork and glared at Chase. But Chase just smiled leisurely.

“Why? Am I wrong?”

She wanted to retort to Chase’s mocking words. But he was the owner of a stature that far exceeded the average.

Frustrated, she could only glare at Chase, when suddenly someone interjected from the front.

“What does it matter if she’s picky? Judith has probably already finished growing.”

It was Rodein. He was smiling warmly, unlike the teary-eyed figure from before.

He didn’t seem to notice Chase’s frown from across the table.

Instead, Rodein showed Judith a brilliant smile, like a blooming flower bud.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Judith was at a loss. Just then, Chase turned his head away as if uninterested.

He then changed the subject and asked Judith a question.

“By the way, you said you were going to move the class time up earlier, right? What did you mean by that?”

At that, the others’ gazes also turned to her. Judith hesitated on how to explain before finally speaking.

“…I didn’t move it up, that was the original class time. The notice was wrong.”

“What? You didn’t mention that earlier.”

Rodein asked, surprised. It was understandable since she hadn’t explained during the class.

Because it was difficult to openly say in front of Cedric that he was the cause.

But now that Cedric wasn’t here, she decided to be honest.

“Well, Cedric tampered with the notice.”

“What?”

Chase’s expression turned grim in an instant.

He looked like he was about to charge off, so Judith blocked him with her hand and continued speaking.

“He said it was just some magic practice. He apologized, saying it was a mistake, so let’s forget about it.”

Rodesha looked at Judith with a serious expression and asked.

“Is it really just a mistake? He’s not bullying you or anything, right?”

“No.”

He had said he would cooperate with her in the future, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

Judith answered confidently, and Chase, despite his suspicious look, settled down again.

As if trying to change the subdued atmosphere, Rodein spoke in a playful voice.

“Anyway, it’s a shame we have to wait another week to be taught by you, Judith. I really enjoyed today’s class.”

His orange eyes, filled with genuine regret, showed that he wasn’t just saying it out of politeness.