Chapter 29

Judith thought that in these aspects, Rodein and Rodesha were very much alike. Both had an exceptional passion for learning.

Being a first-year was a time meant for play.

Of course, Judith herself often buried herself in the library and stayed up all night, but still, Rodein seemed to have a more relaxed environment than she did.

Without realizing it, she was looking at Rodein with a proud expression, and beside her, Rodesha sharply retorted to her brother.

“Ugh, it’s exhausting just listening to you. Judith, even though he talks like this, don’t be fooled by him. He’s as sly as a snake inside.”

“What are you talking about, sister?”

Rodein widened his eyes and put on a look of injustice.

At this, Rodesha frowned and clicked her tongue as if she was speechless.

“And when did you start speaking formally to me—ugh.”

“Don’t do that and just eat your pudding.”

“…!”

“It tastes better when I feed it to you, doesn’t it?”

Despite their constant bickering, it seemed they were quite close, as they still cared for each other in their own way.

Judith watched the two with a smile, thinking how envious she was of their relationship. Chase seemed to have thought the same.

“You two seem to get along well.”

“…In what way?”

“You always hang out together even though you bicker all the time.”

At those words, Rodein nodded with a bright smile, while Rodesha made a sour face as if she had eaten something spoiled.

Watching the Roziena siblings, Judith fell into thought.

Would things have been different if I had siblings like that?

Her life began to change shape after losing her father at a young age and being left alone.

The sudden sense of loss, the emptiness and loneliness of feeling left alone in the world.

In such a situation, Axel tried to fill the void as if he understood her feelings, and before she knew it, Judith clung to him, unable to live without him.

How many years had she lived under the illusion of being connected to Axel by a strong bond?

Of course, living in that illusion was sweet and happy. But once the illusion was shattered, it only returned as a greater sense of loss.

Now it felt like being stuck in a vast swamp from which she couldn’t escape.

So she struggled and barely managed to get here…

But how did Cedric know all this and keep probing for details?

Judith hoped Cedric’s offer to help her was genuine.

So that he wouldn’t reveal anything to Axel, and would keep her feelings a secret.

With her mind filled with troublesome thoughts, her hand naturally slowed as she ate.

“Judith, why is your mouth idle?”

Chase, looking at Judith with some dissatisfaction, stabbed a piece of meat with a fork and handed it to her. Judith took the fork absentmindedly.

“Are you going to eat all day?”

“Not really, but if you’re busy, you can go ahead.”

Looking down at her plate, it seemed it would take a while to finish, so she said it on purpose.

But Chase, seemingly with no intention of getting up, leisurely crossed his arms and replied.

“I’m not busy.”

“But you’ll get bored.”

“How could I be bored with you…”

Chase spoke casually and then seemed startled by his own words, stopping abruptly.

With a face turning bright red, he quickly pointed at the Roziena siblings sitting across from him and changed the subject.

“Watching them bicker, there’s no time to be bored.”

“Got it.”

Judith nodded quietly.

Having gotten to know Chase to some extent, she was now familiar with his flustered demeanor.

She had become adept at pretending not to notice his ears turning red.

In a way, Chase was just as unable to be straightforward as Rodesha.

As she continued to eat diligently, Judith fell into deep thought.

But aside from Cedric, there was still a problem left.

Since Riana hadn’t attended today’s class, she was likely still unaware of the correct class time.

I needed to inform Riana of this fact, but when should I go to meet her? At the very least, I had to let her know before the next class…

She wanted to convey it through another friend, but she was worried about unexpected issues arising again, like last time.

It would be faster and more accurate to deliver it directly. It’s best to quickly resolve troublesome matters.

Having reached a conclusion in her mind, Judith continued her meal with little enthusiasm.

* * *

Rodesha looked at her brother, who was pretending to be innocent, with a face as if she had bitten into something sour.

Today, she had planned to treat Judith to lunch as a thank you for the summary notes.

Her plan to chat over lunch in the cafeteria was thwarted by the intrusion of two nuisances.

In the case of Chase, since he was Judith’s fiancé and not yet very close, she couldn’t openly say anything, but her brother was different.

Throughout the meal, Rodesha glared at Rodein with dissatisfaction.

She recalled the conversation she had with her brother that morning.

Well, it was more of Rodesha picking a fight with him than a conversation.

In any case, upon spotting her brother in the morning, Rodesha had tapped him on the shoulder and teased him.

‘Whatever your plan was, it seems to have failed.’

Previously, Rodein had declared his intention to put Judith in her place.

Part of that plan was probably participating in the accounting remedial class Judith was running.

Although, in the end, Rodein had succeeded in being accepted into the remedial class.

But to achieve that, he had hung on endlessly and even shed tears in the end.

The one who claimed he would humble her had instead thrown away his pride.

Whatever his plans were, she thought half of it had already failed.

She expected that pointing this out would make Rodein blush with embarrassment, but he seemed less affected than she thought.

‘Failed? I haven’t even started yet.’

‘What do you mean?’

Rodesha thought he was just refusing to admit his failure. But Rodein shamelessly said something outrageous.

‘I’m going to seduce that commoner from now on.’

‘…What?’

Even though she heard it clearly with both ears, she couldn’t quite grasp the meaning.

From a young age, Rodein was often labeled a genius and was known for his extraordinary actions due to his extraordinary mind.

But what he just said was beyond extraordinary, it was absurd.

After a moment of silence, Rodesha spoke as elegantly as possible.

‘Are you out of your mind?’

That was the most refined response she could muster. Rodesha continued, looking at him from head to toe as if to say, “Know your place.”

‘Do you think you stand a chance? Judith’s childhood friend is Axel, and her fiancé is Chase. You can’t possibly catch her eye.’

Objectively speaking, Rodein Roziena wasn’t bad-looking.

In fact, as much as she hated to admit it, he was quite handsome. The kind of looks that would make passersby turn for a second glance.

Even Rodesha, who knew his true nature, sometimes found herself admiring his handsome sleeping face.

But if Rodein had striking looks that made one admire, Axel and Chase had breathtaking looks that left no time for admiration.

It was more important to capture even a glimpse of them.

At the very least, she had to acknowledge Chase’s looks.

How many students had gathered just to admire him when he visited the training grounds following Judith?

Whether he knew this or not, Rodein shook his head, wagging his finger annoyingly.

‘Sister, you really don’t know anything, do you? Looks aren’t everything. I know better how to win a woman’s heart.

‘Ugh, after crying so pathetically last time, what nonsense. She must have lost all interest by now.’

At her words, Rodesha gave an annoying smile.

‘That was all part of the plan. Showing a pitiful and fragile side to trigger protective instincts.’

‘You really are something.’

Rodesha couldn’t hide her disbelief at his ridiculous statement.

‘If you know so much about winning women’s hearts, why are you so rude to me?’

‘Why ask the obvious? Because you’re not a woman.’

True, even when Rodein spoke formally, it gave her chills. She couldn’t imagine how torturous it would be if he acted fake with her as he did with Judith.

Finally, Rodein added in a matter-of-fact tone.

‘So just stay out of it, I’ll handle it.’

Watching her brother confidently turn away, Rodesha could only look at him with disbelief until the end.

* * *

The hallway just before the start of the first class was as chaotic as ever. Judith squeezed through the crowd and headed to the classroom where Riana would be.

She was probably seated by now.

Though she wasn’t keen on meeting Riana directly, it was always better to get unpleasant tasks over with quickly.

Thinking so, Judith peeked into the classroom she had arrived at.