Chapter 50

The unnecessary introduction was too long. Rodein finally wanted to get to the main point he genuinely wanted to ask.

“So, what is the trial you’re experiencing right now?”

“……Well, that is…”

Hannah still hesitated to reveal the truth. She looked at Rodein with a worried expression.

“Can you promise me that you won’t be hurt if I tell you?”

Noticing the pity in her gaze directed at him, Rodein paused for a moment.

What could be so significant that she hesitated like this?

Seeing Hannah’s hesitation, Rodein suddenly remembered the last conversation he had with Cedric.

Cedric had said there was no chance of things working out with Judith anyway, as if it were a foregone conclusion.

At that time, Cedric’s reaction and Hannah’s response, as Judith’s friend, seemed oddly similar.

Even just thinking about it made his heart ache, but curiosity eventually got the better of Rodein, and he mustered the courage to ask.

“If you’re keeping it a secret like this, is it possible that Judith already has a crush on someone else?”

Instinctively feeling that if he backed down now, there would be no next chance, he bit his lip and braced himself for the answer that would soon come.

“……!”

Hannah’s reaction soon confirmed that his guess was correct.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise, her lips parted in disbelief. She clasped her hands together as if in prayer to cover her mouth.

Soon, she took a deep breath and asked Rodein,

“How did you know?”

Unable to tell her that her reaction was too obvious, Rodein shrugged his shoulders weakly.

But as soon as he confirmed that his guess was right, he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth and shoulders from drooping.

Noticing his reaction, Hannah’s expression soon changed to one of pity.

“I’m sorry, are you very shocked?”

Rodein still couldn’t say anything.

He knew he should answer since she had asked him a question, but his mind was too tangled.

He thought that regardless of Judith’s true feelings, he could work hard from now on and rebuild their relationship.

His mind was suggesting a positive direction, but his heart was causing chaos.

Rodein placed a hand over his pounding heart. It felt as if it would burst through his shirt at any moment. It wasn’t the heartbeat of a normal person.

Hannah mumbled as she looked at Rodein, who had turned pale as if he might collapse at any moment.

“It seems like you’re in shock. Well, you haven’t even confessed yet…”

It was naturally shocking. Judith, who had been so cold to him, had a crush on someone else.

And then Hannah delivered another blow.

“I’m sorry, now that I know you like Judith, I can’t help you.”

“……Why? Is it because I have no chance at all?”

“That’s not it, it’s just that Judith’s feelings are so consistent. She can’t even think of anyone else.”

At this, Rodein’s mouth began to gape open. Hannah’s words eerily echoed what Cedric had said before.

‘……Because your rival is someone you can’t beat, even if you come back from the dead.’

In fact, after hearing that, Rodein had once tried to follow Cedric to find out who this ‘rival’ was.

However, Cedric, known for his bad temper, didn’t have many friends, so Rodein couldn’t pinpoint anyone specific.

During that fruitless attempt, he witnessed something peculiar.

A chandelier falling over Axel Fedelian’s head while he was inspecting the remodeling situation in the party hall.

Strangely, Axel Fedelian just stared blankly at it, even though he had plenty of time to avoid it.

Rodein, forgetting that he was hiding and watching, was about to rush out to prevent the accident when Cedric, who was fortunately nearby, used magic to send Axel flying, thus averting a major accident.

If Cedric hadn’t been there, who knows what kind of disaster might have occurred; the thought alone made Rodein’s knees tremble.

Anyway, that was the scene Rodein had witnessed.

But soon, Rodein overheard Cedric muttering something meaningful to himself.

‘Why go to such lengths for that person…’

At the time, he dismissed it without much thought, but now that remark resurfaced in his mind.

Could it be that Cedric was referring to Judith when he said ‘that person’?

If Judith and Axel loved each other but had to give up due to their status difference, and Axel was suffering from watching Judith get engaged to someone else…

If that’s why he was so distracted that he couldn’t avoid the falling chandelier even though he could…

If he assumes that, everything fits. If they both have feelings for each other, then it’s true that his chances are slim.

Finally, all the clues came together.

The ‘rival’ Cedric had mentioned was none other than Axel Fedelian.

* * *

I should have been more careful with my words; is this the price for my reckless chatter?

Hannah looked at Rodein, who had been wearing a vacant expression with his mouth open since a certain point, with a pitiful expression.

Perhaps she had been too harsh on this young lad.

It seemed like it was the first time in years she had faced such an awkward and difficult situation.

Just then, Rodein seemed to finish his thoughts and let out a long sigh, and Hannah took the opportunity to speak to him cautiously.

“Are you thinking of giving up on your crush…?”

“I haven’t even confessed yet, so I can’t give up already.”

“……Of course, you wouldn’t.”

Rodein, who had lifted his head again, had a determined look in his eyes, as if he wouldn’t back down at all.

His recovery speed is astonishingly fast.

Judith loves Chase, who doesn’t love her, and Rodein loves Judith, who doesn’t love him.

What an incredible twist of fate.

It was a tangled love triangle that could only come out of a romance novel.

If the dormitory supervisor, who shared the same hobby, were here, they could have talked about this topic all night.

It was truly unfortunate.

Of course, since it was the story of real people and not a novel, she couldn’t tell the supervisor to respect their privacy…

Anyway, Hannah had no intention of revealing who Judith’s crush was to Rodein.

Her reason for deciding so was simple. She thought Rodein might deliberately interfere between them to achieve his love.

If that happened, poor Judith would surely…

Hannah looked up, trying to ignore Rodein’s pitiful gaze.

Seeing the sky higher than ever before, she suddenly realized that the seasons had changed again.

So much time has already passed. Soon after graduation, Judith will marry Chase as she wishes…

But suddenly, she wondered if her choice to recommend Chase as Judith’s fiancé had been the right one.

In fact, Hannah didn’t have a good feeling about Chase. So she had no loyalty to protect him as Judith’s fiancé.

Moreover, she was still bothered by the fact that Chase had bluntly told Judith, ‘I’ll get engaged, but I won’t love you.’

Even if Judith married that arrogant jerk, she wondered if she could truly congratulate them from the bottom of her heart,

Knowing the emotional hardships Judith would face in the future.

Perhaps Rodein, who harbors pure and sincere feelings, would be better than the bad Chase.

At least Rodein loved Judith so fervently that he wouldn’t give up even knowing she had a crush on someone else.

Moreover, Rodein was holding a mysterious gold-wrapped package. It was obviously a gift. He must have brought it to give to Judith.

Hannah suddenly remembered a debate that had heated up the academy recently.

‘Which would bring more happiness: dating someone you love or dating someone who loves you?’

Hannah was firmly in favor of the latter. She believed that dating someone you love would only bring emotional pain and nothing good.

But among the students, there was fierce opposition between the former and the latter, and it seemed to be quite a close contest.

Although she hadn’t asked Judith which side she would choose, the answer was obvious.

“Sigh…”

Thinking of Judith, who pretended to be fine and smiled, Hannah felt like her heart was about to crumble.

Chase, you bastard.

Should I secretly throw a stone at him when we pass by on the street? Or maybe leave a banana peel in the hallway he often walks through…

But at that moment, Hannah’s sight caught a glimpse of pure silver hair without a speck of dust.

“Ah!”

While secretly planning to prank Chase, the subject suddenly appeared right in front of her!

Hannah was so surprised that she almost fell backward.

But just before she hit the ground—

Thud.

Chase, with a quick reflex, grabbed Hannah’s arm.