Chapter 55

At that moment, the astrology professor patted Professor Karel on the back and said,

“You still haven’t heard that rumor! You’re really slow with gossip!”

“What is it about?”

“Well, it’s rumored that Judith has been secretly cleaning the alchemy lab as a punishment.”

“Punishment cleaning?”

Professor Karel muttered in disbelief.

“Judith isn’t the type of student who would do something wrong enough to deserve punishment… Ah.”

Come to think of it, he recalled the last question Judith asked him after the advanced accounting class.

‘Where does Chase do his punishment cleaning?’

Could it be that she asked to help that troublesome guy?

“Do you have any idea why?”

“I do.”

Chase Cardandy.

That arrogant, unlucky guy ended up making Judith do punishment cleaning as well.

He was really no help at all. 

Professor Karel gritted his teeth.

“I heard that Judith helped her fiancé with his punishment cleaning.”

“……Is the rumor that detailed?”

“I have quite a few assistant professors under me. Just listening to their whispers, I can figure things out quickly.”

The astrology professor boasted proudly.

“When it comes to academy news, I know everything from A to Z.”

“……”

Professor Karel thought to himself.

Why does a professor like you need to know such things?

He couldn’t understand the astrology professor at all, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue, so he let it go.

“Anyway, Judith must like her fiancé quite a bit to help with punishment cleaning.”

“Hmph, there’s no way Judith would like a guy who’s barely graduating.”

“If she doesn’t like him, why help with the cleaning? She must have some feelings for him.”

Though Professor Karel showed a displeased expression, he didn’t dare to argue.

As he kept his mouth shut, the astrology professor whispered to him secretly.

“It’s even the alchemy lab. Just entering it, the thick dust blinds you, and it irritates your throat.”

Professor Karel knew well what that place was like.

The alchemy professor had a peculiar nature that abhorred tidiness.

He always claimed to have his own method of organization, but wherever he stayed soon became a mess.

Thus, his alchemy lab was always in chaos.

It was the number one place to avoid for punishment cleaning.

Yet she went there to help Chase.

Professor Karel’s gray eyes wavered. Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed his mind.

Could Judith really have feelings for Chase?

Meanwhile, the astrology professor spoke in a carefree tone.

“With them getting along so well, if they get married, would Judith be able to continue as a assistant professor?”

“M-marriage?!”

Professor Karel’s shout of surprise startled the astrology professor even more.

“Oh my, you scared me. Why are you shouting all of a sudden? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

But Professor Karel couldn’t say anything. He just clenched his fist tightly.

“Ah, young love.”

“Love? Anyone can see that Judith is too good for him.”

Professor Karel was adamantly opposed to Judith marrying Chase, even if it meant burying himself in the ground.

He recalled a conversation he had with Chase.

When he asked if Chase loved Judith, that arrogant guy had clearly said no, denying it vehemently, asking why he would have such a misunderstanding.

“Hah.”

Professor Karel let out a hollow laugh.

That guy didn’t refuse Judith helping with the punishment cleaning?

Chase’s arrogant face floated in Professor Karel’s mind.

‘Because when Judith is around, annoying people don’t approach me…. Breaking off the engagement and finding a new fiancée would be troublesome, so I don’t want to break it off if possible.’

Chase, that vile guy, must have been full of thoughts of using Judith.

A loud cracking sound came from Professor Karel’s jaw, as if his bone was dislocating.

The astrology professor was startled and shook Professor Karel’s shoulder.

“What are you thinking about so deeply that you’re grinding your teeth?”

“Nothing.”

The astrology professor dared not ask anything more, sensing Professor Karel’s menacing atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Professor Karel was still recalling his conversation with Chase.

‘If Judith truly wants to be a professor, what will you do?’

‘If that’s the case, I’ll step aside without complaint. But it doesn’t seem like Judith wants to be an assistant professor right now.’

That arrogant brat. If Judith doesn’t become a assistant professor, she might end up engaged to Chase.

That must not happen.

There was now one more reason to desperately prevent the engagement with Chase and to ensure Judith becomes a assistant professor.

Professor Karel firmly resolved to observe their relationship by attending a supplementary class.

* * *

The usually bustling academy had become quiet. On weekends without classes, students with time often visited their homes.

Already, the clear summer sky had become distant and high, with the sun brightly adorning the center.

Carriages, each with different emblems, were waiting at the academy’s entrance.

The luxurious carriages seemed to flaunt the prestige of their respective families.

Chase found the emblem of the Cardandy family among the carriages. It had been a while since he rode in the family carriage, but he felt no particular emotion.

In truth, he wasn’t keen on visiting the mansion. However, summer would soon end, and autumn would come.

Then the academy uniform would change to winter attire, so he had no choice but to visit the mansion to get it.

Chase rested his chin on his hand and looked at the rapidly passing scenery outside the large window. Then he fell into deep thought.

God often bestows gifts upon humans. However, not everyone receives those gifts positively.

At least for Chase, God’s gift was a misfortune, not a blessing.

Chase vividly remembered that day. The moment he held the sword, his brother’s red eyes, once friendly, turned wary.

That day was the first time he learned the sword technique passed down only to family members.

When Chase perfectly executed the sword technique after seeing it once, his father’s eyes gleamed with interest.

It was a look that recognized usefulness in something previously deemed worthless.

His brother let out a sigh.

‘Congratulations, Chase. It seems you have talent.’

His brother spoke kindly to Chase, but his gaze had changed.

From that day, Chase became a potential threat to his brother, rather than a ‘poor little thing.’

Threats should be nipped in the bud.

Chase’s brother knew this all too well. But he was a person with a lot of affection.

He couldn’t completely cut off Chase nor fully embrace him, maintaining a middling state.

If only I could completely hate you.

His brother often lamented.

“We have arrived.”

The carriage that left the academy in the morning finally reached its destination, the Cardandy mansion, late at night.

Chase got out of the carriage. Before entering the mansion, he looked at the high, massive walls surrounding it.

The walls were as old as the mansion’s long history and tradition, yet they remained unyielding, without a hint of decay.

Suddenly, he thought the walls resembled a fence. They served excellently as a boundary.

In that case, was I included within that boundary, or was I merely an intruder?

Lost in brief contemplation, Chase returned to reality with a slight breeze ruffling his hair.

He turned his gaze away from the walls and looked up at the sky. The night sky was already adorned with countless stars, sparkling like a tapestry.

It had been a while since he saw stars, as the academy was always bright day and night. They were beautiful.

Perhaps that’s why Chase couldn’t move his feet easily.

In truth, he was justifying himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to enter the mansion; he was simply captivated by the shining stars.

“Chase.”

At the sound of his name, Chase immediately turned around.

There, he saw his mother, who had come to greet him, draped in a thin shawl. The loosely woven shawl seemed to let the wind pass through easily.

Seeing this, Chase frowned slightly. He approached his mother and wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders.

“Mother.”

The Cardandy mansion was in a high-altitude area, so even in summer, the night air was quite chilly against the skin.

Chase couldn’t help but grumble.

“Why are you out here in the cold night air?”