Chapter 67

From early evening, the boys’ dormitory was bustling with noise.

However, Chase, lying on his bed, tried his best to ignore the commotion around him.  

“Aren’t you going to the party?”  

His roommate asked him just before leaving, but Chase deliberately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, ignoring the question.  

Soon, the sound of a clicking tongue was followed by the door closing.  

It wasn’t anything special. To Chase, who skipped classes more often than he attended them, such events didn’t hold much importance.  

But…  

Now Judith was by his side. He thought she might enjoy it, so he had considered going together.  

At this moment, however, the thought of her being with ‘that guy’ instead of him made his stomach churn with discomfort.  

An indescribable, unpleasant emotion surged within him.  

‘Why does Judith like someone like him?’  

He suddenly wondered. Of course, Axel Fedelian was known for his intelligence and his prestigious family.  

But his appearance seemed frail, his height and build weren’t superior to Chase’s in any way.  

Even his personality—Chase was sure his was better.  

After all, Axel had already made Judith cry in the past.  

That day was still vivid in Chase’s memory. The day Judith, in a sharp voice, had practically screamed her anger, her fury spilling out.  

She had looked truly enraged. For someone as kind as Judith to get that upset, Axel must have done something unforgivable.  

And yet, shamelessly, Axel kept appearing in front of Judith, pleading with her over and over again. Despite having another fiancée, he even had the audacity to ask Judith to be his partner.  

But what hurt Chase the most was that Judith, who had coldly rejected him, had accepted Axel’s request.  

Judith, who had kept her distance from him, allowed Axel so much.  

‘They’ve been childhood friends for a long time, haven’t they…?’  

Was it because of the long years they had spent together?  

He didn’t know how close they had been, but if the only reason he was at a disadvantage was that he had met Judith later…  

It felt unbearably unfair.  

Chase opened his tightly shut eyes. Looking out the window, he noticed that it had gotten much darker than before.  

By now, Judith might have returned to the dormitory.

Or was she still with Axel?  

What if, by some chance, Axel had done something to make Judith cry again?  

The thought made him want to run outside immediately out of concern.  

His conflicting emotions—his desire not to see them together and his need to check on Judith’s condition—clashed within him.  

But he hesitated. The last time he had seen Judith, she had declared that she wanted to break off their engagement.  

If I appeared before her again, would she finally grow completely sick of me? Would this really be the end…?  

Chase rubbed his face with his hands, lost in thought.  

But soon, his concern for Judith erased all his doubts.  

He could just check from a distance to see if she was okay.  

If Judith was happily spending time with Axel, he could simply turn around and leave.  

Having made up his mind, Chase quickly threw on whatever clothes were nearby and stepped outside.  

The once stifling summer night air had now turned quite chilly.  

As he walked, glancing around, Chase soon encountered a crowd. Among them were some familiar faces.  

“Oh, Chase!”  

It was the Roziena siblings, with their reddish-orange hair and eyes.  

They seemed to be heading back to the dormitory, walking slowly toward him.  

“What brings you out at this hour? The fireworks are already over.”  

Unlike when they first met and Rodesha had been cautious around him, she now greeted him quite naturally.  

“…Just out for a walk. Did you see Judith by any chance?”  

“Oh, I did meet her at the party hall earlier… but we went our separate ways after that, so I’m not sure.”  

When Rodesha shrugged, Chase nodded and said, “Alright, thanks,” as he attempted to pass by.  

But then Rodein spoke up, stopping him.  

“They said they were going to watch the fireworks together earlier, so wouldn’t they be in the garden?”  

At Rodein’s words, Chase quickly turned back. However, Rodein, with a nonchalant expression, simply shrugged again.  

That guy always had a sharp sense for these things.  

“Thanks for letting me know.”  

Chase waved a hand and began walking briskly again.  

As he walked further, the crowd grew larger, as if everyone had gathered to watch the fireworks.  

He scanned the faces of those passing by, but Judith’s pink hair was nowhere to be seen.  

Should I go into the garden to look for her? 

But then he might miss her if she was on her way out.  

Chase stopped in his tracks, contemplating.  

‘Or maybe I should head to the path leading back to the girls’ dormitory.’  

In the end, he decided to turn back to the place where he had met the Roziena siblings.  

As the surroundings grew quieter, someone’s silhouette came into view.  

Her hair was styled differently than usual, and her dressed-up appearance felt unfamiliar.  

But under the faint moonlight, her pale pink hair was unmistakably Judith’s.  

“Jud—”  

He almost called her name instinctively, but remembering his decision not to be noticed, he cut himself off.  

But in the next moment, he saw her slowly sit down, burying her face in her knees.  

It was dark, but her trembling shoulders were clearly visible.  

Why hadn’t Axel properly escorted her back? Why had he left her alone like this?  

As those thoughts crossed his mind, all hesitation disappeared, and before he knew it, Chase’s feet were carrying him toward her.  

Judith, sensing his presence, raised her head.  

As he had feared, she wasn’t outright crying, but her face was a mess, as if she had been.  

The sight made his chest ache unbearably.  

“……Chase?”  

Hearing her trembling voice call his name, Chase swallowed his resentment toward Axel and spoke.  

“……Why are you sitting here like this?”  

A flood of worried thoughts raced through his mind, but the only words that came out of his mouth were these.  

As expected, she didn’t seem pleased to see him. Soon, in a sharp tone, she asked why he was there.  

Her reaction made him feel a bit wronged.  

Honestly, if she had seemed fine, he would have passed by without saying a word.  

If she was happier with Axel, he had even been prepared to let her go.  

But seeing her in this state, struggling to suppress her emotions alone, how could he just walk away?  

“I was worried… that you might be crying again.”  

The moment he finished speaking, he saw tears well up in her eyes. Soon, she bowed her head, silently swallowing her sobs.  

Seeing her like this, he felt like a fool.  

Just moments ago, he had been so afraid of being hated by her for showing up uninvited. But now, seeing her cry…  

He realized he didn’t care if she hated him. All he wanted was for her to stop crying.  

Pulling her trembling figure into his arms, Chase spoke in a pleading tone.  

“Just cry. When it’s this hard, it’s better to let it out.”  

***

Hannah, who had been dozing off, immediately lifted her head at the sound of the door opening. Then, with bleary eyes, she jumped out of bed.  

It seemed she hadn’t gone to sleep and had been waiting for Judith to return.  

“Judith!”  

Hannah strode over and grabbed Judith by the shoulders. Then, she shook her mercilessly back and forth.  

“What is going on? Why did you attend the party with Axel and not your fiancé, Chase?”  

“Well, that’s….”  

“Don’t tell me Chase, that terrible guy, told you to go to the party alone?”  

Hannah bombarded her with words in rapid succession. Overwhelmed by the relentless barrage, Judith was momentarily dumbfounded.  

But she quickly composed herself and placed her hands on the back of Hannah’s hands, which were gripping her shoulders.  

“That’s not it. Actually, Chase was the one who first suggested we attend the party together.”  

“Huh?”  

Hannah stopped shaking her shoulders. Judith closed her eyes and opened them again, her vision spinning slightly, as Hannah mumbled in confusion.  

“Chase… suggested being your partner for the party first? Then why did you attend the party with Axel?”  

“…Axel begged me earnestly to be his partner, so I couldn’t refuse.”  

“Then why did Axel do that? Doesn’t he have a fiancée?”  

Judith, shifting her eyes as if searching for an excuse, vaguely muttered.  

“He said I’m his most precious friend, and he wanted to enjoy the last party together. Once we graduate, it’ll be hard for Axel and me to see each other.”  

“Ah, that makes sense.”  

It was only then that Hannah seemed to understand, nodding her head in agreement.  

“Well, after all, once he graduates, Axel will marry Riana, and they’ll be together for the rest of their lives. So I guess that’s why he asked you to be his partner.”  

“…Yeah, I guess so.”  

If this had been before Judith decided to let go of her unrequited love for Axel, her heart would have ached. But now, she was feeling surprisingly okay. While it wasn’t completely painless yet, it was bearable.  

What Judith needed now was none other than time. As time passed, one day, it would feel as though she had never been hurt at all.  

Besides, with Chase by her side to help, the pain would fade a little more easily.  

She decided she would no longer reject Chase’s help.  

If his feelings were that steadfast, then Judith would also consider their future together seriously.  

With Chase’s help, she would completely sever her ties with Axel. The deadline was just before graduation.  

This was the new goal Judith had set for herself, one she was determined to accomplish.