Chapter 81

“Judith, you came out early!”

At that moment, Rodesha, who was the first to spot her, ran up to her side in a flash.

“Wow, you looked so cute in your dress at the last party, but even this casual outfit suits you so well.”

She scanned Judith from head to toe with sparkling eyes.

Following her, Rodein appeared and greeted Judith with a somewhat nervous voice as soon as their eyes met.

“Senior, it’s nice to see you even on a holiday.”

“Me too. Thank you so much for inviting me to your villa.”

As the three chatted excitedly about their long-awaited outing, Chase appeared and inserted himself between the Roziena siblings and Judith, saying:

“Hey, enough with the chit-chat. Let’s just get going already.”

While the three of them looked up at him in brief confusion, Chase naturally wrapped an arm around Judith’s shoulder.

“Let’s go first.”

Chase led her to the carriage, and as if he were a knight, he courteously opened the door for her.

“Get in first, Judith.”

At this, Rodein frowned deeply, and Rodesha snapped sharply, telling him to show even half as much kindness to others.

Judith, however, was so flustered by Chase’s touch that she couldn’t react until she was guided into the carriage. 

She only managed to glance sideways at Chase, who naturally sat beside her, and, startled by their eyes meeting, could barely stammer a word of thanks.

“……Thank you, Chase.”

Why hadn’t I noticed before?

Seeing him today, she finally understood why the Academy students had made such a fuss over him. Chase looked incredibly handsome.

Not just his smooth forehead and sharp nose, but even those ruby-like red eyes. And contrary to his cold appearance, his actions were surprisingly kind.

“It’s nothing. By the way, did you sleep well last night?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?”

“Well, it’s going to be a long ride, so if you’re sleepy, you should rest now. If you want, you can lean on my shoulder.”

As he said this, Chase tapped his shoulder lightly and gave her a cheeky smile.

‘How can even that look cute……?’

It was then that Judith realized her condition was quite serious. She shook her head vigorously, trying to snap herself out of her spiraling thoughts.

Meanwhile, Rodesha and Rodein climbed into the carriage and sat opposite them, grumbling.

“Chase, it’s fine to get in first, but why would you close the door on us?”

“Did you forget that today’s destination is our family’s villa, Chase?”

Now that she thought about it, she’d been so flustered that she hadn’t even noticed Chase closing the door after getting in.

When Judith looked up at Chase with a surprised expression, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and apologized sheepishly.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I forgot you two were coming too.”

But instead of calming down, the Roziena siblings only grew more annoyed, unable to hide their frustration.

……For some reason, it felt like the journey to their destination was going to be longer than expected.

* * *

In fact, the Roziena family’s villa was quite far from the Academy.

Even after traveling in the carriage for quite some time, there was still no sign of their arrival.

However, Judith, who had expected the journey to be long from the start, didn’t mind and simply massaged her stiff shoulders.

What was more exhausting than the long ride was the constant chatter of her friends, who were noisily talking without a pause.

Rodesha and Rodein were bickering as usual, and Chase occasionally added comments, making the carriage even louder.

She’d brought a book to read, thinking the trip might get boring, but there was no way she could enjoy a quiet moment of reading in this chaos.

Giving up on watching the scenery whizzing past the window, Judith simply smiled resignedly and watched her friends’ lively banter.

Much time passed like that. Finally, the carriage came to a stop.

“Looks like we’ve arrived!”

As soon as Rodesha exclaimed, Chase, who seemed restless from sitting still, immediately opened the door and jumped out.

Following him out, Judith was stunned by the sight that greeted her.

“Wow……”

After traveling through the forest for so long, a large and elegant villa surrounded by ancient trees stood proudly before them.

Judith, unable to close her gaping mouth, was met with Rodesha puffing out her chest proudly at her reaction.

What was even more surprising was the sight of several well-dressed servants waiting to greet them.

“We’ve been expecting you. Please allow us to take your luggage……”

Though the Fedelian Duke’s estate also had many servants, Judith had never been treated so formally before, and she blushed without realizing it.

Following the servants inside, the interior of the villa revealed itself to be as elegant as its exterior.

It looked somewhat old, but that only added to its charm.

“It’s even more impressive than I imagined.”

Judith couldn’t stop expressing her admiration, and Chase, watching her, muttered with a slightly sullen expression.

“……The Cardandy family has villas just as grand as this. If you’d like, I’ll take you there next time.”

Judith blinked her large eyes at Chase for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.

“Sure, I’d love that too.”

“…….”

While Chase, unable to respond, awkwardly rubbed his chin to hide his reddening face, they eventually reached the second floor.

A servant pointed to the rooms where they would be staying.

“Young Misses and Young Masters will each have their own room.”

As soon as Rodein realized he’d have to share a room with Chase, his face turned pale.

But since there were no other available rooms, he had no choice but to accept the arrangement.

After unpacking, the four of them gathered again in front of the large fireplace on the first floor.

Rodesha looked around at everyone and spoke first.

“Is anyone hungry right now?”

Since they had snacked quite a bit in the carriage, no one seemed particularly hungry.

Seeing no response, Rodesha continued.

“In that case, we don’t need to eat right away. How about we take a walk in the forest first?”

She pointed toward the back of the villa.

“There’s a beautiful trail nearby. We can enjoy the fresh air, collect chestnuts, and soak up some sunlight. It’ll be good exercise.”

Judith wasn’t usually one for exercise. She didn’t particularly enjoy moving around much.

But being in such a beautiful forest, it didn’t feel right to stay cooped up inside.

Plus, the idea of collecting chestnuts sounded quite fun.

“Sounds great!”

When Judith enthusiastically agreed, Chase and Rodein also nodded.

“Not bad.”

“I’m in too.”

With everyone on board, Rodesha grinned mischievously.

“Alright then, let’s head out.”

And so, the group grabbed bags and tongs and began walking along the forest trail.

The lush forest was as beautiful as Rodesha had promised. Though it was a bit chilly, the sunlight filtering through the leaves made the scenery sparkle, leaving everyone in awe.

The only downside was the rough dirt path, which left them all slightly out of breath after only a short walk.

As Judith struggled to catch her breath, Rodesha, who was walking ahead, suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, I just had a thought. Simply collecting chestnuts might be a bit boring. How about we make it a competition?”

A competition out of nowhere. Judith blinked in surprise and asked.

“What kind of competition?”

“The person who collects the fewest chestnuts has to grant the winner one wish. What do you think?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chase tapped his tongs against his palm with a menacing look.

Even Rodein, who had been dragging his bag lazily, straightened up and gripped it tightly, his expression changing.

Seeing this, Rodesha nudged Judith with her elbow.

“Look at that, Judith. As soon as I mentioned a competition, their expressions completely changed.”

“Yeah, I wonder what kind of amazing wish they’re planning to ask for.”

“Oh no, maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up. I only suggested it because I thought I’d win for sure……”

Rodesha’s face was filled with regret.

Just then, Chase’s voice came from behind as he taunted Rodein.

“You might as well give up now. How do you plan to beat me when all you do is sit at a desk and study?”

But Rodein wasn’t fazed. He replied confidently.

“Well, we won’t know who’ll win until we try.”

“Ha, you do know I’ve won the martial arts competition every year, right?”

“……I know you’re fast and strong, but I’ve been exploring this forest with my sister since I was a kid. I know it better than anyone.”

“Oh, really?”

Listening to their intense exchange, Judith suddenly realized something that made her fall silent.

Come to think of it, the real underdog here was probably herself.