Chapter 92

“When would be a good time, then?”

Judith, who had been lost in thought for a moment, didn’t immediately understand what Chase was saying and asked again.

“Hmm? For what?”

“…I mentioned earlier that we should visit my parents before the group training starts.”

Chase looked at her with a slightly disappointed expression, as if her lack of focus on his words bothered him.

“Oh, right. You did say that.”

Judith looked up at Chase absentmindedly and then nodded in a daze.

Chase let out a small laugh, as though he couldn’t help it, and gently tucked her hair behind her ear with a kind touch.

The gesture felt so pleasant that Judith briefly leaned her cheek against his hand like a cat.

Soon, she asked in a soft voice.

“When does the group training start?”

“The week after next.”

“Then… how about we go next weekend?”

It was strange. The slight disappointment she’d felt earlier seemed to have completely vanished, and she felt happy again.

When Judith smiled bashfully, Chase, too, seemed pleased by her smile and grinned as he replied.

“Alright, I’ll let my parents know in advance.”

After speaking, Chase gazed at her intently for a while.

Then, as if signaling, he lowered his head toward her. Judith didn’t avoid his gaze.

As their lips met deeply, Judith clung to his collar.

Ever since their first kiss, they had occasionally shared affection like this.

Perhaps because of this, Chase, who used to blush like a child whenever Judith mentioned expecting a kiss, now initiated physical affection naturally.

No, recently, he had become almost overly enthusiastic, to the point of being assertive. Even so, it seemed he was restraining himself when they were in public areas like the academy courtyard.

How happy would every day be after graduation, spending them together with you?

Judith squinted slightly as she looked out the window. At some point, snowflakes had begun to drift gently from the sky.

Winter had already arrived.

***

That day, all classes ended early.

The students, eagerly counting down the days until the holiday ceremony, had stopped strolling around the courtyard and instead returned to their dormitories early to rest.

The weather had suddenly turned much colder. Judith and Rodesha looked up at the sky, watching their breath form visible puffs in the air.

“Thankfully, it’s not snowing today.”

“But the roads will still be a mess from all the snow that’s piled up over the past few days.”

Rodesha said this as she tightened the scarf over her thick fur coat.

Within certain areas of the academy, the temperature was kept warm, so it wasn’t too bad. But once they left in a carriage, they would be exposed to the freezing cold outside.

For that reason, Judith had also dressed warmly today.

“So, what are you shopping for today, Judith?”

Rodesha asked as she stepped into the carriage, brushing the snow off her shoes.

“Just some simple gifts for friends. I’ll be graduating from the academy after this semester.”

“Ugh, I was hoping to look around for some pretty clothes.”

“That sounds fun, too.”

The two chatted idly for a while, gazing out the carriage window as it rolled along.

Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, Rodesha’s orange eyes lit up, and she asked.

“By the way, it’s surprising that Chase let you and me go out alone today.”

“Oh, I told him I wanted to spend some time with you, just the two of us, since it’s been a while. But as soon as I said that, he started whining about how I was leaving him out.”

“Eh? He whined?”

Rodesha seemed to imagine the scene for a moment, then shuddered.

“Ugh, just the thought of it is gross.”

Judith giggled at her reaction.

The town wasn’t too far away. When they got out of the carriage, a beautifully decorated street, newly adorned for winter, came into view.

Walking side by side, Judith continued the conversation.

“And actually, Chase has been really busy lately, sorting things out.”

“Oh, right. He passed the knight exam.”

Rodesha nodded absentmindedly at the mention, then frowned slightly.

“Of course, it’s something to celebrate… but honestly, it feels a bit strange. An Imperial Knight, huh? That’s only for the elite of the elite.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“But can you imagine it? Chase Cardandy, neatly dressed in the Imperial Knight Order’s uniform, acting all dignified and haughty?”

Judith paused to think about whether the Imperial Knights had such an image.

Sure, they had a polished, gleaming look during formal events, even to the point of being off-putting at times.

“…Honestly, I was really surprised too. Apparently, one of the Imperial Knights even came to see Chase and asked him to just withdraw honorably before officially joining.”

“What?”

Hearing this, Rodesha burst into laughter in the middle of the street. She laughed so hard and for so long that passersby started to stare.

“Hahaha! Haha!”

“Stop laughing already.”

Judith tugged on Rodesha’s sleeve as they ducked into a gift shop to avoid the stares. Her face was already turning red.

“Ahaha, s-sorry. So, what happened?”

“Well, that knight challenged Chase to a sparring match… and, um.”

Judith frowned slightly at the memory before finishing her sentence.

“Surprisingly, Chase won.”

“Huh?”

Rodesha, who had been expecting an interesting outcome, looked disappointed.

“What? That’s boring.”

“Chase must have some talent. After that, the knight seemed to view him favorably and even gave him some words of encouragement.”

Judith spoke in a dry tone as she browsed the toys on display. Watching her for a moment, Rodesha tilted her head and asked.

“Really? Then why do you look so glum?”

“Huh?”

Me?

Judith blinked, confused, and looked at Rodesha. Her friend’s face was half-buried in her scarf, making it clear she was feeling the cold.

“Your tone made it sound like you’re not happy about Chase being talented. Is something bothering you?”

“Did it sound like that?”

Judith made an awkward face. Rodesha squinted at her friend, studying her expression, then spoke in a playful tone.

“Hmm, could it be that you’ve finally realized Chase is kind of annoying?”

“Haha, no, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

Faced with her friend’s persistent curiosity, Judith hesitated for a moment before confiding.

“Well, actually… the knight who sparred with Chase was a female knight. And she was incredibly beautiful.”

“…”

“And after the sparring match, she became really friendly toward Chase… and apparently, she’ll be in charge of his training during the group sessions. I know it’s silly, but… it’s been bothering me a little.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After hearing the whole story, Rodesha nodded in understanding and fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

“So, to sum it up, Judith, you’re jealous of Chase and that female knight.”

“…”

Is that what this is?

Judith stood frozen for a moment, unable to respond.

“This is shocking.”

“…What is?”

“Listening to this, I can tell you really like Chase.”

Rodesha looked at Judith with a surprised expression and asked.

“Honestly, back when you and Axel attended the summer party together, I thought you two looked great together. Even the Student Council president seemed interested in you.”

“…Did it seem that way?”

“Yeah. Of course, since you were already engaged to Chase back then, he didn’t say anything. But I figured it was just a political engagement and that there were no real feelings involved—”

Rodesha spoke quickly, her words flowing like a torrent, even as she examined a small, pretty music box on display. When she turned the handle on the side, a familiar, gentle melody began to play.

Judith, listening to her, picked up an item and examined it absentmindedly.

“But at some point, I noticed Chase seemed to really like you. Not that I can blame him—Judith, you’re a very charming person.”

“…”

“And now you’re saying you’ve fallen for Chase, even though Axel was right there. Isn’t that right?”

Rodesha looked at Judith with a face that said she couldn’t understand it at all.

Judith could only smile at her friend, who, even after spending an entire semester with her, still found Chase hard to warm up to.

To be fair, there had been plenty of times early on when Judith had wanted to smack Chase on the head for his arrogance and self-centered behavior.

She’d never actually tried it, though, since she couldn’t reach him.

Judith smiled playfully and replied.

“Chase may seem like a handful, but he’s actually very sweet.”

“Hmm…”

Rodesha frowned briefly, then seemed to recall something and reluctantly nodded.

“That’s true. He is incredibly devoted to you.”

After a moment, Rodesha turned back to Judith with a bright expression.

“Come to think of it, Judith, I don’t think you need to worry too much about that female knight.”

“…?”

Judith looked at her friend in confusion, and Rodesha shrugged as she explained.

“Actually, I talked to Chase about you once. And during that conversation…”

Rodesha paused, recalling their exchange.

‘Are you really marrying Judith next year, Chase?’

‘Yeah, but you’re not invited.’

‘I’m sure Judith will invite me anyway.’

‘…’

‘You’d better treat Judith well, you know that, right?’

‘I don’t need you to tell me that.’

‘Seriously, don’t cheat on her or anything. Stay loyal.’

Rodesha had said this out of concern, knowing how popular Chase was with women.

But Chase had looked at her with an unusually serious expression and replied.

‘Hey, you know a knight’s oath is sacred, right?’

‘…It is?’

‘And my life’s mission is Judith.’

‘You’re not even a knight yet.’

‘Come to my knighting ceremony and see for yourself. You’ll see how serious I am.’

Even though Chase had raised his eyebrows in his usual annoying way, his resolve had been clear.

“Anyway, you really don’t have to worry.”