Chapter 31

“Lord Meyer is getting married soon, they say. Someone saw a woman entering the Marquisate. Even though the Marchioness has only recently returned from her time recuperating in a distant place, if a woman is entering the Marquisate, it must mean she’s the one marrying Lord Meyer, don’t you think?”

Hazel felt as though her heart had dropped to the ground in that instant. She couldn’t understand why Vivian suddenly brought up this topic.  

She must have mentioned it casually, thinking it was just passing gossip.  

But it hadn’t been long since Hazel had heard him express his negative thoughts on marriage.  

And now, a woman he’s going to marry…?

Hazel tightly gripped the hem of her dress to steady herself.  

It wasn’t something that concerned her.  

Considering the power of the Meyer Marquisate, he should have already been married. The timing had simply been delayed due to his absence during the border wars.  

Moreover, it could very well just be a baseless rumor. After all, the higher one’s status, the more likely they were to be the target of envy and gossip.  

Vivian, unaware of what Hazel was thinking, shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking.  

“Well, it doesn’t really concern us, but if he’s going to get married, I hope it’s to someone close to our family.”  

“…That’s true. If things go wrong, it could cause big trouble.”  

Hazel couldn’t tell if Vivian was saying this for her benefit or speaking to herself.  

Vivian, who had been chattering on endlessly, hurriedly left the room when it was time for class.  

“Haaa…”  

Hazel slumped over her desk. She tried to calm herself, but it wasn’t easy.  

A woman he’s going to marry?  

She slammed her forehead onto the desk with a loud thud, but instead of clearing her thoughts, they only grew heavier. Hazel stared blankly into space, her face devoid of any expression.  

She hadn’t placed much significance on her time spent with Enoch Meyer, but it seemed she was mistaken.  

For some reason, she felt as though she might cry, so she pressed her fingers firmly against the corners of her eyes. After all, she couldn’t attend class with her eyes swollen and red.  

***

Despite feeling like her head might explode from the turmoil inside, Hazel had no choice but to continue with her scheduled classes.  

It didn’t matter how much emotional distress she was going through; the planned curriculum for the day had to be covered.  

Perhaps it was because of the spring season, but the students had little interest in focusing on the lesson. Hazel had to coax and scold them repeatedly just to get through the class. By the end of it, she was utterly drained and let out a deep sigh.  

She couldn’t believe the day wasn’t over yet.  

So much had already happened, and it was only the afternoon…  

Hazel let out another sigh, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and trudged down the hallway. Her footsteps echoed weakly against the floor.  

The lady who had returned her stick earlier had seemed like a noblewoman she had seen somewhere before.  

However, even as a professor teaching general education, it was impossible for Hazel to know every member of the nobility.  

Not all nobles resided in the capital, and many returned to their hometowns for recuperation or other reasons.  

Moreover, Hazel wasn’t the type to frequently attend parties or social gatherings, making it even harder to recognize everyone.  

‘What if she’s from an important family?’  

Once again, negative thoughts filled her mind. At the time, she had been so desperate to escape the situation that she hadn’t even thought to properly assess it.  

Feeling as though a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, Hazel let out another sigh.  

“Is that true?” 

At that moment, a whispering voice reached her ears.  

It wasn’t unusual to see people huddled together in conversation, so Hazel thought nothing of it and walked past. That is, until she heard Enoch’s name being mentioned.  

“But isn’t it hard to think there’s anything wrong with Professor Meyer when he looks so perfect?”  

“Come on, then why hasn’t he gotten married and stayed single all this time? There’s definitely something wrong with him. And where do you think that problem is?”  

The boys’ gazes naturally shifted downward, and then they burst into snickers.  

It was obvious what they were insinuating, and Hazel couldn’t even muster a sarcastic laugh.  

How could their conversation topic be so lowbrow?  

She took a step forward, intending to reprimand them, but someone grabbed her from behind.  

“There you are.”  

It was Enoch. For some reason, he was wearing glasses she had never seen before.  

His hair was neatly combed back, giving him an intellectual air that made Hazel hiccup involuntarily.  

Wow, he looks incredible…  

Hazel clicked her tongue at herself, feeling ridiculous for how much her mood improved just by looking at his face.  

Noticing her somewhat dazed expression, Enoch tilted his head and asked,  

“May I ask you something? Do you have a moment?”  

“Oh, yes, of course.”  

Startled, Hazel hurriedly replied, having been too busy admiring Enoch’s appearance.  

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed behind them. It seemed the boys had fled after hearing Enoch’s voice.  

‘Should I tell him?’  

A new dilemma arose in Hazel’s heart.  

But she was the only one who had overheard the conversation. Without clear evidence, even if she brought the students in for questioning, they could simply deny it.  

However, her thoughts were interrupted by Enoch.  

“Don’t worry about it.”  

Startled by his sudden remark, which seemed to read her mind, Hazel looked up at him.  

Enoch, still maintaining the demeanor of a fencing professor searching for necessary materials, added nonchalantly,  

“People who are going to gossip will do so no matter what. There’s no point in wasting your energy on it.”  

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Hazel stammered, unintentionally making it obvious she had overheard.  

Enoch glanced at her briefly, his gaze sharp, as if seeing through her. Hazel, flustered, quickly averted her eyes. Though she had done nothing wrong, her heart pounded loudly in her chest.  

As her heart raced and cold sweat formed, Enoch calmly said,  

“Then that’s fine. I’m used to people talking behind my back. Just ignore it if anyone says anything about me.”  

Seeing him shrug his shoulders so casually, Hazel felt an inexplicable heaviness in her chest.  

It was as if he was drawing a clear line, telling her this wasn’t her concern.  

As a fellow professor and academy colleague, there was nothing she could do. That truth weighed heavily on her today.  

Even though they weren’t lovers, and his reaction was perfectly reasonable, Hazel couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth.  

Did she like Enoch Meyer?  

Yes, she did.  

But that was all. The idea of becoming Enoch Meyer’s lover or marrying him to become the Marchioness of Meyer was something she couldn’t even dare to imagine.  

Noble marriages weren’t something that could be decided based on love alone.  

“Are you getting married?”  

Hazel’s face turned pale as the words slipped out before she could stop them.  

“Me, getting married?”  

His expression, as if asking what nonsense she was talking about, wasn’t a good sign. Hazel stammered, avoiding his gaze.  

“S-Someone said they saw a woman leaving the Marquisate…”  

“What?”  

Enoch let out a dry laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, making Hazel flinch.  

Enoch, who had been observing Hazel’s anxious expression, pressed his thumb against his forehead.  

“She’s my cousin. She’s just staying temporarily because she had business in the capital.”  

With that one sentence, the anxiety boiling in her chest vanished instantly.  

So she wasn’t a woman he was going to marry?  

Hearing footsteps approaching, Enoch seamlessly returned to his role as a fencing professor. Raising his voice slightly, he made it clear they were discussing work.  

“I was looking for the grading criteria from last semester but couldn’t find it. Do you know where it might be?”  

“Oh, it’s in a different archive. Professor Carlo insisted that security for such materials was paramount, so he stored them separately.”  

Relieved, Hazel smiled naturally.  

The single sentence confirming she wasn’t a woman he planned to marry filled her heart with immense relief.