Chapter 32

“…Will I be able to get through today without any problems?”  

The first day of the practical class, which Hazel had fervently hoped would never come, had finally arrived.  

She had taken medicine to calm her nerves, but it didn’t seem to be working at all. Hazel moistened her dry lips repeatedly as she went over the schedule in her mind. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone breathing near her.  

Normally, it would have been a sound so faint that she wouldn’t have noticed it unless she was paying attention. However, with her heightened sensitivity, the sound rang loudly in Hazel’s ears.  

Turning toward the direction of the sound, Hazel’s jaw dropped.  

Her eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck. And for good reason—Enoch, dressed impeccably from head to toe, looked like a god had descended to the mortal realm.  

As this was an imperial tour for the fencing department, Enoch was dressed in the formal attire of the Imperial Knight Order. He even wore accessories that he normally wouldn’t.  

A medal, awarded only to high-ranking officials such as the commander of the knight order, was prominently displayed on his chest. His appearance caused a stir among the students, who couldn’t help but admire the renowned “Lord Enoch Meyer,” whom every knight aspired to emulate.  

Whether Enoch was aware of the attention he was receiving or not, he walked forward with an indifferent expression.  

Hazel’s heart, which had been racing anxiously moments before, now began pounding for an entirely different reason.  

Just as she felt her face grow uncomfortably warm, Enoch leaned in and whispered softly,  

“You’re going to catch a bug in your mouth.”  

Hazel quickly shut her mouth. It wasn’t just her imagination—her face was genuinely burning. Pretending to fix her hair, Hazel pressed her flushed cheeks with her hands.  

“You don’t look so good today, Hazel. Did you not sleep well last night?”  

“I slept… well enough. Anyway, today’s an important day. I need to make sure I don’t mess up.”  

Thanks to his words, Hazel was reminded of the reality she had momentarily forgotten. With a forced laugh, she tried to mask her darkened expression.  

Enoch, though smiling, looked at her with concern in his eyes.  

‘Right, now’s not the time to be distracted.’  

Hazel snapped herself out of it and reviewed the schedule once more.  

Just the thought of going to the Imperial Capital, a place she had visited only twice in her life, was nerve-wracking. On top of that, she bore the responsibility of safely leading the students there and back without any incidents. 

No one wanted to tarnish their family’s name, but unexpected situations always seemed to arise.  

Thus, Hazel had prepared countermeasures for every possible scenario. It was the only way she could suppress her anxiety.  

As she stared intently at the paper filled with tiny notes, Enoch, who had been watching her with pity, spoke up.  

“Do you really need to go that far?”  

“You never know what might happen. I don’t even know the layout of the capital well, let alone who I might encounter there.”  

“Even with me around?”  

“Of course. Trusting you is one thing, but that doesn’t mean I can just rely on you and not prepare at all.”  

Even so, Enoch still looked unconvinced. Hazel, feeling annoyed by his lack of understanding, packed away her meticulously prepared notes into her bag.  

‘What’s so wrong about being thorough? Besides, the kids aren’t the only ones I’m worried about—I’m the bigger problem.’  

Hazel pouted slightly as she grumbled inwardly.  

Unlike Enoch, who frequented the Imperial Capital as if it were his own backyard, Hazel could count the number of times she had been there on one hand.  

More importantly, the information available about the capital’s layout and other details necessary for the practical class was severely limited. This left Hazel feeling uneasy.  

The most she knew was that the Imperial Capital was composed of four castles, with the main castle located at the center. Beyond that, she had no access to additional materials, as such information was restricted to protect the Imperial Family.  

‘Still, if they’re going to assign me something like this, shouldn’t they at least provide some resources? Not that I don’t understand why they wouldn’t!’  

Enoch let out a faint sigh.  

“Anyone watching might think you’re taking a child along.”  

“They’re still kids since they haven’t graduated yet. It’s my responsibility to protect them.”  

Hazel looked at the students, who were chattering excitedly about the practical class, clearly thrilled that it wasn’t a theoretical lecture. Despite their large builds, they were still just children.  

At her words, Enoch responded incredulously,  

“Hazel, they’re not as young as you think. They’re capable of handling themselves. What exactly about them seems childish to you?”  

“…I’m just doing my best to fulfill my responsibilities.”  

Hazel immediately understood the implication behind his words.  

It would have been strange not to. He was likely referring to how they were already engaging in adult activities like s*x, so what made them kids? Soon enough, they’d even have their coming-of-age ceremonies.  

But Hazel believed that as long as the students were under the Academy’s protection, it was her duty as a professor to uphold her responsibilities.  

‘That aside, isn’t he standing too close?’  

Hazel suddenly realized how close Enoch was to her. Normally, she would have noticed right away, as her heart would start racing whenever he got near. However, she had been so tense today that her reaction had been delayed.  

She subtly stepped to the side, but it didn’t make much of a difference. His large frame made it feel as though she had merely shifted from his left side to his right.  

Even in this situation, his broad shoulders and neatly dressed appearance made her cheeks flush. Hazel tried to act as if nothing was wrong and said to him,  

“The students are staring at us strangely. Stop standing so close. What if they misunderstand?”  

“So what if they do? I can’t go around explaining myself to everyone, can I? Besides, is there a problem with professors standing next to each other?”  

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he spoke.  

I feel like I’m about to lose my mind, and you’re smiling?  

“It’s better to avoid situations that could cause misunderstandings in the first place. Unlike you, I have to be mindful of a lot of things.”  

As someone who was still unmarried, Hazel couldn’t help but care about how others perceived her, even if she tried not to.  

Although the idea of a “marriageable age” was slowly fading, this shift had only begun recently, thanks to the late Empress, who had lamented the prevalence of unwanted early marriages.  

However, centuries-old beliefs and values didn’t change overnight. When Enoch first joined the Academy, hadn’t people gone out of their way to try and pair her with him?  

“I wouldn’t mind being misunderstood.”  

“What did you just say?”  

Distracted by counting the students again, Hazel asked Enoch to repeat himself.  

“Nothing. Let’s just get ready to leave—it’s about time.”  

But Enoch simply shook his head and said nothing more. Hazel tilted her head, puzzled by the strange expression on his face.  

However, as he said, it was time to depart for the Imperial Capital, leaving no room for further thought.  

As the carriage carrying the students set off, Hazel was overwhelmed with nervousness, her heart pounding as if it might burst. Enoch seemed to be saying something, but she couldn’t hear a word.  

By the time the carriage arrived at the capital and Hazel regained her composure, she found herself shouting,  

“Kids, move slowly! Don’t run!”  

I knew this would happen.  

Even though she had warned them before departure not to cause a commotion, the students reacted exactly as she had expected.  

The moment they arrived at the capital—a place they rarely had the chance to visit—they couldn’t contain their excitement, exclaiming in awe and throwing Hazel into chaos.  

Though this was only the first practical class, managing the dozen or so students was proving to be no easy task. Thankfully, a few students were behaving, which gave Hazel some relief.  

Enoch was in charge of guiding the students around the Imperial Palace and teaching them basic palace etiquette.  

Although Hazel was the professor in charge of this practical class, she had little knowledge of the capital.  

Instead, Hazel took on the role of staying at the rear of the group to ensure none of the students wandered off.  

For a moment, Hazel questioned why she had even been assigned as the professor in charge.  

But since it had already come to this, she resolved to learn more about the capital and do a better job in the future.