Side Story.1 

“No way!”  

Hazel bit her lip as she realized she had lost sight of Enoch in the blink of an eye.  

She knew he always passed by this way on Tuesdays, so she had been waiting nearby for an hour just in case.  

If only a squirrel hadn’t darted past her, she might have caught a glimpse of Enoch returning from his swordsmanship training.  

A wave of frustration washed over her. Though she wasn’t stalking his every move, this time was incredibly important to her.  

Hazel glared at the tree the annoying squirrel had climbed, then brushed the dirt off her skirt and stood up. 

“Well, nothing I can do about it.”  

Hazel Hoover’s way of expressing her crush was a little unusual.  

Like her friends, she squealed about how handsome he was, but she also went as far as choosing a subject she had no interest in—magical engineering—just to be in the same class as him.  

‘Hazel, are you really going to take that class?’

‘Yeah. I’ve been interested lately, so I want to try it. If it doesn’t suit me, I can change during the course adjustment period, right?’

‘You’re really something. No matter how much you like studying…’

Even she thought it was a strange thing to do. It had nothing to do with what she had studied so far and was notorious for being an extremely challenging course with very few students.  

The only reason she chose <Understanding and Application of Magical Engineering> was that she heard Enoch Meyer had enrolled in it.  

The course moved at a rapid pace, requiring a solid grasp of mathematical concepts to keep up. It was the worst possible match for Hazel, who loved literature.  

But she enrolled in the course anyway, just to be in the same room as Enoch.  

It was only natural that she fell for him even more when she realized he was taking such a difficult subject despite being a member of the swordsmanship club.  

On the first day of class, however, Hazel deeply regretted her decision.  

‘Why did I think I could handle this? I should’ve stuck to my original schedule…’

The lecture was incomprehensible, filled with concepts she couldn’t grasp.  

She couldn’t even understand the purpose of the subject, and she was ready to drop it as soon as the class ended.  

But then, her eyes landed on Enoch.  

He spoke fluently about terms she could barely read, let alone understand, and he looked radiant while doing so.  

How could someone be so skilled at swordsmanship and so intelligent at the same time?  

In the end, Hazel spent the entire class staring at Enoch’s profile.  

She briefly considered enduring poor grades just to stay in the same class as him, but Hazel was a practical person.  

Now, having adjusted her schedule, she was on her way to catch a glimpse of Enoch to soothe her disappointment.  

‘If only it weren’t for that squirrel!’

The thought made Hazel clench her fists and tremble with frustration.  

With a sigh, she trudged along, her shoulders slumped. She hadn’t been able to see Enoch properly today, and it weighed on her. Even a brief glimpse would’ve made her happy.  

In her frustration, Hazel kicked a pebble on the ground. It rolled and rolled until it eventually came to a stop.  

“If only I were good at swordsmanship, I could at least talk to him.”  

She wasn’t entirely unfit; she just wasn’t good at physical activities.  

Seeing noble ladies who excelled at swordsmanship and attended the same classes as Enoch only made her feel more disheartened.  

It wasn’t jealousy—she didn’t think, “How dare she be near Enoch?” Instead, she wished she could join the classes too.  

Hazel recalled Enoch’s swift movements during training, which were too fast for her eyes to follow.  

‘I think it went like this…’

Even someone clueless about swordsmanship could mimic a movement after watching it hundreds or thousands of times.  

After ensuring no one was around, Hazel tried to replicate the stance from memory.  

Her posture was awkward and unsteady, even to herself.  

As she extended her arm and shifted her weight, she lost her balance and fell flat on the ground.  

Pain shot through her body, and she briefly worried she might’ve broken a bone. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly raised her head.  

She was more concerned about whether anyone had seen her.  

Scanning her surroundings, she froze when her eyes locked onto someone.  

Her tears fell as she realized it was the one person she never wanted to see her like this—Enoch.  

He hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to approach. Hazel bit her lip.  

Instead of showing her best side, she had shown him her worst. She wanted to bury her face in water and disappear.  

But she couldn’t let herself look even more pitiful, so she held back her tears and stood up, pretending to be fine.  

“I’m… okay…”  

Her voice trailed off as her gaze dropped to the ground. Her eyes widened in shock at the large red stain spreading beneath her.  

Her knee throbbed painfully, but her mind went blank. She knew she needed treatment, but she couldn’t think straight.  

As she trembled, unable to move, Enoch approached her. Without a word, he scooped her up in his arms.  

The pain from her bent knee made her face go pale, but the shock of being held by him was even greater.  

Enoch hurried toward the infirmary, careful not to jostle her.  

Fortunately, they didn’t run into anyone along the way.  

He gently placed her on a chair and rummaged through a drawer.  

“This might hurt a little, but bear with it.”  

His brows furrowed as he examined her bloodied knee. His expression was pained, as if he were the one injured.  

He carefully wiped away the blood with a clean cloth.  

“Ahh…!”  

The sharp sting brought Hazel back to her senses.  

What… what is this?  

Why is Enoch kneeling in front of me?  

The cool scent of Enoch and his breathtakingly beautiful face made her head spin.