Side Story.2

The stinging sensation of fabric brushing against her wound made Hazel wince as pain throbbed sharply.  

Hazel bit her lip, her lips trembling slightly as she tried to speak, her heart pounding so loudly it felt as though it might leap out of her chest.  

Enoch scooped up some ointment with his fingers and carefully applied it to her wound. A bandage or plaster would have been ideal, but the injury was too large to be covered that way.  

After finishing the treatment, Enoch glanced at Hazel.  

Her red, tear-streaked eyes, as she desperately tried to hold back her tears, tugged at his heart.  

Just as he was about to reassure her that she’d heal quickly, Hazel suddenly lifted her head.  

With her reddened eyes fixed on Enoch, she finally opened her tightly closed lips.  

“Thank you for helping me.”  

It was a short sentence, but it carried sincerity. Her eyes were teary, but they sparkled brightly as they gazed at him.  

Enoch let out a soft chuckle.  

“It’s nothing. Stay here and rest for a while before heading out. I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll leave first.”  

His voice sounded unusually gentle, and Hazel nodded vigorously.  

As Enoch opened the door and left, Hazel finally exhaled the breath she had been holding.  

What… just happened?  

Her already flushed cheeks grew even hotter.  

* * *

“Hey.”  

“……”  

“Enoch Meyer!”  

“……”  

“What’s wrong with this guy?”  

Felix waved his hand in front of Enoch’s face, noticing how dazed he seemed.  

When Enoch still didn’t respond, Felix finally punched him lightly on the shoulder.  

The dull sound brought Enoch back to his senses, and his eyes regained focus.  

“What?” 

“What do you mean, ‘what’? I’m your friend. What did you do to end up looking so out of it?”  

What had I done?  

Frowning slightly, Enoch retraced his earlier actions. His hand unconsciously moved to his chest, where his heart was still pounding hard enough to feel through his palm.  

The tingling sensation at his fingertips made his face flush slightly.  

“What’s with that look on your face?”  

Felix grimaced in open disgust, but Enoch seemed oblivious, lost in his thoughts again.  

‘Thank you for helping me.’

Her trembling lips, carefully forming those words, replayed vividly in his mind.  

He had been returning from doing something no one should ever find out about when he saw her standing there.  

Though they shared a few overlapping classes and had crossed paths often enough for him to recognize her face and name, she had never truly stood out to him before.  

Hazel Hoover.  

The second daughter of the Hoover Earldom.  

She was known for her timid personality, never drawing attention to herself. However, her diligent attitude toward learning made her well-liked by many.  

Still, she wasn’t someone who left a strong impression. She had a plain, unremarkable face and a presence so subtle it was almost nonexistent.  

But there she was, doing something ridiculous in an awkward posture, and he couldn’t help but watch.  

For a moment, he wondered what she was doing by herself. Then she suddenly fell with a loud thud.  

He didn’t know why, but the sight of her bloodied knee made his heart drop.  

Before he realized it, he had scooped her up and was heading to the infirmary.  

He told himself that ignoring an injured girl would harm his reputation, but something about that explanation didn’t sit right.  

The moment he saw her tear-filled eyes, his heart raced so fast it felt like it might burst, and a strange ache settled in his lower abdomen.  

He had always known he had peculiar tastes, but this was the first time anyone had triggered such a reaction in him.  

Throughout the treatment, Hazel didn’t utter a single complaint about the pain. She simply held back her tears and endured.  

When it was over, she looked up at him with those tear-filled eyes, glistening like clear crystals.  

Her soft voice tickled his ears, and the gentle warmth of her skin lingered on his fingertips.  

She was someone he’d never given much thought to before, but in that moment, she shone strangely bright.  

Everything about her seemed to knock on the tightly locked box of secrets he had hidden deep inside.  

Even after resolving his urges alone, the tension in his lower abdomen hadn’t eased.  

Was her face always like that?  

He didn’t know. How he used to think of Hazel Hoover didn’t matter anymore.  

Now, Hazel Hoover had become the person who awakened his hidden desires, someone who stirred something deep within him.  

So he ran away.  

He felt that if he stayed any longer, he might reveal all the secrets he had worked so hard to keep.  

The memory of her gaze and voice kept creeping into his mind, making his neck flush with heat.  

‘What’s so special about her that I’m acting like this?’  

That was his first thought when he recalled her tear-swollen face breaking into a radiant smile.  

Dangerous.  

Now that he knew he reacted to her against his will, he was certain that just seeing her would stir him again.  

He couldn’t understand why simply thinking about her eyes caused this reaction.  

What he did know was that Hazel Hoover had become the perfect danger to his carefully crafted facade.  

Enoch grabbed his sword and stood up, shaking off the memory. He turned to Felix.  

“Let’s spar.”  

“Now? I’m not in the mood.”  

“People are watching.” 

He gestured with his chin toward the crowd behind Felix.  

Felix frowned.  

“Don’t lie.”  

“If you don’t believe me, turn around.”  

Enoch smirked as he added in a low voice,

“Not that you’d dare.”  

Felix scowled but followed Enoch to the training grounds.  

The clash of their swords echoed loudly. Enoch gritted his teeth, swinging his sword with unusual ferocity, trying to erase Hazel from his mind.  

“D*mn it, are you not holding back?!”  

Felix cursed under his breath, his arm trembling from the force of Enoch’s blows.  

As the heat built up in his body and his focus narrowed to the tip of his sword, Enoch’s mind finally began to clear.  

Just as he thought he could forget Hazel Hoover entirely, his eyes caught sight of someone.  

Though the distance made it hard to see clearly, Enoch immediately recognized her.  

Hazel Hoover.  

The momentary lapse in focus allowed Felix to strike toward his side. Enoch dodged reflexively, but the blade grazed him.  

“What are you looking at?”  

As Felix turned to follow Enoch’s gaze, Enoch closed the distance and launched a fierce attack.  

“Are you insane?!”  

Felix shouted, his face twisted in frustration.  

The sparring match ended when Felix dropped his sword, his wrist throbbing from the impact.  

“You’re acting weird today. Did you eat something bad?”  

Felix glared at him, but Enoch wiped the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand, uninterested.  

“You need to work harder. At this rate, you’ll never satisfy your father.”  

“We’re in the same boat, so why do you care?”  

Enoch chuckled.  

Their situations were similar in many ways. Both had inherited wealth and power they hadn’t asked for, and both had to maintain a perfect image to meet everyone’s expectations.  

Because of this, they were both competitors and the only ones who truly understood each other.  

But Enoch had a secret he couldn’t share, even with Felix.  

His gaze shifted to the crowd. Among the spectators, one person caught his eye.  

Hazel Hoover.  

She seemed to be hiding among the crowd, her face barely visible.  

After a moment, she turned and scurried away.  

Her squirrel-like movements made Enoch chuckle softly.  

Even as people stared at him like he was crazy, he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face.  

This was the beginning of a love that would drag on for ten years.  

『Give Me Back My First Love!』 The End