Side Story 4

Adrianna silently looked at Lucas, who was staring out the window. Ever since the incident in the library, he had remained in that state. That blank face, trapped in thought, looked so pathetic that it almost made her sigh.

It seemed the events of that day had been very stimulating for an adolescent boy. One could tell, considering that he had even thrown aside the studying he had always worked so hard at.

“Adrianna.”

“Yes.”

Without turning his head from where it was fixed on the window, Lucas moved only his mouth as he called to her.

“If……. just if, we were to do th, that…….”

He imagined kissing her.

When their eyes had met in the library, the wholesome yet stimulating scene of them moving closer and kissing, neither one waiting for the other to go first, was read by Adrianna exactly as it was.

“What do you mean? By the way, why haven’t you been studying lately?”

“Huh?”

Pretending not to know, Adrianna changed the subject.

His head whipped around, and the blue eyes that had been fixed only on the window finally took her in. The reddened ears visible through his beautiful blond hair looked as though they were split in two.

“Are you finally giving up? On beating me, I mean.”

“Giving up……?”

Adrianna crossed her arms leisurely, wearing a faint smile like a soft scoff.

“It seems you have finally realized that you’re no match for me.”

She even flipped back the long hair that fell all the way beneath her chest.

-So irritating. That irritating little brat!

The reaction she wanted was appearing.

-I swear I’ll surpass you someday!

His reddish ears were beginning to return to their normal color too.

“Haha……! Adrianna, you’re really good at joking. I only study because I like studying.”

“This is what people call a mental victory.”

“H-hahaha……!”

The corners of his mouth, forced upward, were trembling.

-This time for sure, I’m going to crush that pretty nose of hers!

At the thought in his heart, Adrianna smiled in genuine satisfaction.

‘This is it. This is the feeling.’

Was this not exactly why she stayed with him.

Adrianna hummed quietly to herself.

And some time later, on the day the exam results were announced.

Adrianna and Lucas stared fixedly at the ranking chart posted on the wall.

“Oh, oh my. Was this exam a little h-hard……?”

“What are you talking about. Everyone said it was easy.”

“Be quiet. They can hear everything……!”

There was no way they could fail to hear the whispering voices behind them.

Adrianna glanced up at Lucas, who had gone stiff like a stone statue. Judging by his empty eyes, it seemed he was denying the reality before him.

“I really didn’t think you’d give up.”

At her quiet mutter, Lucas suddenly slammed his head against the wall with a thunk. It was loud enough that a red bump had surely formed on the precious forehead of the Imperial Prince.

“This can’t be……”

Unable to control his trembling body, he clenched his fists.

“This can’t be……”

Adrianna looked again at the ranking chart.

1st place Adrianna Velcross.

Unchanged. There had been no upset.

But…….

“I’m 17th.”

Just as first place had always belonged to Adrianna, second place had always belonged to Lucas. It was a ranking that had never changed even once since the two of them entered the Academy.

But today, that had been broken.

-This is all your fault, Adrianna!

What did she do.

-It’s because you keep appearing every night and tormenting me! So I can’t concentrate! I can’t even sleep properly! Because of you! Every time I see you…….!

She knew.

She had already known that he had been dreaming about her lately. But she had absolutely never imagined something like that would make his grades fall.

Whenever Lucas looked at her, he would recall the dream from the night before. It had been a very indecent dream, but that only lasted briefly before turning into a renewed determination that this time he absolutely would beat Adrianna.

So she had thought he was studying harder than usual. He held a sword until his hands blistered, and even late into the night he never seemed willing to leave the library.

-I keep thinking about you, and it’s driving me crazy!

Those blue eyes shot sharply at Adrianna.

‘Then who told him to think about me all the time?’

Adrianna shrugged and let those eyes full of confusion pass by. That was his own problem.

“You should have tried harder. What is this? This does nothing for your dignity, Your Highness.”

“And second place does?”

“As long as I’m here, yes.”

“……That’s true. Adrianna, you’re really impossible to handle!”

After banging his head against the wall and then trying only now to smile as though everything were fine, he merely looked more pitiful.

Watching Lucas, whose gracefully curved eyes were trembling, Adrianna felt an unpleasantness she could not quite name.

17th place.

Lucas in 17th…….

Seeing his name so far away, when she had thought it would remain beside her own forever, did not feel good.

“Lucas.”

“Uh, uh?”

Though she had been given permission to use his name, Adrianna had always diligently called him Imperial Prince, so when she suddenly spoke his name in such a serious tone, Lucas looked at her in surprise.

-Why is she acting so scary? She only calls my name when she’s angry.

Then perhaps she was angry.

“From now on, study with me.”

Let them go back again to first and second place.

Adrianna could not tolerate seeing his name placed among other people’s.

“I’m fine, though…….”

“Come to the mansion tomorrow.”

“No, I said I’m fine……!”

Ignoring the small muttering voice behind her, Adrianna turned away.

She would not be satisfied unless what had been taken was returned to how it originally was.

And in the next exam, truly, Adrianna ended up returning Lucas to the place of 2nd.

-Relentless, truly relentless! To think it would really turn out like this!

While studying together, whenever he let his thoughts wander in foolish directions about her, she pecked away at him without mercy.

‘Lucas.’

‘Mm?’

‘Your hand stopped. Is this how you’ve been studying all this time? That’s why you’ve made no progress.’

‘Adrianna, how can you say that. I’m just not used to studying with someone else.’

‘Excuses.’

‘……’

Thanks to that, Lucas’s heat died down quickly.

Seeing this, her mother would mutter things to her father like, our Adrianna really is special after all.

Though Adrianna was blunt, whenever her mother praised her, she liked it like a child her age. Perhaps she pressed Lucas even harder because she loved hearing those words so much.

Of course, the stronger reason was that she wanted to return him to the place of 2nd again.

“Congratulations. You’re back beside me again.”

Adrianna took her eyes off the ranking chart and said to Lucas.

For the first time in a while, a genuinely pleased smile formed on her face.

“……It’s thanks to you, Adrianna.”

Lucas, who had gone blank for a moment at that smile, quickly fixed his expression.

-Don’t smile. It was hard. I thought I was going crazy. I almost got to the point where I never wanted to see you again, but if you smile like that, I can’t even resent you.

Adrianna smiled even more brightly.

It was because the tips of his reddened ears looked cute.

“This is how one studies. Who knows? At this rate, you might be able to beat me in the end.”

“You really find it fun to tease me to death, don’t you?”

“As if that even needs saying.”

She liked Lucas when he stared at her in bafflement.

-What peculiar tastes.

She liked it when he suffered because of her. The moment his mask fell away was lovely.

 “Let’s keep doing it like this from now on. Don’t drift away again like last time.”

“Huh?”

“We’re the sort of people who can’t be separated no matter what.”

“That’s true……. You’re right.”

It felt like watching a barking chihuahua.

Ill-tempered, yet insignificant. So much so that she willingly wanted to indulge it.

It was strange to feel this way toward someone who was a whole head taller than she was, but to Adrianna, Lucas was simply cute.