Chapter 5: How to Avoid an Engagement(5)

Aren, with a casual wave of his hand, made the library brightly lit. I stared in amazement at the impressive sight. Truly, an amazing magician. More importantly, the surroundings were now bright enough to see faces clearly. Oh no, it makes things even more awkward?

“Let’s sit down for now.”

“…Okay, let’s do that.”

Following Aren, I hesitantly sat in a chair. With no particular topic to talk about, I kept my head bowed in silence for a while. Oh, I need to break this awkwardness.

“Aren, aren’t you feeling anxious right now?”

“Hmm, well, not really.”

Ugh, why ask such a stupid question? Aren, sitting across from me, exuded calmness rather than anxiety. Asking someone like that if they’re anxious was truly foolish. I had to suppress the urge to smack my own mouth.

“I’ve been trapped a lot since I was young, so it doesn’t really bother me.” 

“Huh?”

“Trapped a lot? Why?” I looked at Aren with a questioning gaze. Aren, who had been sitting comfortably, smiled warmly at my stare. Then, he leaned forward, closing the distance between us. His face came a little closer.

“Curious?”

“Yes, I’m curious!”

I answered brightly with my eyes sparkling, and Aren chuckled softly. Fine. Whether he laughs or not, I don’t care; just tell me what I want to know! I momentarily forgot my anxiety and focused on Aren’s story.

“When I was young, my father hated me a lot.”

Huh? That’s quite a dark beginning. I let my smiling lips droop slightly.

“Because I was a child born from my mother’s affair.”

Oh, that’s a heavy story. I kept my mouth tightly closed. The atmosphere felt so somber that even breathing seemed inappropriate.

“It was natural for him to hate me. I wasn’t his biological child. So, every time I made a small mistake, I would be severely punished. If I spilled a bit of dessert, he’d slap my face, and if I got my clothes dirty from falling, I had to be locked in a dark, narrow room for two whole days.”

Ah, so that’s why he’s used to it. Then, was that dessert incident from before also adjusted for me? I shouldn’t have insisted on eating it back then! Even now, since I asked, he was digging up painful memories. I felt so sorry and heartbroken that I couldn’t even offer comforting words. Though Aren was smiling as he spoke, his eyes seemed strangely sad.

“One day, while I was living with my father’s hatred, I discovered a talent. It was a talent I never could have imagined.”

“……”

“In the dark room, shivering from the cold, I wished to be warm. And then, a small flame appeared before my eyes…… I realized that I had a talent for magic and went straight to the Magic Tower. It was the only way I could survive.”

Aren continued speaking steadfastly, as if recounting an interesting story. With every word he spoke, my heart ached as if it were burning.

“The people at the Magic Tower were kind. They accepted me as a child and taught me about magic in detail. Even when my father came looking for me, the Magic Tower protected and shielded me until the end, so I was safe……. After abandoning my family and entering the Magic Tower, I was completely free only after my family’s downfall several years later.”

Now I vaguely remember. In the side story, Aren’s painful and bitter past. Living between a father who hated him and a mother who ignored him while he was abused, Aren had to endure a terrible childhood. He must have been just seven years old back then. How could anyone treat a child so badly? I felt like tears were about to come.

“Radel, are you going to pity me?”

Aren asked me with a smile. The sadness in his smile left me speechless. I remembered that Seria, in this situation, would have offered various words of comfort and encouragement……

I’m not good with words. I was always defeated in arguments with Vivian, and I feared that I might just babble and say strange things if I tried to offer comfort.

“Aren.”

So instead of offering comfort,

“Come here.”

I opened my arms wide and smiled as kindly as I could.

“Radel, you really……”

Aren hesitated, keeping his mouth tightly shut for a moment. Then he slowly approached me and hugged me tightly. It felt as though Aren, being much bigger, had enveloped me in his embrace.

“You’re so kind.”

As we held each other and comforted one another, Aren murmured softly. Hearing those words made me burst into laughter. Being called kind was an unfamiliar compliment for a villainess.

“Is holding back your laughter also because of your father?”

“Yes, I was always hit if I laughed too loudly.”

Now I understood why he had held back his laughter. Aren, even in such a harsh environment, grew up well. It was surprising to see how he had turned out well despite everything. I swallowed the lump in my throat and managed to say,

“……Don’t hold back anymore. Always laugh happily.”

“Yes, I will.”

I hugged Aren even tighter. Although this embrace wouldn’t erase the scars of the past, I held him with all my strength, wishing for him to be able to smile happily from now on.

After holding each other for a while, I suddenly snapped back to reality. Though we were still hugging because of the atmosphere, it struck me that two grown adults doing this was a bit—no, a lot—embarrassing.

What am I doing right now? I chose a hug over words to comfort Aren, but it was incredibly awkward.

“Aren, um……”

My attempts to naturally pull away from Aren were in vain. His strong arms were tightly wrapped around my waist. My body couldn’t move at all.

Panicked, I tried to push at Aren’s back with my hands. But he didn’t respond.

“Aren!”

“What’s wrong?”

When I called out urgently, his gentle voice answered. Unlike me, Aren seemed completely unfazed.

“What’s wrong? It’s just that I think we should…….”

It was getting hotter and also a bit embarrassing. In any case, I needed to get out of Aren’s embrace to calm my flushed face.

Ugh, why is it so hot when winter is just around the corner?

“But Radel, you were the one who asked for the hug.”

“Well, yes, but……”

“Just a little longer like this.”

Aren said as he buried his face in the nape of my neck. I felt a shiver as the sensation of his lips traveled down my neck. Oh, wait a minute!

“Aren, stop!”

“……Okay.”

When I pleaded, Aren reluctantly let go of me. My body, finally free, felt as hot as a furnace.

“But really, how are we going to last until tomorrow?”

I fanned my face with my hands and shifted the topic. Trying to act nonchalant, I asked, while calming my startled heart from Aren’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Do you want to go home?”

“Of course!”

I answered enthusiastically, and Aren responded with a broad smile.

“Then let’s start heading back.”

“……What?”

Aren walked towards the library door. At the door, all Aren did was gently push with his hand. And then…… the door opened?

“Th-then, the door……”

“Wondering how I opened it?”

Aren understood my question exactly. This was the door I had pounded on and kicked without success. Yet, it opened easily when Aren merely nudged it……

As I stared wide-eyed, bewildered, Aren provided a clear explanation.

“I used my magic.”

“Wait, but there’s supposed to be a magical barrier……”

“If you have more magical power than the wizard who cast the barrier, it’s easy to break.”

Wow, that barrier must have been set up by the professors at Sirius Academy……. So, Aren is already more skilled in magic than the professors? What a scary guy!

“Huh? Wait a minute. You definitely said it was impossible at first!”

“Yes, teleportation was not possible. But other things were no problem.”

Aren said with a smile. You, Aren…… Well, I did only ask about teleportation, but it would have been nice if you explained in advance! This prank of Aren’s was over the top. But I couldn’t really be angry.

Today, Aren shared his heavy past with me. It must have been a difficult experience, yet he trusted me and opened up completely.

Hmm, I’m upset, but I’ll just let it go today. I walked side by side with Aren and we finally headed home.

***

In the dark night, Seria met a security guard while wandering around the academy grounds and greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hello.”

“Ho ho, you shouldn’t be out this late.”

“Yes, I’m about to head back now.”

After a brief conversation, Seria tried to pass the security guard but stopped in her tracks when a sudden thought occurred to her.

“Um… I noticed that the library door isn’t locked.”

“Huh? There are still students inside?”

“Hehe, no. They’ve all gone home.”

She had seen a faint light in the library. It seemed there were still people inside, and she decided to have a bit of fun with them.

Seria smiled sweetly and kindly informed the guard that the library door hadn’t been locked.

She had heard that powerful magical barriers had been set up by the professors for security in the library. Even Aren would surely be surprised. Heh.

It was a pity she couldn’t see their reactions firsthand. Seria left with a subtle smile, savoring her small act of mischief.

The next day, when Seria anticipated seeing an angry Aren, she was instead met with a surprising outcome:

“Oh, was that you from yesterday? Thanks to you, I had a great time. Thank you!”

To her bewilderment, Aren greeted her with a beaming smile and a thank you. Seria stood there, dumbfounded.

“What… what’s this about?”

Seria stared at Aren’s retreating figure, confused. She didn’t understand why she was being thanked, but she felt strangely pleased that she seemed to have done something good for Aren. What was this? It was irritating.

***

With the exam approaching, I was studying furiously, and soon a week had passed. Finally, the day had come for Aunt Orton to visit Count Karel’s residence.

Restlessly pacing my room early in the morning, I eventually decided to go out.

“……I’m going out!”

“Miss, you need to take the escort knights with you!”

I was caught by Vivian just as I was about to go out alone. Vivian, with a stern face and crossed arms, looked more intimidating than anyone else. Ugh, I just wanted to go out by myself!

“I’ll go alone!”

“It’s an important day today. What if you try to run away?”

Vivian, how do you see me? I pretended to wipe away tears with my sleeve, but Vivian’s sharp gaze made me stop the act. Tears don’t work on Vivian.

“I’m just going to buy a gift for Aunt Orton!”

“Even so, you must take the escort knights with you.”