Chapter 7

Iberia plopped down into the seat next to Young Master Nesferos. From her perspective, it was impossible not to care, but since it was his request, she decided to try her best not to overthink it.

Unfortunately, Young Master Nesferos’s face didn’t look particularly pleasant. Iberia was debating when to finally express her gratitude to him.  

She had postponed it over and over again, and now, here she was, still hesitating.  

By now, the debt she owed him had piled up immensely. If she delayed any longer, she was certain she wouldn’t be able to thank him at all. She knew herself too well.  

As Iberia mulled over how to bring it up, she finally spoke to him with a determined expression, as if tackling a difficult task.  

“Um…”  

“What?”  

Young Master Nesferos’s face was stiff. Iberia’s voice naturally grew quieter.  

“Well… I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet. For resolving the unpleasant rumors involving me. Thank you.”  

She recalled last night when she had even propped up a pillow in front of her and practiced what she would say to him.  

After finishing her sentence, Iberia bit her lip and lowered her head deeply.  

Young Master Nesferos didn’t respond for a while. That silence made her nervous, and as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, their gazes met.  

When their eyes locked, he smiled brightly as if he had made up his mind about something.  

Iberia had seen Young Master Nesferos smile many times before, but this was the first time it gave her goosebumps. Perhaps it was because his smile appeared so innocent and warm.  

Feeling an ominous premonition, Iberia instinctively leaned back.  

“Just like that? Without anything in return?”  

Iberia’s face froze.  

In truth, it wasn’t as though she hadn’t considered it. She had thought about giving him simple snacks or Academy souvenirs. But for various reasons, she hadn’t gone through with it.  

She had been afraid of the rumors about them, or worried that he might not like it.  

Even to herself, her excuses sounded flimsy at best. She wouldn’t have been able to argue if Young Master Nesferos found her behavior ungrateful. Despite knowing he had paid a price for her…  

Iberia bowed her head deeply.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Perhaps this was the result of her own actions. He accepted her apology as if it were the most natural thing and continued speaking.  

“Yeah. You’re sorry, right? Then have dinner with me.”

Iberia’s eyes widened.  

Having dinner with him would surely upset her stomach. Getting used to and feeling comfortable around Young Master Nesferos was one thing, but this was entirely different.  

Whenever she got nervous before exams or presentations, Iberia couldn’t eat anything.  

And she didn’t even get as nervous during those times as she did when facing Young Master Nesferos…  

Feeling her stomach churn already, Iberia asked in a trembling voice.  

“T-Today?”

“Of course today. And every day.”

She felt relieved for a brief moment at his initial response, only to doubt her ears at his next words.  

Iberia clung to her fleeting sense of sanity, which seemed ready to fly away at any moment.  

“You won’t refuse, right? If you refuse, I’ll be upset.”  

“…Yes.”  

Young Master Nesferos puckered his lips slightly, but Iberia didn’t notice.  

Now she had an additional plan for today: she needed to visit the infirmary and stock up on digestive medicine and antacids of all kinds. She even considered taking out the recovery potion she had been saving for exam season.  

Unable to hide her expression, Iberia turned her head away from him.  

***

Iberia let out a deep sigh and took medicine to protect her stomach. Normally, she didn’t even eat dinner. But now, she had to eat with the most difficult and uncomfortable person she could imagine.  

To be precise, the person she had been ungrateful toward.  

“What are the chances this is just a dream…”  

Even though she knew the probability was nearly zero, Iberia pinched her cheek just in case. All it did was leave her cheek stinging.  

Her mind was in turmoil. 

Maybe I shouldn’t go. Maybe I could meet him tomorrow and say I had fallen asleep. Or claim I had suddenly collapsed.  

Her desire to avoid the situation was that strong.  

Iberia adjusted her shoes and headed toward the dining hall. She had agreed to meet Young Master Nesferos in front of the hall.  

She reassured herself that since the Crown Prince had spoken, there wouldn’t be any blatant rumors. Still, she might have to endure some whispers.  

The path to the dining hall felt especially short today. Iberia glanced around slowly, checking to see if Young Master Nesferos had arrived.  

If he wasn’t there, she would immediately return to the dormitory to rest. Then she could meet him tomorrow and claim they must have missed each other.  

At that moment, Iberia’s rare impulsiveness and recklessness were in full swing. Or rather, her rationality had completely flown away.  

Unfortunately, her impromptu plan was thwarted by the silver hair reflecting the light and giving away his presence.  

“Iberia, you’re here? What do you want to eat?”  

“Oh… hello.”  

“Why do you look so disappointed?”  

“No, no, I’m not disappointed.”  

Iberia tried to mask her expression and took a few steps away from Young Master Nesferos. He closed the distance again.  

His tilted head made him look like an innocent child.  

The dim lighting cast long shadows on his eyelashes. It was that time of day when the sun had set but complete darkness hadn’t yet arrived—a twilight hour.  

It was an awkward time to turn on the lights, so the only artificial illumination was the faint glow of the hall’s lamps. As a result, Iberia couldn’t read his gaze.  

He asked again.  

“Are you really not disappointed?”  

“Yes, I’m not.”  

“Alright, I believe you.”  

The door to the dining hall opened.  

Young Master Nesferos didn’t walk in ahead of her. When the two of them entered together, the students’ gazes naturally turned toward them.  

The attention was unwelcome. Young Master Nesferos and attention—two things Iberia didn’t appreciate. Even if she tried not to be conscious of it, her face stiffened involuntarily. She forced herself to maintain her composure.  

“What do you want to eat, Iberia?”  

In contrast, the man sitting across from her seemed completely at ease.  

Iberia awkwardly scanned the dinner menu. The salad seemed to have the smallest portion. Unfortunately, there was no soup available.  

“I’ll have the salad.”  

“Alright.”  

Thankfully, Young Master Nesferos didn’t say much else. He merely observed Iberia intently with those burdensome eyes.  

Her fingertips grew cold, and her heart pounded. Iberia clasped her hands together and avoided his gaze.  

When the food arrived, Young Master Nesferos frowned at the sight of her plate. Iberia was so tense she felt like she might die.  

“Can you really feel full eating just greens?”  

“Yes. Greens are really delicious these days.”  

Biting her lip, Iberia looked as though she wanted to bite her tongue off.  

She was so nervous that even her hand holding the fork trembled. Somehow, she managed to stab a piece of salad and put it into her mouth.  

The ingredients were undoubtedly high quality, yet it felt like she was chewing on sand.  

After struggling to swallow the salad, Iberia’s eyes twitched. She had only taken one bite, but her instincts already told her she would get indigestion.  

Young Master Nesferos, who had been watching her eat, placed a few pieces of meat from his plate onto hers.  

“Eat some meat too.”  

Iberia clenched her mouth shut, holding onto the last shred of her sanity.  

If she opened her mouth, she wasn’t sure what might come out—anything from a nonsensical diatribe about how transferring food without consent could be considered an act of violence, to outright swearing.  

Shoving the remaining food into her mouth, Iberia bowed her head in thanks. Her cheeks puffed out from the food stuffed inside. Unable to speak, she simply chewed.  

Young Master Nesferos smiled with his eyes and waved at her. Iberia hurriedly chewed and swallowed the meat and salad before bolting out of the dining hall.  

Back in her dormitory, Iberia downed digestive medicine and a recovery potion. She still felt as though her throat was clogged with food.  

The tension that had started to ease in his presence had returned, partly due to her own fear. She had no choice but to endure it.  

***

Even though the exam period was approaching, Young Master Nesferos appeared refreshed. He looked completely different from her, whose dark circles had spread halfway down her face.

With that clear and bright expression, Young Master Nesferos approached her.

“Did you get home safely yesterday?”

“Yes…”

Thanks to the potion, she had managed to sleep. Even shallow sleep was still sleep.

However, during her waking hours, she had been stressed out, worrying and regretting her actions and interactions with Young Master Nesferos. Unfortunately, it seemed the potion didn’t have the ability to resolve mental issues.

“You don’t look well. Are you tired?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I see. Do you want this?”

What he held out to her was candy containing caffeine. Iberia stared at the palm of his hand with an unreadable expression.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Alright. Rest is the best cure for fatigue anyway.”

Young Master Nesferos retrieved the candy as if he had expected her to refuse.

His quick change of demeanor was sly and effortless.

That contextless behavior of his always seemed playful. Iberia turned her gaze away from him and looked straight ahead. But then, he suddenly spoke again.

“I told you I have a good memory, didn’t I?”

“Um… yes.”

“Don’t you want to know why I said that?”

Iberia’s eyes flickered with confusion. Her expression showed that she couldn’t grasp the intention behind Young Master Nesferos’s question.

Still, she was curious, so despite her hesitation, she answered honestly.

“Yes, I’m curious.”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

Iberia stared at him with calm eyes. Young Master Nesferos had a knack for saying things that sounded like jokes but weren’t.

She couldn’t read his expression. Whenever Iberia looked at him, he was usually smiling, but that smile never seemed to reveal any genuine emotion.

As far as Iberia could remember, ever since the first time she and Young Master Nesferos had met—when he had talked to her about her glasses—he had always maintained the same gaze and attitude toward her.

That consistency was what confused Iberia so much.

“Alright. Don’t tell me. It’s fine.”

Iberia lowered her gaze back to her book.

She had no idea what kind of eyes he was looking at her with.