“Oh… my earrings…”

Finally realizing Jerome’s intentions, Yulia stopped her fidgeting body.

Jerome carefully removed the earrings with both hands and properly fastened them back in place.

He preferred to show rather than tell when words felt awkward.

“Thank you…”

Yulia murmured quietly, looking somewhat dazed.

Jerome smiled and lightly tapped her cheek, a gesture that said he understood.

“Is that all done? Let’s go…!”

Suddenly alert, Yulia took Jerome’s hand, who had just lightly touched her cheek, and set off at a brisk pace.

Jerome followed her lead, turning his head to glance back at the closed door of room 207.

“……”

He had already sensed someone was inside.

There were many things he wanted to say and ask, but seeing how flustered she was, it seemed better to wait for another time.

After all, it wouldn’t be easy to ask so many questions at once.

As Yulia hurried ahead, she felt Jerome’s curious gaze on her.

“Jerome…?”

Meeting her gaze, Jerome gave her his usual bright, innocent smile.

Only then did the worry on Yulia’s face ease into relief.

‘If that reassures you…’

Jerome thought.

He could show her this reassuring face countless times without asking any questions.

***

After the whirlwind of the graduation banquet, Yulia found herself busier than ever over the following month.

As soon as the semester ended, a flood of letters arrived in the academy’s dormitory mailbox.

“Wow… Count Grithel must be in such a hurry. He’s sent ten letters in just one week.”

“My father keeps asking when I’m coming back to the estate. Evan, what about you?”

“Just a letter asking how I’m doing.”

“You think that’s just a letter? He’s probably worried you’ll cause trouble.”

“Is that so? But Yulia, why do you have so many letters?”

Everyone received a lot of letters, but none as many as Yulia.

Holding a pile of letter envelopes in both hands, she murmured in a low voice,

“This one’s from the Ruibel Imperial Bank, this one is from the Schifga Corporation, and that one is from Miss Ellen’s jewelry company…”

The papers in Yulia’s hands were all scout invitations sent directly to her from the most prestigious companies within the Empire.

Companies that ranked high in the survey of “The Most Desired Companies to Work for by Young Adults in the Tritan Empire” were lining up to send her letters.

Some were hastily scheduling interview dates, while others even sent temporary contracts first, fearing she might be snatched away by competing companies.

“Wow… this is it, this is it!”

Yulia beamed with joy as she entered the room, holding the letters.

All that was left was to carefully read each invitation letter and decide which company she would start her first social life with.

A smile never left her lips.

Everything was finally falling into place, like perfectly aligned gears turning one after another.

Yes—

At last, the bright, promising future she had always dreamed of was unfolding before her.

***

After being cooped up in her room for days, writing replies to job offers, a sudden hunger pang hit her.

Grrr…

She wanted to shove anything sweet into her mouth right away.

Yulia glanced over at Lily, who was lounging on her bed, casually reading a book.

“Lily, are you hungry?”

“What’s with the sudden question? Are you asking because you’re hungry?”

“Hehe, yeah…”

“Great! I was just feeling a bit peckish too. Let’s stop staring at that and head out to town!”

Lily sprang up from her spot.

Yulia grabbed her wallet from the desk and left the room with Lily.

They headed straight toward Mr. Willy’s dessert shop.

Mr. Willy’s desserts, rumored to be the best in Mondinium, were not only delicious but also beautifully presented, making them very popular.

“Wow, that looks delicious…”

“Yulia, look at the colors of those macarons…”

Yulia and Lily drooled as they gazed at the macarons, éclairs, and chiffon cakes visible in the glass display case at Mr. Willy’s shop.

The desserts always looked incredibly appetizing.

Yulia picked up a tray and a pair of tongs from right next to the register and began to pile her favorite desserts onto the tray one by one.

There were so many desserts that caught her eye.

‘I want to try all the different kinds of macarons, and I want to eat everything from chocolate éclairs to green tea éclairs! Why do they look so delicious today?’

“Yulia, are you really going to eat all that?”

At Lily’s surprised voice, Yulia looked down at the tray she was holding and gasped.

In her frenzy to grab the desserts she wanted, she had created a towering mountain of treats on the tray.

“Oh? When did I pile up so much?”

The sudden surge of appetite felt unfamiliar.

But after all the worries she had been carrying lately, she thought it might just be her body craving some sugar.

“…I was going to save some for later!”

“Are you a squirrel? You know these all have expiration dates, right?”

Lily snatched the tongs from Yulia’s hand and began to carefully put the neatly stacked desserts back down.

Yulia felt a surge of irritation at Lily’s actions.

‘Wait a minute. Irritation? Am I really getting annoyed over something so trivial…?’

In that moment, Yulia was shocked by her own sudden negative feelings.

The unexpected greed had surged up and was manipulating her mood.

“……”

Yulia silently gazed at the dwindling mountain of desserts with sad eyes.

“Seriously, when did you grab all this?”

“Lily…”

“Yeah?”

“Leave that éclair alone…”

Seeing Yulia’s sorrowful gaze, Lily put down the éclair she had picked up.

“Alright… go ahead and eat as much as you want.”

How much had she wanted it for a girl who usually had no appetite to act like this?

They settled into a prime spot by the window with the now lighter tray.

As Yulia sat in the plush shop chair, she reflected on her earlier feelings.

Why had she felt that way?

The uncontrollable greed had surprised even her.

To say she needed sugar after a long day felt like an understatement.

“Yulia, you know, if you’re really that hungry, we could just go to a restaurant instead?”

“Uh?”

Yulia, who had been lost in thought, lifted her head.

Lily pointed at the plate and spoke.

“These are just snacks. If you’re really hungry, let’s go to that new restaurant next door! We can eat this when we get back.”

“The new place… is it the one across from Mrs. Dorothy’s bicycle shop? The one that serves lamb steak?”

“Yeah! You said you wanted to check it out!”

“Wow! Should we? I love lamb…”

At Lily’s suggestion, Yulia envisioned the delicious lamb steak.

A warm, juicy piece of steak… if she cut it into small pieces and popped it into her mouth…!

But at that moment, the smell of lamb invaded her imagination, creating a terrible feeling.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over her.

“Lamb… ugh!”

“Yulia! Are you okay?”

Yulia quickly covered her mouth.

Lily reached out and grabbed Yulia’s arm.

Her stomach churned violently, and she felt like she was about to vomit at any moment.

“Uh…?”

Yulia loved lamb.

So why was the mere thought of it making her feel sick?

Yulia jumped up and dashed to the bathroom, fighting against the rising nausea.

She grabbed the toilet and began to heave.

“Ugh! …Ugh!”

She hadn’t eaten anything all day since this morning.

Only a clear liquid spilled from her throat into the toilet, dripping down.

“Haah… haah…”

As the nausea subsided for a moment, Yulia staggered to the mirror.

She looked at her tear-streaked face in the reflection.

It was truly strange.

From the unknown hunger to the sudden wave of nausea…

“Yulia! Are you feeling really unwell? Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

Lily, who had followed her, approached with a worried expression.

“I’m fine, Lily… I think something just caught in my throat for a moment.”

“You haven’t eaten anything since this morning… Are you pushing yourself too hard? Let’s go back to the room and rest…”

“…No, I’m fine.”

Emerging from the bathroom, Yulia sat by the window and gazed at the tray of desserts on the table.

The round macarons and shiny éclairs were piled up enticingly.

Just a moment ago, she had wanted them so badly, but now, her appetite had vanished as if it were a lie.

“I think I’m feeling better! Lily, hurry and eat. I’ll eat too…”

Yulia forced a smile as she picked up a macaron.

But the moment she did, the terrible feeling washed over her again.

Lily stopped Yulia’s hand.

“Yulia, don’t push yourself. Don’t pretend you’re fine. Let’s go back, get up.”

Lily tightened her grip on Yulia’s arm, helping her to her feet.

Yulia had no choice but to rise, feeling weak.

Being pulled along by Lily, Yulia returned to their dorm room. She lay quietly until Lily tucked her in, turned off the lights, and left.

“Rest, Yulia. I’ll be back.”

“Thanks, Lily… and I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Hey! Don’t say sorry! Why should you apologize for being sick? Next time, you can treat me to some lamb.”

“Yeah, I will…”

Yulia answered weakly with a smile.

Once Lily closed the door behind her, Yulia was left alone, staring at the ceiling with a troubled expression.

Throughout the return to the dorm, she couldn’t shake her anxious feelings.

The reality she was desperately trying to ignore was piercing sharply at her heart.

Slowly raising her heavy body, she walked to her desk and picked up the calendar.

With trembling hands, Yulia flipped through the pages of last month, lowering her head.

“……”

Anxiety was swelling uncontrollably within her.