1

On the day of Steen University’s graduation ceremony, right after the ceremony ended.

Connie Clarence, who was crossing the lawn plaza where the graduation ceremony had been held, inadvertently grabbed Ethan Schwab’s sleeve as he was about to pass by her.

“Connie…… Clarence?”

Ethan Schwab, whose eyes seemed to widen slightly after having his sleeve suddenly grabbed, asked as if confirming Connie’s name. Connie felt goosebumps from her chin to her ears, and her heart seemed to race.

Just the fact that he knew her name felt like a reward for her three years of unrequited love.

“Connie Clarence, right?”

Ethan confirmed once more if he remembered her name correctly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you have something to tell me?”

Ethan asked, glancing down at his sleeve still held in Connie’s hand.

“Oh! Sorry.”

Connie was startled, suddenly realizing she had been holding onto his clothes all this time, and let go.

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about, but why did you grab me?”

Ethan smiled with what seemed like a soft light emanating from him.

“Ah…… well……”

Today was graduation day, so she wouldn’t have a chance to see him again. Grabbing him without any plan was probably because of that. Because today was the last day she could see him.

Anyway, Ethan Schwab belonged to a different world from Connie’s. They had only the smallest connection of being classmates at Steen University, but in their future lives, they would never have even a chance to cross paths.

Still, grabbing him so abruptly like this, as if she were about to confess…

What? Confess? That’s ridiculous, a confession?

“Connie?”

Ethan called out to Connie—who had startled at her own train of thought—affectionately by just her ‘name,’ as if calling an old friend. As if he would kindly listen to whatever she had to say. As if anything she said would be okay.

Should she confess? Would that be all right?

Yes! She wouldn’t see him again after today anyway. It wasn’t like she was asking him to date her, it was just a confession. Wouldn’t it be okay to reveal the feelings she had kept hidden for three years just once?

Was it because his cheerful face and eyes with their slightly downturned outer corners looked like permission to confess?

“Ethan Schwab, actually I……”

Connie’s mouth was already opening as unexpected courage welled up inside her.

“Ah, sorry!”

But Ethan, who had been looking down at Connie with relaxed, affectionate eyes and kindly waiting for her words, suddenly interrupted.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, but could we talk again later? I think I need to go urgently right now.”

“Oh…… s-sure……”

No sooner had Connie’s reluctant answer fallen than Ethan ran past her, and at his destination stood a woman Connie knew well. That woman, Hazel Gracious, who had been Ethan’s official girlfriend for the past two years but was rumored to have unilaterally broken up with him a few days before graduation.

Looking at the scene now, it seemed one fact should be added to that rumor. Even though Hazel Gracious had broken up with Ethan, he still only had eyes for that woman. To Connie, who had secretly watched Ethan for three years, his emotions seemed completely transparent.

‘What was I about to do?’

Watching Ethan desperately following Hazel Gracious as she turned away with a cold expression, the fact that she had almost grabbed him and confessed felt so terrifying that she was breaking into a cold sweat.

How bewildered would that man, who still only loved that beautiful woman, have been if he had received a confession from someone whose name he barely remembered?

Fortunately, Hazel Gracious had entered Ethan’s field of vision at that moment. Otherwise, she might have wanted to bury even her precious memories of unrequited love beneath the campus lawn, turning them into memories she’d want to forget.

“Ethan Schwab, I liked you.”

Connie murmured, looking at Ethan.

Though her solitary confession was heartbreaking, she also thought it was for the best. Since no one had heard it, there would be no words of rejection, no embarrassment to face—a perfectly clean and beautiful confession.

“Goodbye, take care.”

After saying farewell as if putting a period on her three years of unrequited love, she was about to head toward the dormitory when she paused.

She remembered that she needed to return her cap and graduation gown to the student union building.

She turned to go right where the student union was located, but immediately stopped in her tracks.

There was something large behind the tree on her right. No, not something…… but ‘someone’!

Connie froze at the sudden discovery of the figure. Then the ‘someone’ who had been behind the tree stepped sideways to stand in front of her.

As Connie tilted her head slightly, wondering who it was……

‘Oh my……’

She covered her mouth with one hand. Why was he……

The man standing behind the tree trunk was the prince. Prince Ryan Stanton, the sole heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Greet. As a Steen University graduate, he had attended the graduation ceremony to give a congratulatory speech for his juniors, and Connie, who had been sitting in the front row, had seen his face up close. Now meeting him like this, she could recognize him as the prince at a glance.

He’s definitely the prince, but why was the prince here……

“Ah……”

After momentarily wondering about the prince’s sudden appearance, Connie couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she belatedly realized something.

If the prince had been standing there all this time, he would have heard her confession to herself.

‘No……’

“I seem to have startled you. I apologize.”

Maybe he hadn’t heard?

“I didn’t mean to listen, but I missed the timing to go another way.”

He heard……! He didn’t mean to listen, but in the end, he heard everything.

Her perfectly clean and beautiful confession had instantly become an embarrassing and awkward one. She could feel her face burning.

“No. It’s fine. Your Highness, I…… I should be going now. It was an honor to meet you.”

Although it wasn’t his fault that he had heard her confession, Connie wanted to disappear from in front of this prince as quickly as possible.

“Ah, just a moment, Miss Connie Clarence.”

Connie’s legs froze.

‘Miss Connie Clarence?’

Ah! He must have heard and remembered her name when Ethan was confirming it?

Sigh, oh no! So this prince knows that Steen University graduate ‘Connie Clarence’ made a love confession to ‘Ethan Schwab.’

But the prince was even less likely to see her again than Ethan, and he only remembered her name because he had just heard it—by tomorrow he wouldn’t even remember her name. No, in a few days, he would forget that a woman named ‘Connie Clarence’ even existed in this world.

So she just needed to endure this brief embarrassment.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Connie turned toward the prince, trying to regain her reason and composure.

“Congratulations on your graduation.”

“……?”

“I wanted to say that to you.”

“……Thank you?”

His words were so unexpected that the end of her response unintentionally rose in pitch.

Because he was a university senior? Or was it a congratulation from the prince of this country to a citizen who had graduated from university? Or was it because she was a woman of unrequited love who had just confessed and had been witnessed by a third party?

It seemed a bit strange that someone she had just met, especially the prince of this country, would congratulate her on her graduation as if they had known each other for a long time, but Connie eventually bowed her head to him before heading toward the dormitory as if escaping. Only when she reached the dormitory building did she realize she had forgotten to return her cap and gown.

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