“Hey, you bastard. Stop spouting b*llshit and apologize!”

Not apologizing properly? 

The curly-haired guy who nearly got hit by the ball head-on—along with his entire group—had fire in their eyes. But seemingly unconcerned, Belliche glanced over his shoulder and asked leisurely.

“Didn’t you find it funny, Collen?”

“Yeah.”

Behind Belliche stood Collen Vark, holding a racket with an expression that showed he had no energy for a longer answer.

Collen didn’t understand Kailen. How much time had passed since he got caught up in the Krauben princess’s personal affairs and suffered for it, yet here he was trying to stir up trouble again.

Does this guy not learn anything? If he’s learned his lesson, he should keep a low profile…

The male students who’d been humiliated by Kailen and his friend Collen shared similar feelings at that moment. Collen also had the curse “you crazy bastard” rising to the tip of his tongue.

The board of directors had warned him—in roundabout ways—to lay low for a while. Is that so hard? Is it?

But Kailen didn’t even pretend to hear Collen’s answer that it wasn’t funny. Surrounded by the group clutching rackets, he only said what he wanted to say.

“One moment you’re worried about today’s materialistic world, going on and on about how there’s a certain dignity that money can never buy—spouting the same musty nonsense that dying old geezers would say. And today, you’ve completely forgotten what you said before and are putting a price tag on people, so how could I not laugh?”

You blockheads.

Collen, who’d been sending looks that said “just stop already and shut your mouth,” finally gave up. One of the male students couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Kailen’s collar.

“Just shut up and say you’re sorry, then we’ll let this go…”

Just when things were about to turn bloody, a calm voice rang out across the tennis court.

“Stop.”

The person who appeared before them was none other than the academy’s dean of students.

“Put down your rackets and everyone leave the court.”

Sensing the dangerous atmosphere and wanting to prevent a fight, Adeline had immediately called for the person in charge. But even with the dean’s intervention, the hot blood of vigorous youth didn’t cool easily.

“…”

The dean surveyed the group—Kailen still enjoying himself while being grabbed by the collar, and the male students grumbling—and adjusted his glasses. He added sternly.

“You know what the atmosphere at the academy is like these days, right? This entire situation is reportable.”

In the end, the male students had no choice but to throw down their rackets first at the dean’s added words. They had to avoid disciplinary notices flying to their fathers.

“Just you wait.”

Swoooosh.

At the cliché third-rate line, Kailen’s refreshing laughter burst out and shook the beech tree leaves along with the wind.

“Well, that sounds really exciting.”

And Adeline, who’d been standing in place the whole time watching this in a daze, felt confused.

It was confusion that originated from her chest. The pounding sound hammered at her ears and then her head.

‘Just now… he stepped in because of me, right?’

Soon all the color in the world died.

Instead, only Kailen at the center became the only color remaining in her world, approaching her.

* * *

“Sorry, you say… Well, about what exactly?”

“…”

“Tell me. Go ahead.”

Kailen pressed her for an answer as she shrank back.

But while she failed to continue speaking, he’d already received his answer.

Not from words, but from Adeline’s attitude.

The frozen fingertips caught in his hand, the meaninglessly blinking gaze, and even that habit of swallowing her breath intermittently. Every single thing was exactly like the old image remaining in his memory.

The faint trembling transmitted through his palm felt ridiculous.

Adeline was under the delusion that she had a choice in this marriage. But he didn’t even want to bother adding words to shatter that delusion.

He slowly steadied his breathing and waited for what would come next. No, rather than waiting, he just wanted to confirm.

What answer would come from those detestable lips?

Since this much time had passed, he was curious whether her situational judgment had gotten faster than before.

Watching Adeline repeatedly clench and unclench the hand he’d released, he gauged a few answers in advance.

An apology for stirring up someone who was minding their own business and then disappearing.

Or maybe an excuse about how even after doing that, she was still being sold off for this pittance of money, making people feel like absolute sh*t.

Whichever came from her mouth, he didn’t care at all. Whatever the answer, his shitty mood wouldn’t improve.

Is being born with that disgusting blood the greatest sin after all?

He was thinking this in passing when Adeline’s lips, which had been fumbling for a while, finally opened.

“Because of me, you keep experiencing things you shouldn’t have to… so… I’m sorry.”

Deflating.

“I really didn’t want you to be treated this way. Because I’m inadequate…”

Truly, there was no reward for enduring such long tedium. She was still spouting irritatingly trivial answers.

A person can be this lacking in progress.

In the end, it’s that again. Suffocating self-blame.

Her wavering eyes, unable to find direction, clearly proved that frustrating nature.

“I’ll take responsibility myself, so before it’s too late, let’s just stop here…”

D*mn it.

You started it on your own, and now you’ll end it on your own.

Kailen suddenly felt the urge to twist that slender neck rising within him. Blue veins stood out prominently on the back of his hand gripping the armrest.

From her trembling lips came words he really didn’t want to hear.

“Stop here and… end things…”

He thought she’d just spin that tedious wheel again.

“…No, I don’t want to. I can’t.”

The woman who’d been muttering in a dust-like voice, seemingly dreaming, raised her eyes with an air of having made some great decision.

Her gaze was quite resolute, like she was finally bringing out thoughts she’d held onto for a long time.

“This debt… can’t I repay it over my entire lifetime?”

Adeline slowly bent her knees and sank down before him. As Adeline neatly placed her clasped hands on his firm thighs, his previously relaxed posture subtly straightened.

Using her own clasped hands as a cushion, Adeline pressed her cheek against them and leaned sideways, murmuring.

“From now on, I’ll do well… I will. So you won’t regret it, I really will do well.”

Kailen’s bright blue eyes fixed on Adeline’s profile, no different from a puppy begging for its owner’s affection. The tips of her densely shadowed, picture-like eyelashes were wet, looking quite pitiful.

Kailen slowly brushed back the fine baby hairs running from Adeline’s round forehead to beside her ear. Even as his fingers traced around her downy earlobe, Adeline didn’t lift her head.

I want to be with you. For life.

Adeline, pleading desperately with her eyes and her entire body while obediently lowering her gaze, was satisfying.

The way her eyelashes fluttered, seemingly ticklish, and how she blushed bright red yet didn’t reject his hand—that too was gratifying.

Kailen’s gaze moved to her white, delicate nape. He was curious what reaction she’d show if he touched those round pearl buttons right here, but since there would be countless days ahead to enjoy such pleasures, he decided to save it for later.

He slowly withdrew his reluctant hand. Then, suppressing the corners of his mouth that had been curled up in euphoria the whole time, Kailen said.

“Even so, a lifetime—don’t make such hasty promises.”

Adeline, who’d been leaning sideways, raised her head to look at him. With her eyes rounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

“But I really mean it. I want to be with you for life.”

…Right, you looked at me with those adorable eyes back then too.

And in the end, I fell for it like an idiot.

Looking at those spring-bud-like green eyes while recalling his disgusting past—something she couldn’t even dream of guessing—she added while resting her chin.

“If you don’t abandon me, we’ll be together for the rest of our lives. I promise.”

At Adeline’s words about making some worthless promise, Kailen barely held back the scoff that tried to burst out.

Right. Of course, that kind of precondition has to be attached for it to be like you, Princess.

But burying his sarcasm inside, Kailen cupped both cheeks of the chattering Adeline and leaned forward, bringing his lips to her forehead, her cheeks, and the bridge of her nose in turn.

“Don’t be impatient, let’s save such vows for when we’re before the bishop…”

Before Kailen could finish his words, without warning, gentle arms suddenly pulled his neck into an embrace.