When she heard that his nose had been broken, she nearly burst out laughing. Idiot.

“If something like this happens again, can you let me know? I’ll help.”

“Yes. I will.”

In truth, weren’t Lilian and Ruhir also a form of harassment, in a broader sense? If she had been unaware of what was happening, she would have been badly hurt when the relationship ended. She wouldn’t have known that someone could play with a person’s feelings like that.

But she knew, and they were using each other, so it was fine. A month in, she found it satisfying enough.

He was a prince, so he must have seen all manner of unpleasant things. Was he making that face because they were a couple?

She reached out and lightly stroked his cheek, then got up from her seat.

“Do you want to lie down on the sofa for a bit before you go?”

“Why?”

“I think it would be better to let the swelling go down a little first.”

Come to think of it, she had been forced to keep crying while writing the statement, so her eyes were throbbing. She nodded and lay down on the sofa, and he placed something cold over her eyes. Her head had been aching from all the crying, and the cold cut right through it.

“It’s an ice pack, but it won’t feel too sharp.”

Ruhir moved closer and lifted Jeanne’s head to rest it on his thigh. It was firm with muscle and not the most comfortable, but still manageable to lie on. Her stomach was full and her head hurt less.

……Even with a set ending, he genuinely worries. The two of them stayed like that in silence for a while.

Every time she experienced this kind of gentleness, her heart softened a little more. There weren’t many people who could stay unaffected by something like this.

Which was exactly why she needed to keep her head clear. She was already like this now. What would she be like by the end of the year?

And so Jeanne Nova made a point of reminding herself every day. Ruhir de Winter does not like you. We are nothing more than two people using each other.

She had grown close to plenty of people, but Ruhir was simply the first in a long time to have gotten within her boundaries. That was all it was.

After the swelling in her eyes had settled, Ruhir walked her back to the dormitory. When she went inside, her roommates and Alice, who had heard the news, came to check on her and ask if she was alright.

If Alice knew, then practically every student would know by now. When she said she was fine, everyone’s faces finally relaxed.

She had no idea what kind of disciplinary action Victor would receive, but she hoped it would be bad.

“Do you know how worried I was? The girls in the dormitory all heard the rumor and said we should go beat him up together.”

“Really? Word spread that fast.”

“That Victor jerk. He was always throwing himself at other girls too. Confessing with all kinds of insane things coming out of his mouth.”

“He confessed to other girls besides me?”

“He’s obsessed with women. I bet every commoner girl got a confession from him at least once.”

With a face like that and words like those, who would ever like him. It was getting late, but they couldn’t go back to their rooms because they were talking in the dormitory lounge. Jeanne had quite a few underclassmen who looked up to her, and she needed to put them at ease.

Alice didn’t look reassured until Jeanne had said she was fine several times over.

“I’m not hurt anywhere, so I’m alright.”

“……Because if you got hurt, Auntie would be devastated.”

Only after being looked after until the very end was she able to return to her room. If she had gotten a scratch somewhere, the reaction might have been even bigger. She washed up, lay down in bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Ruhir had looked genuinely upset because of the lies mixed in. There was nothing to be upset about in the first place.

Still, since the academy came down hard on things like this, there weren’t many people who harassed others. Jeanne let out a long yawn and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Less than a week later, when she arrived at school, there was a notice on the bulletin board announcing Victor’s expulsion. There had been many witnesses to the scene, and since even the professor had seen it, it seemed they had taken it seriously.

She had honestly expected the disciplinary action to be a suspension of a few months at most, so this was a surprise. She nearly burst out laughing but held it back. Students around her were whispering and glancing at Jeanne, but she paid them no mind.

Just then, Ruhir came up from behind and gently turned her around.

“Jeanne. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

He must have thought looking at the disciplinary notice would bring back unpleasant memories. He put his arm around Jeanne’s shoulder and headed toward the classroom. In truth, Victor had been such a negligible presence that he hadn’t left any unpleasantness behind at all.

He had just been annoying, buzzing around like a gnat. If he hadn’t brought up the mistress comment the other day, she would have ignored him again.

News of Victor’s expulsion faded quickly from people’s attention. The reason was that the exams held every two months were coming up.

Under normal circumstances Jeanne would have been studying like mad to keep her grades up, but she hadn’t been reviewing her coursework.

She needed to meet Lilian’s expectations starting with this first exam.

“You haven’t forgotten about the exam coming up in a few weeks, have you? Will Miss Nova be taking Top rank again this time?”

The professor smiled and spoke to her, since she had never once lost Top rank. In the past, a question like that would have immediately drawn a jealous look from Lilian. But today Lilian was wearing a relaxed smile.

After all, Jeanne had spent the past month going around with Ruhir instead of going to the academy library.

“Even so, remember that just a few more exams and it’s the holiday, so let’s all do our best.”

At the mention of exams, everyone’s faces fell. Studying was something no one wanted to do, after all. Of course, Jeanne had always enjoyed studying, so she had never felt that way herself.

After the professor left the classroom, her friends came over to her.

“Jeanne. Are you going for Top rank again this time?”

“Hmm. I’d like to, but being the final year, things feel harder.”

“That’s true. The professors aren’t going easy on us since it’s the last year.”

It had always been difficult, but now that they were in their eighth year, it was even more so. Jeanne was the type to find more interest in something the harder it got, but many people were struggling.

Well. She had a plan to let her grades slip until graduation, so she wasn’t particularly concerned.

Soon the bell rang to signal the start of lectures. Everyone went their separate ways to their respective classes.

Since she and Ruhir didn’t share any lectures, they could only see each other when arriving and leaving school. Lunch ended at different times for each of them, so they ended up eating with their own friends.

After the incident, Ruhir had stopped going outside and stayed within the academy grounds. It felt like he had been waiting until the disciplinary outcome came through.

Jeanne wasn’t bothered by it, but Ruhir was more affected than she was.

“Uuugh……”

When the last lecture ended, everyone was completely drained. At least it ends before three, so that’s something. Having stayed focused out of respect for the professor, Jeanne was thoroughly worn out too.

She stretched and leaned back in her chair, and the thought of where they were going today came to mind. There was a café that had recently opened, and apparently the coffee and desserts there were exceptional.

While she was waiting, she heard the classroom door open. Ruhir was there, his face flushed and breathing hard, as though he had run.

“Sorry, my lecture ran over today.”

“You didn’t have to rush.”

“Even so, I knew you were waiting.”

Jeanne had made him wait before too, when her own lectures ran late. She got up from her seat, walked toward the door, and handed him a water bottle. Ruhir took it and emptied the whole bottle in one go. Running here must have worn him out.

“Ruhir. Let’s go to a café today. Apparently a new one opened in the plaza.”

“Do you want to stop by the antique bookshop and borrow a book you’ve been wanting?”

“Oh. Yes. I haven’t been able to go since that incident, and you said new ones came in.”

“Right. Eric says you’ll really love them.”

The two of them changed into comfortable clothes and headed to the plaza. Taking a carriage would have been nice, but the weather was warm today, so they decided to walk. When they arrived at the antique bookshop, Eric welcomed them both.

“Quite a few wonderful books came in during the week Miss Jeanne wasn’t here.”

“Really? I’ll enjoy reading them.”

“You know our young master has no particular interest in spellbooks, don’t you?”

Eric said it with deliberate playfulness, and Jeanne burst out laughing. Ruhir knew it was a joke, so he simply watched the two of them talk.

“Where are the new books shelved?”

“Over there. The new arrivals haven’t been opened to other customers yet.”

“Really? There must be people who wanted them.”

“But there’s no shortage of people who don’t appreciate the charm of books, so it’s only right that Miss Jeanne reads them first.”

“Oh, I’m touched, Eric.”

“Hmm. That, hmm, was my idea. Hmm. I was the one who asked.”

Ruhir, listening from beside them, said it with a slight flush creeping up his ears, clearing his throat and speaking in a playful tone. Of course it was. He was the owner of the antique bookshop, after all. Something about the way he looked was endearing, and Jeanne let out a small laugh.