Chapter 17

Upon arriving at the academy, they cast an invisibility spell near the front gate, just as they had when leaving.  

However, unlike before, it was the afternoon—a time when more people were out and about. Even during the Festival, when the academy was mostly empty, a few students could still be seen wandering around.  

Elena remembered Felix’s earlier comment that he hadn’t cast a sound-dampening spell, so she kept her mouth shut and walked as quietly as possible, careful not to make any noise.  

Fortunately, Little One was still sound asleep, so there was no need to worry about him.  

When they finally reached the dormitory without being noticed, Elena naturally started heading toward the women’s dormitory, intending to part ways with Felix.  

Or at least, she tried to. Felix quickly grabbed her arm before she could leave.  

“Where are you going?”  

“Where else? To my room.”  

She whispered softly, glancing at a female student walking toward them from a distance. She wanted to get inside before the student got closer, but Felix didn’t let go of her arm.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Come to my room.”  

“Why would I go to your room when I have my own?”  

At her response, Felix glanced down at Little One, who was still nestled against her, his chubby cheek pressed against her chest as he slept soundly.  

“Can you take care of him alone if he wakes up?”  

“Uh… what?”  

“I saw earlier that you changed his diaper yourself. Well, if you say you can handle him alone, that’s fine by me.”  

At those words, the golden evidence of Little One’s “production” from earlier flashed vividly in Elena’s mind. She could almost smell it again, even though Little One was perfectly clean.  

Felix watched her expression twist with discomfort and, looking oddly satisfied, began walking toward the men’s dormitory.  

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait!”  

Elena quickly chased after his retreating back. Annoyingly, he didn’t look back at her even once until they reached his room.  

***

Felix’s room, which she hadn’t visited in days, was as cold as the hallway outside.  

‘Has William not returned yet?’  

Unlike Felix, who entered without hesitation, Elena hesitated in the hallway, glancing into the room. As if reading her thoughts, Felix answered her unspoken question.  

“William won’t be back until the evening of the last day.”  

That was a relief. After confirming that no one was passing by in the hallway, Elena finally stepped inside.  

She still didn’t feel comfortable entering someone else’s dormitory room, but with Little One in her arms, she had no choice. She hugged the sleeping baby tightly, justifying her actions to herself.  

Felix approached the fireplace and lit a fire, then spread several blankets on the floor of the living room. He carefully laid Little One down on the blankets. The baby squirmed slightly, as if uncomfortable.  

“Uuu…”  

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Go back to sleep. That’s a good boy.”  

Felix gently patted Little One’s belly, and the baby’s restless movements gradually subsided. Soon, soft, even breaths could be heard again, as if he had drifted back into a deep sleep.  

‘At times like this, he really is as cute as an angel.’  

It was hard to believe that the moment he woke up, chaos would unfold.  

‘Still, he’ll probably sleep for another two hours or so.’  

After tucking the blanket around Little One, Elena stood up.  

“Alright, while he’s sleeping, I’ll just pop over to my room for a bit.”  

She began straightening her wrinkled clothes, preparing to leave, but Felix grabbed her arm again.  

“What if he wakes up while you’re gone?”  

“Oh, come on, it’s just for a little while. And if he does wake up, you can take care of him.”  

Little One, who had been wary of Felix at first, had started warming up to him after about a week.  

Despite her reasoning, Felix still didn’t let go of her arm.  

‘What’s with him?’  

She tried to gently pry his hand off, but his grip only tightened.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Elena.”  

“Yeah?”  

“…It’s past lunchtime. Aren’t you hungry?”  

“What kind of question is that? Since when do you care about that?”  

She let out a disbelieving laugh. Felix, who often skipped meals himself, wasn’t the type to ask such a thing. But he persisted.  

“How about pasta?”  

“What? Are you really Felix?”  

Even her curt reply didn’t faze him. He maintained a serious expression, which only made her more suspicious. She glared at him with narrowed eyes.  

“What’s going on this time?”  

The fact that Felix had asked such an uncharacteristic question meant he was running out of excuses.  

On the flip side, it also meant there was a real reason he was trying so hard to keep her in the room.  

It wasn’t about Little One or pasta—there had to be something else.  

“If it’s because of Anguis, there’s nothing to worry about. Like you said, this is the academy. Even if I go to my room alone, I won’t be in any danger.”  

Before arriving at the academy, Felix had been worried about Anguis, so she thought perhaps that concern was still lingering.  

To be honest, she wasn’t entirely unconcerned about Anguis either. But being at the academy put her at ease.  

After all, she had Little One with her, so Anguis likely wouldn’t think she was a student.  

It was sad, but she probably looked like a married woman with a child.  

Even if Anguis somehow figured out she was a student, there was still no reason to worry.  

She didn’t know how skilled he was with a sword, but even the most talented swordsman in the Kingdom wouldn’t be able to bypass the Academy’s magical defenses.  

She thought her reasoning was sound, but Felix raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.  

He scrutinized her with that same expression before letting out an audible sigh.  

“Try using your brain for once.”  

His tone was unmistakably confrontational. To make matters worse, he pointed to his head while looking at her, as if silently asking, ‘What’s the point of having it if you don’t use it?’  

Just as she was about to get annoyed, Felix shifted his gaze to the sleeping Little One.  

“Like you said, the academy isn’t an easy place to infiltrate. I’m not worried about Anguis—I’m worried about Little One.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Little One appeared in your room. In this academy, which is surrounded by magical barriers, he showed up alone. I don’t know how or why, but Elena, the fact that he appeared in your room is undeniable.”  

His expression grew serious. He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, before continuing in a low voice.  

“Everything is difficult the first time. The second time is easier. There’s no guarantee someone else won’t show up in your room. You’re letting your guard down because the first one was a baby, but this is actually a very serious matter. What if, instead of Little One, it had been someone like the man we saw yesterday? If a man with a sword had come at you with intent to kill, do you think you’d still be standing here unharmed?”  

Elena finally began to understand what Felix was worried about. Her hands trembled slightly.  

The scar on her neck, which had already healed, suddenly felt sore. It was impossible, but it felt as though it was stinging again.  

She wrapped her hand around her neck, trying to shake off the sensation.  

“Of course, based on Little One’s appearance, it doesn’t seem like anyone is targeting you with malicious intent. But you never know. It’s impossible not to consider the worst-case scenario.”  

Felix’s words reminded her of the day Little One appeared. She had briefly wondered why he was in her room but had quickly shifted her focus to figuring out what to do with him and how to reunite him with his family.  

After all, he was just a baby who had been separated from his parents and brought to a strange place.  

But hearing Felix’s perspective made her realize she had been too naive.  

Was this why Felix had insisted on staying in the village instead of letting me return to her room that day?  

Had he been worried that someone might show up in my room and harm me?  

“When the Festival ends and the professors and staff return, I’ll tell them everything and have your room changed. Until then, just stay here, even if it’s inconvenient. Got it?”  

She nodded weakly. Satisfied with her response, Felix left to fetch a late lunch.  

Before leaving, he sternly warned her not to step outside.  

As soon as the door closed, her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor beside the sleeping Little One.  

Maybe it was because of everything Felix had just said, but Little One, who had seemed nothing but adorable until now, suddenly felt suspicious.  

She pinched his cheek lightly as he slept, and he let out a small whimper, kicking his legs.  

“I thought you were just a poor baby who lost his parents…”  

But now she realized she shouldn’t have been so carefree about him.  

“Little One, how did you get here? Why did you come to me? Did someone send you to me on purpose?”  

“Uuu…”  

For the first time in days, Elena felt truly frustrated that she couldn’t communicate with him.  

She sat there, staring blankly at Little One, waiting for Felix to return.  

Thanks to the roaring fire in the fireplace, the room had grown warm and cozy.  

But for some reason, she couldn’t stop shivering. It felt as though another storm, just as fierce as Anguis, had swept through her body.  

About thirty minutes later, Felix returned.  

He carried a plate piled high with pasta in one hand and a box of fresh strawberries in the other.  

Elena left Little One where he was and moved to sit on the sofa.  

After a moment, Felix brought the magically cooked pasta to the table.  

Steam rose from the dish, making it look freshly made.  

Although it was well past lunchtime and she was hungry, she couldn’t bring herself to eat.  

“Aren’t you going to eat?”  

Felix, who had been pouring juice into a cup, handed her a fork.  

“Don’t complain about it being cold later. Eat it while it’s still warm. Do you think magic is so easy just because I use it without breaking a sweat?”  

Couldn’t he say anything nicely for once?