Chapter 30

Julian managed to wrap his arm around Beatrice’s waist, narrowly avoiding a dangerous situation. Their bodies were pressed so close that not even a hand’s breadth remained between them. Because of the warmer weather, Julian had undone a few buttons at the top of his shirt, and the scent of wood wafted over to her.

Naturally, Beatrice’s gaze drifted toward him. Through the gaps between the buttons, she caught glimpses of his bare chest, which quickly disappeared again. Her face flushed red like a carrot.

“Did you twist your ankle? It’s dangerous to turn around so suddenly, Beatrice.”

“I-I’m fine. Really, I’m fine, so please let go.”

“Your face is red.”

“That’s just because it’s hot…!”

Using the weather as an excuse, Beatrice turned her eyes to the side. Being held in Julian’s arms and catching his scent, then seeing his bare chest, made her feel like she was being shameless.

Julian’s lips curled up slightly at Beatrice’s trembling reaction, but he pretended not to notice and gently placed his hand on her cheek.

Startled, Beatrice froze like ice, but Julian nodded with a nonchalant expression and said,

“It really is hot today. Your face feels warm. How about stopping by the cafeteria on the way? My treat.”

Julian didn’t give Beatrice any chance to refuse, pushing forward without a pause. Of course, he didn’t release her from his arms either. He was determined to persist until she agreed.

“W-wait a minute. We’re, we’re too close…”

“There are things I want to talk about before you leave the Academy.”

Leaving the Academy. Julian’s face looked very lonely as he said those words. In the end, Beatrice could only nod, feeling as if she was swallowing mustard while crying.

It was a reluctant agreement, but Julian’s face bloomed like a flower. Only then did he finally let Beatrice go. As soon as she was released from Julian’s embrace, she glanced around the hallway to see if anyone was watching them. Fortunately, since potion-making was the last class of the day, it seemed everyone was busy leaving the Academy, and there was no one else in the corridor except the two of them.

“Let’s go.”

“My bag…”

“It’s heavy, so I’ll carry it for you.”

Julian was acting like a gentleman, but it was almost as if he was holding her bag hostage in case Beatrice tried to run away.

Beatrice knew she needed to speak more firmly. However, just meeting Julian’s smiling eyes was enough to make her feel like she was in a crisis.

‘Calm down!’

She didn’t need to look or touch to know—her face must be burning red right now.

It was all because of that room. The room they couldn’t leave unless the illness was cured.

She knew, too. What happened in that room was only a means to escape.

But even if her mind understood, her heart didn’t.

Unlike Julian, who remained unfailingly kind, she was the one acting awkward and self-conscious about “that thing,” and she knew it made her seem unrefined and unsophisticated. But Beatrice just couldn’t help herself.

“I-I’d like to wash my hands for a moment…”

Beatrice turned away, avoiding Julian’s gaze. Then, saying she wanted to wash her hands, she hurriedly left Julian’s side as if running away. The place she ran to was the women’s restroom on the floor where potion-making classes were held.

***

Saying she wanted to wash her hands was just an excuse. Inside the restroom, Beatrice entered the innermost stall and quickly pulled her underwear down to her thighs. Seeing the clear, sticky thread stretching from her underwear made her heart feel complicated. She took off her underwear completely and carefully wiped herself clean. The slippery sensation on her fingertips was unmistakable.

Beatrice tucked her underwear into the inner pocket of her bag. These days, she always kept a clean pair of underwear in her bag’s inner pocket.

The room that once offered various conditions had, at some point, become <the room you cannot leave unless you cure the illness>.

The irony was that the actions she took to leave the room did nothing to actually cure her ‘illness.’

Whenever she thought of Julian, the mysterious symptom of her lower body becoming wet only grew worse over time.

After changing her underwear, Beatrice looked at her bag with troubled eyes. But she couldn’t keep Julian waiting outside for too long, so she quickly left the restroom.

Just as Beatrice expected, Julian was waiting for her in the hallway near the restroom, leaning against the wall. His somewhat expressionless face, lost in thought, made him look like someone with worries.

‘No, not again…’

She had just finished cleaning up, but already she felt that tightening sensation in her thighs again. Beatrice bit her lip, waiting for the feeling to subside. Sensing her presence, Julian turned his head. The moment their eyes met, a spring-like smile bloomed on Julian’s previously dry face.

“Beatrice.”

Without thinking, Beatrice instinctively turned away. Julian’s steps quickened as he approached her in response to her sudden reaction.

“Beatrice? What’s wrong?”

“N-no… Nothing at all…”

“You seemed like you had a fever earlier. Are you sure it’s nothing?”

Beatrice nodded enthusiastically. As Julian strode over to her, she caught a whiff of his cologne—a cool, refreshing scent like an orange tree. The reason even the usually oblivious Beatrice noticed this change was because she’d spent so much time trapped in that room with him.

“L-let’s go! I’m really fine.”

Realizing his hand was once again approaching her cheek, Beatrice flinched and stepped back. Her awkward attempt at a smile made Julian’s face suddenly stiffen, though it was such a fleeting reaction that Beatrice didn’t notice. When she glanced at Julian, his usual picturesque, refreshing smile was already back on his lips.

***

Just as the Academy building was nearly empty, the campus grounds were also deserted. Almost everyone had already left, and in the quiet cafeteria, only a few professors sat drinking tea.

“So… What is it you wanted to say?”

Beatrice stared desperately at the cup filled with a cool drink as she asked. It was best to keep some distance from Julian.

Being trapped in the ‘room’ was something she had no choice but to accept as an accident, but the fact that the room happened to be <the room you cannot leave unless you cure the illness> made her feel as if it was somehow her fault. Moreover, the more she was trapped in the room, the worse her condition became instead of improving. Now, just sitting face to face and talking with Julian was enough to make her lower body reflexively wet.

Even though Beatrice lacked s*xual knowledge, she wasn’t so oblivious as to not notice the strangeness of this situation.

According to the contract between the Temple and the Academy, Beatrice was only supposed to stay here for a single semester. So today was the last day she would see Julian.

“It’s just… I’m really sad, thinking today is the last day with you, Beatrice.”

Hearing Julian’s answer, Beatrice felt a bit uncomfortable. As a high-ranking noble, Julian would have almost no reason to meet her in the future, since she would soon be living at the Temple.

Seeing Julian’s eyebrows droop as if he truly regretted their parting, Beatrice only mouthed a few words. She rolled her big eyes, pondering what to say. Julian, watching her as if he found her adorable, let a briefly triumphant smile flicker across his lips.

“Beatrice, are you going back to your hometown for the break?”