“You—” Loris's voice paused for a moment, as if the words that followed embarrassed even her. But in the end, she maintained her attitude of treating Liliana like a toy. “What did you think I was going to do?”
Liliana should have begged for mercy.
She wanted to say, spare my life.
She should have stood up.
She should have grabbed her canvas bag, clutched it to her chest, and ducked under Loris's arm, escaping from this training ground in an extremely inelegant but highly effective manner!!
But!—
Her feet wouldn't budge; she simply couldn't do it...
If it were Waldenburg standing in front of her, she would have definitely been able to refuse.
Absolutely.
Because she didn't have any feelings for Waldenburg beyond those for a classmate.
When he spoke to her in the hallway, or when he had someone slip a letter under her dormitory door, her first reaction had been confusion, followed by curiosity, and finally a sense of responsibility that “as a classmate, I should probably go.”
That was all.
If Waldenburg had won, and if he had walked up to her and said something like, “According to our promise, I'm going to kiss you”—
she would have definitely thrown her canvas bag at his head, shaking her head furiously in embarrassment and anger.
“I'm sorry, but I never agreed to that promise!”
That was how it should be!
But Loris von Aldheim was standing in front of her, leaning down slightly with her blonde hair cascading down. Her emerald-green eyes reflected Liliana's image. All Loris had to do was speak in that unquestionable tone—or rather, there was no other option.
And then, it was like flower petals being blown away by the wind.
Light and airy, leaving no trace.
No... not quite. Shy?
Loris simply turned around, her skirt drawing a dark-blue arc in the air. Her pale-gold twin-tails swayed gently behind her back as she stepped down from the spectator stands and walked toward the training ground exit.
Her retreating figure was composed, her footsteps light.
It was as if she had only come to do a trivial task, like handing in homework or returning a book. But Liliana knew... this was no small matter.
The crisp clicking of Loris's low-heeled leather shoes against the stone floor grew further and further away.
And then she really left.
“A day of self-inflicted humiliation, how amusing.”
“Well then, goodbye, Waldenburg. Goodbye, Liliana.”
Delivering such a textbook villainous line, Loris flipped her hair, turned, and walked a few steps. Once she blended into the dim corridor, she sighed silently and covered her face, groaning. Meanwhile, Shirune bowed to the two of them as if she had seen nothing, silently following her young lady.
“My lady, I am very pleased to see that you haven't neglected your training.”
“...Don't remind me.”
For them, the farce had come to an end.
But over here, the male lead and female lead remained.
...
The training ground suddenly fell silent.
It was so quiet that one could hear the faint hum of magic protecting the walls of the mock training ground, and the rustling sound of dust slowly settling on the ground.
And, she could hear her own heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Her wildly racing heart had not yet returned to normal.
But, but this was a bet, and one must accept defeat.
A voice in Liliana's head reminded her.
No, no, no, what bet? It makes no sense at all!
Another voice in Liliana's head reminded her.
—The two voices were bickering back and forth.
“........................”
“...”
About two minutes later.
Through her confusion, Liliana heard footsteps approaching her.
It was the sound of footsteps accompanied by metallic clinking—the scabbard tapping against the buckle at his waist, making a soft jingling sound.
Waldenburg stopped in front of her.
He maintained a polite distance.
About three paces away.
This was his awareness as the loser of the duel, exactly the safe distance in social situations for “we know each other but aren't very close.”
Liliana looked up at him with a slight blush.
He must have seen that whole scene just now... Surely they wouldn't duel again? If that were the case, she would absolutely never come next time... No matter what anyone said, she wouldn't come...
As she was thinking this, Liliana noticed that Waldenburg looked very disheveled.
His white uniform was covered in scorch marks and sand, and his left sleeve was completely ruined, exposing a soot-blackened forearm. His short black hair clung messily to his forehead, there was a shallow scrape on his face, and the blood at the corner of his mouth had dried into a dark-red line.
But his eyes were still those same dark-gray eyes.
Calm and restrained.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to blame him.
And Waldenburg didn't wait for her to speak either.
He bowed deeply and solemnly.
“I am sorry.”
His upper body was almost parallel to the ground. It was a bow used only among swordsmen, carrying solemnity and respect.
Today's duel had been driven by his own impulsiveness.
As he bowed, his short black hair fell forward.
It hid his eyes.
If a poker face could deceive others, then one's eyes would reveal the truest emotions. Regret, unnoticed, was buried as he simply bowed in apology.
Only when he straightened up did Liliana clearly see Waldenburg's expression.
His face was still that same expressionless face, his features unchanged. But in those dark-gray eyes from not long ago, his feelings for the kind heroine had been quietly tucked away.
It was like putting an unsheathed sword back into its scabbard.
Resolved never to draw it again.
“Classmate Liliana.”
He added “Classmate” in his low, steady voice.
A sense of distance.
“I lost.”
Liliana raised her hand slightly, feeling a bit conflicted. To comfort him? Seeing him so downcast, she instinctively wanted to pat his head, like a natural reaction to seeing a sad dog or cat. But in the end, she quietly pulled her hand back.
She should be angry... otherwise she would get dragged into things again... Liliana, you can't be like this... especially in front of Miss Loris, you have to refuse bravely...
She was pulled back from her wild thoughts.
“I will keep my promise. From now on, we will only be friends,” Waldenburg said.
Liliana opened her mouth.
She actually wanted to say that they were already classmates, so being friends was only natural.
She should laugh it off in a light, casual tone, and then they could each go home. That way, if they met in the hallway tomorrow, they could still nod and greet each other...
“Mm, alright.” Liliana respected his wish and nodded gently.
Waldenburg paused.
His gaze landed on Liliana's face, lingering for a fraction of a second before turning away.
“...I am very sorry for dragging you into this.”
Having said that, he bowed once more, then handed her the token he carried with him.
This was the representation of his family on the border. In other words, with this, anyone who went to the North could contact his family and receive VIP treatment—something family members would only give in cases of life-saving gratitude.
Waldenburg only had this one token.
Of course, Liliana didn't know what it meant. She simply accepted it with a mix of reluctance and gratitude.
Afterward, Waldenburg turned and walked toward the training ground exit.
The broken sword at his waist swayed in its scabbard, making a faint, metallic clinking sound.
When he reached the door, his steps paused.
He didn't look back.
He only tilted his head slightly, revealing a small section of his jawline in the backlight.
“That pigeon illustrated guide,” he said, his voice so low it was like a whisper to himself. “I hope you enjoy reading it.”
Then he gently pulled open the door and walked out.
The oak door of the training ground closed behind him.
Thud.
Only Liliana was left.
She sat blankly in the second row of the spectator stands, her canvas bag resting on the seat beside her, her hands placed on her knees. Suddenly, she realized the meaning behind those words, and just how much Waldenburg had been paying attention to her...
Those words were truly sorrowful.
However, Liliana only lowered her head slightly, sighed, and then chuckled softly.
Honestly, he's so awkward...
But, he can barely be considered a good person, right? After all, he was the one who gave her the pigeon illustrated guide that day. If that was the case, they would at least have a common topic of conversation as friends.
Before this, the two of them couldn't even be considered friends—they had only met by chance. Liliana actually didn't get along well with poker-faced men... but it turned out he was just a slightly awkward, good classmate.
The training ground fell completely silent.
Nothing remained but the empty spectator stands and the empty sand.
Traces of the battle still lingered on the sand.
Scorch marks, deep grooves, scattered coarse sand, and a small strand of singed golden hair.
And the deep indentation left in the sand by the broken sword, pressed down when a person knelt on one knee.
Everything was over. Or rather—everything had only just begun.
Rate on N.U.
