Anna ran faster and faster, pulled along by Lynn.
The stone pillars on both sides of the corridor rushed past.
The cold night wind blew back her hood, and her light-blue hair cascaded out from the shadows. The hurried sound of footsteps mingled with the shouting in pursuit behind them, making her heart beat violently at an unprecedented speed.
Panic, shame... utterly absurd.
This was madness, madness, madness, madness!
How could they do this?! That... those were the rules!
For the esteemed Second Princess of the Empire, following the rules had long since become an instinct.
Arriving late to a banquet required submitting an explanation in advance, borrowing books required returning them on time, and even a temporary change to an itinerary had to be confirmed through layers of Shadow Guards and attendants.
...It was practically like being a puppet controlled by others.
Only when she was disguised as “Sasha” could she cautiously try the things she was neither allowed nor able to experience.
Secretly having a little drink, taking a stroll down the streets while the guards let their guard down, quietly flipping through the scandalous novels banned by her mother...
This was already good enough, right? This was already very happy, right?
Anna Via had always thought of herself as someone who knew how to be content.
It shouldn't be like this... This didn't conform to the rules. Years of experience solemnly warned her of this.
But...
She touched her chest, feeling her heart leaping so wildly it felt as if it would burst out of her chest.
“T-This... this is violating the academy rules...”
Anna Via had never imagined such a soft, timid tone would come from her own mouth. Her voice was low and trembling, like a cat seeking its owner's opinion.
“That's right~ So we're accomplices now~”
“If you can't deal with the deadline, deal with the person in charge of confirming the deadline—this is the Reinhardt family's closely guarded secret wisdom for navigating the world~”
That's clearly just being a rogue.
Anna wanted to say this, but the words died in her throat just as they reached her lips.
She looked up, her violet eyes staring blankly at the high-spirited youth.
He held out his right hand, laughing freely.
“Run! Sasha~”
Possessed by some strange impulse, Anna placed her hand in his.
The two vaulted over the railing at the end of the corridor, leaping down with the help of the wind elements.
A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over her.
Anna let out a short gasp, involuntarily squeezing the hand holding hers.
The lights and shouts behind them were thrown far back, leaving only the night wind howling past her ears.
The two landed steadily, and Anna subconsciously let go of the hand holding hers.
The warm temperature in her palm vanished instantly, and she couldn't help but curl her fingers.
They had reached the fork in the road on Traveler's Street leading to the dormitories. The dilapidated magic crystal streetlamps flickered, casting a somewhat ambiguous glow.
“Alright, it's time for us to head back to our own places~”
Lynn washed the dirt off his face with water magic and waved casually. “See you next time, Sasha.”
“...Mhm.”
Anna turned around, slowly walking away along another path.
One step, two steps, three steps...
There was no sound of footsteps chasing after her from behind, nor was there that always-infuriating teasing.
Even though it was a perfectly natural parting, a sense of loss inexplicably lingered on her heartstrings for a long time.
'So much... really happened today...'
An accidental meeting, drinking together, fighting a puppet, violating the rules, and even running away hand-in-hand with a man she had known for less than a day...
It was as absurd as a dream that shouldn't belong to Anna Via.
When she put back on her princess's crown tomorrow, these brief moments of self-indulgence belonging to “Sasha” would probably only be buried in a corner known to no one.
Anna paused slightly in her tracks.
In the end, she still couldn't resist looking back.
“Lynn—”
Her voice stopped abruptly.
At some point, that handsome face had already leaned in close.
His golden eyes curved slightly under the moonlight, so close that she could even see the shadows cast by the youth's eyelashes.
“Y-You, why haven't you left yet!?”
Startled, Anna took half a step back, almost stepping on her skirt hem again.
【Emotion Points +200】
“I suddenly remembered something.”
Lynn mysteriously raised his empty hands and turned them over in front of her.
“Miss Sasha, please look closely.”
“Nothing in the left hand.”
“Nothing in the right hand, either.”
Anna was stunned.
The familiar opening lines triggered her memories—the promise that couldn't be fulfilled in the tavern.
In the next second, Lynn snapped his fingers.
Snap.
His closed palm slowly spread open.
A fresh, dripping red rose lay quietly in his hand, appearing out of nowhere.
It wasn't an illusion condensed from fire. The petals were soft, the leaves and stem were vibrant green, and it even had a few drops of crystal-clear night dew clinging to it.
Anna stared blankly at the rose.
“You...”
“I said I would conjure a real rose for you.”
Lynn held the flower out to her, a slightly smug smile playing on his lips.
“I never break a promise.”
The night wind blew.
The faint scent of the rose, mingled with the youth's sun-warm scent, brushed gently past her nose.
Anna hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the flower.
The moment her fingertips touched it, she trembled slightly as if burned.
“...Liar.”
“How am I a liar?”
“When you were at the tavern, you clearly said you couldn't do it.”
“Well, of course. Magic tricks require props, you know~”
“I just bought this from a stall while you were daydreaming. Supposedly, it's some rare breed transplanted from the Norman Empire. One stem, a bargain at fifty academy points~”
Lynn took two steps back with a mischievous grin, rubbing his fingers together. “So, Sasha, you now owe me fifty academy points~”
Perhaps too many things had happened, but Anna felt utterly dazed.
In her daze, she actually began unpinning her academy badge from her chest, preparing to transfer fifty academy points to Lynn.
“Whoa, you're actually transferring it?”
The youth elongated his tone in mock surprise.
His slender finger gently tapped Anna's.
“We're friends. Talking about money hurts our relationship~”
Anna nodded subconsciously, then suddenly caught the key word.
“...Friends?”
“Ah...” Lynn let out a long, mock-disappointed sigh, dramatically clutching his chest. “I thought that after going through so much, Student Sasha and I could already be considered friends.”
“Sigh, it seems... I was just flattering myself~”
Normally, Anna would have been able to tell at a glance that this was pure teasing, but in her current dazed state, she had no energy left to distinguish.
“No!” she cried out subconsciously.
Perhaps realizing she was too loud, she mumbled and lowered her head, her small hands twiddling her fingers helplessly.
“I... I mean.”
“You... indeed, for now... for now, you can be considered my friend!”
The moment the words left her mouth, she wished she could bury her head in the ground like an ostrich.
Her messy, light-blue hair covered her dizzy eyes, leaving only her pale earlobes turning visibly red.
“Please raise your head, my lady friend~”
Her body followed the instruction before her mind could, and she looked up blankly.
It was already late at night, and the bright moonlight cast a silver edge over the youth's handsome face.
“If you really want to pay back your debt...”
The youth made a toast gesture, then laughed heartily.
“Next time we meet, why don't you buy me another drink?”
【Emotion Points +800】
【Progress: 3000/2000】
【Advancement Quest 2 Completed】
Rate on N.U.
