WFCA 06

Chapter: 06

Sonnet kept watching the resumed match.

She had expected it to be noisy, complicated, and boring, but the rules were surprisingly simple, and the game was subtly tense and interesting.

On top of that, her seat was close to the field, so everything felt extremely vivid.

Just then, horses crowded around Aiden. This time it was so tight it looked like there was no way out.

No matter how skilled he was at riding and playing, it seemed like even Aiden might lose the ball this time.

Even so, Sonnet couldn’t look away. She was curious about what he would do.

The surrounding horses were almost close enough to touch him.

Suddenly, Aiden turned his horse’s head sideways and stopped. The riders chasing close behind him flinched in surprise and pulled their horses short.

The shrill whistle sounds around the field grew louder.

Without hesitation, Aiden swung his mallet roughly. The ball flew a considerable distance and went straight into the goal.

Cheers erupted again. The pounding drums and piercing whistles blended together into a roaring noise.

It was loud, but it didn’t hurt her ears—perhaps because of the wide stadium, or perhaps because she had already grown used to it.

Aiden slowly turned his horse and glanced back. His gaze suddenly met Sonnet’s.

For a moment, it felt as if her breath stopped. When she froze, Aiden gently lifted the corner of his lips.

Around them, girls screamed along with the drums.

Startled, Sonnet looked to the side. Only then did she notice the seats on both sides of her were empty.

When she looked forward again, Aiden let out a faint chuckle and rode off.

Is he serious?

Sonnet was genuinely curious. Why was he treating her like this?

Everyone else disliked her—so why did Aiden seem to like her?

She stared fixedly at him. He made no mistakes.

Watching him, he struck the ball perfectly and handled his horse skillfully without ever slipping from the saddle.

Looking at Aiden now, it was almost easy to forget that he had once beaten someone badly enough to nearly kill them.

So much so that she could understand why the girls were so obsessed with him—and even the boys liked him too.

Amid ear-splitting cheers, people shouted Aiden’s name.

The match ended.

Even without looking at the scoreboard, it was obvious that Rosfield had won.

Aiden laughed with a nearby teammate, tapped his mallet against theirs, and rode toward the stands.

The cheers grew even louder. Aiden stopped precisely in front of Sonnet.

He immediately removed his hat. His sweat-damp hair and bright eyes looked strikingly vivid—almost as if he had something to say.

As if entranced, Sonnet stood up.

Still, since she had already confessed, she figured she should at least act like she liked him, so she stepped closer to Aiden.

The moment their blue eyes met, he lowered his head.

The instant his breath brushed her cheek, flashes of light burst around them. It happened in a split second.

Sonnet stared at Aiden with wide eyes.

Aiden smiled pleasantly, then rode off toward his teammates—

leaving behind the scent of mint.

Sonnet stood there blankly, watching him.

Flashes kept bursting around her. Now that she thought about it, many people nearby were holding cameras.

Someone even screamed.

As if they had seen something they shouldn’t have—

no, as if they had witnessed something utterly unprecedented.

Sonnet’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly grabbed her bag.

She shoved past the people holding cameras and pushed her way out roughly. Her mind was in complete disarray.

Strangely, the lingering warmth of Aiden’s breath still seemed to remain on her cheek.

Sonnet pressed a hand to her cheek and walked quickly.

Apple-pie-like Aiden.

Sonnet muttered the harshest insult she could think of.

Apple pie was one of the things she hated most. Once, after eating a freshly baked apple pie, she had badly burned the roof of her mouth and tongue and ended up with terrible indigestion.

It felt like his mint scent was following her the farther she went.

Sonnet quickened her pace. Only after she exited the stadium did she finally manage to breathe properly.

She exhaled heavily. Her breathing came out ragged, as if she had been running hard enough to taste blood in her throat.

Standing there blankly, she remembered the moment Aiden had lowered his head earlier—his breath close against her cheek, and that mint scent.

Sonnet’s eyes widened, and she hurried forward again, biting her lower lip tightly.

Isn’t this harassment?

But thinking about it… from Aiden’s perspective, it wasn’t.

She had been the one to confess first.

And she had even said it wasn’t a joke.

Even though, for Sonnet, it had been nothing but a lie.

She felt like crying.

With her head lowered, she practically ran back to the dormitory.

The moment she entered her room, she locked the door, threw her bag onto the floor, and buried herself in the bed—

pounding the mattress with her fists.

This isn’t what I meant.

And especially not showing it off like that in front of everyone.

With all those camera flashes stabbing at her eyes, there was no way…

They definitely took pictures.

Sonnet kicked her feet, unable to lift her face.

Apple-pie-like Aiden!

As the insult welled up in her heart, she kicked even harder. The bed bounced helplessly under her thrashing.

The next day.

Sonnet opened her door as usual.

Something suddenly spilled down in front of her feet.

After secretly taking photos of her, someone had scribbled things like “Does this even make sense?” in red pen across them, along with various insults. On some photos, a large X had been drawn over Sonnet’s face.

Frowning, Sonnet picked up the scattered items. Among them was a newspaper.

It was the school paper.

On the front page was a huge photo of Sonnet and Aiden.

And not just any photo—it captured the exact moment Aiden and Sonnet looked like they were kissing.

That alone was embarrassing enough, but the headline made it worse:

“Sonnet is my victory fairy!”

Sonnet crumpled the paper.

Still not satisfied, she tore it to shreds, gathered the notes and newspaper pieces, threw them away, and left the dorm.

Just as she stepped outside, murmurs rose around her.

When Sonnet lifted her head—

a sharp mint scent brushed past her.

Aiden stood there, smiling gently at her.

Seeing how perfectly fine and cheerful he looked made anger bubble up inside her, but she held it back.

After all, this entire situation had started because of her.

I never thought that confession to Aiden would come back like this.

Then Aiden spoke.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

Without even looking at him, Sonnet replied,

“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

Her voice was as flat and emotionless as stone.

“You’re going to Professor Sereld’s audiovisual lecture today, right?”

His voice was low but lively—pleasant to hear.

With her head lowered, Sonnet walked right past him.

In the brief glance she caught, his hand was holding red packaging.

It looked like jerky sold near the girls’ dormitory.

Still smiling, Aiden matched his pace to hers.

“Why did you leave early yesterday?”

“……”

“You said you liked me.”

Aiden’s arm brushed against Sonnet’s shoulder.

At the sudden contact, Sonnet stopped walking. When she turned, Aiden lifted the corner of his lips as if he had been waiting.

“Was it a lie?”

Despite his gentle tone, his eyes gleamed sharply, as if examining her in detail.

Sonnet barely steadied herself and answered,

“It wasn’t a lie. I was just really flustered yesterday.”

“I thought it was thanks to you that I won yesterday. The weather was really nice too.”

Aiden stared straight at her. His faintly smiling face and vivid blue eyes had a strangely hypnotic quality.

He had a charm that made people want to tell him nothing but the truth.

I definitely promised myself I wouldn’t get swept up by the tester…

Sonnet quickly pulled herself together.

Still, from Aiden’s perspective, her behavior must have been confusing.

After all, she had confessed she liked him, then suddenly started acting distant.

Aiden naturally stepped in front of her, blocking her path. When Sonnet hesitated, his expression turned slightly gloomy.

“Ever since your confession, it feels like I’m the only one in love.”

Sonnet was momentarily speechless. As Aiden stared intently at her, her heart began to race.

Looking straight at her, he said,

“It feels like I was the only one who liked you… and I ended up kissing you for nothing.”

When Sonnet froze, Aiden’s face suddenly brightened with a smile.

He affectionately leaned his head against her shoulder.

“I’m not the only one who likes you, right?”

The way he looked back at her was strangely persistent.