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Chapter 4
By the time Genevieve started writing the main body of her assignment again, Edward had already finished his.
A shameless corner of his heart wished that Genevieve would look over his work once. He silently scolded himself for being so bold and kept his mouth shut.
“Thank you for letting me use the book. I’m really sorry about your assignment and your clothes. If you tell me the cost of the clothes, I’ll do my best to pay for them.”
Just thinking about the price made him dizzy.
No matter how casually she treated him, she was still a young lady from a prestigious noble family. What kind of family would dress their daughter in cheap clothes? How was he supposed to explain this to Mr. Milford? Edward frowned.
“Hmm… Alright.”
Genevieve rolled her pen between her fingers.
Edward swallowed nervously.
“A handkerchief.”
“…What?”
The word that came out of Genevieve’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“I ruined your handkerchief too. Let’s just say we exchanged them.”
She spoke with a gentle smile.
It was the kind of smile that made people feel at ease.
But there was no way a handkerchief made from cheap fabric could be worth the same as the clothes worn by a noble lady.
“…Thank you.”
Still, Edward nodded instead of refusing.
His pride was far too small and fragile to insist on anything right now.
“It’s nothing. Did you finish your assignment?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, it went well. I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”
“I told you not to worry about it. Then head back safely!”
“…Yes. I’ll be going now.”
Edward left the lounge almost as if he were running away.
Embarrassment.
Helplessness.
Guilt.
Emotions he had never felt before took over his entire body.
His thoughts were a mess.
* * *
After that day, did he continue interacting with Genevieve?
Not really.
They were in different grades, so they rarely met except in the dining hall.
Even when they crossed paths, they hardly ever had proper conversations.
“Um…”
“…”
Because Edward was avoiding Genevieve.
Whenever he passed by her, he felt like he was only causing her trouble.
Sometimes he tried to gather the courage to return her greetings, but Charles would always be nearby, forcing him to stay silent.
Perhaps because she was naturally warm-hearted, Genevieve kept trying to talk to him whenever she saw him.
But once she realized he didn’t seem to want conversation, she stopped and settled for simple greetings instead.
One day, Edward awkwardly returned her greeting.
Genevieve tried very hard to hide how happy she was—
—but it was obvious.
After that, whenever they met, she would greet him quietly, yet somehow enthusiastically at the same time.
Several days passed as Edward slowly grew used to his first real human relationship.
Then—
“Edward, a moment please.”
After Governance Studies class ended, Professor O’Dein called out to him just as he was about to leave the classroom.
Being singled out by a professor after class was never a good sign.
Especially not when it was Professor O’Dein.
Since Edward couldn’t think of any reason why he was being called, he forced down his nervousness and waited.
Professor O’Dein searched through a pile of papers on his desk before pulling out a familiar bundle.
It was Edward’s assignment.
A thought flashed through his mind.
Was it so terrible that the professor couldn’t even bear to look at it?
“I found it interesting that a second-year student chose Eichler’s work—especially The Responsibility of a Ruler. That’s quite rare. Your interpretation was also excellent. The perspective in the third paragraph was particularly refreshing.”
Edward had prepared himself for harsh criticism.
Instead, Professor O’Dein was showering him with praise.
Just as Genevieve had said, the professor clearly loved Eichler’s works.
“Of course, I can’t say it was perfect. There are areas that could be improved. But overall, it was excellent. I normally don’t give perfect scores to second-year students for various reasons, but this almost makes me want to make an exception. Edward, I hope you continue working like this.”
“…Thank you.”
Edward forced the corners of his mouth back down.
He desperately wanted to smile.
His heart felt so full that he wanted to tell someone immediately.
But there was no one.
The only person who came to mind was—
“…I’ve gone crazy.”
Genevieve.
Edward shook his head.
He was the one who had stopped interacting with her after that day.
And yesterday, he had seen The Responsibility of a Ruler back on its shelf in the library.
She had probably finished her assignment as well.
If not for that book, they never would have met.
Just a senior from school.
Someone he happened to work on an assignment with.
This distance was the right one.
Edward repeated those words to himself.
* * *
Boring days passed.
Occasionally, he would meet the owner of those green eyes and exchange a greeting.
After repeating that routine several times, the weekend arrived.
The rain that had been stopping and starting all week had finally become a light drizzle.
Edward woke up early and, out of habit, ran a lap around the campus.
Saint John’s College at dawn was peaceful.
Peaceful enough to make him briefly forget how miserable life there usually was.
The light rain brushed against his hair.
The cool morning air cleared his mind.
After returning to the dormitory, Edward shook the moisture from his hair.
The rain had left him cold.
Shivering slightly, he headed toward the dormitory kitchen.
The kitchen was practically there for decoration.
The facilities were excellent, but almost nobody used them.
Most students probably couldn’t even light the stove.
That was why hearing noise as he approached was unexpected.
“…”
What was even more surprising was that he knew the person using it.
Genevieve staggered around the kitchen as though every step was screaming, I’m tired.
She must have assumed nobody else would be there.
Dressed in pajamas with a shawl loosely thrown over her shoulders, she was scooping cocoa powder into a container.
She lazily rolled her neck a few times before suddenly noticing him.
Startled, she jerked.
The end of her shawl bumped into a tin container.
A cloud of cocoa powder exploded into the air.
When Edward inhaled, he could taste chocolate on his tongue.
“I’ll help.”
“Ah… thanks. Could you put the lid back on while I clean this up?”
Genevieve pointed at the tin.
The simple request shocked him a little.
The noble students always pushed unpleasant chores onto him as if it were natural.
Even when they weren’t directly ordering him around, they often gave him certain looks whenever there was something they didn’t want to do.
So when he offered to help, he had only meant that he would clean up the mess himself.
Yet all Edward ended up doing was standing there watching Genevieve clean the floor while he put a lid back onto a container.
“What brings you here?”
“I was cold, so I wanted some cocoa. What about you? Why are you up this early?”
“I was going to have some coffee before heading out.”
“Going somewhere?”
“Yes. To buy new glasses.”
“But what were you doing so early?”
“Jogging.”
“Isn’t it raining? You must be freezing…”
Genevieve looked at his damp hair with concern.
Then, as if making up her mind about something, she lit the stove.
“I-I’ll do it.”
Edward quickly tried to stop her.
“I should at least do this much after all the trouble I caused you!”
The trouble he had supposedly gone through was merely putting a lid on a container.
Edward felt that Genevieve’s standards for what counted as “hard work” were incredibly low.
And if her standards were applied to herself, then Genevieve had just accomplished something on the level of a hero surviving the agony of dark magic.
“I’m actually pretty good at making coffee. Owen made me learn because he kept bothering me, so it should taste fine.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Edward accepted the mug she handed him.
The temperature was perfect—not too hot and not too cool.
“Working hard on a weekend morning, huh? Be careful out there.”
“…Okay.”
His body felt warm before he had even taken a sip.
“I’ll head upstairs first. Enjoy your coffee!”
With those words, Genevieve left the kitchen carrying her cocoa.
“…I should have asked her to drink it together.”
Edward thought that as he took a sip of the coffee.
The coffee tasted fairly good.
And strangely bitter.
* * *
It took an hour by carriage to reach the shopping district.
A carriage enchanted with speed magic could have made the trip in twenty minutes, but the free carriages provided by the college traveled at a normal pace.
After getting off, Edward walked down a familiar road.
Sometimes he came here once a month.
At other times, only once every three months.
It had been a while since his last visit.
That was thanks to his habit of always keeping several spare pairs of glasses.
[Closed Permanently]
But the first thing that greeted him was the sign hanging on the glasses shop.
If he thought about it carefully, it made sense.
Even if this was a busy district, it still had far fewer residents than the capital.
Most people only bought new glasses once a year.
Nobody replaced them as often as Edward did.
A business that only loses money is better closed sooner rather than later.
Edward knew that well from his management classes.
Maybe they’ll still sell me something if they have leftover stock?
Holding onto that small hope, he looked inside.
But the shop had apparently been closed for quite some time.
The interior was completely empty.
“Benjamin? That old fellow left three weeks ago!”
The owner of the antique shop next door told him.
Edward let out a deep sigh.
There was nothing more frustrating than a carefully made plan falling apart.
He needed to find another glasses shop nearby.
But before he could search properly, it was already time to return.
“…Should I ask Mr. Milford?”
It was the easiest option.
But easy didn’t necessarily mean wise.
In the end, Edward returned to the dormitory with nothing to show for his trip.
“…This isn’t rigged, is it?”
“Rigged? Blanca, are you doubting my innocence?”
As Edward passed the dormitory lounge after returning, loud voices reached his ears.
Unlike the main building lounge, which was mostly used for studying, the dormitory lounge was where students gathered to relax and play.
And Edward almost never used it.
Looking inside, he saw Genevieve grinning proudly while flicking her fingers.
Cards were spread across the table.
It looked like they had been playing poker.
Judging by everyone’s expressions, Genevieve had won.
The others grumbled as they handed over their money.
Genevieve counted the bills with the smile of a champion.
The amount was so small it probably wouldn’t even cover the cost of a single book.
Yet her expression looked as if she had just won the lottery.
She admired the crumpled bills as though they were treasures.
Then suddenly, she looked toward the entrance.
As a result, Edward couldn’t slip away unnoticed.
Her eyes immediately landed on his damaged glasses.
Did you get new ones?
Without saying a word, Genevieve silently mouthed the question.
Couldn’t buy them.
Edward shrugged.
Then he walked past the lounge.
