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Chapter 26
‘White is the notebook, empty is my head.’
For several minutes now, the only words written in the center of the blank notebook were “charity event.”
I ruffled my hair for no reason and even tried sketching a puppy with my pencil, but not a single idea came to mind.
‘This is all Aven’s fault.’
His declaration that he’d rake in money by any means necessary had left my head in a mess. What if he came up with something truly insane?
Propping my chin on my hand, I drew several gold coins around the puppy that looked suspiciously like Aven.
“Janet, you’ve been to a lot of charity events, right?”
For once, Janet was scribbling something at her desk, but she answered without changing her posture.
“Yeah. Is this about the charity event?”
When I groaned in confirmation, she let out a giggle.
“If you really don’t know what to do, just go with a charity auction. That’s the standard approach. The last Yudea charity performance was just a bit unusual, that’s all.”
At some point she had pulled out a carrot, and every now and then a crunchy crrk sound joined in.
According to her, what people paid attention to was how impressive and unique the auction items were—and how high the final bids went.
“If you hold an auction, everyone will focus on whether there’s an item that’ll break the all-time highest price record. If you can handle that part, the charity event will end in huge success.”
In other words, it was up to the student council to plan an auction item worthy of that kind of attention.
Or invite a tycoon rich enough to casually throw down thousands of gold on a scrap of paper.
‘But can I really convince Aven with something this ordinary?’
The fact that I even had to worry about this in the first place made my temper flare.
In the end, I stood up and chomped down hard on the carrot sitting on Janet’s desk.
“Hey! My carrot!!”
I seriously wanted to chew up all these not-even-remotely-normal male leads.
“Yehisha looks to the heart. What He desires is compassion, not ritual. No matter how beautiful the offering, if it lacks sincerity—”
So sleepy.
It felt like glue had been smeared under my eyes; both eyelids snapped shut. As if they were broken, they flat-out refused to move.
My head felt heavy, like it was filled with stones, swaying right and left, forward and back—spinning in every direction like a pendulum.
It was the aftermath of spending the entire night awake, failing to come up with a single good idea.
‘If I can’t see any hope with Aven, I can’t give up on Johan…’
In the end, I’d sacrificed sleep.
Still, when I pinched my thigh, it kind of felt like I was waking up…?
“Are you all right?”
Through my blurred vision, a pair of golden eyes filled with warm, sunlike light came into view.
“It’s Johan Derrial.”
This was the first time I’d ever seen him from this close.
Seeing his face head-on instead of just his back was unexpectedly moving.
As if to prove this wasn’t a dream, the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile.
“Yes. I’m Johan Derrial.”
I snapped back to my senses at his soft voice.
Wait—aren’t we in the middle of a service?
When I slowly looked around, the chapel was completely empty, save for dust motes drifting lazily through the sunlight.
As I froze in embarrassment, something soft brushed against my lips.
I rolled my eyes downward.
At some point, Johan had begun lightly dabbing the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief.
‘…I even drooled.’
“Th-thank you.”
I was mortified.
I snatched the handkerchief from his hand and hurriedly stuffed it into my pocket.
“I’ll wash it and return it to you.”
I wanted to turn into dust and disappear.
‘Even if he’s not my man, he was still my favorite character once!’
And here I was, dozing off and drooling right in front of him. This was the worst.
Johan stared briefly at the pocket holding his handkerchief, then slowly sat down beside me.
“Is something troubling you?”
He pointed under his own eye with his index finger.
“You look like you haven’t slept at all.”
As if enchanted, I watched the sunlight slide down the bridge of his nose, fidgeting my hands.
It felt strange—like I suddenly wanted to unload all the heavy burdens inside me.
I told myself it was the atmosphere, the time and place, and the mysterious aura Johan carried.
Before I knew it, the words came out easily.
“I… I have to prepare something, but I don’t know how. I can’t come up with a good idea.”
Johan nodded, encouraging me to continue.
“…I want it to be something special and creative. Something that breaks away from the ordinary.”
When I fell silent, Johan stared at me without moving.
The sensation of being examined down to my very skin made me want to close my eyes, but I forced myself not to.
By the time I blinked several times in flustered confusion, he leaned back slightly and smiled.
“Let’s go back to the very beginning of the question. Strip away what’s obscuring the essence, and look at what remains.”
His lowered lashes sparkled, drawing my gaze without effort—like strands of gold combed by a god’s own hand.
With a faint smile, he continued,
“If you can see the true essence, the answer may come surprisingly easily.”
Don’t overthink it.
He whispered softly, tapped the back of my hand twice, and stood up.
“May you have a peaceful day with Yehisha.”
Bathed in a halo of light, Johan left, and I was left sitting there alone.
As morning fully broke, the sounds of people moving about drifted in through the windows.
“The essence…?”
I gently touched the corner of my mouth.
The true purpose of a fundraising event was to help those in need.
Not to gather an absurd amount of money, not to draw attention, and not to beat Aven.
“Oh.”
I lightly slapped my palm with my fist.
“I’ve been going about this the long way.”
I slowly stood up.
When I’d entered this place, my heart had felt unbearably heavy.
Now, it felt not just refreshed, but light.
Closing my eyes, I prayed silently.
‘Please, let today’s meeting go properly.’
Thump.
When I jabbed my elbow into her side, I felt a rose-red gaze turn toward me.
Even the way her neat eyebrows curved in displeasure was pretty.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter and grinned like an idiot. Lena licked her lips with her tongue.
“What.”
“Because I’m happy.”
When I answered without hesitation, Lena frowned and looked straight ahead again.
‘What kind of change of heart made you decide to join the student council?’
‘You said we were a community of shared fate.’
Lena, who had replied so casually back then, was now sitting right here in the student council room.
Lena herself was great, but the mere fact that there was at least one normal person in the student council was a huge comfort.
“Have you thought about the fundraising event at all? It’s not mandatory.”
I patted her shoulder, telling her she was new and should just get a feel for the atmosphere. She nodded lightly.
Soon, it was time, and people began entering the student council room one by one.
Among them, Rihart approached me with a brimming confidence.
“This time, I’ve come up with an incredible idea. I don’t know what kind of proposal you’ve brought, but you’ll be shocked.”
Leaving me with that, Rihart took his seat.
As he pulled out his materials and organized them, I wanted to tell him this wasn’t a competition, but—
‘Too much effort.’
Good is good.
Before long, discussions began, accompanied by the babbling whek sounds of the chatter plant.
“How about a charity auction?”
The first to speak was Rihart, his green eyes gleaming.
“If we set the concept as an exotic, extravagant social party that’s anything but ordinary, we can draw in plenty of nobles.”
He held up papers depicting the southern kingdom’s architectural styles, interior items, and clothing.
From light, flowing fabrics unlike those of the Empire to striking, vivid colors—it was certainly intriguing.
“Of course, that’s not all.”
He suddenly stood up, flashing a triumphant smile.
“I’m thinking of putting an item from the imperial family up for auction.”
“That’s quite a good idea.”
Izael crossed his arms and nodded.
Now it was clear why Rihart had been so confident.
The imperial family had often participated in charity events hosted by Yudea, but never once had they personally put an item up for auction.
Just the news that an imperial item would appear in a charity auction would be enough to draw massive attention and participation.
“When will an opportunity like this come again? It’s a chance for the Thersen Empire and Yudea Academy’s commitment to good works to shine far and wide.”
It was practically the textbook example of a nobles’ charity auction.
I summarized Rihart’s proposal on the board.
“Anything else?”
Rihart crossed his legs with a satisfied look. For no reason at all, I felt the urge to pinch his nose hard.
That was when Kassel quietly raised his hand.
‘Kassel?’
I’d thought he was the type to let plants speak on his behalf.
When I gestured for him to talk, Kassel lightly tapped the leaves of the chatter plant and opened his mouth.
“I don’t care how the funds are raised.”
He glanced at Rihart, then turned his gaze back to me.
“But what if we use the money to buy saplings? We could plant them in lands dying because there are no trees—of course, covering the cost of planting as well.”
It was an idea that suited a plant enthusiast like Kassel, but it was unexpectedly solid, and my lips twitched upward.
“If we combine Rihart’s and Kassel’s ideas, I think they’d work well together.”
After filling in the beneficiaries and the method of support, I turned around.
That’s when Izael offered his opinion.
“I see it a bit differently. What if we open an entirely new chapter for charity events? Since it’s being held at Yudea, why not flip the whole board?”
‘What is he talking about?’
The longer the preface, the higher the chance something strange was coming.
In professional terms, this was called laying the bait—and with Izael, a marked individual, extra caution was required.
Izael rested his face against his interlaced fingers and continued calmly.
