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Chapter 15
After the entrance ceremony ended, Lucia and Herwin headed to their assigned class.
“Good thing we’re in the same class, right?”
“Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Fortunately, the two ended up in the same class.
My wish for the past month finally came true!
Lucia cheered inwardly.
From the moment she heard they’d both be entering the academy, until today, she had prayed every day that she’d be placed in the same class as Herwin.
It felt like the heavens had answered her wish, and she was so happy she could fly.
“Oh? Looks like the young lady is in our class too.”
As soon as they entered the classroom, they noticed Lady Lydia sitting at a desk.
Just like at the entrance ceremony, she was surrounded by many people.
“Accepting all that attention… she’s really something.”
Herwin sounded a little pitying as he looked at Lady Lydia.
If he hadn’t acted so cold before, he too might have ended up in the same situation as her.
Hadn’t he already experienced something like that before the entrance ceremony?
“Hm?”
At that moment, Lady Lydia, caught among the people, locked eyes with Lucia. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at her.
The gaze was so intense that Lucia unconsciously froze mid-step.
“Lucia, what are you doing? Come on.”
“Oh? Ah, right!”
Only when Herwin called did Lucia finally escape Lydia’s stare.
Herwin had already taken a seat near the back, clearly reflecting his preference for avoiding attention.
“Kyaa!”
Suddenly, Lucia screamed. Something caught her foot, making her lose balance and stumble forward.
Just as she was flailing her arms, desperately trying not to fall, someone caught her around the waist.
“You okay?”
“Th-thank you…”
“No problem. I’m just glad a pretty face like yours didn’t get hurt.”
Lucia steadied her pounding heart and looked up at the person who had caught her.
He was a handsome young man, with shoulder-length navy hair and golden eyes that gave off a unique charm.
Not quite as striking as Herwin, but still much more handsome than she expected, which secretly surprised her. She found herself staring for a moment before speaking.
“Um… could you let go of my hand?”
He was still holding onto both her hand and her waist. Startled, he quickly let go.
“Oh, my mistake. I didn’t realize I was still holding you. Sorry if that bothered you.”
Normally, if someone else had done that, she might have been uncomfortable. But strangely, she didn’t feel that way with him.
“I’m Brian Cersis. We’re classmates—let’s get along.”
As Brian introduced himself, Lucia followed suit.
“I’m Lucia Agnes. Nice to meet you. And thanks again for catching me.”
“Of course, anyone would have done the same. By the way… is that your friend behind you?”
Lucia turned around at his words and saw Herwin standing there with a rather uncomfortable look on his face.
“Huh? Herwin, when did you come over?”
He’d been sitting far away just a moment ago.
“Just now. Good thing you didn’t fall.”
“Yeah, Lord Cersis caught me.”
As cheerful Lucia stood between them, the two young men locked eyes.
A strange tension sparked in the air.
Brian narrowed his eyes slightly, but soon smiled warmly and extended his hand.
“Brian Cersis. Let’s get along.”
“…Herwin Peneus.”
“Oh, so you’re from the Peneus family. No wonder you carry yourself with such confidence.”
Brian gave a small remark of admiration. It was only a light comment, but Herwin frowned as if annoyed.
“Lucia, let’s go. The professor will be here soon.”
“Okay! See you later, Lord Cersis.”
Herwin practically pushed Lucia along, making her take her seat.
“Can’t you be more careful? Are you planning to keep being so clumsy even here at the academy?”
“I-I wasn’t being clumsy! I just tripped on someone’s bag!”
The moment she sat down, Herwin started nagging her. Embarrassed, Lucia’s face turned red, but he still looked displeased.
“That’s exactly what clumsy means. No wonder Lucas and I can’t take our eyes off you.”
“…”
His words made her feel like a child, which hurt her feelings.
She wanted him to see her as a woman, but the more time passed, the more he seemed to treat her like Henry. Sometimes, even worse—like she was a little kid.
…Still.
On the other hand, the fact that he always kept an eye on her made her heart flutter.
Her feelings toward Herwin were confusingly fickle.
Time passed, and soon more students began taking their seats.
Many glanced toward where Herwin and Lucia sat. The empty seats around them were prime real estate—anyone who managed to sit there would have a chance to get closer to Herwin.
But strangely, no one dared to take them.
Lucia quickly realized why when she glanced sideways.
“Herwin, your face.”
His expression was twisted into a scowl, making him look angry.
To others, it seemed like he was glaring, but Lucia knew better. Sometimes, he furrowed his brows without even realizing it.
“Relax your face, will you?”
When she told him again, his expression softened—just a little.
“Oh, looks like this seat’s free!”
A lively voice called out, and someone plopped down in front of Herwin.
He had bright red hair, his forehead fully visible, and ordinary brown eyes. His mischievous grin matched his cheerful tone.
“Excuse me, but is this seat taken?”
“Hm? Nope, go ahead.”
Soon after, a female student approached the seat beside him.
She was the picture of elegance.
With long, soft ash-gray hair neatly draped down her back and refined features, she was a striking beauty.
“Thank you, I was having trouble finding a seat.”
“No worries! I’m Ethan Belluna, from the Belluna viscount family.”
“I’m Christine Diores. Pleased to meet you, Lord Belluna.”
“Great! Let’s get along! You too, back there!”
Ethan, who had been chatting with Christine, suddenly turned to look at Lucia.
She nearly jumped, startled at being caught eavesdropping.
“M-me?”
“Yeah! You kept looking over, so I thought maybe you wanted to join the conversation. No?”
“Oh, that’s not it. Sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You caught my name, right? What’s yours?”
“Lucia Agnes. And this is Herwin Peneus.”
“Oh! So you two are friends? I thought you were strangers like me and Christine.”
“We’re childhood friends.”
“Really? Then you’re lucky to end up in the same class as your friend.”
With his easygoing nature, Ethan carried the conversation effortlessly. His warmth made not only Christine but also Lucia feel comfortable.
Even quiet Herwin seemed to like him, as he eventually started listening attentively.
“By the way, if you’re a Peneus, then you’re from the northern ducal house, right?”
When much of the awkwardness had faded, Christine asked.
It was less a ploy to get close to him, and more pure curiosity.
Sensing that, Herwin simply nodded.
“That’s right.”
“I see. I never thought Lord Peneus would be our age.”
“And you—I’ve heard your family’s quite well known too.”
“Me? Compared to the Peneus family, we’re nothing.”
“Hardly. The Diores family leads one of the Empire’s most renowned merchant guilds.”
“Oh my, thank you for the compliment.”
Christine smiled gracefully.
“Wow, to think I’d get to be friends with such famous people. My family will be thrilled! Honestly, I’m just a country bumpkin, so I don’t know much about noble society.”
What might’ve been a disadvantage, Ethan admitted openly without hesitation.
Whether it was ignorance or simply indifference, even after learning their identities, his attitude toward Herwin and Christine didn’t change.
“Alright, is everyone here?”
The professor’s arrival quickly calmed the room. He began with introductions, then gave a brief overview of the class schedule.
The academy had officially begun—and so far, things were going smoothly.
Quite some time passed after their enrollment.
Though things were awkward at first, soon the students grouped together according to personality.
Among them, Herwin’s group was the largest.
With looks, talent, and wealth, he was someone everyone wanted to be close to.
Lady Lydia was equally popular, but unlike Herwin, she was approachable and easily befriended others.
Herwin, however, kept people at arm’s length.
And when someone is hard to approach, it only makes others more determined to try.
Many joined his group in hopes of befriending him, but only a few were allowed truly close.
Those were Ethan and Christine, whom he’d first spoken to on day one, Brian, and later Bianca Lawrence.
Though Herwin initially seemed wary of Brian, they got along well now. Bianca had been the one to approach him first, and like Christine, she showed no particular interest in him, which allowed Herwin to feel comfortable around her.
Of course, Lucia was also a central figure in Herwin’s group.
Naturally so—after all, she was his closest friend.
At the start of the term, rumors swirled about the two of them.
Since they were always together, most assumed they were dating.
But when it became clear that wasn’t the case, more people began approaching Lucia.
Some were drawn by her cute looks and gentle nature, but most simply wanted to use her as a bridge to Herwin.
Especially the girls, once they learned Herwin didn’t have a lover. They often begged Lucia for introductions.
Just like now—
“Hey, Lucia. Could you introduce us to Lord Peneus?”
“We heard you two are really close. We want to be friends with him too, but it’s not easy to approach him…”
“Please? Pretty please?”
Lucia smiled politely at the girls in front of her. This was already the twentieth such request.
The girls looked at her with sparkling eyes, waiting eagerly.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that.”
“Ah…”
A chorus of disappointed sighs followed.
“Why not? You’re childhood friends. It should be easy for you.”
“Even so, I can’t. Sorry. Herwin doesn’t like that kind of thing. If you really want to get close, why not just talk to him directly? He’ll respond if you’re sincere.”
With a gentle but firm tone, she rejected their request again.
Realizing she wouldn’t give in, the girls’ faces hardened.
“Ugh, what’s with her? Acting all high and mighty just because she’s close to Lord Peneus.”
The words were spoken loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Lucia’s face stiffened before she could hide her reaction.
“Hey! What did you just say?”
Bianca, who was beside her, snapped in anger on her behalf.
“What? I was just talking to myself. Come on, let’s go, girls.”
“Go? Where do you think you’re going? Get back here!”
Bianca shouted, chasing after them, but the girls had already left.
