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Chapter 84
“Do I have to worry about who I get close to, depending on what others think?”
“No.”
An answer completely different from what Lionel had expected came out of Sasha’s mouth.
“Then why?”
“Because Jaylin is being affected because of you.”
“Jaylin suffers just because I’m close to you?”
Lionel frowned slightly at Sasha’s incomprehensible words.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“There was an article in the Academy bulletin. It said Jaylin is threatening my position.”
“Your position? What does Jaylin have to do with you? You’re not even in the same department.”
“They said Jaylin would push me out and take the seat next to you.”
“…….”
“Isn’t it ridiculous? First, it’s absurd enough that people say you and I are going to marry, and now it’s Jaylin and me? Why would anyone write such a nonsense article?”
“Well… is it really that absurd? If necessary, we have to marry. That kind of thing isn’t something we get to decide anyway.”
“……What are you saying?”
“It means that, if required by the family’s wishes, I will marry you.”
“Why? You don’t even see me romantically. And yet, you could marry me?”
Lionel tilted his head slightly.
“Is that a problem?”
Sasha furrowed her brow deeply.
“Why did I even think I’d marry you? Start by telling me that.”
“Our parents have already formed a political alliance. Usually, marriage is the best way to solidify such relations. Other people must think the same, so that’s probably why the article came out.”
As Sasha had expected, the answer was not “because I like you.” Instead, Lionel recited the duty of a noble.
Indeed, if Lionel had said he liked her, Sasha would have first doubted whether the person in front of her was really Lionel.
Of course, Sasha knew well that Lionel acted and thought like a model noble.
But somehow, Lionel showed none of the usual desire for power or honor that most nobles have.
Lionel spoke of his life as if discussing someone else’s.
Sasha was different. She hated a loveless marriage. She didn’t want her future to be dictated purely by political gain, like other nobles.
There was a time she had imagined a future with Lionel. Back then, he had looked very attractive—perfectly to her taste.
But as time passed and Lionel matured, his features no longer matched her ideal.
Now, Lionel was no longer Sasha’s type.
Moreover, she knew well that Lionel had no romantic interest in her.
To Sasha, Lionel was now only a friend, or at most a rival to surpass.
Also, Sasha’s father would never force her into something she didn’t want, no matter how important the alliance or power.
“And you like me. So naturally, I thought you’d want to marry me.”
Sasha’s expression twisted harshly at Lionel’s words.
Ugh! Saying that as if it were obvious—how infuriating. He had no feelings yet casually spoke about hers. Absolutely the worst.
Sasha once again confirmed that she and Lionel were completely mismatched.
“I don’t like you and absolutely despise you as a marriage partner! If you want to, do it yourself!”
“Is that so? If you don’t like it, I can’t.”
Lionel shrugged lightly and agreed.
“And don’t ever bring up such things first, anywhere.”
“What things?”
“Things like claiming someone likes you or wants to marry you when they haven’t even said it.”
“Why?”
Really? How could someone so perceptive not know this?
“You’re seriously unbearable. So unbearable that I want to kick you in the shin.”
“…….”
“Anyway, what I want to say is, keep your distance from Jaylin for now.”
Only after hearing the direct request did Lionel realize he didn’t actually want to do that.
“Why should I?”
“Then will you just watch other students keep bothering Jaylin?”
Lionel’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
He had never heard anything from Jaylin directly.
Well, had Jaylin ever talked endlessly about her daily life to him first?
Whenever they met, it was always for training or discussing studies.
“The article is why students are harassing Jaylin.”
“Do I only get close to one or two people? Isn’t it an extreme assumption that Jaylin is being harassed just because she’s close to me?”
“Of course, it’s not just that. In the last exam, in the committee meeting, Jaylin stood out too much. All that accumulated and then exploded. So you keep a proper distance. At least until things calm down.”
“…….”
“Are you okay with Jaylin being bullied?”
No, she couldn’t be. Who were they to harass Jaylin?
Suddenly, his chest felt tight. It felt like a tiger was strangling his neck, and Lionel absentmindedly touched the area around his throat.
“If the bulletin hadn’t published that article about Jaylin alone, this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t know why anyone would write such a thing. On the surface, it praises Jaylin, but it drags her personal life into it. To me, it seemed malicious.”
“Who wrote it?”
“I don’t know. The author wasn’t listed. Someone must have submitted it anonymously.”
“Any guesses?”
“No. Even the editor-in-chief didn’t know. Oh! But I know who first found and brought the submitted draft. What was it… Ro… ji?”
“Rozia?”
“Yes, Rozia.”
At the mention of her name, Lionel instinctively realized who wrote the article.
Rozia was one of the students who had raised issues with Jaylin during the previous committee meeting.
‘Could she have done it on purpose back then too? To make things difficult for Jaylin?’
Rozia had also deliberately pushed Jaylin, causing her to drop the cleaning tools she was holding.
She probably thought no one saw, but Lionel, standing one step away, had clearly seen Rozia not dodge while looking straight at Jaylin’s arm.
It was time to deal with Rozia. The reason he had let her be until now was because she was not just a puppet of the Crown Princess.
Lionel once suspected a student who stalked him was a spy the Crown Princess sent to monitor Academy affairs.
He made sure the stalker could never step foot in the Academy again.
The stalker later confessed that Rozia had ordered him to watch Lionel, but the situation was already irreversible.
He hadn’t wanted to intervene personally, but Rozia was too blatant. Lionel wasn’t the type to just watch someone invade his life.
He had already been lenient enough.
“You’re too clumsy.”
Rozia turned her head at the low voice behind her.
Lionel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His face, trapped in deep shadows, looked unbearably cold.
‘Did she notice already?’
Rozia had expected Lionel would eventually figure it out, but it was much sooner than she imagined. Lionel was indeed skilled in these matters.
She forced a bright smile, hiding her true thoughts.
“You noticed?”
“Of course. Did you think I wouldn’t notice your obvious movements?”
After a brief pause, Lionel spoke again, leaving Rozia flustered.
He brought up something she hadn’t even imagined.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know you were spying on my private life?”
She had only suspected he knew the source of the bulletin article.
But Lionel knew far more than Rozia had imagined.
“When did you know?”
“Long before you even entered the Academy.”
Rozia’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
“How… did you…”
“All your friends who entered before you told me everything. They begged me to just look once.”
Rozia’s lips tightened.
“They tried to blackmail me for money, saying they’d tell the seniors everything. Guess your mouth was loose in front of seniors.”
“It’s a hard place to get in, and it’d be a shame to get expelled just for stalking a guy. They knelt, begging me to look once. They said they’d dug into my private life to get money from you.”
“…….”
“I already warned them during the last interview. Seems like you didn’t get it then.”
‘Last interview?’
Rozia recalled when Lionel had mentioned. Could that have been a direct warning to her?
“Let me make it clear. I don’t like anyone spying on my private life. It’s exhausting.”
Lionel rubbed the temple near his eyes, face tired, and fixed his sharp gaze on Rozia.
“Why did you do it?”
“You already knew.”
“Yes. You’re right. But shouldn’t I hear it from the person directly? It might be different from what I think.”
“No, what you think is correct.”
At Rozia’s answer, Lionel lowered his hand from his temple.
“Then stop making me uncomfortable. Stop following me around and prying into my life.”
“Before that, why don’t you admit something first?”
“Admit what?”
“That I’m the right person to stand next to you.”
“Puahahahaha!”
Lionel burst into a loud laugh at the completely unexpected statement.
