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Chapter 9
How to Win Back My Childhood Friend’s Heart
“Yeah.”
Since it would come out once they went to the party anyway, Dante admitted it easily—but unexpectedly, Roel looked shocked.
“I thought you said you weren’t dating?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Oh my, do you really need to say it out loud to understand?”
A soft voice cut Dante off.
Turning in confusion, Dante felt Fay slip her arm through his as if to show off. She smiled brightly and tilted her head, resting it lightly against his broad shoulder.
“You’re not that oblivious, are you?”
Why is she suddenly putting on that ‘princess’ act?
Even though he was puzzled, Dante kept his mouth shut. From experience, it was best to just go along with whatever Fay wanted in moments like this.
“I-I’m sorry!”
With her eyes slightly reddened, Roel bowed quickly and turned away. Fay watched the girl’s retreating figure as her skirt fluttered, then said cheerfully,
“What’s with her? She ran off like some tragic heroine.”
“Fay.”
“Woooow!”
Just as Dante was about to ask what was going on, loud cheers erupted above their heads. Looking up, he sighed silently.
“They’re fired up again today!”
“I can’t even watch, it’s making my stomach hurt. Pay more taxes, Dante!”
“Guess the most popular guy in our department really is on another level!”
“Miss Fay! What do you even see in that stiff guy?!”
Their classmates leaned out of the fifth-floor windows, shouting noisily. Maybe because they were all aspiring knights, their voices were especially loud.
With graduation approaching, they seemed to have nothing better to do—and lately, teasing Dante had become their favorite pastime.
It was better than being admired from afar, but once Fay got involved, it was a different story.
Still, saying anything serious in this situation would only make things worse.
“Well, isn’t it obvious? Dante is handsome, after all!”
While Dante was lost in thought, Fay laughed and shot back. A few of the guys pretended to bite their handkerchiefs in frustration.
“Gah! What do I lack compared to that guy besides looks?!”
“Wow, that’s some shameless confidence!”
“To be fair, he’s got a better build than you!”
As laughter erupted, Dante found himself speechless—until he felt someone tug his arm. He looked down.
Fay mouthed silently:
Let’s run.
“Hey, they’re running away!”
“The lovers are eloping!”
“Stop right there!”
Leaving the noisy voices behind, the two quickly escaped.
Only after running for a while and reaching a quiet area near an annex building did they finally stop.
“I think we’re safe now.”
“Probably.”
“Seriously, Dante, you’re something else. Why do you let them keep you like that? Honestly, you’d be lost without me.”
Muttering, Fay walked ahead. Dante stared silently at the back of her head.
“You need to be able to live well without me, okay?”
Yeah… right.
He had tried to do just that. But he never imagined she would come back as a cold corpse. Life was truly unpredictable.
It had been nearly a week since he returned to the past, but whenever he thought of that moment, his chest still ached. Every morning, he half-feared he might wake up back in that cold winter again.
Of course, he had no intention of repeating the same mistakes. A miracle he had long wished for had happened—he had to make the most of this precious chance.
A way to prevent the tragedy of the future.
If he thought about it simply, the best option was obvious: stop Fay’s marriage. That was where everything had begun.
Dante spoke quietly.
“Fay.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think about marriage?”
At that, Fay suddenly stopped walking. She slowly turned to look at him, her eyes flickering with something unreadable.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“I just thought… we’re at the age where we should start thinking about it.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fay stepped closer. With her hands clasped behind her back, she stared straight up at him. Dante’s throat bobbed.
It had always been like this—whenever Fay looked up at him like that, his chest would sometimes stir. And ever since he returned, it seemed to happen more often.
As Dante wondered about this unfamiliar feeling, Fay suddenly grabbed his cheeks with both hands and pulled him closer.
Their faces were instantly close. While Dante instinctively averted his gaze, Fay scrutinized his expression with sharp eyes.
“Why are you avoiding my eyes?”
“…You’re just too close.”
He could practically hear her breathing. Dante tried hard not to let his gaze drop below her nose.
“Dante, are you hiding something from me?”
“Hiding something?”
“You’ve been acting really strange lately.”
“….”
“You suddenly say you’re quitting the temple, and now you’re talking about marriage—something you never even cared about before.”
Fay sounded frustrated, but Dante remained silent. Even if she found him suspicious, there was nothing he could say.
Actually, I came from a future where you died. So now I’m determined to stop your marriage no matter what.
There was no way he could say that.
He’d be lucky if she didn’t just think he’d gone insane.
“Tell me. What’s going on?”
Looking into her clear eyes, the guilt he had buried began to rise again.
Fay was genuinely worried about him… and yet he was planning to sabotage her marriage.
“…I’ve just been getting a lot of marriage proposals lately.”
Still, he had no intention of backing down.
Even if she resented him later, it didn’t matter. If he could save her—if he could prevent that terrible future from happening again—
He was ready to bear all the guilt.
“W-what? Proposals?”
But Fay’s reaction was strange. She looked stunned, as if her mind had gone blank.
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t mention anything like that before!”
“I only found out recently. My father called me in and told me.”
He had told Fay he was giving up on becoming a holy knight the very next day, Thursday—and heard about the proposals on Friday evening.
“…You’re really not going to the temple?”
“Yeah.”
“You swear? No matter what?”
“If I was going to change my mind easily, I wouldn’t have said it.”
He remembered the look on her face then.
He was the one who had turned his life path upside down, yet she had looked more troubled than he did.
For some reason, that expression had felt familiar. Thinking back, it resembled the look she used to make as a child when she stared at a plate of snacks—
Like she was wondering whether she was allowed to eat them or not.
“So… are you going to get married?”
Her voice was much more serious now, snapping him out of his thoughts. Dante shook his head slightly.
“Not yet.”
Someday, he might have to marry for his family—but for now, he had no such intention.
More than that, he couldn’t even imagine marrying anyone else.
Even when he first heard that Fay was getting married, it hadn’t felt real.
He had spent nearly a week feeling awkward about it, to the point where his training companions had asked if something was wrong with him.
“I forgot how many people want to connect themselves to our family. I didn’t expect so many proposals.”
“Huh… is that so?”
“Anyway, if it’s like this for me, it must be even worse for you. That’s why I asked.”
“Worse? What are you talking about? It’s not like I’m as popular as you.”
Fay let go of his face and turned away. Her skirt swirled as she spun.
Why does she seem annoyed?
Her tone had turned oddly cold, leaving Dante confused. Then Fay pouted and muttered,
“Wow, it must be nice being popular, Dante. Maybe I should consider going on a matchmaking date too? And if I meet someone decent, I might even get married~”
Wait—what did she just say?
Dante quickly grabbed Fay’s arm as she tried to walk ahead. Her gaze turned back to him, sharp enough to sting.
Maybe he was too rushed. The unfiltered truth slipped out before he could stop it.
“Don’t get married.”
