ITHTJ 26

Chapter : 26

A Bothering Relationship (1)

I turned my back and faced her.

Her face, which was now right up close to mine, looked strangely complicated.

“Ash asked the teacher for an item, remember? Give it to me.”

Lynette said that and held out her hand.

I was confused. Why is she asking for that? Does she have a reason?

“Huh? To you, Saintess…? Why all of a sudden?”

When I asked with wide eyes, Lynette clearly panicked.

She even bit her lip and glanced nervously at me.

“Well, um. That is to say…”

I had never once seen Lynette hesitate like that.

When I stared at her suspiciously, she quickly opened her mouth.

“You’re tired from teaching too, right? You can just have a servant deliver it. You don’t have to go personally. I’ll take it to him.”

That wasn’t wrong, but it still didn’t seem like a reason to hand the ring over to Lynette.

Besides, I can’t just give something like this to a servant.

Before being a relic, the ring was a finely crafted piece of jewelry.

If it fell into the wrong hands and got lost, that would be a disaster.

Yeah, I should just take it myself.

I gently expressed my refusal.

“It’s fine. I’m not tired. And since Mr. Hart is staying in the same annex as me, it’ll be faster for me to bring it than to send a servant through the main house.”

“That’s why you can’t!”

Suddenly Lynette shouted.

I stared at her blankly, startled.

“Sorry? Can’t? What do you mean?”

Maybe she realized too late how loud she’d been.

Lynette slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

“No, I mean. Ah—it’s nothing. Sorry, see you later.”

Looking utterly flustered, she dashed out of the tutoring room.

Left behind alone, my head filled with questions.

What was that? I’ve never seen Lynette so frantic.

Lynette, who was always composed no matter the situation, had actually panicked.

Still baffled, I made my way outside the main building and into the garden connecting to the annex.

Why on earth did the Saintess act like that? The more I think about it, the more it bothers me.

Her behavior had been bizarre.

She suddenly demanded Ash’s item, then reacted visibly flustered—totally unlike her usual self.

Could it be hers?

I made a light guess, but immediately shook my head.

No way. She didn’t even know what Ash had left behind. And if it really were hers, she’d have demanded it confidently, not panicked like that.

If the ring belonged to Lynette, it would mean Ash had stolen her property.

The Lynette I knew would never tolerate someone who stole from her staying nearby.

And who proudly walks around with something they stole?

Theory rejected. Bang, bang!

I collected my thoughts and pulled out the ring, examining it.

The bright red ruby gleamed brilliantly in the daylight.

Looks like a simple ring from the outside…

But look—inside it sleeps magical and holy power…!

This ring was anything but ordinary. I could guarantee that.

To think that person possessed something this powerful… Who in the world is he, really?

It was already proven through my existence—Elsie Bloomhyer—that not all extras are ordinary.

Which meant Ash Hart might also be far from normal.

He must have earned his old nickname “mad dog” for a reason.

I was the one steering the novel’s plot now.

If Ash ever blocked my path, I’d have to forcefully get rid of him.

Ugh, another person to worry about.

Eclipse and Lynette weren’t enough—now I had to watch Ash too.

Why was there only one of me? The thought was tragic.

But still… why did the Saintess react like that? What’s her deal?

I slowly retraced the situation from earlier—the unexpected meeting of the three of us.

She suddenly appeared, standing right between Ash and me. Well, technically I was hidden behind her.

After that, the two continued talking as if I didn’t exist.

She even grilled me about what Ash and I said. And she asked if we were close.

I couldn’t lie to her, so I answered honestly.

When I said we weren’t close, she looked relieved. And then she asked me to hand over the ring he left.

Putting all that together led me to two conclusions.

First, this really is a holy relic.

A relic was a sort of container that held a portion of someone’s holy power.

If the ring carries energy similar to the Saintess’s, then this is Adin, the God of Peace’s divine power.

Why was a cleric’s item in Ash’s possession?

That part was still unknown.

But the important point is—this relic isn’t Lynette’s.

Hers was a silver necklace—completely different in design.

Which left just one hypothesis.

Everything the Saintess did today was suspicious. Standing between me and Ash, suddenly asking if I have a boyfriend—like she was wary of me getting close to him.

The only conclusion possible was—

“Does the Saintess like Ash?”

The moment I voiced it, everything clicked.

Eyes wide, I slapped both hands over my mouth and spun in place.

No wonder she asked if I liked anyone—if I had a boyfriend!

At first, I didn’t get why she’d ask something like that.

I never dreamed she was trying to get advice.

And I didn’t even notice. I ignored a girl nursing a crush.

If I’d been a little sharper, I would have realized sooner.

Was she asking for the ring because she just wanted to see him again?

Suddenly, all of Lynette’s actions made sense.

I scolded myself inwardly, bawling in my heart.

I should’ve acted like an experienced senior at a time like this. Ugh, idiot.

I thought I was perceptive—turns out I was clueless in this area.

Bright navy hair spilled wildly across white sheets.

Staring blankly at the chandelier, Lynette suddenly let out a scream.

“Argh! Why did I act like such an idiot!”

Thrashing on her bed, she grabbed her face with both hands.

“Why couldn’t you just say it properly, huh?”

A groan leaked out through parted lips.

“You should’ve gotten it from her somehow…”

Regret swallowed her whole.

Elsie and Ash at the classroom had seemed so friendly.

Like a pair of fresh young lovers just starting out.

“They’re not… involved, right?”

They couldn’t be.

If something like that were happening, all her hard work would crumble instantly.

“Ash is off limits.”

Lynette mumbled into her pillow, feeling like her heart might collapse.

“Elsie is supposed to date my brother…”

What she’d seen today had been too shocking.

When she saw Ash and Elsie together, her heart froze.

Elsie smiling and chatting with a man who wasn’t Eclipse.

Her instincts went into crisis mode.
Those two must not be together. Separate them first, figure it out later.

She finally ate with my brother—there was finally progress! And then that unexpected threat showed up out of nowhere!