ULDEM 8

chapter 08…

Does something like this really have to happen to embarrass me? Tislin lowered her head to hide her flushed face and replied,

“It’s not about you.”

“Yeah, then who is it about?”

“I didn’t say it was. Never mind.”

Damien frowned but didn’t press further. That was lucky for Tislin, though she wondered if Damien had been genuinely curious in the first place.

“Returning it, right?”

“Yeah.”

In a few steps, Damien returned the book to the return desk on the opposite side of the hallway and quickly came back. She couldn’t help but notice the subtle glances following his straight posture—students from the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Magic, Aesthetics, even Medicine. Why did it matter to them?

Being noticeable has its perks—people tend to see him the same way, so it doesn’t stand out much. But being engaged to him? That turns that perk straight into a problem.

Tislin tried to hide in a corner. Even so, Damien easily found her. The glances she tried to avoid clung to her like iron filings to a magnet.

Fortunately, everyone got busy with assignments and soon returned to their own work. Still, whispers here and there were unavoidable.

‘At least I can use the assignment as an excuse.’

Whether she had an excuse or not didn’t change the fact that all those eyes were on her. She couldn’t stay in the library any longer, so she stepped outside.

Damien followed a few steps behind. Every nerve on her back seemed to stand on end.

Was he walking properly? Not staggering? Her hand holding her skirt became damp. The heavy sound of his boots felt like it matched her heartbeat.

When Tislin reached a shaded, quiet spot, she turned to face him.

The afternoon sun was dazzling. Damien stood two steps away, his back to the sun, facing her.

When Arkin Rudera talked to Tislin, he kept roughly the same distance. But with Damien there, it felt like their eyes were almost touching, and she couldn’t breathe.

“What are you doing all the way to the library?”

She avoided his gaze as she asked. Damien let out a short laugh.

“Why not? I can come too.”

“I know knights from your faculty don’t come here often.”

“…Sometimes we do.”

He said it like a passing remark, then fell silent. He clearly didn’t want to continue the topic.

Tislin recalled seeing Damien reading books at the Luxen Duke Mansion. Usually, as soon as she noticed, Adelinde would swoop in and take him away. The books never stayed with him for long.

“Tis, are you working on an assignment?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

A brief silence followed. Usually, this meant Damien was waiting for her to speak. She tapped the floor tiles with her toes and continued.

“Do you know we’re supposed to do this assignment together?”

“Arkin told me.”

“We have to do it… um, are you busy?”

“Even if I am, I have to do it.”

Damien sounded calm. Tislin sighed.

‘Am I the only one worrying about this?’

That thought made her voice sharp.

“If you’re busy, fine. Knights have their duties and go everywhere. You hardly come to school anyway.”

Damien looked at the top of her head, then tilted down to meet her gaze. He knew she couldn’t avoid it, and it made her feel a blush rising from under her eyes.

Arkin had said no one in Luxen could hide their emotions from Tislin. With her face, she couldn’t hide anything. So Damien must have known too.

She tried to step back in embarrassment, but his large hand caught her shoulder.

“Don’t avoid me like that.”

His low voice was gentle. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I know it’s uncomfortable, Tis, but we’re not the kind of people who can’t even do one assignment together.”

Damien sounded a little disappointed, so Tislin unconsciously changed her words.

“…There’s more than I expected.”

“Then you definitely shouldn’t do it alone. If you have time, do you want to start now?”

Tislin shook her head frantically.

“No! Tomorrow… no, the day after!”

“Alright, then.”

She regretted it immediately after turning away. Walking blankly back to the dorm, she sat down and pulled at her hair.

‘I even forgot to ask why he got engaged to me.’

She was completely caught up in it!

Since it’s come to this, there’s no choice. Finish the assignment quickly and settle the engagement question the same day.

‘I have to ask why he got engaged to me and how to get him to agree to break it off.’

Just like an engagement, breaking it can’t happen unilaterally—Damien’s agreement is essential.

So either she convinces him to agree to break it off or pressures him until he has no choice but to agree. She preferred the first option.

As the first step, Tislin decided to bribe Professor Keron’s assistant, Clayton Hyer.

Right after leaving Damien, Tislin went to the shopping district and bought a popular chocolate among Royal Academy students. She had to wait in a long line to get it.

‘Even with all his wealth, the second son of the Hyer family falls for just a box of chocolate…’

Clayton tasted the limited-edition chocolate filled with cinnamon paste and glanced over the assignment outline Tislin had prepared. It only listed the main points, not detailed content:

• Highly centralized government

• Family-centered culture

• Developed economy and luxurious arts

• Historical conquests based on early military strength

• Summary of recent 100 years of war

“Will this match Professor Keron’s evaluation criteria?”

“If the length is right, it should be fine.”

It was a brief reply, but enough. Professor Keron hadn’t given details for the assignment, but surely there were expectations. Assistants grade more than half of the assignments, so Clayton Hyer would have a sense of the professor’s standards.

He wasn’t the type to gossip about it, but he wouldn’t let a bribe go to waste either.

‘He’s already secured first place anyway.’

Even ruthless bureaucrats wouldn’t lie after accepting a bribe if he was in a position like this.

“Why are you working so hard? Just do it decently.”

If she were alone, she might have. But now, bribing the assistant and checking grading criteria—this was different.

“You’re working with Sir Ksanov, right? He went to Parfanan, so he probably knows a lot. Are you worried?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

Clayton guessed the reason differently. Then he asked suddenly:

“You like him too?”

“What?”

Tislin jumped. Clayton’s eyes widened at her reaction.

“Really?”

“No, I just… I mean, everyone likes him, right?”

“Well, some people might not. Alright, I get it.”

What do you understand! But her face was burning, and she could guess what Clayton had noticed.

“I didn’t know you liked him that much. My sister is like that too.”

Ah, he meant admiration. Tislin relaxed. Many students at Viera were infatuated with Damien Ksanov, even if they had never met him. At the Royal Academy, it was obvious.

After a short laugh, she retrieved her assignment.

“Nothing more to add?”

“Nope.”

Clayton paused with the chocolate box and asked,

“Are you doing the assignment in the Faculty of Knight Studies?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing much… I heard it’s haunted there.”

Tislin’s mouth opened in surprise. Clayton was usually serious, scowling at childish rumors. But he looked serious now.

“You sure you didn’t eat something wrong? Nothing’s burnt there.”

“Just heard it from the Knight Studies professors talking with Keron.”

If even professors said that, the ghost stories must be serious. She considered asking Damien about it but shook her head. She wasn’t here for idle gossip.

‘If I’m really curious later, I can ask Arkin Rudera.’

Not that she was that curious anyway.

…A ghost in the Knight Studies Faculty must be a knight who died in the war.