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Chapter~04
That person?
I stopped flipping through the books.
The first person who came to mind was, of course, him.
Hernan Cleor.
Right. There was no way I wouldn’t think of him.
At the moment, he was the most likely visitor—and the one I hoped it wasn’t.
Damn it.
Could he still be in the capital, coming all the way here just to bother me?
Without realizing it, I bit my lip.
Please, let it not be him.
It was exactly the kind of thing he might do.
Then again…
I tried my hardest to stay optimistic.
It might not be Hernan.
Maybe it was someone from the Corvalyu Imperial Academy, where I’d been a member.
«”What am I supposed to do if you leave?”»
«”You’ll manage. Besides, you weren’t exactly happy about all the drama surrounding my love life.”»
«”Ahem!”»
The academy president had coughed awkwardly, but the smile spreading across his face had been impossible to hide.
It was the very definition of solving a problem without lifting a finger.
…No, it probably isn’t the Academy.
Then perhaps it was Romen University, the place that had worked me to the bone.
«”No! We can’t let you go! Your precious microorganisms are still here! How can you abandon our university? W-Wait! Come back!”»
Oh.
That was actually possible.
The university president practically treated me like a treasure sent down from heaven.
Well, I did accomplish quite a lot there.
Even before earning my bachelor’s degree, I’d already been hailed as a prodigy.
After completing my master’s, I built the first microscope this world had ever seen. The scientific community considered it legendary. I had simply written papers based on the common biological knowledge from my previous life, yet that alone had earned me the title of genius.
Everything had happened while I was at Romen University.
I invented microscopes.
Discovered microorganisms.
People even started calling me crazy back then.
There was only a thin line between genius and madness.
Since I often wandered around with messy hair and looked like a sleep-deprived zombie, people quietly avoided me.
The Eccentric Scholar of House Jonas.
That nickname had been born during those days.
«”Don’t leave!”»
Even now, I could still hear the university president’s desperate shout echoing in my ears.
That makes me feel a little better.
Just because someone had come to the mansion didn’t mean it had to be Hernan Cleor.
Assuming he’d come all the way here was probably just my own paranoia.
After all…
Why would Hernan ever visit the Jonas estate?
What kind of rumors would that even start?
Holding onto that fragile hope, I headed downstairs to greet the visitor.
I’m doomed.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind the moment I stepped into the main hall.
A woman stood in the center of the entrance, chatting with one of the butlers.
The instant I saw her, I froze halfway down the staircase.
I knew her.
A woman with chestnut-brown hair.
The moment she spotted me, she smiled sweetly.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
“Fidelia.”
How had I forgotten about her?
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
“W-Wait… Sanna.”
“Don’t ‘wait’ me.”
Ignoring my attempt to stop her, Sanna marched straight up the stairs toward me.
Hold on.
Just… hold on a second.
“You’d better explain this letter properly.”
She pulled a folded letter from her bag and thrust it right in front of my face.
“Unless you’d like to spend some quality time alone with me.”
It was the letter I’d sent a few days ago, saying I’d be staying in the capital longer because I was taking care of Kiara.
The woman standing before me—speaking in that bizarre half-polite, half-casual way—was my assistant.
She’d been my colleague since our days at Romen University and one of only two people I could truly call a friend.
Why did she talk like that despite being my friend?
Because she was a commoner.
According to her, she could never bring herself to speak casually to a noble.
Which was a ridiculous excuse, considering how she treated me.
Originally, Sanna and I had been staying together at the townhouse in the capital while helping with research at Romen University.
Then she’d left for the northern region in search of a rare mushroom.
While she was away…
I’d declared that I was giving up on Hernan and returning to the Jonas territory.
We’d agreed to meet there instead of in the capital.
“So let me get this straight.”
She glared at me.
“You said you were leaving because of that bastard Hernan Cleor… and then suddenly you write saying you’ve met some child and can’t leave anymore? That you’re taking responsibility for her?”
“The fact that you keep adding ‘-yo’ at the end of your sentences doesn’t magically make them polite—”
“Talking back now?”
Thud.
The travel bag slipped from Sanna’s hand.
It bounced down the stairs with a series of heavy thumps.
I could only watch in silence.
That was the beginning.
With both hands now free, Sanna grabbed her own head in frustration.
“It’s all that damn Hernan Cleor’s fault!”
Her voice thundered through the mansion.
It was hard to believe such an elegant-looking woman could shout like that.
“I never understood why you liked him in the first place! Chasing him around instead of doing research! Wasting time writing confession letters when you could’ve written another line of your thesis! Spending your research money buying gifts for him! Then suddenly saying you’re over him and going back home! If you’re over him, then you’re over him! Why did you have to move to the territory in the first place?!”
She grabbed both of my arms and leaned in until our faces were inches apart.
Madness gleamed in her eyes.
I was so overwhelmed that I started stammering.
“N-No… that’s not it. Just listen. I’ll explain.”
Honestly…
I’d always felt guilty toward Sanna.
She’d witnessed every embarrassing moment of my disastrous love life.
She’d suffered because of it professionally, too.
She’d probably swallowed the equivalent of a hundred sweet potatoes watching my foolishness from the sidelines.
So I really had been the troublesome one…
At least I’d finally come to my senses.
…Hadn’t I?
I wasn’t hung up on Hernan anymore.
That accusation was completely unfair.
“There’s no way you’re not!”
Sanna shot back.
“You claim it’s because of some child? If you still wanted to stay in the capital, you could’ve just admitted you couldn’t let him go!”
“You’re misunderstanding! It isn’t an excuse—”
“‘Sponsor,’ my foot!”
She tugged at her neatly tied hair until loose strands escaped.
“As if anyone would believe a noble suddenly decided to sponsor some random street kid!”
She glared at me.
“If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable—”
Tug.
“Huh?”
She frowned as someone pulled gently on the hem of her skirt.
“What now?”
She turned around.
Then froze.
“…Who?”
A little girl with vivid red hair stood there.
Sanna blinked blankly.
I answered cheerfully.
“Who else? My sponsored child.”
Kiara hurried over and hid behind me before peeking around my back.
“Yep. Fidelia’s my sponsor.”
Then she stared directly at Sanna.
“Don’t yell at Fidelia.”
“You’re too loud.”
Silence.
Sanna wore the expression of someone who’d just taken a direct hit.
Well…
If someone you were certain didn’t exist suddenly appeared right in front of you, anyone would react like that.
For the first time since she’d arrived…
I felt like I’d actually won.
I couldn’t even stop myself from smiling.
“Isn’t she adorable?”
“…”
“I wasn’t making excuses.”
“I really couldn’t leave.”
Without saying a word, Sanna pressed a hand to her forehead.
—
These days…
Hernan Cleor’s aide hated his life.
No.
To be more accurate…
He was convinced his life would become infinitely happier the moment he quit being Hernan Cleor’s aide.
“Lord Hernan.”
“…”
“Lord Hernan?”
“Be quiet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Naturally, the source of all his misery sat behind the desk in the office.
Hernan Cleor.
Working for Hernan had never exactly been enjoyable.
But recently…
He’d become far worse.
It had all started at the imperial banquet two weeks earlier.
A magnificent celebration marking the 120th anniversary of the Corvalyu Empire.
Every distinguished guest had enjoyed themselves that night.
Everyone…
Except Hernan Cleor.
A broken heart?
The aide honestly couldn’t understand it.
It wasn’t as though Hernan had confessed.
It wasn’t even clear that he liked Fidelia Jonas in the first place.
«”I’m going to stop loving you.”»
Just hearing those words had been enough for Hernan to shut himself inside his estate for the past two weeks.
True, he’d been working even more than usual.
But…
It was obvious something was wrong.
The moment they returned from the banquet, Hernan locked himself in his room.
Why?
Regretting it now?
Like a child who didn’t want something for himself…
but also didn’t want anyone else to have it.
The aide had heard countless stories about men who realized their feelings only after it was too late.
By then…
There was usually no fixing anything.
Everyone already knew how cold Hernan had been toward Fidelia.
For nearly a year, public opinion had blamed only her.
«”Isn’t she being inconsiderate?”»
«”She really should’ve given up by now.”»
«”She’s damaging Lord Hernan’s reputation.”»
But over time…
People’s opinions slowly changed.
They began blaming Hernan instead.
«”If he had no intention of accepting her, shouldn’t he have pushed her away properly?”»
«”Why stay close to her if he was never going to return her feelings?”»
«”Maybe they simply agreed to remain friends.”»
«”Perhaps. But I think he was only giving her false hope.”»
The aide couldn’t help agreeing with that noblewoman’s words.
“Playing with someone’s feelings…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing, my lord.”
Keeping Hernan satisfied had become nearly impossible.
He looked calm on the outside.
Inside…
He was more irritable than ever.
He’d even refused the Emperor’s summons the other day.
An unthinkable act.
Fortunately, the Emperor cherished Hernan more than his own sons.
Otherwise…
The consequences would’ve been severe.
Still…
If he’s going to mope around like this…
Then what did he mean when he said it was for the best?
Just then, Hernan looked out the window and stood.
“I’m going out.”
His aide blinked.
“…Pardon? Where are you going?”
Hernan picked up his coat without hesitation.
“For a walk.”
“The weather’s nice.”
The aide stared at him in utter disbelief.
Outside…
Dark storm clouds covered the entire sky.
