WFCA 02

Chapter: 02

Reclaiming first place—the thing she had wanted so desperately for the past three months.

Just thinking about it made Sonnet willing to write a love confession on a huge sheet of cloth and confess right away.

Of course, it would be fake.

As long as she could get rid of Aiden Rossfield, it didn’t matter whether the confession was sincere or not.

Sonnet immediately ran to her dorm room,

already thinking of the overly intense love confession she would write in bright red letters on the large cloth.

The next day, Sonnet woke up early and headed to the lecture hall. A large piece of cloth was wrapped around her arm.

Because it was early morning, the classroom was completely empty.

Sonnet spread out the cloth she had brought.

Aiden! From the moment I saw you until now—
for 91 days, 10 hours, and 17 minutes—I’ve been thinking about you.
I want to be with you and love you forever.
Go out with me!
Even if you don’t, I’ll never forget you until the day I die.

The red letters on the white cloth looked almost like a curse.

Sonnet smiled faintly.

Aiden would definitely get chills when he saw this.

She had deliberately written the time in excessive detail to make it more burdensome, and by adding “Go out with me!” at the end, she gave it the feeling of a forceful command.

‘With this, studying will be the last thing on his mind—he’ll probably hate even attending the same school.’

She hoped he would be so repulsed that he’d want to avoid her entirely.

Sonnet was certain this plan would succeed.

Even to her—someone with a bad reputation—the sudden, curse-like confession felt creepy and overwhelming.

Beaming, she quietly celebrated her perfect scheme in advance.

Humming to herself, she spread the cloth wide and stuck it to the wall most visible from Aiden’s usual seat.

The cloth was somewhat heavy and kept slipping while she tried to fix it, but even that was no match for her strong adhesive.

Just as she finished and stepped back—

The door burst open with noisy chatter.

In an instant, silence fell.

Everyone who entered the classroom stared blankly at the blood-red banner.

Satisfied with their shocked reactions, Sonnet smiled and sat in the seat next to where Aiden usually sat.

Now she just had to wait for him.

Whispers quickly grew around her.

“Is she out of her mind?”

“No way she isn’t. Who would accept a confession like that?”

“That’s not a confession—that’s a curse.”

“She’s something else. I knew she was weird, but not that weird.”

The more Sonnet heard them, the more she couldn’t help but grin.

Every time people called her a freak or crazy, she felt even more expectant, imagining Aiden would feel the same.

‘He’ll definitely hate it.’

Humming inwardly, Sonnet glanced out the window.

Come to think of it, today was the morning magic-duel practice.

In the distance, the group that had just finished practice was walking toward the main building.

Aiden was among them.

He stood out easily without even trying to look for him.

His black hair, damp with sweat, gave off an oddly refined aura, and even at a glance, his tall height and broad shoulders clearly set him apart from others.

Even from afar, his distinct features, upright posture, and aristocratic bearing made it not entirely surprising that he had monopolized popularity.

‘He is handsome.’

Sonnet admitted honestly. She had eyes, after all.

Sure enough, many students surrounded Aiden.

Aiden Rossfield.

Along with the wealth implied by his surname, he wasn’t arrogant like a typical high noble and had a good personality. His reputation was solid as well.

Many girls had confessed to him, but someone who confessed this suddenly—this burdensomely, this curse-like—was probably only Sonnet.

Most female students approached him shyly or naturally spent time with him.

Even so, Aiden had never dated anyone.

There were plenty of girls who approached him, but with his height, physique, looks, and family background, perhaps none had caught his eye.

There was even a rumor that he was engaged to the princess of the Roster Kingdom.

Sonnet didn’t think further about it. His engagement had nothing to do with her anyway.

With anticipation, she stared at the banner in front of her.

The large, glaring red letters looked possessed even on second glance.

‘He’ll definitely hate it.’

That was the only thought in Sonnet’s mind. She didn’t doubt her plan even for a moment.

After all, she had built up quite the bad reputation.

When she looked out the window again in high spirits, the group from the magic-duel practice was no longer visible.

They must be coming into the building now.

Sonnet grew tense.

No—on second thought, it felt closer to excitement. A pleasant flutter beat in her chest.

Thinking only of reclaiming first place, Sonnet waited with a faint smile.

The whispers around her didn’t stop.

“Did she go crazy from studying too much?”

“Just leave her. She’s always been like that.”

“Still… she had to mess with Aiden of all people.”

“He’ll just ignore her.”

“She’ll only chase him more if he ignores her.”

Sonnet inwardly agreed. The people around her really did know her well.

Though, to be fair, she hadn’t exactly tried to hide her true nature.

Just then—

The door opened.

The whispers directed at Sonnet gradually quieted, replaced by the sound of heavy footsteps.

For some reason, Sonnet found herself focusing on that sound.

It felt like the footsteps were gradually syncing with the pounding of her heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The neat, steady steps drew closer.

A strangely pleasant thrill wrapped around Sonnet’s body.

As she slowly inhaled—

She caught the scent of mint.

Instinctively, Sonnet thought it smelled like mint from the Itar region—her favorite place of origin.

Before she knew it, the surroundings had grown as quiet as a snowy night. A cool yet heavy presence pressed in.

Forgetting even to breathe, Sonnet turned her head.

As she slowly looked to the side—

She flinched slightly.

Because Aiden’s face, meeting hers head-on, was shockingly handsome.

His black hair falling over his forehead gave him a dangerously alluring air, and his vivid blue eyes were beautiful enough to pull one in.

Sonnet had always watched him from afar. She had thought he was handsome then too, but up close—

Damn it. He was perfect.

An awkward silence flowed.

Aiden’s gaze on Sonnet was indifferent yet persistent, as if waiting to see her next move.

At some point, ignoring her nerves, Sonnet broke into a bright smile.

“Go out with me!”

A sharp gasp rang out.

Everyone was clearly focused on the scene.

The surroundings were so quiet she could almost hear her own racing heartbeat.

With fluttering anticipation, Sonnet looked at Aiden, fully expecting him to reject her in disgust.

But—

Aiden curved his eyes into a neat smile.

His previously impassive face softened with warmth in an instant.

He casually pulled out a chair and sat right beside Sonnet, meeting her eyes directly.

Just as Sonnet’s eyes widened in confusion—

“Sure.”

He answered lightly, in an easygoing tone.

For a moment, Sonnet felt as if a bell had rung loudly right beside her ear.

…Sure?

Why?

…Why on earth?

“…I said I like you, you know?”

Unable to understand, the words rushed out of Sonnet’s mouth.

Did I get played?
There was no way this was sincere.

Convinced no one could possibly like her, Sonnet looked at Aiden suspiciously.

A gentle smile rested on his lips.

“Yeah. Me too.”

That was insane.

Completely caught off guard, Sonnet could only gape silently.

Aiden simply kept smiling like warm sunlight.

For a moment, Sonnet wondered if she was dreaming.

Suddenly, Aiden stood and walked toward the banner.

“If the professor sees that, he’ll definitely say something,” he said.

When Sonnet only stared blankly without answering, Aiden smiled and added,

“I’ll keep it.”

Sonnet’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“As a souvenir.”

…Is he crazy too?

This was definitely not the reaction she had expected.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.