Chapter 18.2

“She apparently ran at the monsters and got hurt, even though magicians from the Tower of Magic were right next to her!”

“Dolia!” I shrieked, whipping my head towards Lady Bailey.

Getting revenge on me for not playing cricket now, aren’t you?

“Hmm?” Arkhan laughed under his breath as if it was funny, tilting his head darkly. “What’s that about?”

“No, well…”

My eyes darted left and right, trying to avoid his eyes, but Arkhan raised the corners of his mouth as if daring me to explain.

“You see, um, Noah came to our estate, that’s why. But it’s not Noah’s fault. I just overdid things and got myself hurt, that’s all.”

While I was blurting out whatever came to mind, Arkhan had come right up to me before I’d even realized it.

“So you mean that guy was right next to you…” Looking down at my cast, Arkhan raised his eyebrows. His hand slid atop my arm. “… but he did nothing…”

At the slight throbbing pain, I frowned a little.

“… and just stood there watching as you got hurt?”

“Ow.”

When I groaned, Arkhan’s mouth widened into a grin and took off his hand as if he hadn’t gotten mad at all.

“That’s not okay. That guy is so incompetent.”

“I said it happened because I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Why do you keep defending him? Makes me jealous.”

I wasn’t defending him, though. It really was my fault.

I glared daggers at Arkhan as he sneakily pushed his hair back, crossing his arms.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in plain clothes.”

I gave Arkhan’s neat outfit the once-over.

His buttons were properly buttoned this time. Maybe it was just that he didn’t like wearing the school uniform.

Staring at Arkhan for a bit, I opened my mouth.

“Do you not like the uniform?”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Glossing over it lazily, I turned away.

The popular desserts like macarons were already all gone; the only things left were the mediocre sweets.

“Hmm.”

I was wondering what the orange-flavored cookies would taste like when Lady Bailey, who’d been at our side this entire time, gave us a little cough.

“So… cricket?”

Arkhan smiled smoothly and got up. “I’ll take Kate’s place, Miss Dolia.”

“Oh my, really? That’s great, we had some missing numbers on our side.”

Lady Bailey handed Arkhan a bat, her face completely bright. She looked really happy just to be able to play cricket.

She left once she’d fulfilled her mission and I was left alone at the outdoor table. For some reason, I felt a bit betrayed.

The next table over was full of ladies having fun embroidering. Seeing a lot of familiar faces there, too, I was about to sneak into their circle, but then remembered that I was disastrous at embroidery and gave up.

“Hah.”

It wasn’t like I didn’t have friends, so what was I doing here?

With a small sigh, I pulled out a book.

This was the novel I’d bought last time when we went to the bookstore.

I was flipping through the pages trying to find where I’d last stopped when I paused.

In the middle of the book was a blue bookmark. I’d put it in a random book in case it got wrinkled, but it must have been this book.

When I see him again at the academy, I should return it to him then.

Squinting under the harsh sunlight, I was fingering the bookmark while flipping through the book when a shadow slipped over my head.

I was starting to feel my skin sting under the summer sun, so this was nice—or so I was thinking as I looked up.

“It looked way too bright out here from where I was, so I borrowed this from Miss Dolia.”

Arkhan stood there with a smiling face, holding out a lace parasol that didn’t suit him at all.

Dragging my chair towards him, I asked with a puzzled expression, “Has the game ended already?”

“Yeah, we won.”

“Whoa, that’s pretty cool.”

Sure enough, Lady Bailey was waving her bat at me triumphantly.

It was a fortunate turn of events for both her and Arkhan. Once she began, Lady Bailey never stopped until she had won.

“Want me to hold it up?”

“That’s okay, your arm is injured.” Tilting the parasol to my side, Arkhan smiled.

“Thanks,” I said, bowing my head towards him to avoid the sunlight.

After a beat, Arkhan caught sight of my plate and his eyes lit up.

“Oh, that looks good.”

“The orange one? It’s not that great.”

Unlike what it should be, the cookie wasn’t sweet at all but rather sour, which wasn’t to my liking at all.

“I just want to try it. Feed it to me.” One hand holding up the parasol, Arkhan dipped his body towards me and smiled. “Since I’m holding this up and all.”

“Hm.”

Picking up the cookie, I pushed it into Arkhan’s mouth. I tried to withdraw my fingers as quickly as possible, but his lips closed just like that.

“My fingers, let me just…”

I need to take them out, so open your mouth, I was about to say, when…

Lick.

A squishy lump of flesh grazed against my fingertips.

“!!!”

Shuddering with my whole body, I wiped my hand against my skirt.

It was like I could almost still feel the moistness.

“You’re right.”

Arkhan wiped his lips with one hand. Perhaps because he was chewing on the cookie, his words were a little unclear.

“This doesn’t taste good at all.”

His red eyes were crinkling slightly as he smiled at me.