Chapter 4

Elenoa was leaning against the door. Some of the people in the lecture room glanced at him and whispered, but he waited silently until his eyes met Irina’s.

As Elenoa nodded, Irina made a puzzled expression.

Does that mean I should follow him? She wanted to ask, but he turned around and disappeared from her view.

“…what?”

As she looked around in confusion, everyone turned a blind eye to Irina’s gaze.

Although a little futile, she quietly chased after Elenoa. And the more she followed him, the deeper her doubts grew.

The place where he stopped was the vacant lot behind the building. It was a place with no windows, where people’s eyes couldn’t reach it.

The surrounding scenery of fallen leaves was somehow eerie and gloomy.

“What happened to your face?”

He seemed to have something to say, but she was the first to speak, who had been curious in the meantime. She heard it was a one-sided fight, but he had a big bruise on his cheek.

It was as large a mark as a trace of abuse. The reddish-blue skin contrasted with his white face, giving the viewer a terribly sharp view.

He even looked a little uncomfortable while walking. As he came all the way here, he limped little by little.

But he dragged his toes and walked calmly with patience. So the disturbing steps were, ironically, aristocratic than Irina, who had followed him in a rush.

She looked over his face and lower body without her knowing Irina.  She fixed her gaze on the hem of his trousers, which were ironed like a knife, and she asked with a very bewildered look.

“…Are you hurt?”

If Irina had had a little better friendship, she would have picked up rumors circulating around the Academy over Elenoa’s appearance.

Then she wouldn’t have talked about such a gritty topic from her mouth.

“Is it because you don’t want to talk?”

When Irina, who had hesitated, asked with a puzzled look, Elenoa laughed a little. His pale face was much fresher with just that little smile.

Wound is, after all, a sign of unhappiness for any human being. Therefore, other people’s wounds encourage viewers to imagine mean things. This is because some humans have a tendency to be relieved by others’ misfortunes.

Elenoa suddenly wanted to open her head as he looked into the golden eyes in front of him.

Even the golden eyes seemed to have a lot of imagination. But that imagination has never been used in a dark direction.

There were too many shiny things in her life with whom she can have comfort.  That’s why she doesn’t really care about other people’s misfortunes.

Looking at her innocent eyes, Elenoa opened his mouth.

“I just fell.”

“…….”

Irina blinked her eyes. Rather than polite tone or equivocal answers, she was surprised by the unexpected voice.

The soft low voice was like a light green leaf floating gently on the water. In fact, it was a very comfortable and pleasant tone to hear.

Only then did Irina realize that she had never properly heard Eleanoa speak.

“…oh, yes. Why weren’t you careful? While fighting, don’t get hurt.”

“I see,”

“…does it hurt a lot?”

“It’s all right.

“Well, it’s red and blue, and I think it’s something artistic.”

Irina, who had been a little wary, began to say strange things as usual when Elenoa seemed to be really fine. Once again, he smiled at her.

He was a kid who smiled better than I thought. Irina looked at him curiously, and he put his hand into his coat and took something out of his arms and held it out to Irina.

“Thank you very much.”

It was Irina’s white handkerchief.

At first glance, him handling her handkerchief seemed great. It seemed that he had not only washed it, but also ironed it beautifully. Aside from the scent, the square-folded corners looked morbidly pointed.

Irina, who had been looking a little puzzled at the neat appearance, murmured awkwardly.

“Uh, um, you didn’t have to give it back.”

“I wanted to call you, but I needed an excuse.”

His answer sounded a little strange. She tilted her head and reached for her handkerchief.

Eleanoa, who hesitated for a moment, asked, as she moved her white hand. The tone of asking for her permission was polite and cautious.

“Then may I have it?”

“Huh?”

If he had waited a little longer for an answer, she would have said so. It was of good quality, and quite a precious thing, but Irina was not hard enough to make others feel ashamed of herself with such trifles.

But she would have thought, he is such a weirdo

But without waiting for her reply, Elenoa put her handkerchief in his arms. He acted so swiftly that any hesitation was overshadowed.

Because of that, Irina, who felt uncomfortable with her extended hand, had to stand still for a while.

“…oh, yes. You can have it.”

Irina finally gave a very late answer. Then there was a suffocating silence.

“…….”

“…….”

How long was it?

Irina looked up at the sky with an expression of distress. She let out several deep sighs urging him to speak. Then she couldn’t help but stare at Elenoa.

He didn’t seem to feel uncomfortable with this silence. He looked at Irina’s expression changing from moment to moment with a very calm look.

However, this was not the case with Irina.  She was naturally intolerant of awkwardness and was the type to open her mouth herself because the silence was uncomfortable.

It was not very pleasant to be alone with a boy in a remote place. If the Marquis had known, she would have been beaten hard in the back for being careless.

In the end, it was Irina who spoke to her first this time too.

The reason he called her was probably because of what happened that day. She thought it was difficult to talk to him, but Iriana decided to be considerate of Elenoa.

“Um, yes. Then you don’t have to thank me for what happened that day. Actually, I have a bit of a temper.”

“I wasn’t going to thank either.”

“…….”

Seeing Irina’s expression, Elenoa covered his mouth with his hand. But he could not cover the tips of his slightly curved eyes. The face was so beautiful that it made her face almost flushed.

He said to Irina, who wrinkled her brow slightly.

“I’d like to go out with you.”

Irina forgot her horns and opened her eyes wide.

“…with whom?”

“…….”

“…meeee?”

asked Irina, pointing to her chest.

In fact, it was the first confession Irina had received from a man in her short life. It was Irina who first confessed to her boyfriend.

Therefore, regardless of the presence or absence of her lover, she might feel a little better, but Irina was out of her mind. This is because it was such an unexpected word.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Irina was really curious, so she asked, and Elenoa gave an honest answer without a sign of embarrassment.

“I’m just interested in you.”

And sometimes she thinks about it.

Hisl words sounded a little insincere, but they were expressing Eleanor’s feelings. However, the temperature was too lukewarm to persuade the woman who had been asked for a relationship.

Irina eventually failed to control her expression and looked a little disappointed.

“…just say I’m pretty.”

“Because you’re pretty. I want to go out with you because you’re pretty. Irina.”

Elenoa readily accepted her words. But he laughed along the way, and it hurt Irina’s feelings again.

Irina frowned even more than she had done before.

He had been acting kind all the whole time. Nevertheless, there seemed to be something wrong with his personality.

“What is that? I feel bad. Why are you laughing when you are saying I’m pretty?”

“It’s just that you are pretty…… In fact, I laughed because Irina’s behavior was so cute.”

“Hmm,”

It didn’t feel right when a much prettier man said you were pretty and cute. It was not convincing at all.

Somehow, her pride was hurt and she pouted, but she soon recovered her mind.

Well, it doesn’t mean much anyway.

Irina stopped playing with words and revealed the reason for her official refusal.

“I’m seeing someone. Do you know Ludwig, who is in the same grade as us? He’s my boyfriend.”

“… Ludwig Pontern?”

“Well, do you know him?”

Irina grinned a little as she spoke of her boyfriend, but Elenoa seemed a little confused. He immediately asked Irina politely.

“Are you talking about the Viscount Pontern?”

His question had many implications.

Irina was also a nobleman. She could exactly guess what that sentence meant. It was questionable whether it was right to go out with Viscount’s son, when she is the daughter of a Marquis.

When her lover seemed to be being beaten for her status, she became angry, who had been exchanging words peacefully.

“Well, what’s the problem with that?”

I was going to bite him hard on his shoulder if he had any. But can I do that to the injured one?

Irina was worried about something that would have been frightening if anyone had known.

Meanwhile, Elenoa looked at Irina with a mysterious face. Dark blue eyes showed various emotions and then disappeared.

and Irina could not quite understand any of those emotions.

Why isn’t he answering?

When she felt uncomfortable facing Eleanor, a smile bloomed across his face.

The smile was human and natural. Which made all the smiles that he had shown so far, artificial.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Did Irina’s expression still look suspicious? He answered again.

“Really… There’s really nothing wrong with it, Irina.”

She didn’t know why Elenoa’s expression, who answered like that, was more sincere than when he asked her to go out with him, and why his present voice was more desperate.

What was it? Is it just an impulse?

When Elenoa was about to come closer, Irina instinctively stepped back. Then he stopped at the spot without coming any closer.

There was a strange heat in his eyes that Irina could feel this time.

“…….”

She didn’t do it intentionally. But Irina was constantly touching Elenoa’s nerves.

* * *