CH 9

All sides of the greenhouse were filled with magical plants that glowed in colorful, fluorescent colors. Like Professor Stafford, who has an excellent aesthetic sense, the harmony of the flowers and green leaves was perfect.

The vines that filled the ceiling had fist-sized clusters of light here and there. From there, something like glittering powder poured down like a small waterfall. They were pixies who loved flowers, dancing, and mischief. They were scattered in all directions when we entered the greenhouse, but they were so bright that we could see where they were hiding.

A few brave pixies came close to Kyle and me. I tried to collect as much fairy dust as possible by putting my hands under its busily flapping wings. Perhaps because the particles were too fine, nothing settled on my hand.

“So pretty.”

I said in a whisper. My eyes were round.

“Am I not Walsh now?”

“No. You are Keran Illestia.”

Illestia was one of the best people I knew, so this was a huge compliment. But after I said that, somehow Kyle didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

“Why Keran?”

“Huh?”

“Since when did you like him so much? Didn’t you say before that he was full of himself.”

“Kyle Villard, what’s wrong? Can’t I eat with Illestia?”

Since when did I like Illestia? When it comes to that, I also had a lot to say. The pixies who had been sneakily gathering dispersed, as if they felt the threatening air current flowing between us.

“You really… why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?”

“Blossom, I heard things are going well with you and her. Do I have to hear that from Kelly Ramirez?”

“What?!” Kyle screamed in horror.

“I haven’t run into Ramirez this year! What the hell does she know for her to talk like that?”

“It’s not just Kelly. Liz and Brennan know it, Bree– Mosley know it, and even Walsh knows it too! You got punished for skipping classes because you were dating Blossom!”

“Ariel, about t—”

“I’m the only one who didn’t know! And yet I thought I was your best friend! Do you think that makes sense?”

“… … .”

Kyle avoided my eyes and looked in the corner of the greenhouse. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully. Whatever his intention was, for me, it was an act of acknowledging all my suspicions against him.

For loving Blossom, for falling into a flood of penalty points because of her, for hiding all the circumstances, he has no excuse for all of that, but he is still searching for the perfect word in the dictionary in his mind so as not to provoke me.  It’s annoying.

“Kyle Damien Villard, be honest. Why didn’t you tell me? We agreed to confide in each other when we met someone we loved.”

“No, Blossom… To me…”

“I can’t hear you very well.”

My sarcasm made Kyle look very pained. For a moment, guilt seemed to weaken my heart, but I soon overcame it. It was Kyle who was at fault. 19 year–no, 19 years plus 46 months of friendship was thrown away like a pair of broken shoes.

“Ari, I…”

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth. But then, out of nowhere, dark-red blood began to flow from under his nose.

“Kyle, you’re bleeding!”

I frantically searched my pockets for a handkerchief, but there was no way there was anything like that in my nightgown.

“Fuck.” Kyle rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, swearing wildly. Bloodstains spread widely on the back of his hand and on his philtrum.

“Let’s go back.”

After a bit of silence, he spoke in a very tired voice

We didn’t say a word from when we got on Layla’s back until we reached the window of my room. Moments of silence with Kyle used to be very comfortable, but not now.

“Ariel.”

Before closing the window, he suddenly called me. I was all choked up.

“Please wait a little longer. Trust me. I will never do anything to harm you nor anything that will make you sad.”

“… … .”

“So please.”

“… … .”

“As you said, we are friends.”

The moon was shining behind Kyle’s back, so his face was hard to see. But somehow I felt that he was crying. I felt out of breath.

I timidly waved my hand to see him off. In my way, it was a gesture of reconciliation, and I hope it would look the same to Kyle.

***

It wasn’t long before I learned what Illestia’s ‘I’ll deliver the schedule through Jaden Spencer’ meant.

“Mosley, what are you doing there?”

Brianna was glued to the window when I returned to my room after work. Bree caught a cold from the open window during my midnight outing with Kyle. So for the time being, she said no to opening the window, that’s why it was strange.

“Dalton, come here. It’s carrying something, but it doesn’t want to give it to me.”

I peered over Bree’s shoulder, who was beckoning to something outside the window.

“Gasp, it’s so cute!”

A small dragon was flying there, and judging by the shiny black scales, it looked like a baby. A rolled-up piece of paper was hanging from its neck.

The baby dragon narrowly avoided Bree’s hand as she tried to snatch the paper. Its will for the paper to not be taken away was firm.

“I guess it’s not for us.”

“But it hasn’t left here since a while ago.”

Brianna said, smacking her lips. As if teasing her, the baby dragon circled around in its place. Then it stared at me who was standing behind Bree. Its eyes were translucent  and round, like the glass marbles I used to play with as a child.

“Is it looking for you??”

Bree distanced herself from the window and dragged me into her place instead. Then the baby dragon came closer, pushed its belly in, and began flapping its wings. It was as if he was telling me to hurry up and take the thing that was stuck in its throat.

I carefully reached out and tore the dried paper off the baby dragons’ collar. Soon, the paper fell with a ‘tok’ sound, revealing a cute heart-shaped pendant hidden there.

“Thank you, Clay.”

It seemed that the name engraved on the pendant was correct. The baby dragon flapping its wings quickly, as if excited, was very cute. I took a couple of candies out of my uniform jacket pocket and handed them to the dragon.

If the person who sent Clay was the same person I thought, it would be a gift for him too, and Clay would enjoy it even if he wasn’t its owner.

One of the classes I took last year was ‘Hatching and Breeding Dragons’ None of the dragons in the nursery disliked candy.

The baby dragon, having finished its task, managed to wrap the bag of candy with its tail, which was quite thick compared to its body, and flew away. I unwrapped the dried paper at Brianna’s pressure.

“’Saturday at 16:00, magic tool production lab?’ Who are you having a secret relationship with?” Brianna inquired.

“It’s a notice for a reading club meeting.”

I excused myself from my roommate who was making a fuss and crumpled the paper. She wasn’t particularly wrong.

***

‘Senior Ariel.’ 4th grader Kendra Bradley braced her wooden sword to slash the dummy’s throat, then released it and leaned toward me.

“I think Sir Jaden Spencer has something to say to you.”

“Why am I ‘Senior’ and Spencer is ‘sir’, Kendra?”

“Senior, do you know how to ride a dragon?”

“I don’t know if you’re being respectful or respectfully rude.”

Kendra shrugged shamelessly. As she said, in the distance, Jaden Spencer was clearly facing this way.

He was so huge that it was hard not to see him. When our eyes met, Spencer strode closer with an unhesitating gait. Walking in such a powerful and tight motion, the wind seemed to blow at the corner he passed.

‘Wow.’ muttered Kendra. As a native of Milua, she was an ardent admirer of Spencer. She said that she also has a woodcarving of Spencer riding on a dragon (for your information, our guild also sold a low quality copy of it at a low price, and it went very well).

Spencer was not a war hero, but he was the only ‘dragon tamer’ among Milua, Nadon, and Illestia. He had already tamed all the dragons on the continent at the age of 15 when he was in his first year at the academy.

Dragons were always ready to bring despair to the continent with their strength and ferocity. Being able to talk to and tame dragons were enough to call him a hero.

Besides being a duke’s legitimate son, he was even handsome. It’s over. It was said that no aristocrat his age in Milua’s central high society did not adore him.

I thought he was great, but not to the point of admiration. Unlike Kendra, it was the first and last time I participated in a banquet held in the capital as the daughter of a humble viscount.

“Dalton. Bradley.”

“Uh, yeah. Hi Spencer.”

Anyway, I don’t know why I have so many encounters with the men of Blossom these days. I reluctantly accepted Spencer’s greetings. Kendra replied with a strange-sounding “Hiiik!’, but it was probably a scream that replaced ‘Jaden Spencer knows me!’

After all, Spencer was also a member of the student council. Even if he wasn’t like Illestia, who knows the names of all students down to the middle name level, it was enough for Spencer to know the names of the students in class.

“Thanks.”

Spencer lowered his head slightly. If Illestia had a habit of talking freely, Spencer, on the other hand, had the habit of talking with his head and tail lowered. It’s probably about the candy I gave Clay.

“Did it suit your taste?”

“It was tasty.”

“I’ll give it to you again next time.”

Saying that made Spencer have a slightly brighter expression than before. Milua’s dragon knight thanking the viscount’s young lady for a piece of candy is really sincere.