Episode 403

One day shortly before the end of winter vacation. Adela, who was sorting out the overdue papers in class S, couldn’t help but prick her ears when she heard a voice in the hallway.

“Hello~ Yooseong-ah~ Hi-hi!”

“Hello Lenia. You look very happy. Is there anything good?”

“I earned a lot more points than I thought during vacation! It’s at the top of the entire lower class!”

“Congratulations, Lenia. I love to see you smile.”

It’s nice to see you smiling. It was just an ordinary compliment. After saying that, Shin Yuseong passed the hallway.

‘...smiling is good to see.’

From Shin Yoo-seong’s point of view, it was just an ordinary compliment as usual, but Adela pondered the words.

‘What kind of expression did I always have?’

Adela looked at the hand mirror that someone had left by her desk. His reflection in the mirror was expressionless. I even felt the cold.

“Hmm...”

But it ends with a short exclamation.

Adela went back to work.

and shortly thereafter.

Adela, who was sitting on the sofa in the poor room, saw Shin Yoo-sung entering Velvet’s study.

“Kyahang-! Shocking! In fact, the main character who first appeared was a bad person! reversal! Narrative trick! Not quite like Velvet, but genius!”

I heard Velvet’s voice of sincere admiration as if she had read another difficult book in the study.

“velvet. Did you read a very interesting story?”

“Kyaw... so much fun! Velvet should write a book review, but I can’t stop now...”

“If it’s interesting, you should read more.”

“Joa, then two more books!”

Excited at Shin Yoo-seong’s permission to postpone Aita Kindergarten’s homework, Velvet took out the next series from the library and ran away.

Adela was listening to the two of them with her ears pricked up until the moment Yoosung Shin came out of the study.

Swoop –

After closing the door, Shin Yoo-seong held out a snack he didn’t know when he brought it out to Adela, who was drinking black tea.

The snacks Kim Eun-ah prepared were of the highest quality, recognized by Adela.

“I think Velvet looks so cute when she’s happy.”

That Velvet was cute was something Adela always thought about. But is it because of the story I heard in the hallway today? Adela felt the words quite differently.

‘Looking happy...’

Adela quietly looked at the snack Shin Yoo-sung handed over. In case Shin Yoo-seong was embarrassed, he immediately took the snack with his hand, but he couldn’t show a happy reaction like Velvet.

“thank you.”

He had no choice but to give such a formal answer. Yooseong Shin smiled at Adela, but said nothing more.

I never once said that I looked good or that I was cute.

A night that makes you think especially deeply. Back at the dormitory, Adela took a shower, dried her hair, and looked in the mirror.

[Congratulations, Lenia. It’s so nice to see you smiling.]

Reflecting on Shin Yoo-seong’s words in the hallway, Adela smiled awkwardly.

‘...That’s how you laugh.’

Adela looked at herself in the mirror and was convinced. I felt like I realized something.

Now it was the second turn.

[I think Velvet looks so cute when she’s happy.]

Adela remembered Shin Yoo-sung’s words and thought of Velvet’s happy expression. Maybe if I go back to my memory, the eyes are bigger than usual and bright, and the mouth is open like this...

‘...that’s it.’

Nod.

Despite Lee Chae-hyun’s terrified apology, Adela, the ice empress of Gaon, still walked away with a contemptuous expression on her face.

Then he whispered in Lee Chae-hyun’s ear in a bleak voice like the night wind.

“What... what do you mean? I’m very happy thanks to you...”

Lee Chae-hyun realized what Adela meant. Before Shin Yuseong appeared, Adela was Gaon’s only empress. No one in the first year challenged Adela’s authority.

He had just touched such Adela. He looked down on Adela’s ability and tried to deceive him.

Yeah, it must be fun, because it wasn’t just a rumor that Adela was crazy about fighting.

Blame it!

Frightened, Lee Chae-hyun used her hand behind her back to move away from Adela. Adela shook her head as if she couldn’t understand, still wearing a creepy expression from Lee Chae-hyun’s point of view.

“Why... are you running away? I just want to commend you.”

Lee Chae-hyun shed a tear at Adela’s words. From Lee Chae-hyun’s point of view, Adela’s words sounded like this.

[I’ll praise you.]

[Your foolish courage, who dared to attack me without fear.]

Lee Chae-hyun looked up at Adela. Today, her exceptionally red eyes greeted her with a smile tinged with madness.

“That’s not it. Pres.... I’m not trying to trick you or mess with you... It was just a mistake. No... It’s not a mistake. Because you were right to deceive me... hiccup!”

However, from Adela’s point of view, Lee Chae-hyun’s reaction was embarrassing.

Lee Chae-hyeon was terrified when she saw her expression and ran back and even went to confession.

But Adela just wanted to hear compliments similar to saying that her smile was nice or that she was cute.

“How do you see my expression?”

Adela might have been mistaken, so she went through the confirmation process with Lee Chae-hyun once again.

“scared. I don’t think... I’ll never forgive you. I have an expression that makes me want to freeze it in an instant and turn it into ice cream.”

Of course, there was no reverse.

The brightest and cutest expression Adela made while practicing was the scariest expression for Lee Chae-hyun.

‘Ah...’

Adela opened her mouth as if she was devastated and was disappointed enough to be seen by anyone.

“Sorry class president! I’ll fix it right away!”

Lee Chae-hyun took advantage of the gap and started to run away at great speed, as if throwing herself out of class S.

Adela stretched out her hand and just stared blankly at Lee Chae-hyun’s back as she walked away.

* * *

‘Come to think of it... It’s still time for Adela to be in class.’

Gaon class presidents are busy. Like the S class, the upper class is even more so. So maybe Adela is still doing business? On his way to the principal’s office, Shin Yoo-seong peeked over Class S. Then, sure enough, Yooseong Shin saw Adela sitting alone at the desk.

“Do you still have work to do?”

Of course, it was unreasonable for Yoosung Shin to help Adela with her work. All he can do is stay by Adela’s side.

“Probably... it will be over in about 30 minutes.”

Shin Yoo-seong stared at Adela’s face, who did not even meet his gaze.

Then, as if reading something from Adela’s expressionless face, she asked in a friendly voice as always.

“Adela. Are you worried?”

Adela looked slightly surprised.

Shin Yoo-seong was curious about how he read the emotions in his expression, which is difficult to understand as usual.

“Yeah... I just had a stupid idea.”

“what?”

At Shin Yoo-sung’s question, Adela finally met her gaze. In this area, Adela was not the type to be shy or talk around like Kim Eun-ah. Rather, it was closer to going straight indiscriminately.

“how should. Will I be able to smile brightly like Renia...”

So, Adela put Shin Yoo-seong in front of the party.

“And like velvet... I wonder if I can hear you say you’re cute. I was thinking about it all the time.”

I asked very frankly.