Chapter 56

༺ The First Letter (56) ༻

Yellowish-brown eyes met aquamarine eyes as the cold atmosphere began to get heated. Bystanders scattered at the atmosphere that simulated the rainy season.

Celine stood there smiling, but her eyes were cold. The same was true for Seria.

The atmosphere instantly became suffocating when the two women who had been consistently ignoring each other met. Celine hung the canteen she was holding on her waist, and slowly walked over to Seria.

Until then, Seria was just staring at Celine without a word. Were they the eyes of a predator, or was it just an expression of indifference?

No one knew the answer yet. No one except Seria.

Celine stopped walking in front of her.

She sighed, then put one hand on her waist. Then, she opened her mouth, attempting to appease Seria.

“I understand that you might not be feeling well these days, and honestly, I’m the same way. But if you react so sensitively, won’t everyone feel uncomfortable?”

She spoke the truth, but Celine also had a dreary expression.

Nevertheless, no one pointed it out. In fact, the bystanders began to express their agreement with Celine’s words instead.

Celine was good at such things. Creating a unique atmosphere, then using it to support her arguments.

That was why she was gifted at managing human relations. Alongside her uniquely sociable temper, Celine also excelled in reading the atmosphere.

Celine didn’t want to have a conflict with Seria at that moment.

Celine still remembered what Ian had been so angry about. If she fought Seria for no reason, her relationship with Ian would get worse, which would be a disaster.

It was the right choice to keep their relationship hidden so as to not be seen by Ian. Most importantly, Celine did not like to engage in conflict in public places.

Not only would it only show weakness, at least on the surface, she hoped the conflict would at least seem to be resolved.

“Please have a little understanding, Miss Yurdina... After all, we’re in a similar situation, and Senior Ian would hate it if you threw a tantrum.”

Celine laughed bitterly.

Who would have thought that a woman named Delphine Yurdina would suddenly re-appear to put them in a similar situation?

Nevertheless, the attempt to establish sympathy with the opponent was also meant to promote harmony. It was meant to end this way. Through this, Celine would be able to gain several advantages.

First, even though Seria had sufficient reason to be angry, she portrayed Seria as a sensitive woman. Of course, Seria was somewhat more irritable than usual, but it was understandable. Celine claimed this as a ‘sensitive reaction’ and attempted to protect the noble woman in her faction.

Secondly, even if this conflict came up in the future, she could claim ‘I made an effort to reconcile’. It would be a meaningless fight if she fought Seria and lost Ian in the end. She needed that modicum of security.

Lastly, because Celine suggested reconciliation first, those who watched them would recognize her generosity. Her public image could be useful if a conflict arose in the future.

Anyone would be willing to cheer for someone close to them emotionally, and dating was not done alone. That was how the influence of their surroundings would silently work.

The more people spread the information that Celine was better than Seria, the more favorable it was to Celine. Although no one could be sure how effective that would be.

Regardless, that was the conclusion Celine instinctively came to. The idea of her offering reconciliation favored her in many ways. As long as Celine made an image of attempting reconciliation first, no one could ever refute that. Especially if one had a modicum of social skills.

That’s right. ‘If one had a modicum of social skills’.

Unfortunately, Seria was a person who lacked the word ‘social’ in her dictionary. She pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth and whispered.

“...... you know nothing.”

That was her response after thinking for a long time. However, Celine’s eyes were only filled with puzzlement at Seria’s words.

What Seria really wanted to say was, ‘ you don’t know my sister very well.’Fịndd new updates on n(o)v/e/lbin(.)com

But Seria lacked the experience. So she left out details of what was necessary to know. Which would cause a larger misunderstanding.

A follow-up came out of Seria’s mouth but Celine, who didn’t understand her words, looked puzzled.

“If you do nothing, he’ll be taken away.”

That was the statement. Hearing that, Celine’s eyes turned fierce at once.

This advice was also for Seria. To beware of Delphine, a woman who will do as she pleases.

However, because the words came out of Seria’s mouth without any explanation, Celine only interpreted the following.

‘If you do nothing, I’ll take Senior Ian from you.’

It was a blatant provocation. It would be abnormal if she could maintain her composure after hearing that.

“.....You will regret it. ”

It was a calm voice that spoke a simple truth, an insult beyond disrespect. The bystanders, who were not even involved in it, held their breaths momentarily.

The moment she heard that, a spark flared in Celine’s eyes.

Celine had a sense of inferiority toward high-ranking nobles. She could not bear to hear such blatant insults from the object of that hatred.

A beam of light shot through the air.

Celine, who was outstanding in terms of magical power, was able to launch her sword in an instant. The series of attacks that followed at once could overwhelm opponents several orders of magnitude higher if the advantage of a surprise attack was utilized. But it was Seria whom she opposed.

With a strange sound, Celine’s blade sparked and slipped. Seria’s sword, which had been drawn in an instant, deflected Celine’s blade.

When the unexpected fight began, the surroundings became noisy. A voice said it had to be stopped, but the real question was who could stop Seria from drawing her sword.

Originally, ‘swordsmanship training’ was a lecture period, so it should have been supervised by a professor. However, today, due to the professor’s personal circumstances, it was conducted as self-training. There was still time for the assistant, who had briefly checked attendance and left, to return.

The sound of someone running outside the swordsmanship training ground was heard. Someone was looking for help. Teachers, seniors, anyone would be fine.

They had to stop the fight. If an injury occurred, it was a crime enough to qualify for expulsion.

Due to the commotion, more attention began to gather at the swordsmanship training ground. Celine and Seria, who exchanged blows several times, took a few steps back and glared at each other.

However, the result looked obvious. Celine couldn’t even touch Seria despite using her full strength. However, the traces of Seria’s retaliation were inscribed all over Celine’s body.

“I acknowledge your courage to draw a sword with that level of skill, but......”

Seria spoke in a casual tone. ‘Yurdina’s bastard’ was a simplified nickname for her abilities.

“.....Let’s stop here, I think I’ve already won.”

Celine groaned again and kicked the ground. Seria let out a small sigh as if she had no choice but to correct her. And at that moment.

“Hey!”

A shout from a man stopped the two women from attacking each other. However, the problem was the difference in skills between the two women.

Seria had plenty of time to pull back. Her sword was immediately halted and at some point, was put back into its sheath on her waist.

But not with Celine. Celine couldn’t stop her sword in time, and it moved forwards falteringly. Celine clenched her teeth and tried to pull back, but it had already cut through Seria’s forearm.

Blood leaked. While it was a shallow wound, when the bystanders parted, a man appeared among them.

And there was only one sight he saw.

Celine, who was holding a sword and Seria, who was bleeding from her forearm.

At least at that moment, it was clear who was the perpetrator and the victim.

Ian, a man with black hair and golden eyes, put his hand on his forehead. He walked forward irritably.

Celine hurriedly ripped her sword away. She had a blank expression as if she hadn’t grasped the situation properly. It was the same with Seria, who suddenly had a wound on her forearm.

Celine moved her lips as if she had something to say but Ian walked past her coldly.

Ian headed to Seria, who was kneeling in a daze, holding the wound on her forearm. He sighed deeply and pulled out a bandage for her arms.

It shouldn’t be like this. Such an instinctive sense of crisis hit Celine’s mind. She stuttered and opened her mouth.

”S-senior Ian... I, I......”

”Celine.“

Ian spoke in a cold voice, not even looking back at Celine. It was the first time that Ian treated Celine so coldly since they met.

Even more shocked, Celine lost her words. When Ian looked back, his golden eyes on Celine were cold.

“.....Let’s talk another time.”

Celine was frozen in place.

Seria also seemed to be desperately looking for something to say, but there was no way she could respond to such a sudden situation and be able to communicate effectively.

”Are you okay, Seria? Let’s go to the temple first, just in case.”

She just followed Ian as he supported her.

The only thing left was Celine, who was looking down at the ground with despair in her eyes.