Their hands clasped together.
A warmth that felt deeper and more encompassing than a single hand could ever be.
Those calm eyes wavered, and she felt the grip on her hand tighten.
'…'
Was he happy?
When she lifted her gaze, Rutess's face, lit by the library lamp, was faintly flushed.
The orange hue of the light made his eyes seem all the brighter.
Eyes that had once held the stars when he looked up at the sky.
Now, within them, her own hands had found their place.
A good person.
It was too simple a phrase to define him by, but if she had to put it as plainly as possible, that was what he was.
She knew how difficult it was to rise from Beta Class to Alpha Class.
She had anticipated that once he became her partner, there would be trouble even in the hallways.
And yet he was someone who never let any of it show in front of her.
The warmth she had felt across those three chance encounters in their first year had not been coincidence.
Even now, holding his hand like this—he probably couldn't feel it himself.
'…I'm glad.'
She loved the sound of his heartbeat so much.
The way he held her hand and looked at her. The way he tried so hard for her sake.
The simple fact that she could look at him like this, right here in front of her.
She didn't know how couples usually progressed.
So she simply did what she wanted.
When she pressed her lips to his cheek, she felt the texture of his skin.
She loved the rough warmth of it, and the faint tremor that traveled through his flesh and into her lips.
"Do it for me."
She wanted to receive the same in return.
"…"
His expression didn't change, but—
'It's faster.'
Through the hand she held, she felt his pulse quicken sharply.
And in the amber glow of the lamp, his face began to deepen in color.
And then.
His eyes began to waver again.
Was he sorry?
'Don't be sorry.'
Rutess…
Right now, I'm incredibly happy.
So please… don't make that face.
"Elline."
His trembling voice came through clearly.
"Yes."
He lifted his head, and his eyes held her within them.
"…I."
His lips parted.
What was he trying to say?
'…No.'
Don't say it. Not now.
Her grip on his hand tightened.
Please don't run away.
Had she asked too soon?
No tears fell, but there was a glimmer of moisture in Rutess's eyes.
"Rutess."
"…"
"I'll wait for you."
"…"
"So don't make that face."
In all the time before you, I only ever walked forward, Rutess.
But after meeting you, I learned to stop in the middle of the road and look to the side. To look back.
I can wait, no matter how far apart we are.
I'm not very good at looking back yet—but I'll try just as hard as you do.
"…Do it."
It was a plea.
Rutess looked at her quietly.
Beyond the flickering light, his face had gone past flushed—it was closer to crimson now—but Elline didn't mind.
Because his eyes held her in them now.
Their hands clasped together once more.
Slowly, Elline closed her eyes.
All sight was cut away, and every sense narrowed to feeling alone.
Through the thin drift of cool air, she felt warmth drawing near.
Little by little,
little by little.
'…'
—
Tap.
It touched.
…
Elline gripped his hand tighter.
She focused every nerve on the sensation against her cheek.
It had been only a moment, but it had unmistakably touched.
His trembling lips had brushed Elline's cheek and then pulled away.
A tingling, dizzying sensation—an instant that felt like eternity.
As the warmth that had touched her gradually faded and his body drew back, Elline opened her eyes again.
"…"
"…"
He averted his gaze.
As though he couldn't bear to meet her eyes, he bowed his head and murmured quietly.
"…I did it."
"I know."
She had felt it clearly. She could still feel it.
"Thank you."
"… No… I'm the one who…"
Rutess couldn't finish the sentence. He only continued to murmur, as though talking to himself.
…
'He's adorable.'
Elline felt her own pulse rising, but it was swallowed entirely by the beat of his heart coming through their joined hands.
* * *
I did it.
I actually did it.
I had been wondering whether I even should—but then I heard her last words, and I made up my mind.
'Do it.'
It was the first time my lips had ever touched another person's skin.
Cool, but soft.
I thought I might lose my mind, but I clenched my teeth and held on.
My face… what did it look like?
I didn't want to see a mirror.
I didn't want Elline to see it either, so I kept my head down.
Since it was my first time conveying affection to someone, I couldn't help wondering if I'd made a mistake.
The most I'd ever done was hug Alfred and my mother when I was little.
'Hah…'
That first expression of affection nearly sent me into hyperventilation.
It was just a kiss on the cheek, and yet my hands were shaking and my head was spinning.
"Rutess."
"Yeah, uh, yeah…"
When Elline said my name, I lifted my head without thinking. A strange feeling—my body moved and my mind followed after.
"About Professor Raen."
Oh, right. That was what we'd been talking about.
Elline slowly released both my hands and turned her chair back around.
As the charged air between us began to cool, the heat in my face thankfully started to fade as well.
She pulled a book from her bag, opened it, and dipped her quill in ink.
"It's been thirteen years since she retired from the Inspection Bureau, and ten years since she joined the academy."
I turned my chair back around as well and listened to what she was saying.
It was all information I already knew.
Professor Raen had been with the Magic Inspection Bureau, and from what I'd heard, she had sustained serious injuries while dismantling Dawn Moon—a criminal organization notorious even across the empire—and had stepped back from the field to focus on training the next generation.
"I know the broad strokes, though not the details."
Why was she bringing this up now?
"I won."
"What?"
"Professor Raen. I beat her in the sparring match."
…
"You beat her?"
It felt like a bucket of cold water to the head.
Elline stated the fact plainly and began writing on the parchment with her ink-dipped quill.
"Yes."
"The professor?"
Professor Raen?
I thought back to the afternoon sparring session.
Even without going all out, the seasoned strength and skill Professor Raen had shown still made my skin prickle at the memory.
'…Wow.'
And Elline had beaten her. There were probably various handicaps involved, of course, but it was remarkable all the same.
"She's been retired for a long time. And besides, there were about four other students who beat her too."
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Elline added the clarification in her usual measured tone.
"Really…?"
The first names that came to mind were Sereen and Tirion.
A few other top-ranked students flickered through my thoughts as well, but—
What mattered was the gap I could feel.
From a distance, I had simply thought of her as being on a high level. But now that I was climbing closer, actually scaling that height myself, I was beginning to truly feel just how high it was.
Goosebumps rose on my skin.
"That's incredible."
It was. Enough to inspire genuine awe.
Elline stopped writing mid-stroke and squeezed the hand holding her quill, then released it.
"Elline?"
Then she turned her head sharply away.
It was the first time I'd seen her do that.
She always met my eyes directly, or if she looked away, it was only slightly.
For her to turn her whole body away like this—it was the first time, and my heart lurched.
'Did I say something wrong?'
"No, I mean—I really do think it's incredible. I'm not being sarcastic at all…"
I rushed to explain myself, but she still kept her face turned away.
"…Rutess."
"Yeah?"
"Let's study."
The firmness in her voice told me I had done something wrong.
Though I had no idea which part.
'…?'
I stared at her, her head still turned completely away.
'Her ear…'
Her ear, visible through the gap in her hair.
It was bright red.
She must have felt my gaze, because she made a deliberate show of smoothing her hair to cover it—but it was already too late.
'…'
Was she embarrassed?
'Because I complimented her?'
Come to think of it, I'd always thanked her, but I couldn't recall ever giving her a real compliment.
…
Surely not.
There was no way Elline would react like that over something so small…
'Was there?'
I considered it, but pressing further would have been rude.
Without another word, I turned my eyes back to my book and began taking notes. Hearing that, Elline slowly picked up her quill as well.
We settled back into quiet study, and I wrote with one hand while the other opened and closed in mana control practice—
Thud.
Elline took my hand.
When I glanced over, she was still writing, but she lowered our joined hands beneath the desk.
"Elline, I need to practice—"
"Don't."
She gripped my hand and wouldn't let go.
Come to think of it, she always held my hand when we studied.
I didn't mind it either, but…
'Now, though…'
After honestly assessing myself, I knew I needed to keep practicing mana control consistently.
"Sorry, Elline, I really need to practice."
I said it firmly and tried to pull my hand free, but rather than loosening her grip, she seemed to want to lace her fingers through mine—she held on even tighter.
"Elline…"
"No."
….
One finger at a time, she began to weave them together so I couldn't slip free.
Only once our hands were fully interlocked did she squeeze once more.
'Is this Partial Binding?'
I needed to be firm about this, but I couldn't bring myself to be.
So I gave up.
Accepting her hold, I turned my focus to at least salvaging my note-taking.
In the quiet stillness, the only sounds were the ticking of the clock, the soft rhythm of our breathing, and the occasional distant murmur of other students.
'This part is tricky.'
Whenever I hit something I didn't understand while writing, I jotted it down immediately.
I didn't want to keep interrupting Elline's studying, so I'd save all my questions and ask the professors later.
'Time for a break, maybe.'
After studying for so long, my back ached as it always did, and a dull throb was starting behind my eyes.
Still, it was noticeably better than the first day I'd gotten back into studying.
I glanced to the side. Elline was still focused, eyes fixed on the page.
And then her cheek came into view.
'…Oh.'
The cheek my lips had just touched.
It looked so pale and soft.
I snapped my head back to my book, but my concentration had long since scattered.
'Today's studying is a lost cause.'
I muttered a self-deprecating sigh and started doodling with my quill.
* * *
An ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Countless people clinked glasses and savored the atmosphere, while refined yet gentle music deepened the mood of the banquet hall.
The styles of dress varied widely, but the mingling crowd smiled and conversed without distinction.
And standing among them was a single man.
He seemed to be waiting for someone—no one had gathered around him, and only a single attendant stood at his back.
Even so, the air he carried about him overwhelmed the crowd around him entirely.
"Berna."
"Yes, my lord."
Berna gave a slight bow of his head.
"Have the carriage ready in five minutes."
"Understood."
The man—Rokgard—treated time as though it were gold.
His schedule was always set with absolute precision, without a single margin for error, and he despised any deviation from it.
Even if the deviation came from someone of the imperial household.
He swirled his wine glass gently, and the deep red wine within rippled and swayed.
'Alcohol.'
He had never particularly cared for it.
Alcohol numbed reason and clouded judgment.
People claimed that the pleasant haze of intoxication brought joy, but it was a sensation he found entirely incomprehensible.
"The next appointment is with the Court Mage, I believe."
"Yes, scheduled for six in the evening. Shall I send word to the young master as well?"
The young master.
He meant Evan.
Berna had tossed out the remark as a formality, knowing full well that Evan was currently stationed with the imperial Magic Corps.
"No. Don't waste the time."
"Understood."
Without a moment's hesitation, Rokgard declined a reunion with his son.
"Send word to Gelverin. The paper he submitted this time has quite a few things worth criticizing."
And at the thought of his second child at the Mage Tower, his brow furrowed of its own accord.
"Pathetic."
He brought the wine glass to his lips, and the taste of alcohol touched his tongue.
He had two sons who had achieved remarkable things—one in the imperial Magic Corps, one in the Mage Tower—and yet Rokgard felt less from it than he did from the taste of the alcohol now in his mouth.
Humanity had progressed.
His grandfather had been surpassed by his father, who had in turn been surpassed by himself.
But what of his own children?
Far from surpassing him, all he could see in them were flaws.
He had passed on every technique he possessed under the name of House Pailless, and yet they were regressing. The thought sent a fresh throb of pain through his temples.
'…'
There was one child he still held some expectation for.
The youngest—and the one who had inherited his eyes.
"My lord, and also…"
Berna seemed to know who he was thinking of, and began to speak—
Bang—
The banquet hall doors swung open, and imperial guards stepped into view.
"They've arrived."
The golden armor they wore was of an entirely different caliber from the silver-armored guards at the entrance—it gleamed with far greater splendor.
Not mere guards, but the imperial household's personal escort.
The chatter filling the banquet hall ceased in an instant, and every eye turned toward the entrance.
Rokgard turned to face forward, and between the rows of knights, a man began to walk toward him.
Dark crimson hair that resembled the Emperor's, and a smile that was relaxed and at ease.
A face that held a different kind of ambition from his combative elder brother and his arrogant younger siblings.
"His Highness the Second Prince enters!"
The Second Prince, Karin Ivant.
The guest of honor at this banquet—and the one who had summoned Rokgard here.