Chapter 33

■ Chapter 32. What the Hell Is This? (1) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

“What are you all doing here?”

A soft female voice cut through the awkward situation that had been lingering for a few minutes. Her voice was filled with curiosity and bewilderment.

At the sound of her voice, not only I but also the two girls holding my arms turned their heads. There, a blonde woman stood, holding a wine glass in one hand, looking at us with a puzzled expression.

Her wavy golden hair and sapphire-like, sparkling blue eyes exuded an elegant and noble aura in her off-the-shoulder dress, which was a harmonious blend of gold and white.

Additionally, the number of expensive accessories she wore seemed to boast of her status.

Like Mari, who had a 180-degree change in demeanor, Lina appeared not as a student but as a princess of a country.

“Are you having a love triangle or something? It’s quite entertaining.”

Lina spoke with a tone of interest and sipped the drink in her wine glass. Although she seemed to be watching from a distance, her words carried a hidden meaning.

“...A love triangle?”

Mari narrowed her eyes at Lina’s words and then met my gaze. I, too, found myself face-to-face with Mari.

“...Ah!”

Suddenly, Mari jumped in surprise and let go of my arm. It seemed she had just realized how the situation might look to others after hearing Lina’s words.

Meanwhile, Cecilie, who seemed to be ending her mischief, gently released my arm. It was the moment my arm, which had been pressed almost into her chest, finally regained its freedom.

Though it might sound a bit strange, Cecilie’s chest felt like a pillow filled with soft feathers. I could feel this more clearly as I pulled my arm away.

“W-Who’s having a love triangle? Don’t, don’t misunderstand, okay?”

Mari shouted at Lina as the situation came to an end. The blush on her snow-white skin and her stammering clearly showed her embarrassment.

To this, Lina shrugged as if it didn’t matter and replied with a calm expression.

“I’ll apologize if I misunderstood. But it seems Cecilie was just playing a prank, right?”

Lina then asked Cecilie, her voice calm but confident.

“You caught on right away? You’re still the same, Lina.”

Cecilie admitted without denying it. I tried to calm my burning face and glanced at Cecilie.

She seemed unaffected, standing with her arms crossed and looking elsewhere, unlike Mari.

However, I still couldn’t understand why she had played such a prank. Even if it was a joke, it was a bit too much. No matter how you looked at it, grabbing my arm so boldly was close to a show of affection.

‘...Is she just teasing her younger brother?’

Cecilie has feelings for me. It’s not a delusion; her attitude and jokes make it clear, even to someone as clueless as me.

The only thing that confuses me is whether it’s affection as a person or as a romantic interest. Sometimes, like when she mentioned a reward, it seems closer to the former.

‘I should just think of it as a casual flirtation for now.’

It’s better to think of it that way for now. There’s no solid evidence that Cecilie likes me romantically, and even if there were, I’d want to keep my distance.

I’m the son of a baron, and Cecilie is a princess of Helium. Just that alone shows the vast gap between us.

Of course, the situation would change if she discovered I’m the author of the *Xenon Chronicles*, but revealing a closely guarded secret is a daunting task for anyone, so let’s leave that aside.

This applies to Mari as well.

“By the way, Isaac’s formal attire is also red, like Cecilie’s? It really suits your hair color.”

“Thank you. You, Lina, shine like the sun in a blue sky.”

“Huhu. Thanks for the compliment. I noticed you’ve put in extra effort. You look even prettier than before.”

“I’m not happy to hear that from you.”

Despite Lina’s friendly compliments, Mari responded coldly. Even though Mari is a noble’s daughter, she’s showing repeated rudeness to a princess who ranks higher than her.

However, Lina didn’t seem to mind, only smiling and not giving any other response. Mari’s expression, on the other hand, was visibly deteriorating.

“...Anyway, what do you plan to do from now on?”

Mari asked Lina with a dissatisfied attitude. In response, Lina answered with her characteristic soft voice.

“I was planning to take Isaac around. I thought it might be a good idea to introduce him to a friend of mine.”

“You sound so sure that Isaac will be with you. Did you even ask for his opinion?”

“Then I’ll ask him now. What do you think, Isaac?”

Lina answered smoothly to Mari’s hostile question, looking at me and asking for my opinion, regardless of Mari’s reaction.

I rubbed the pen cap on my middle finger, feeling uncomfortable in the situation.

I’m already receiving various gazes, and if I follow Lina, it’s obvious how others will look at me.

It’s better to reject her offer and avoid the complex political world of the nobility, even if it disappoints Lina. I would refuse firmly, even if she pressured me, as I did last time.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you, Lady Lina.”

“Even if I ask you as a favor?”

When I politely declined, Lina said what she had expected. Though she called it a ‘favor,’ it was closer to a command from a princess.

I looked directly into Lina’s eyes. Her gaze was filled with the confidence that I wouldn’t refuse. However, I could confidently say that her expectations were wrong.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I have no interest in complicated matters. I just want to enjoy the gathering for now.”

I conveyed my intention firmly to Lina, placing my hand on my chest to emphasize my resolve.

Perhaps because I spoke directly and used her title instead of her name as usual, Lina’s eyes widened slightly. She seemed genuinely surprised by my words.

Although it might hurt her feelings, it’s better to cut things off here for my own well-being.

“...Alright. If that’s your wish. I can’t force someone who doesn’t want to come.”

Lina seemed to understand my feelings and spoke with a hint of regret, but without any sign of disappointment. She paused for a moment, then, seeing that she had nothing more to say to me, turned to Cecilie.

“Then, Cecilie?”

“I’m curious about your friend.”

“Alright. Mari...”

“Do I have to answer?”

Before Lina could finish her question, Mari’s sharp response came. Lina smiled, as if expecting this, and spoke.

“Mari. How long do you plan to keep up this attitude? Do you really dislike me that much?”

“I don’t want to get close to someone who wears a mask. I understand your position, but you shouldn’t have done that to me.”

It seems Mari was deeply hurt by Lina in the past. Lina’s silence suggests she also feels she was in the wrong.

After Mari’s response, a heavy silence fell, but it was soon broken by Lina, though her voice lacked its usual energy.

“...Let’s talk later. Cecilie, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“Then, I hope you two have a good time.”

Lina and Cecilie walked towards a group of people. Cecilie waved and greeted us warmly before leaving.

I waved back, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Mari only greeted Cecilie, not even glancing at Lina.

When Lina and Cecilie were surrounded by people and out of sight, Mari turned to me with a bright, friendly face, different from her attitude towards Lina.

“Shall we go somewhere else now?”

“Hmm...”

I looked at Mari, who had naturally called us ‘we.’ I didn’t answer immediately because I had something to think about.

I refused Lina’s offer not only to avoid political entanglements but also because I find her overwhelming. She’s not someone I can relax and talk to like Mari or Cecilie.

However, Mari is a bit different. I consider her a friend, and she seems to have some affection for me.

Whether it’s romantic or platonic, like with Cecilie, I can’t tell, but I can confidently say it’s not an uncomfortable relationship.

‘Still, I need to say something.’

I asked Mari with a hint of concern.

“Won’t my being with you negate the reason I refused Lady Lina’s offer?”

“Uh...”

Mari seemed at a loss for words, her blue eyes darting around as she tried to find a reason.

Despite her lack of authority, she is from the Rekilis Dukedom. She can’t avoid complex matters, especially political ones.

Moreover, she had mentioned before that, despite disliking gatherings, she had to attend to expand her network as a member of the Rekilis family. This is an undeniable truth.

What choice will Mari make here? I waited quietly for her to gather her thoughts.

After a moment, Mari looked in the direction of Lina and Cecilie, then nodded, seemingly having made up her mind.

“...Not right now. As you know, I have things to do.”

Mari said this with a slightly gloomy expression. Her ‘things to do’ were undoubtedly about expanding her network.

If she valued the gathering itself, we could have gone together, but the situation wasn’t that simple.

“Alright. See you later, then.”

“Yeah. We’ll meet when the event is almost over. Oh, and...”

Mari paused, looking at me intently. I tilted my head, showing my confusion.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, then blushed and cleared her throat. In a softer voice, she said:

“...If... If someone asks about the relationship between you and me because of Cecilie’s prank, just say we’re friends. Got it? It happened because she played a prank and I was worried.”

“Okay.”

“...Alright. Have a good time.”

To my blunt response, Mari replied weakly and walked away. Only then did I notice the deep V of her dress, which was more daring than Cecilie’s, though not as much.

I watched her beautiful figure for a moment, then turned around, feeling the situation had settled.

“...Huh?”

Suddenly, I felt someone watching me from behind and turned my head. But it was just a false alarm; no one was looking at me.

Only Mari’s retreating figure was in my sight. I watched her for a moment, then turned away.

‘Maybe I’ll just have some wine.’

On my way to the table, I remembered the wine Lina had been holding. Here, you’re considered an adult at 17, so drinking is allowed.

I’m not a big drinker, but I was curious. What does wine taste like in this world? I hoped it would be sweet rather than bitter, given my taste.

‘But when does the event start...’

I was grumbling to myself as I headed to the table.

“Hey! Redhead!”

“Huh?”

Was the redhead me? The voice was familiar, and the fact that I was called by my hair color rather than my name made me think I knew who it was.

Turning my head, I saw a familiar face nearby, surrounded by people. It was unmistakably the annoying face I recognized.

I glanced around, just in case, but it seemed the redhead was indeed me.

I pointed to myself, asking, “Me?”

Did he understand my question?

The annoying face, Jackson, grimaced, clearly thinking, ‘Who else could it be?’

I chuckled inwardly at his reaction and walked over to him. The people around him started to look at me.

They were all strangers, likely non-students. Most of the men were tall or broad-shouldered, and a few women wore men’s formal attire instead of dresses.

I greeted Jackson bluntly, as I had before, not caring about the audience.

“Hi.”

“...”

Jackson’s face crumpled even more. He seemed displeased with my greeting for some reason.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down, and spoke quietly.

“You’re... too disrespectful. Didn’t you learn to use honorifics with someone of a higher rank in your family?”

“...”

I didn’t answer immediately, only glancing around. The strangers were watching with interest.

It seemed they were trying to portray me as disrespectful in front of everyone, but Jackson had one thing wrong.

“That’s only when the rank is ‘officially’ inherited, and I don’t think that applies to us.”

“...What?”

Jackson looked taken aback at my response. As I said, using honorifics is based on officially inherited ranks.

Of course, there are exceptions, like with royalty. That’s why I always used honorifics with Lina. Cecilie, however, told me to call her by her name, so I’ll make an exception for her.

But Jackson seemed to have learned something wrong. Normally, people of similar status use honorifics to show respect, unless they have a condescending attitude like Jackson.

“Still, shouldn’t we maintain some formality?”

“You started the informal talk.”

“Jackson called you ‘redhead’ from the start.”

Ah, I’m not saying I did the right thing. As you can see, we’re both being labeled as disrespectful.

However, Jackson seemed particularly flustered. He hadn’t expected to be labeled as disrespectful himself.

I took advantage of his confusion to continue the conversation, focusing on why he had called me.

“Anyway, do you have something to say? There must be a reason you called me, right?”

“...Hmm. Hmm.”

Jackson seemed to regain his composure and cleared his throat. He then spoke with his usual condescending tone.

“It’s nothing much. I just happened to see you while passing by. And I saw an interesting situation earlier.”

“...”

“Lady Rekilis and Princess Helium. They’re not people you can just approach. They live in a different world from some people.”

“So, what’s your point? If you’re going to ramble on, I’m leaving.”

“Wait! Just listen!”

When I made a gesture as if to leave, Jackson quickly stopped me. He hadn’t expected me to do this.

I was slightly annoyed at having my precious time taken. I had wanted to have some wine, but what was I doing here?

Jackson, seeing my irritated expression, spoke with his usual condescending tone.

“What I want to do is simple. I want to test each other’s logic.”

“Logic?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it was worth it at first, but seeing how many professors are interested in you, I changed my mind. I’m curious about how good your logic is.”

Hmm... So, he wants to embarrass me in front of everyone? He’s assuming he’s smarter than me?

I don’t understand what confidence he has to make such a proposal. It could backfire on him.

It seems he wants to embarrass me and show off his intelligence, but if he loses, the backlash will be severe.

I raised an eyebrow, showing my confusion. I was curious about the topic, not the proposal.

“What’s the topic? I’ll refuse if it’s something strange.”

“The *Xenon Chronicles*.”

“...What?”

Why did that come up all of a sudden?

While I was taken aback, Jackson spread his arms to indicate the people gathered around and spoke.

“Everyone here is a fan of the *Xenon Chronicles*. They were just discussing how the story will unfold. Various opinions and arguments were exchanged.”

“...”

“Then, I saw you. You’re the new literature student who has caught the attention of many professors.”

“So?”

Jackson chuckled and continued.

“You know, the *Xenon Chronicles* features Xenon and Mary as the main characters, but Jin and Lily also have significant roles. Their tragic love story between a demon and a priestess has been tormenting many readers. They were just discussing this topic.”

“I know that.”

And I plan to completely subvert that tragic love story. No matter what others say, I need to tie up loose ends and foreshadowing.

But discussing character pairings... I found it a bit odd. I expected them to talk about economics or politics, but it seems kids are still kids, as Nicole said.

Jackson seemed to gain confidence from my positive response and explained in detail.

“But I have a different opinion. Jin and Lily will never end up together. I’m certain of it.”

“...Why?”

Could this guy have found the foreshadowing I kept hidden?

My opinion of Jackson, who I usually thought was a lowlife, soared as I listened to him. As a writer, there’s nothing more satisfying than a reader deducing the plot through analysis.

Especially when they thoroughly analyze foreshadowing and plot points? I’d think, ‘They love my work so much,’ and be even more motivated to write.

So, I couldn’t help but have high expectations for Jackson. Everyone thinks Jin and Lily will