“See you next time, Adelina.”

“See you next time.”

The girl’s voice was soft, filled with a barely concealed sense of invitation.

The moonlight was bright that night, promising a clear sky by morning.

“See you next time,” Felyn said, waving lightly at Adelina before turning and walking away beneath the moonlight.

Silver-white rays spilled over them both. Adelina held onto the doorframe, watching his figure until it completely vanished from sight. Only then did she slowly close the door.

By all logic, getting to see a more genuine side of Felyn should’ve made her happy.

But Adelina leaned against the door and slowly slid down, her strength leaving her. The more she liked him, the more painful it became.

The more goodness she discovered in Felyn, the more she regretted not treating him better from the start.

Why had she so arrogantly assumed that he liked her? Why had she accepted his care without question?

Tonight, Adelina couldn’t feel happy at all. It was her past self who had pushed Felyn farther and farther away.

“Sigh…”

Now, she couldn’t even manage to apologize properly.

Felyn had clearly avoided those topics the entire evening. She was afraid that if she said anything, he’d deflect or worse—leave.

And she wasn’t naïve enough to believe that throwing herself into his arms in tears and saying sorry would earn his forgiveness.

Felyn was, in some ways, perfectly capable of being cold. She knew this better than anyone.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived those harsh days on his own.

“What the hell was I doing back then…”

She glanced toward the kitchen again on her way upstairs. Just thinking about the injury he’d sustained made her chest fill with guilt.

“Felyn…”

Throwing herself onto the bed, Adelina found that even though he’d only left less than five minutes ago, she was already thinking about when they’d meet again.

But that next meeting felt so far away.

“I know I was wrong, Felyn… can you forgive me?”

She whispered to the plush pig he had given her, as if hoping Felyn could somehow hear her heart.

The vision Felyn had shared of his imagined future surfaced again in her mind.

She couldn’t stop picturing what it would be like to live that kind of simple life with him.

If only the person by Felyn’s side could be me.

After lying there for a while, Adelina got up and began tidying her desk. There were still traces of Felyn left behind.

While cleaning, Adelina found a notebook hidden beneath one of her textbooks.

It belonged to Felyn—he must have forgotten it.

“This has to be important,” she murmured to herself. “If he can’t find it, it’ll give him a headache. And if he needs it tomorrow, that’ll be a problem.”

She held the notebook in her hands, trying to justify her next thought.

“It’s so late… messaging him now might disturb his rest.”

“So it’s totally reasonable for me to bring it to him in the morning, right?”

Completely unreasonable.

It was just a notebook, and not even an important one. Felyn had probably already forgotten it existed.

And it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes since he left—he was still on the road. Messaging him wouldn’t disturb his sleep at all.

This was nothing more than an excuse—an excuse for her to see Felyn again.

She needed to do something, anything

, to ease the growing distance between them.

Especially after getting to know the real Felyn tonight, Adelina couldn’t stand waiting even a second longer.

Even Zervanie gets to visit him. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to see him too?!

Thursday morning. The sun was shining bright.

Adelina stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and checking her makeup.

She was wearing the blue and white school uniform of Lanchester Academy, paired with long black cotton socks and a small brown handbag.

Even in uniform, her figure was impossible to hide. Her proud curves defied any attempt at modesty, her chest refusing to be subdued by a few pieces of fabric.

She left early and arrived at the gates of Saint Andros Academy.

Though she’d chosen a discreet spot where she could see Felyn without drawing attention, she was still recognized by many students passing by.

After all, the Lanchester Academy’s student council president was just as popular at Saint Andros.

Morning sunlight mixed with the youthful faces of students always brought a sense of peace.

And even more so when she was waiting for someone she loved.

Adelina hummed softly to herself, watching the crowd while keeping an eye out for him.

“At least the only one in Felyn’s school is Lady Viloti…”

Even just Viloti was enough to make Adelina worry. If Zervanie or the other girls hovering around Felyn showed up too, Adelina might seriously consider transferring schools.

Speak of the devil.

A girl passed by, wearing a face mask and hat, looking suspiciously sneaky.

She glanced at Adelina—and stopped.

Their eyes met. Adelina found the girl strangely familiar. Had they met before?

And… why does just looking at her annoy me so much?

Just as Adelina was about to walk over and ask, a cool voice came from behind her.

“Good morning, Miss Adelina.”

Adelina turned and saw her rival—Viloti Silafiel.

Wearing the red-and-white uniform, she looked lovely as always. The sunlight softened her features, like a gentle filter.

Her pink hair was tied into two fluffy braids that hung in front of her shoulders.

“Good morning, Lady Viloti.” They exchanged formal greetings, as if standing at the beginning of a duel.

Viloti had seen Adelina from a distance. The look on her face made it obvious—she was waiting for Felyn.

To Viloti, this place was her and Felyn’s personal space.

Adelina had no right to interfere.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Viloti asked first.

Adelina raised her brow. She hadn’t expected Viloti to be the one to strike up conversation.

This was the first time she had ever done so.

“I’m waiting for Felyn. He left something at my place.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Felyn might not want their late-night study session exposed, Adelina would’ve pulled out the notebook and said:

“Felyn stayed over at my house last night to study. He left this behind, so I brought it over first thing this morning to make sure it doesn’t disrupt his day.”

But she was too shy to say it.

Instead, she just watched as Viloti stayed right beside her, making no move to leave.

“Lady Viloti, why aren’t you going into the school? Are you waiting for someone too?”

“I’m waiting for Felyn.”

“Oh? Is there something you need from him?”

“No. I just want to spend a little more time with him.” Viloti had never hidden her feelings for Felyn in front of others.

“T-Then I want to spend more time with him too!” Adelina pushed back.

“No.” Viloti tilted her chin slightly, meeting Adelina’s gaze head-on. “Felyn is only one person.”

(End of Chapter)