Chapter 206
Chapter 206
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Conflicting Hearts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
***
*Click.*
The moment I stepped out of the infirmary, I felt an intense gaze on me.
“...?”
I turned my head to see a woman radiating a powerful presence at the end of the corridor. Through her disheveled red hair, I could see her gaunt face.
And she was doing something strange, chewing on her lip over and over…
Her eyes were fixed on me, as if she meant to swallow me whole.
*Clack! Clack!*
She hurried toward me, and I instinctively paused, narrowing my eyes.
‘Who is that?’
“Han Cheon-seong!”
Her sharp voice calling my name finally made me realize who she was.
“...Oh. Yumia.”
It was only when she was standing right in front of me that I recognized her. I found it hard to believe that the woman who was always so arrogant and impeccably put together could look so haggard and broken.
“Inside the infirmary right now… Instructor Adelia is there, isn't she?”
“She is. Why?”
“...So she is.”
She immediately dropped her head in disappointment, and for a moment, I wondered if I had said something wrong.
“What’s the matter? You look like you’re having a really rough time…”
“*Sigh*... No matter how many times I ask, Instructor Adelia won’t let me in. She won’t even let me see Leonhardt… We’re fellow classmates, so of course I’m worried. She could at least let me see him once.”
Yumia looked at me with deep sorrow in her subdued voice.
And just like that, I understood.
‘It’s because of Leonhardt.’
It made sense. The girl who was smitten with Leonhardt would have undoubtedly come to visit him.
But unlike before, Adelia wasn't letting a single cadet into the infirmary.
Anastasia’s visit yesterday had been a special case.
“That… Instructor Adelia probably can’t help it. It must be an order from within the academy.”
“Still… Anyway, Han Cheon-seong. You look like you’re doing okay. I heard you were badly injured, too.”
As she spoke with melancholic eyes, I gave an awkward nod.
Truthfully, walking and using my left arm still didn’t feel natural. But compared to Leonhardt, who had lost the power of his trait, my injuries were nothing.
“I’m fine. And you shouldn’t worry too much, either.”
“How can I not worry…? How is Leonhardt doing? Is he still having a hard time?”
Yumia’s desperate question made me realize just how far the rumors about Leonhardt had already spread.
The fact that he had lost his trait.
‘He has to endure this well.’
A renewed sense of concern washed over me as I looked at Yumia.
*Chew, chew.*
Was it due to anxiety and impatience? I felt a pang of pity for her, her face so gaunt with worry for Leonhardt.
I’d never had a particularly good impression of Yumia, but seeing her in such pain didn’t sit well with me.
I softened my tone slightly.
“He’s doing much better now. He’s stronger of heart than anyone.”
“...Is that so? That’s a relief, but… I still really want to see him for myself. You can’t tell for sure just by looking from the outside.”
A sigh escaped me as she refused to let go of her worry despite my words.
“Yumia. You know better than I do. You know Leonhardt will overcome this.”
“I know… I know, just as you say. But what can I do if I’m still worried? No matter how strong he is, Leonhardt is still human. Losing his trait… how much pain he must be in… I honestly can’t even imagine it.”
Her voice began to crack as if she were about to cry, and I froze.
‘Was it… this strong a feeling?’
I knew Yumia had feelings for Leonhardt from our very first meeting.
But in the story, her affection was supposed to deepen over time. Now, two months later, the depth of her feelings seemed far greater than I had imagined.
*Grasp.*
She suddenly grabbed my left hand, making me flinch.
My shoulder hadn’t fully healed, and a faint pain shot through it. It felt as if she had seized a weakness.
“Hey… Han Cheon-seong. Could you maybe… ask Instructor Adelia for me? Just once. Please, just once?”
Yumia pleaded, her gaze more desperate than I had ever seen.
The woman who had always treated me so coldly was now begging me so earnestly that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
But that was only for a moment. I slowly shook my head.
“You know that’s not possible… Yumia, you know that better than anyone.”
It wasn’t my place to say anything.
A stricter directive had come down from the academy, and unless it was someone of Anastasia’s standing, Adelia wouldn't let anyone into the infirmary.
The main reason for this was Leonhardt, even more so than me.
He needed a little more time. It was safe to assume Adelia saw the situation that way.
It might have been different for someone else, but he was the type to pick himself up and strengthen his resolve on his own. She was giving him the time to do just that.
“But you never know… If you speak well of me… she might let me in, right? Huh? Please… I’m begging you.”
*Step.*
Yumia tightened her grip on my hand and took another step closer, her appeal so desperate I couldn’t bring myself to push her away forcefully.
‘What do I do about this?’
To be honest… asking Adelia once wasn't the problem.
Besides, Leonhardt, who had been so distraught yesterday, had now steeled his resolve. A strong part of me thought it might be okay for him to see someone now.
“Please…? I know I was harsh to you before… I was cold, and I’m truly sorry for that… I’ll be better to you from now on… Just this once. Please, just grant me this one request… okay?”
As if sensing my hesitation, she pressed harder… and a soft sigh escaped my lips.
Even knowing all this, I couldn’t treat Yumia dismissively.
Yumia was a person who would play an important role in this world’s future. A being destined to play a major role as a main heroine.
She had that much potential.
And… if I flatly refused her when she was pleading so desperately, she would surely resent me. Knowing Yumia’s personality, I was almost certain of it.
‘But if I ask Adelia, her feelings will influence her decision.’
That, more than anything, bothered me.
I had a feeling that if I asked, Adelia would grant the request.
And I had a strange feeling about whether that was the right thing to do.
But my hesitation didn't last long.
“Alright… I’ll go ask her, just once. But if the answer is no, you have to accept it, okay?”
“Yes! I will. Thank you so much for agreeing!”
She gave my hand a gentle shake and smiled so brightly that a small smile escaped my own lips as I looked at her.
…The pain in my left hand wasn’t that bad, so it was bearable.
But more than that, seeing someone so desperate, feeling their earnestness so directly…
I just found myself wanting to help.
***
*Clack.*
Rounding the corner to the infirmary, Glacia couldn't comprehend the scene that had unfolded before her eyes.
“……”
She blinked, finding herself tilting her head in confusion.
She tapped her cheek, then pinched her side, letting out a faint hiss.
“Ah.”
Only then did she accept that what she was seeing was real.
But it still felt utterly surreal. It looked like Yumia was holding Han Cheon-seong’s hand while they talked.
They were too far away for her to hear what they were saying.
But Han Cheon-seong kept looking at Yumia with a troubled expression, hesitating.
The more he did, the more Yumia seemed to press herself forward… even taking another step closer to him. For some reason, I could only watch blankly.
When I saw my sister off yesterday, she had told me about Han Cheon-seong.
That he was almost fully recovered. That I didn’t need to worry too much. And that they had already made plans, so I could meet him today.
…Everything my sister said was true.
Seeing Han Cheon-seong for the first time in days, he really did look fine. But… I couldn’t understand the scene before me.
‘Why?’
Why was Yumia holding Han Cheon-seong’s hand and speaking with such desperate emotion?
Then, as Han Cheon-seong reluctantly nodded, Yumia’s face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“……”
It was a smile of pure happiness, unlike anything she ever showed in class… It was so radiant that my eyes were drawn to it.
And Han Cheon-seong was no different from me.
Just as I was staring at Yumia, he was staring at her with a dazed look in his eyes.
*Click.*
Right after Han Cheon-seong disappeared into the infirmary, I found myself staring blankly at his back. I also saw Yumia, who watched him until the very end.
Her red hair was more disheveled than usual. She slowly brought the hands that had held Han Cheon-seong’s to her chest, biting her lip as a small smile formed.
*Hooo.*
There was something about the sight of Yumia letting out a deep sigh…
It was just strange. Why my heart stirred so strangely at the sight.
I wasn’t even sure if my mood was souring…
I really couldn’t understand the reason at all.
“...?”
Suddenly, Yumia’s gaze shifted to me, and I gasped, hiding myself.
“……”
My heart pounded wildly as I hid around the corner.
‘Why.’
Why did I hide?
There was no reason to. I had simply come to meet Han Cheon-seong as we’d planned. I had thought waiting outside the infirmary would let me see him sooner than waiting at the park…
So why…
“……am I in such a bad mood.”
Why did I have to feel so bad?
I frowned, placing a hand over my chest.
Amidst my racing heart, a dull ache throbbed in a corner of my chest. An inexplicable, persistent pain.
*Grit.*
I bit my lip, completely unable to understand these feelings.
“……”
And yet, the image of the two of them from moments ago kept replaying in my mind.