Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: Did You Do That Just to Make Me Worry?
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***
When Cheon-seong visited the nurse’s office, he found that Leonhardt was not there.
“……”
Finding himself naturally alone with Instructor Adelia, his heart wavered.
The... turmoil was greater than I had anticipated.
Even now, as I was having a light tea time with her.
Though I had been confused after realizing Adelia’s feelings, I had been in the process of making up my mind.
—That I couldn't accept her feelings.
But today, after deciding I had to completely change my values and way of thinking, facing Adelia revealed a colossal difference that surpassed my expectations.
“I told you I’d pay more attention to you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. That’s why I made this arrangement for you to come see me once a week. I was afraid you’d overdo it again, that you’d get seriously hurt. But Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Why on earth didn’t you come see me on Friday? Were you trying to make me worry on purpose?”
Her voice was markedly different from usual, laden with deep emotion, and her gaze seemed relentless.
And so... facing her, the thought of looking away never even crossed my mind.
“Instructor Adelia. I didn't come because I was genuinely fine. That wasn't my intention at all. If anything, you've treated me so many times already, I didn't want to worry you again. I thought I would just worry you needlessly.”
“If that were the case, you should have come to see me all the more. When I belatedly heard from Instructor Kalli that you had faced an Apostle. Do you have any idea... any idea how shocked I was?”
Adelia pressed me again and again. Faced with her eyes, so clearly filled with emotion, I… couldn't think of anything else to say.
“Instructor Adelia. I’m truly sorry if I made you worry. From now on, I’ll come to you right away.”
“...If you understand, then I really hope this doesn’t happen again. If something this major happens, don’t have such needless thoughts and just come find me immediately. Understood?”
“Yes… I understand.”
As I answered, I found myself becoming acutely aware of her.
Not as an instructor, but as a woman.
She wasn't hiding her concern for me in the slightest, and her gaze, expressing her heart so openly, seemed to overwhelm me completely.
And so… I felt it even more keenly.
*‘To this extent….’*
How strong her feelings for me were. The affection laced in her voice was transmitted so directly that it felt as if my own resolve was cracking.
*‘I may have made my decision, but is it okay to be this shaken?’*
Even I was confused by my own feelings right now.
Just by letting go of my decision to reject her, the feeling of facing her was different. It felt like her emotions were knocking on the door of my heart, raw and exposed.
All the long hours I had spent with her in the past… they all felt different now.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
“…Yes.”
“You seem a little dazed today… Are you really okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Her tone was soft and gentle.
Suddenly.
As she unhesitatingly took my hand and manifested her healing power, I flinched at the warmth but nodded my head.
“I’m really fine. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Instructor Adelia… I think my body is just tense.”
“Tense from seeing me? Why all of a sudden?”
A casual remark.
Adelia, who spoke so nonchalantly, was looking at me with a perfectly composed expression.
But just having those clear, golden eyes fixed on me stirred a profoundly strange feeling.
*‘Is she doing this on purpose….’*
This was how Adelia was acting toward me.
And now that I knew her feelings, I also knew that her unhesitatingly taking my hand and expressing her emotions were all intentional actions.
She felt overwhelmingly provocative to me.
“……”
“……”
As our eyes met in silence, I looked at Adelia and thought I must seem a bit ridiculous.
*‘Such a charming person is right in front of me.’*
Yet the path I had to walk was to approach a woman named Ariya, with whom I had no connection. And that, in turn, made me think even more.
Did I have any reason to hesitate and falter with Adelia, who was right here before me?
From now on, when I met Ariya, I had to approach her with a clear objective. But wasn't it strange for me to hesitate and reject Adelia, who had shown me such great kindness and favor all this time?
“What’s that? Why are you suddenly smiling like that…?”
As Adelia asked, looking puzzled, I gently lowered my gaze.
I gently took her hand, which was still caressing mine, enshrouded in the light of healing.
A soft touch.
“……!”
Seeing Adelia’s strong reaction, as if she hadn’t expected me to take her hand in return, I spoke in a quiet voice.
“I suppose I got nervous hearing you were worried about me.”
“Ah… is, is that what it was?”
“Yes. That’s why you took my hand just now, isn’t it, Instructor Adelia?”
As I held her hand, I gently loosened my grip. Adelia, unlike before, gave a very awkward nod.
Then, clearing her throat, she gently withdrew her hand from mine. Her demeanor now clearly showed what was in her heart.
That even though she had shown me affection, the moment I responded even slightly, she was the one who became cautious.
“...Anyway. You haven't had lunch yet, have you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then have it with me. I’ll buy you lunch.”
Facing her gentle smile… I slowly shook my head.
“You don’t have to buy me anything. I’ve been the one receiving all this time. I’d like to treat you for once.”
“...Treat me? To lunch?”
“Yes.”
I replied calmly, meeting her gaze.
Now that I had made up my mind and decided on my attitude, there was no more hesitation.
*‘I’ll just act as my heart desires.’*
I decided to just think about whether it would work out or not later, clearing my mind instead.
If I was going to build a harem anyway, I couldn't afford to hesitate and worry over every single step.
Once I decided, I had to act.
Even if I wasn't sure I could pull it off completely, I had to try.
“Pfft. Where in the world is there an instructor who gets treated to a meal by a cadet? Just accept my offer, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. There’s no need to feel burdened like that.”
“No. This time, I really……”
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Are you really going to make me feel awkward?”
A firm statement.
As she spoke that one line and took my hand again, I had no choice but to nod.
To be honest… I couldn't assert myself too strongly with Adelia.
Just because I knew her feelings now didn't make her affectionate words and actions any easier to handle.
Her trivial words and actions shook my heart and made me even more conscious of her, creating great confusion.
A rustle.
“Then let’s go right now.”
As I watched Adelia rise from her seat, I flinched.
Her overwhelming presence. Her charm, which naturally drew a man's gaze, caught my attention before I quickly looked away.
Swallowing hard, I rose from my seat.
*‘…This might be a little dangerous.’*
Now that I had lowered my guard around Adelia, she felt more dangerous to me than anyone else, in a different sense.
...Just by being in front of me, she was an incredibly attractive woman.
My eyes were naturally drawn to her, and I found myself harboring strange feelings. Now that the previous limits had been lifted, I felt the dangerous urge to reach out and touch her without thinking.
“Oh, and Cadet Leonhardt has a dedicated instructor protecting him, so it’s fine to leave the nurse’s office empty. Let’s eat out.”
My heart fluttered at Adelia's words as she nonchalantly led me away.
It suddenly occurred to me that this was a ‘first’ for us.
The first time I decided to spend time with Adelia, perceiving her not as an instructor to whom I must show respect and courtesy, but as a woman…
***
—He’s different than usual.
It didn't take Adelia long to notice.
They were in one of the high-end restaurants located on the academy grounds.
Clink. Clank.
As the faint sound of cutlery was the only thing that echoed between them during their meal, Adelia cautiously looked up.
“...”
His calm demeanor, even showing a hint of leisure, gave her a strange feeling. It was distinctly different from all the other times they had eaten together.
*‘Why is that?’*
It wasn't that the place was different, or the food was different, but a fundamental feeling that Cadet Han Cheon-seong himself had changed.
A gut feeling that something about him had shifted, though she couldn't pinpoint what.
Then their eyes met, and she spoke awkwardly.
“So, how is it? Is the food to your liking?”
“Yes. It’s delicious. But Instructor Adelia, being treated to a meal at such a nice place… it feels a bit strange. I feel like I’m always on the receiving end.”
“I’m buying it for that very reason, so just accept it without feeling burdened, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
Even as they spoke, she couldn't help but be conscious of what had happened a moment ago.
A quick glance.
Her eyes fell on the hand that had held Cadet Han Cheon-seong's just a little while ago.
And the way he had so naturally taken her hand in return… that was definitely a first.
“Um, Instructor Adelia. May I ask you something?”
Hearing his voice, she pushed aside her thoughts and met his gaze.
“Yes. Feel free to ask.”
“It’s just that I’d like to hear what you think about something….”
“What is it that you’re hesitating so much about?”
She was curious as she spoke.
He was expressing curiosity and asking her a question.
While she had teased him before, he had always been the one to accept it and be put in a difficult position, so for him to be the one asking a question now was a welcome change for her.
“I’m curious about love.”
Clank.
...At his unexpected words, she unconsciously stopped the knife she was holding.
“Ah, love…?”
“Yes. About love. And not just ordinary love. Since I’m a commoner, I’ve become curious about the love of various nobles.”
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Within the academy, you don’t need to mention things like being a commoner.”
As she spoke, she found Cadet Han Cheon-seong’s behavior extremely peculiar.
*‘Why all of a sudden….’*
Why was he bringing up social status? And love, of all things. It was all so unexpected coming from him.
Despite the considerable time they had spent together, they had never once mentioned such things. For him to suddenly ask about it now…
“Yes. I appreciate you saying that, but… Instructor Adelia. Isn't there something often referred to as the responsibility of the nobility?”
“The responsibility of the nobility?”
“Yes. For instance, the words of Marquis Sejullia, who stated that love is responsibility, came to mind.”
…?
Things were getting stranger by the second. The sudden mention of Marquis Sejullia made it even harder to understand.
She was famous throughout the empire as a woman with a notorious history of many male partners.
“Marquis Sejullia… What about her views on love are you curious about?”
What on earth was Cadet Han Cheon-seong trying to say right now?
Marquis Sejullia, known for changing men at her whim, was someone who held a very peculiar reputation, even among female nobles.
“How does her expression of a noble’s responsibility come across to you, Instructor Adelia?”
“How it comes across to me……”