Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Something's Wrong with Millia
-----------------------------------------------------------------
***
Millia was acting strange.
For the past few days, Luna had been getting a strong sense that something was off.
It was as if this wasn't the Millia she knew.
But she couldn't figure out why.
It was just a gut feeling, an instinct that Millia had changed somehow.
Her attitude toward me... it seemed the same.
She and Millia were supposed to be the best of friends...
In her mind's eye, Millia offered a gentle smile.
“Anyway, Luna, I thought the academy’s written exam would be a bit easier. Don’t you think it’s harder than expected?”
“...You’re right. Now that you say so, Millia. I guess I feel that way too. When we just compared answers... so many of them were different.”
She nodded softly as she replied.
Honestly, she'd thought the test was easy, but when they actually compared answers, they disagreed on a surprising number of questions.
...And in those cases, Millia was usually right. She was an incredibly bright girl, one I truly admired.
‘The answers seemed so obvious to me. I guess they weren’t.’
Still not understanding, her gaze drifted to the side.
“I guess I’ll have to study harder from now on.”
Beneath her short black bob, Millia seemed to be mulling over the exam.
That, too, was the ‘diligent Millia’ she knew.
She was so diligent it reminded Luna why she held her friend in such high regard...
And yet, something felt off.
She was with Millia right now, of course.
But something still felt... peculiar. A nagging feeling lingered in the back of her mind.
Nothing was particularly different from usual, yet Millia seemed to be changing, little by little.
Even when Luna spoke, Millia seemed to reply as she always did, but there was a sense of detachment, as if she were just going through the motions.
‘Something... is wrong with Millia.’
They had been inseparable friends for eight years, cherishing one another.
And all that time, being with Millia had been fun and comfortable.
That was why she’d even requested a lower class placement after the entrance exams—just to spend more time with Millia.
But now, it felt as though Millia had no desire to grow any closer.
"Millia."
“...Hm?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Even just now, when she called her name, Millia’s gaze had taken half a second longer to meet hers than it would have before they entered the academy.
It was as if her mind was elsewhere. Luna couldn’t understand it.
She cared for Millia so deeply, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
She wished Millia would respond to her with the same warmth as before... but that wasn’t happening.
The more she thought about it, the more a sense of disappointment grew within her.
And she had a suspicion as to why.
Whenever she felt Millia’s gaze wander to somewhere else entirely, one thing naturally came to mind. Her hands clenched without her realizing it.
It was usually directed at one man.
A man with dark black hair and black eyes, a shade different from Millia’s... That utterly detestable man.
‘His name... Han Cheon-seong.’
The sound of his voice from yesterday, when he’d looked at her and said he was leaving to avoid something filthy, was still vivid in her memory.
A commoner with no family name, who didn't even know his place, trying to sit next to her... How could she possibly forget him?
And honestly, she didn’t believe the rumors spreading like wildfire about his duel.
Leonhardt, the top student from the entrance exams who’d even given the commencement speech. The idea that this commoner had dueled him to a draw was simply absurd, no matter how she thought about it.
‘What utter nonsense.’
Even if they had truly fought to a draw, she figured that the student named Leonhardt must have gone easy on him, or perhaps let his guard down. In any case, he couldn't have been taking it seriously.
Now that she thought about it, she didn’t like that Leonhardt fellow either.
A draw with a Common-grade student? Did he take dueling so lightly? She slowly shook her head.
She didn’t want to think about that man any longer.
Right now, she just needed to enjoy her time with Millia. Even if she felt hurt, she was sure that if she treated Millia better, Millia would come around.
*Thump.*
Then, suddenly hearing footsteps nearby, her gaze drifted over absently.
And she found herself frowning.
‘What the…?’
Why.
Why is *that man* here?
The man named Han Cheon-seong had appeared out of nowhere.
“Excuse me. Do you have a moment?”
He spoke in a voice so gentle it was unsettling, a complete departure from his demeanor at the opening ceremony... For a moment, even she couldn't process it.
She could practically feel goosebumps rising on her arms.
‘What is he trying to pull…!’
Just as she was about to speak.
*Grasp!*
Suddenly, Millia grabbed her arm urgently. The action stopped the words in her throat.
It was the same way Millia always stopped her.
“Yes! We’re fine. You’re student Han Cheon-seong, right?”
And then... she looked at him with a dazzling smile. In that instant, Luna’s simmering anger iced over and sank.
‘Why.’
...Why was Millia smiling so brightly?
And at the man she despised most, no less.
Why was she giving him a radiant smile she rarely ever showed Luna... She couldn’t understand.
No, she didn’t *want* to understand.
***
“Yes! We’re fine. You’re student Han Cheon-seong, right?”
Han Cheon-seong was momentarily taken aback by Millia's cheerful reply.
“...Yes, that’s me. And you’re student Millia, correct?”
Her name was on her tag, so of course he was right, but Millia nodded with a brilliant smile anyway.
“Yes, that’s me. You can speak casually. Leaving the lecture hall this early, you must have done well on the ethics exam.”
As she looked at him with a soft yet peculiar gaze, he found himself blinking.
‘What is this…?’
Why was this first impression so good?
He had expected this sudden approach to be difficult—not as hostile as Luna, perhaps, but still challenging to even start a conversation.
But that wasn’t the impression he was getting now.
In fact, this felt almost... easy.
Since she told him to be comfortable, he dropped the formalities.
“Then I’ll speak casually. You can call me by my name too, Millia. It’s nothing important, really... we were assigned to the same class, and I was hoping we could get to know each other. If you have time, would you be willing to talk for a bit?”
He spoke nonchalantly, but his gaze flickered toward Luna.
Luna stood there with a dazed expression, her arm still in Millia’s grasp. The sight was both comical and confusing.
‘Why is she being so quiet?’
Finding it strange, he awaited an answer, and Millia immediately nodded.
“Ah, getting to know each other... I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
At Millia's positive response, he met her gaze.
“...”
Meeting her light, bluish eyes—so different from his own—felt quite strange. She’d accepted his proposal so easily, it made him wonder about her intentions.
*Flick.*
But moments after their eyes met, she looked away. He faltered, surprised.
‘Did I... do something wrong?’
As he wondered why she’d averted her gaze, he took a moment to properly look at Millia.
In the original story, she was a side character, completely overshadowed by the heroine, Luna. But seeing her up close, her beauty was remarkable.
From a distance, her short black hair and cute features had given him a favorable impression. But up close, the beauty mark under her right eye was strangely captivating.
It added a strange allure to her cuteness, a captivating charm that could change her entire impression in an instant.
‘What am I thinking...’
He immediately cleared his head and spoke.
“Shall we go, then? I heard there’s a nice cafe on campus. We could talk there.”
As he spoke, he made sure not to look at Luna.
For some reason, the conversation was flowing well. He had to keep this momentum going. The answer to his question had to come from Millia, and Millia alone.
“A cafe? I think that sounds nice. Oh, right. Luna, you’re okay with that, right? Huh? Right!?”
The moment Millia turned to Luna and repeated the question, he thought, *I’m screwed.*
He should have just led the way to the cafe, keeping the momentum. Asking Luna for her opinion at the last second... The answer was a foregone conclusion.
‘She’ll refuse.’
He sighed internally, a keen sense of disappointment washing over him.
He didn’t know how many more chances like this he would get. It felt like he’d just let a golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
The reason was simple: even though they were best friends, Luna held the real power in their relationship.
Luna’s background as a member of the Vermont noble family was reason enough, and it was clear Millia usually went along with her wishes.
As he watched on with a sense of futility.
For some reason...
“……”
Luna, who he’d expected to refuse immediately, remained silent.
Instead, she just stared blankly, as if her soul had left her body.
“Uh, um, Luna? It’s not just me, another student is waiting for you.”
A flustered Millia called to her again, pressing for an answer. Only then did a spark of life seem to return to Luna’s eyes.
*Whip!*
Luna’s head snapped toward him. For a second, his heart stopped.
Seriously... how could someone’s eyes look so murderous?
“...Fine. Let’s go.”
Luna replied in a voice that was utterly flat.
And he, thinking 'as expected', was about to turn away.
“...Huh?”
Now it was his turn to be dumbfounded.
For a moment, he couldn’t believe his ears.
‘That... wasn’t a no?’
Wait, did I hear that right?
“So, student Han Cheon-seong? I guess we can all head to the cafe now.”
Hearing the soft, happy tone in Millia’s voice, he replied in a daze.
“...Just call me Han Cheon-seong.”
Millia nodded happily at his words and then glanced naturally at Luna.
His own gaze followed hers, still dazed.
No way.
“Lu. Na.”
She bit out her name, syllable by syllable, before immediately turning her head away. The moment he saw her, he began to question reality.
*Squeeze.*
He discreetly pinched his thigh. The pain was all too real.
‘No, how is this even happening?’
*Click.*
He fell into step beside Millia, who was already walking ahead. She smiled brightly, looking at him with an expression of wonder.
As he took in Millia’s friendly gaze, his eyes drifted—strangely—to Luna, who walked silently beside her.
What on earth...
'What is this situation?'
There was more than one thing happening that was completely beyond his comprehension.