I'll Wait For You
I clasped both of his hands in mine.
They felt even warmer than a single hand, carrying a deeper kind of heat.
His calm eyes flickered, and I could feel the strength in his grip tightening around my fingers.
‘…’
Is he happy?
When I lifted my head, Lutes’s face—illuminated by the library’s lamps—was faintly flushed.
The orange glow made his eyes look even brighter.
Those same eyes that had once held the stars when he gazed at the sky.
Now, they held my hands instead.
A good person.
It wasn’t something that could be fully captured in those simple words, but if I had to put it plainly, that’s what he was.
I knew how difficult it was to rise from Beta to Alpha Class.
I also knew that becoming my lover would likely invite trouble in the hallways.
Yet he never showed even the slightest hint of resentment toward me.
The warmth I’d felt during those three encounters in our first year hadn’t been a coincidence.
Even now, as our hands were joined, he probably didn’t realize it.
‘…I like this.’
The sound of his heartbeat was so incredibly comforting.
The way he held my hand and looked at me. The way he worked hard for my sake. The simple fact that I could see him right in front of me like this—I loved all of it.
I didn’t know how most couples usually progressed in their relationship.
So I simply did what I wanted to do.
When I pressed my lips to his cheek, I could feel the texture of his skin.
The rough sensation and the faint trembling that traveled through my lips felt wonderful.
“Do it.”
That’s why I wanted to receive it from him too.
“…”
His expression didn’t change, but—
‘It sped up.’
I could feel his pulse quickening through our joined hands.
His face, bathed in the crimson lamplight, began to burn even hotter.
And then.
His eyes started trembling again.
Is he feeling sorry?
‘Don’t be sorry.’
Lutes…
I’m incredibly happy right now.
So please… don’t make that face.
“Eline.”
His trembling voice became clear.
“Yeah.”
He lifted his head, capturing me in his gaze.
“…I.”
His lips moved slightly.
What was he trying to say?
‘…No.’
Don’t say it right now.
Strength began to flow into my hands.
Please don’t run away.
Did I ask too soon?
No tears fell, but Lutes’s eyes glistened with moisture.
“Lutes.”
“…”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“…”
“So don’t make that face.”
In the time without you, I only ever looked forward and kept walking, Lutes.
But after meeting you, I stopped in the middle of the path and started looking beside me and behind me.
Because even if you’re far away, I can wait.
Even though I’m clumsy at looking back, I’ll work just as hard as you do.
“…Do it.”
It was a plea.
Lutes quietly looked at me.
Beyond the flickering light, his face had grown closer to scarlet than crimson, but I didn’t care.
Because now his eyes held only me.
Once again, I clasped both of his hands.
Slowly, I closed my eyes.
All vision was cut off, and every sense focused solely on touch.
Through the faintly scattered cold air, I felt warmth approaching.
Little by little.
Little by little.
‘…’
Tap—
It touched.
…
I squeezed his hand even tighter.
I focused every nerve on the sensation against my cheek.
It was only for a moment, but it had definitely happened.
His trembling lips brushed my cheek and then pulled away.
A tingling, dizzying feeling. A fleeting instant that felt like eternity.
As the warmth gradually faded and his body drew back, I opened my eyes again.
“…”
“…”
He avoided my gaze.
As if he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes, he lowered his head deeply and muttered in a small voice.
“…I did it.”
“I know.”
Because I had definitely felt it. Because I could still feel it.
“Thank you.”
“…No… I should be the one…”
Lutes couldn’t continue. He simply murmured what sounded like incoherent mutterings to himself.
…
‘He’s cute.’
I could feel my own heart rate rising, but it was completely drowned out by the pulse I felt through his hand.
I did it.
I actually did it.
For a moment I wondered if I should really be doing this, but after hearing her last words, I made up my mind.
Do it.
It was the first time my lips had ever touched someone else’s body.
It was cold, yet soft.
I thought I might lose my mind, but I clenched my teeth and held on.
What must my face look like right now…?
I didn’t want to look in a mirror.
I didn’t want to show it to Eline either, so I kept my head down.
It was my first time expressing affection to someone, so I worried I might have done it wrong.
The only affection I’d ever given before was hugging Alfred and my mother when I was little.
‘Hoo…’
My first act of affection nearly gave me hyperventilation.
It was justkis on the cheek, yet my hands were shaking and my head was spinning.
“Lutes.”
“Y-yeah…?”
When Eline called my name, I unconsciously lifted my head. It was a strange feeling—like my body moved first and my mind followed after.
“About Professor Raen.”
Ah, right. That was the original topic.
Eline slowly released both of my hands and turned her chair back around.
As the heated atmosphere began to cool, thankfully the heat in my face started to subside as well.
She took a book out of her bag, opened it, and dipped her quill in ink.
“It’s been thirteen years since he retired from the Inspectorate, and ten years since he started teaching at the academy.”
I turned my own chair back around and listened attentively to her story.
I already knew most of it.
Professor Raen had been part of the Inspectorate. He’d suffered a serious injury while eradicating the Dawn Moon—a notorious criminal organization even within the empire—and had stepped back from active duty to focus on training the next generation.
“I know the general story, but not the details.”
Why was she suddenly bringing this up?
“I won.”
“What?”
“Against Professor Raen. I won our spar.”
…
“You won?”
My head went cold—so cold it felt like I’d been slapped.
Eline calmly stated the fact and continued writing on the parchment with her inked quill.
“Yeah.”
“You beat the professor?”
Professor Raen?
I recalled the afternoon spar.
Even though he hadn’t gone all out, I could still clearly feel his experience and strength. It had left my skin tingling.
‘…Wow.’
Eline had beaten that same Professor Raen. Of course there must have been several penalties involved, but it was still incredible.
“He’s been retired for a long time, and besides me, there are about four other students who’ve beaten him too.”
Perhaps noticing my stare, Eline calmly added the explanation.
“Really…?”
The first names that came to mind were Serean and Tyrion.
A few other top-ranking students flashed through my head as well.
But what mattered was the gap I could now feel.
From afar, I had simply thought it looked high. But now that I was climbing it myself from up close, I truly understood just how tall it was.
Goosebumps rose on my skin.
“That’s amazing.”
It really was. So much so that I felt awe.
Scritch.
Eline’s hand, which had been diligently transcribing, suddenly stopped. She clenched the hand holding the quill tightly, then released it.
“Eline?”
Then she whipped her head around.
It was the first time she’d ever done that.
She always looked straight into my eyes, and even when she turned away, it was only slightly. This was the first time she’d turned her whole body, and it made my heart skip a beat.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
“No… I mean… it’s just really amazing. I’m not being sarcastic…”
I hurriedly tried to explain, but she still kept her head turned away.
“…Lutes.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s study.”
At her firm words, I realized I must have done something wrong.
Though I had no idea what exactly it was.
‘…?’
I stared closely at Eline, who had completely turned her head away.
‘Her ears…’
The ear visible between her hair was burning bright red.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, she tried to casually fix her hair and cover it, but it was already too late.
‘…’
Is she embarrassed?
‘Because I praised her?’
Now that I thought about it, I’d only ever said thank you to her. I couldn’t remember ever giving her big compliments before.
…
No way.
There’s no way Eline would react like that just because of something like—
‘Or would she?’
I pondered it, but asking any further would be rude.
Without another word, I turned my eyes back to my book and began taking notes. Hearing the sound, Eline slowly picked up her quill again.
Once more, we quietly focused on studying.
With one hand I wrote notes, and with the other I began clenching and unclenching for mana control practice…
Grab—
Eline took my hand.
When I turned to look, she was still writing, but she had lowered our joined hands beneath the desk.
“Eline, I was practicing—”
“Don’t.”
She held my hand tightly and wouldn’t let go. Come to think of it, she always held my hand while we studied.
I liked it too, but…
‘Now…’
After diagnosing myself, I knew I needed to consistently practice handling mana.
“Sorry, Eline. I really need to practice.”
I spoke firmly and tried to pull my hand away, but instead of loosening her grip, Eline squeezed even harder—as if she wanted to interlace our fingers.
“Eli—”
“I don’t want to.”
….
One by one, she began locking each of my fingers in place so I couldn’t escape.
Only after our hands were completely intertwined did she squeeze once more.
‘Is this what binding magic feels like?’
I knew I should pull away firmly, but I couldn’t. So I gave up.
Feeling the touch of Eline’s hand, I tried my best to concentrate on at least salvaging my notes.
In the quiet silence, the only sounds were the ticking of the clock, our breathing, and occasionally the distant voices of other students.
‘This part is tricky.’
Whenever I came across something I didn’t understand while taking notes, I immediately jotted it down in the margin.
It felt wrong to interrupt Eline’s studying, and I didn’t want to keep asking her questions, so I decided to collect everything and ask the professors later.
‘Maybe I should take a break soon.’
As always after studying for a long time, my backside started to ache and my head began to throb.
Still, I could clearly feel that I had improved compared to the first day I resumed studying.
When I glanced beside me, Eline still hadn’t lifted her eyes from her book, deeply focused.
And then my gaze fell on her cheek.
‘…Ah.’
The cheek my lips had touched just moments ago.
It looked so white and soft.
I quickly turned my head back to my book, but my concentration had already been shattered long ago.
‘Today’s study session is ruined.’
With a self-mocking sigh, I began doodling with my quill.
A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Countless people clinked their glasses, enjoying the atmosphere, while elegant, subdued music further enriched the mood of the banquet hall.
The styles of clothing varied widely, yet the crowd mingled without distinction, smiling as they conversed.
And among that crowd stood one man.
As if waiting for someone, he wasn’t surrounded by people. Only a single attendant stood behind him.
Even so, the aura he possessed overwhelmed the entire gathering.
“Berna.”
“Yes, Master.”
Berna bowed her head respectfully.
“In five minutes, have the carriage ready.”
“Understood.”
The man—Roggerd—treated time as precious as gold.
He always set his schedule with absolute precision, allowing not even the slightest error, and he despised anything that disrupted it.
Even if it came from the imperial family.
He quietly swirled his wine glass, causing the deep red liquid inside to ripple.
‘Alcohol.’
He didn’t particularly like drinking.
Alcohol numbed reason and clouded judgment.
People said it made them feel happy when drunk, but he simply couldn’t understand that emotion.
“Is the next schedule with the court mages?”
“Yes, it is scheduled for six o’clock this evening. Shall I also send word to the eldest young master?”
The eldest young master.
She meant Evan.
Considering that he currently served in the imperial magic corps, Berna’s question had been purely formal.
“No. Don’t waste time on pointless things.”
“Understood.”
Roggerd rejected the idea of reuniting with his son without the slightest hesitation.
“Contact Gelberin. There were many points to criticize in the thesis he submitted this time.”
And when he thought of his second son at the Magic Tower, his brow furrowed on its own.
“Pathetic fool.”
When he brought the wine glass to his lips, the taste of alcohol spread across his tongue.
He had two sons who had accomplished tremendous feats—one in the imperial magic division and the other at the Magic Tower—yet Roggerd felt less emotion than the taste of the alcohol in his mouth.
Humanity had advanced.
He had surpassed his father, who had surpassed his own grandfather.
But what about his own children?
Far from surpassing him, all he could see were their flaws. Even though he had passed down all his knowledge under the name of Payless, they were actually regressing.
Once again, a headache throbbed at his temples.
‘…’
There was at least one child he still held expectations for. His youngest, his daughter, who shared his eyes.
“Master, and also…”
Berna seemed to know who he was thinking of and began to speak.
Bang—
Suddenly the doors to the banquet hall opened, and imperial guards appeared.
“They’ve arrived.”
Their golden armor, distinctly superior in rank, shone far more brilliantly than the silver armor of the guards at the entrance.
These were not ordinary guards, but the emperor’s personal elite.
The chatter that had filled the hall stopped all at once, and every eye turned toward the entrance.
When Roggerd turned to face forward, a man began walking through the line of knights.
Hair the dark red of the emperor’s, paired with a relaxed and comfortable smile.
A face that held a different kind of ambition from his aggressive older brother and his arrogant younger brother.
“His Highness the Second Prince has arrived!”
The Second Prince, Karin Ibant.
The host of this banquet and the one who had summoned Roggerd.