Someone's Dilemma (3)
Lee Ha-eun gritted her teeth. “Erden Fabel……” Her voice, on the verge of breaking into sobs, simply filled the empty classroom.
Without a single thought in his head, Marei stared blankly at the road ahead. For some strange reason, Lee Ha-eun’s figure kept lingering in his mind. He couldn’t understand why. A sticky sensation clung to his ankles, showing no intention of letting him go.
The sun was slowly climbing higher than his own height. After staring at the meaningless stretch of road for a long while, Marei spotted a familiar silhouette and rose from his seat, hurrying after it.
The silver-haired vampire princess, smiling faintly while surrounded by people. Unaware that Marei was approaching, Philia continued walking and chatting quietly with those around her.
He had only taken a few steps toward her when her crimson eyes suddenly fixed on him. The vampire princess gave a small wave and a smile, said something brief to the people around her, then gracefully broke away from the group and walked toward him.
Unlike usual, a bright yellow brooch gleamed at the center of her chest, adorned with red ribbons.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“J-just a little…”
When Philia asked so casually, Marei couldn’t bring himself to say it was a coincidence and ended up lying instead. For a moment her eyes widened, not realizing it was a lie, but then she smiled brightly. Seeing that, Marei decided it didn’t matter and smiled back.
“I’m happy, but I don’t know how to react.”
Under the sunlight, the vampire lady spun her elegantly gleaming silver hair around her finger and gave a bitter smile. In truth, if it were a normal boy and girl situation, Marei also had no idea how he was supposed to react and wanted to ask the same question.
Her eyes narrowed like a cat’s, and Marei froze stiff, unable to do anything. Should he hold her hand? Or should he greet her warmly? If they were just friends it would have been easier, but whenever he was with Philia, Marei became painfully aware of how childish he seemed.
She was completely different from Ilien, who would throw herself into his arms, from Labella, who touched him so naturally, from Idrien, who would sneakily grab his hand, from Julia, who whispered words of love when they were alone, or from Erden, who would kiss him without hesitation.
Having grown used to being passively led by his partners’ advances, dating Philia felt incredibly frustrating and frightening to Marei. Unlike the others who showed him unconditional affection, Philia had told him she disliked things and had even gotten angry with him.
It was stifling. With Idrien, he had been able to act confidently thanks to Labella’s advice, but with Philia he had no idea what to say or what expression to show.
“…..Hello, Philia.”
Even so, he couldn’t just stand there doing nothing. He greeted her with the first thing that came to mind.
“Yes, Marei. Nice to see you. Did you get home safely yesterday? Nothing happened because of that trash Sheffield, right?”
Marei began walking beside Philia as she started moving naturally, matching her pace. Even though she wore slightly heeled shoes, her steps were faster than his usual walking speed.
“Ah, yes. Nothing in particular happened.”
“I’ve been thinking… it feels like we still don’t know each other very well.”
“Huh?”
Philia smiled bitterly, as if making a confession. “Right? I like you, but I don’t even know what your hobbies are.”
“Ah…..”
Marei was so stunned he couldn’t close his mouth. The moment he heard her words, the joy of being told she liked him was overshadowed by embarrassment. Come to think of it, he had never really had a proper conversation with Philia. They had talked about their feelings for each other occasionally, but they had never truly met as individuals.
Honestly, Marei didn’t know what Philia liked. And the same was probably true for her.
“What do you like?”
At her question, Marei stared at her blankly. Her silver hair sparkled in the light, and her blood-red eyes looked more captivating than frightening. When she smiled faintly, the fangs peeking between her lips made Marei swallow dryly without realizing it.
“I asked what you like, Marei.”
“Ah, me? I… well… I like books, exercise, animals, friends, and games too. That’s… um…”
“Pfft.”
Philia laughed. Marei’s face stiffened. He had rambled too much out of nervousness. He carefully watched her expression, but she didn’t seem to be mocking or looking down on him. She simply lowered her head slightly, her slender shoulders trembling faintly.
“I see. Yeah, I like books too. I quite enjoy exercise, and I like my friends. I’ve never played games so I wouldn’t know. Unfortunately, I dislike animals. Just taking care of myself is already exhausting. Taking responsibility for another life sounds terrifying.”
Philia took one step after another. As the distance between them gradually closed, Marei didn’t avoid her gaze. He felt sorry, but he couldn’t focus on what she was saying.
“You don’t need to be so nervous, Marei.”
“Ah, yeah….. Ria.”
Just one more step and they would be close enough to feel each other’s breath. Philia smiled softly.
“This is my first time too, just like you. I don’t know what to do either. But it’s better than being scared and doing nothing, right?”
Encouraged by the princess’s light wink, Marei decided to be brave too. He reached out his hand first.
“Um… can I hold your hand?”
“……Well… yes. I’d like that.”
Philia squeezed her eyes shut and took Marei’s hand. Their joined hands trembled, and she gripped him so tightly it almost hurt.
“Are you embarrassed…?”
“A little.”
Philia avoided his eyes and let out a small laugh. Then, without avoiding his gaze, she spoke calmly.
“I’m not scared or nervous. Understand?”
Her hand was still shaking.
“Yes, I understand perfectly, Princess.”
“I told you to call me Young Lady.”
Philia smiled with satisfaction. Marei had a simple meal with Philia and chatted about various things. They talked about the flowers blooming in the garden, the clouds that morning, and occasionally about the rivers of the principality that came to mind.
Philia spoke more lively and joyfully than usual. At least, that was how it felt to Marei. As he listened to her stories, he had the brief thought that the young lady before him lived in the same world he did.
He had been afraid that if the conversation turned to stocks or investments—the kind of things passing students talked about—things would get awkward, but Philia never brought up such topics. Her stories were incredibly vivid, filled with every shade of color, so Marei could listen with genuine enjoyment.
Unlike himself, who spent every day drowning in carnal pleasure, she had so many experiences and was learning so much. It made him reflect a little. Maybe he should read a book.
Marei thought of the library he used during self-study. When Philia talked about the literary works she had read, he only knew a few of them, so he could only smile bitterly.
Noticing his troubled expression, Philia laughed lightly and wrapped up the topic.
“How’s your exam preparation going?”
Ah. Philia’s question hit him like a blow to the back of the head. He had been studying diligently. He kept up with previewing and reviewing, but he hadn’t prepared specifically for the exams. The school near the barrier where he used to attend didn’t really have proper exams. It was simply a process of learning and confirming.
The word “exam” filled him with fear, yet a subtle sense of anticipation grew between those feelings. Of course, if he could avoid taking them, he would prefer not to.
“Hehe, you haven’t done any at all, have you? Come to my house later. I’ll teach you. How are the classes? I heard from Celine that you’re taking them at an absurd pace. Is it manageable?”
“Ah, yes…”
Caught between enthusiastic teachers, Marei was barely keeping up with an insane curriculum just to secure even one more second of alone time with them. When he didn’t understand, they forced comprehension through countless examples. Julia devoted the most time to his education. When his head started overheating, she would pause for a moment of affection or light sex, then resume the lesson once he calmed down.
As for Ilien, she would say, “I’ll give you perfect scores!” and skip the curriculum entirely, only to be caught by Labella and severely scolded before proceeding in a somewhat normal manner. Of course, when Julia heard that Ilien was finishing a week’s worth of lessons in thirty minutes, she voiced concern that it seemed too sloppy. But after watching Marei solve problems fluently, she kept her mouth shut.
“That’s good to hear. What about the choir? You seem to go every Friday?”
The sudden mention of the choir caught Marei off guard, and he couldn’t help but ask again.
“Marei, Senior Xsareti is the student council president.”
Ah. Marei nodded. She was too old to be called a student, but she had circumstances that kept her attending school.
“Do you know Senior Shasha well, Philia?”
Shasha… Philia murmured softly.
“I know her well. I’m in the student council too. But you’re calling her by a nickname… I’m jealous.”
Philia was looking at him with a strange gaze. For a while she said nothing, simply resting her chin on her hand and staring at him. It was as if she was waiting for something.
“Philia…?”
The vampire princess continued to watch him in silence. With one eye half-closed, she smiled at him leisurely.
“Philia.”
Even when Marei called her, Philia simply smiled and looked at him. For some reason, she seemed angry. Looking closer, her eyes weren’t smiling. Only the corners of her mouth were forcibly pulled up in a fake smile.
Why was she angry? What had Philia just said? ‘You’re calling her by a nickname… I’m jealous.’
“Ah, Ria. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. You’re a bit late. You really have no sense…”
The vampire young lady let out a small sigh.
“You call the student council president by a nickname, but why do I go from Ria to Philia again?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I told you not to apologize. Really… when you call me so stiffly, it feels like there’s a wall between us.”
Though she spoke in a scolding tone, she wasn’t actually angry. She swung her feet back and forth while smiling. This time, her eyes were smiling too.
“I was wrong, Ria. No, I love you, Ria.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s right.”
“I love you, Ria.”
“….Yeah. That’s right.”
Seeing the princess unable to meet his eyes when he said he loved her, Marei firmly took her hand on the table and spoke again.
“I really love you, Ria.”
“I know, I know. Stop.”
“I mean it.”
Philia smiled awkwardly and began shaking her head left and right. She would meet his gaze only to look away again, her face flushed pink.
“I love you.”
“Ah… ugh… stop… stop. Stop stop! I’m embarrassed!!”
Her ears, which resembled an elf’s yet were mysteriously short and pointed, turned bright red. Marei considered pushing further, but if he did, the princess looked like she would run away immediately. He wanted to talk with her a little more, and he also wanted to see her fleeing figure, but he barely managed to suppress his desire.
“How have you been, Ria?”
“Yeah… no, no. I haven’t been well.”
Philia shook her head vigorously, then scratched her cheek with a strangely flushed face, embarrassed by her hasty answer.
“Did something happen?”
“There’s always a lot going on. The most troublesome thing among them is this.”
The Empire’s prestigious university seeks talented students.
We have taken note of your exceptional qualities.
We eagerly await your enrollment.
Philia pulled a letter from her bosom. When she handed it to him to read, its unexpected weight nearly made him drop it. Opening it revealed pages densely decorated with golden patterns.
“I’ve only heard that the Imperial University scouts talented students, but it seems it’s actually happening.”
The Emperor’s personal seal that Labella had shown him to remember was stamped on it. Whether the rumor that the Emperor poured his heart into education was true, or whether Philia possessed something that caught the Emperor’s attention, he wasn’t sure. But a short, handwritten note expressing simple expectations for Philia was written there.
“I clearly refused during the founding festival. What is this person thinking….”
Tap, tap, tap— Philia’s small fingers repeatedly tapped the table.
“Don’t you want to go to university, Ria?”
“I do want to go. If the situation in the country weren’t so chaotic, I would have considered it a good opportunity. The Empire’s new technologies, the forefront of science and magic, a place where art from all over the world gathers!”
Whether she was very interested in the Imperial University or not, the vampire princess began chattering excitedly enough that Marei couldn’t get a word in. She talked about architectural styles of various countries, imperial traditions… and so on. Unfortunately, it was all topics Marei couldn’t understand at all.
“……If I could, I’d throw everything away and go study. You know the circumstances make that impossible.”
Philia let out a long sigh. She pressed her lips tightly together, making it clear without words how regretful she felt. The corners of her mouth trembled faintly.
“It can’t be helped…”
Though she called it an unnecessary item, Philia neither threw away nor tore up the invitation. She carefully tucked it back into her bosom and smiled with a subtle expression.
She had said that as the princess of the principality, she was fighting with her half-siblings over the right of succession. Whenever she talked about it, the agitated Philia seemed like a completely different person from the one Marei knew.
“That trash is also running around trying to send me to the Imperial University, while the concubine bitch is dragging all sorts of forces into the principality. Raising someone without the qualifications of a successor as the heir means tearing the principality apart. To outsiders, that doesn’t matter much.”
The prince consort is… Philia let out a small sigh.