Chapter 32: The First Letter (32)
Chapter 32: The First Letter (32)
A heavy silence settled over the hospital room. It was a chilling stillness.
The air was pulled taut, as if it might snap and let out a sharp crack at any moment. Neither Celine nor I were shouting, but perhaps it would have been better if we were.
To be angry is to reveal one's emotions.
The more one does so, the easier it becomes to see through a deception. People often become more emotional when there is a truth they desperately want to hide from their opponent.
But Celine did not get angry. Amidst the silence, she simply stared at me with her amber eyes, saying nothing.
Celine leaned her back against the wall, arms crossed. Her gaze briefly avoided mine, scanning the empty air.
It was only after some time had passed that sound was born again within the silence.
Celine let out a short, dry chuckle and asked me, "…What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
It was a faint smile. Her expression suggested I was asking something ridiculous, but I knew better.
Celine reacted this way whenever there was something she wanted to hide. The lump of suspicion in my chest only grew larger.
I let out a sigh and rubbed my face with my hands. God, please.
"The nasty rumors about Seria—they’re spreading mainly among the second-year girls."
"There are plenty of girls in the second year. So what?"
Celine’s indifferent response was a signal that she didn't want to continue the conversation.
She pulled a small knife from her pocket and began to trim her nails. Regardless, I continued my deduction.
"From what I’ve heard, the second-year girls are uniquely focused on bullying Seria with words alone. When I looked into why, I found out they’re all lower nobles."
Celine let out a soft "Hmm," and turned her amber eyes toward me. A cold light was beginning to settle in them. It was a look I could never have imagined from the usually vivacious Celine.
Come to think of it, there had been so many hints.
First, there was Reto. He had even mentioned Celine explicitly, saying I should take good care of her. Even now, I couldn't understand why that would be a reason to bully Seria.
Nevertheless, as the pieces clicked into place, the reasons to suspect Celine grew.
Of course, there was no decisive evidence. However, seeing Celine’s reaction now, I was halfway certain.
Even if Celine wasn't the ringleader, she was at least involved. Otherwise, there was no reason for her to hide anything from me.
Our bond wasn't so thin and fragile.
Celine’s cold expression was a stark departure from her usual self, but I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this side of her.
It happened a few years ago. I had stayed at the Haster estate for a while, roaming around here and there with Reto and Celine.
At that time, thanks to Baron Haster’s consideration, we went hunting in the family’s private grounds. It was just a small forest, but it was a hunting ground nonetheless.
We caught a deer there and served it to the Baron and his wife at the castle that night. It was only possible because I, Celine, and Reto were all talented enough to aim for the Academy.
However, the most memorable scene from that day wasn't the moment of the successful hunt, nor the dinner table laden with venison.
It was Celine’s merciless, cold attitude the moment she began to track the prey.
Back then, Celine had this same chilling face. Pretending to be indifferent to everything, yet observing the situation with eyes colder than anyone else’s.
The portrait I had seen years ago was being recreated right here.
Not as a young, frail girl, but as a lovely young woman with a lingering, fresh charm.
"And it’s strange. Usually, rumors share an evaluation of both parties involved in an incident. So why am I being put on a pedestal while Seria is being trashed?"
Celine snorted at my question. A cold smile played on her lips.
"Maybe because it’s an objective fact? Oh, and Ian-oppa, you happen to be the new idol of us lower nobles."
"You know that’s not the truth."
It was true that Seria had fled that day, but that was only because she had accidentally injured her ankle.
If not for that, Seria would have joined me in intercepting the demonic beast. In fact, wasn't I the one who had to talk her out of it and tell her to run?
There was no way Celine didn't know that. And the status Celine held among the second-year lower nobles—especially the women—was not something to be ignored. Her social network was vast and wide-reaching.
The fact that such false rumors had spread meant at least one thing.
At the very least, she was standing by and letting them spread. I stared at Celine in silence.
She had been looking away as if uninterested, but only then did she turn her eyes back to me.
Irritation and dissatisfaction were etched in her gaze. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"To me, it is an objective fact."
"Celine…"
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily. At my pained voice, Celine finally snapped.
"So you're saying it's not?!"
"Of course not. Seria just made a mistake…"
"No, she’s been like that since before then!"
I heard the sound of Celine grinding her teeth. Blue sparks seemed to fly from her eyes, as if a fuse had been lit.
Her aura became savage. She trembled like a feline predator facing an enemy, letting her anger pour out.
"First she picks a fight with Ian-oppa out of nowhere, and then she beats you so badly you have to stay in the Temple for days!"
"There were circumstances for all of that…"
"Those damn circumstances, circumstances, circumstances! No matter what I say, you've always got a 'reason'! Are you a premature shooter or something?! You pathetic loser!"
I slapped my hand against my forehead.
What on earth was a young lady of her age saying? I realized the time had come to scold Celine for the first time in a long while.
"Hey, you… regardless of anything else, what kind of noble daughter of the Empire says such things…"
"Hmph, whatever. I don't want to hear any of that old-fashioned sexist talk."
She shook her head and shuddered as if she were fed up. I wanted to give her a long lecture about how there are lines that must be drawn regardless of the era, but I kept my mouth shut as Celine’s sharp voice continued.
She was finally confessing her true feelings. There was no reason not to listen.
"Ian-oppa, you get weird whenever you're involved with that woman. Lately, you've been hanging out with nothing but that rude brat. And the reason you had to fight that demonic beast in the first place was because of her, wasn't it?"
"…I also bear responsibility for making a poor judgment."
I spoke in a low voice, making excuses on Seria’s behalf. As Reto had said, it would have been over if I’d just given Seria a scent-concealing potion. I was the fool who invited the danger.
Of course, I didn't expect those words to reach Celine in her current agitated state.
"Anyway!"
As expected, Celine growled and jumped up, her fists clenched tight.
She looked like a cat whose anger had reached its limit. It was such a savage atmosphere, yet the fact that she looked so cute was a testament to the severe pitfalls of lookism.
"I don't care what Ian-oppa says, I don't like that bitch. And she’s just getting back what she gave. Is that my fault?"
At those words, it was my turn to get worked up.
My expression crumpled. I was about to shout something, but I let my raised arm drop heavily. The sigh I exhaled was thick with irritation.
As my mood turned cold, Celine, who had been yelling, flinched. It was around this time that her momentum began to falter.
She bit her lip and avoided my cold gaze. A heavy voice flowed from my mouth.
"Then yes, it is your fault. Isn't it?"
Celine seemed about to snap back again, but after seeing my infinitely serious face, she was forced to shut her mouth.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. She began to aimlessly kick at the marble tiles.
"What did Seria do? Even if she was in the wrong, it was my own will that led me to listen to her and clean up the mess. Why is that Seria’s fault?"
Celine’s fierce gaze turned back to me. In her amber eyes, heat and cold coexisted. A frost-like hostility and a fire-like rage.
"…So, you're taking that bitch's side again?"
"I'm not taking sides! You're the one who crossed the line first!"
In the end, I couldn't hold it back and roared. I couldn't even remember how many years it had been since I last yelled at Celine.
Celine flinched at my shout, startled, but soon her eyes began to well up with tears of resentment.
It was a heartbreaking sight, but because I cared for Celine, I felt I had to speak firmly this time.
Lowly, but with unmistakable emotion, I said to Celine:
"No matter how much you dislike her, how could you insult someone over their tragic family history? Do you have any idea how much that hurt Seria?!"
My voice was low, a literal growl.
At my voice, which carried a clear threat, Celine wiped her eyes with her uniform sleeve, looking even more sorrowful. She ground her teeth once more.
I felt even more bewildered and appalled. After committing such an obvious wrong, was she still feeling wronged herself?
For a moment, memories of Celine flashed through my mind. Had I spoiled her too much since we were young, causing her to turn out this way? If so, I certainly bore some responsibility for Celine’s current spiritual fall.
Just as I was looking at Celine with dark eyes, thinking I might need to consult Professor Andrei of the Theology Department or the Saintess…
"…That wasn't me, you moron!"
Celine screamed at the top of her lungs, as if she were truly the victim of an injustice.
Huh? My head tilted to the side. It wasn't Celine? That couldn't be right.
But Celine’s reddened eyes were testifying to me.
She wasn't lying. If so, there was only one conclusion.
It seemed there had been a bit of a misunderstanding.