How Long Do You Plan to Keep Following Me Around?
Even the funniest comedy routine gets old after you've seen it repeated a few times. It had already been several days since Togun and Jeon started guarding Arina while keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. At first it had been entertaining to watch the situation unfold from the sidelines, but now I just wished they would stop following her around.
"Of course we have to keep following her until the culprit is caught," Jeon answered somewhat shamelessly, while Togun could only offer an awkward smile under Marily's scolding gaze.
"Aren't you getting anything out of it?"
There was no way they could. After all, there had never been any culprit trying to kidnap Arina in the first place. It was nothing more than Togun's misguided assertion born from a string of overlapping incidents and misunderstandings.
"Escorting someone isn't done in expectation of any reward. It's about preparing for every possibility."
"You really are shameless."
And Jeon must have realized the truth as well. He might have gone along with Togun when he was half out of his mind at the start, but with his usual rationality, he would have quickly caught on to the situation. Even if he didn't know the health teacher's identity, he could easily guess that the source of the gazes bothering Arina all this time was himself.
Yet for the past several days he had continued to trail along beside them under the pretext of protecting Arina. The reason was simple. To him, this misunderstanding was nothing short of a golden opportunity to get closer to her side.
Jeon had no intention of letting this chance slip away.
"There was no culprit. Doesn't Arina say she doesn't feel any gazes anymore?"
"They're just staying back because we're with her."
"From an eight-star superhuman? Scared of children like us?"
"Weren't there zero casualties at the party? The culprit might be avoiding harm to third parties for some reason."
"......"
"......"
Once again, the way he kept pushing such an absurd and forced argument was truly shameless. Marily glared at Jeon with eyes full of dissatisfaction while he simply snorted and ignored her gaze. The two of them looked like a dragon and tiger facing off, their auras so intense that Togun and Arina unconsciously took a step back.
"Anyway! I won't allow this anymore! This ends today, so stop following us!"
Don't interfere with my time with Arina. At Marily's firm declaration, Jeon frowned.
"That's unreasonable."
"Who's the one being unreasonable here!"
"C-calm down!"
When shamelessness crossed the line to this degree, it became a sickness. Marily glared at him as if ready to grab his collar at any second. Arina caught her from behind, preventing the fight that had nearly broken out.
"Fine."
At that moment, Togun, who had been quietly thinking to himself, nodded and spoke up.
"I'll only go with you today. Starting tomorrow, I won't follow anymore."
He had been inconsiderate. When he thought about it, both of them were girls, so having boys constantly trailing after them might have felt burdensome. From what he'd observed over the past few days, there didn't seem to be any real problems around Arina, just as Marily said.
"Looks like it really was my misunderstanding."
Togun readily admitted his mistake and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Hmm, as expected, you're a good kid unlike this fellow."
The crease between Jeon's brows deepened even further now that he had suddenly been cast as the villain. Why were they deciding on their own whether to stop or not? If Togun backed out, he would lose any justification for following Arina by himself.
"......"
Unable to find anything else to say, Jeon simply turned his head away sharply. Seeing this, Marily flashed a victorious smile.
"Ahaha......"
Arina returned an awkward smile at the V-sign Marily flashed her.
I was fine with it, though.
She had started to feel somewhat close to Jeon, who had once hated her so much, and she definitely felt like she had become friends with Togun. For Arina, one of the reasons she attended the academy was to make a hundred friends, so having the four of them go to and from school together had been genuinely enjoyable. That was why she wasn't sure whether she should share in Marily's delight or not.
"......"
Unable to give any response, she turned her head toward the school gate. In that instant, Arina's steps came to an abrupt halt. The moment her eyes met the person standing in front of the gate, her head bowed deeply.
Her hands began to tremble. As Arina hurriedly turned to leave the spot, Marily quickly caught her wrist.
"It's all right. You don't need to run."
Marily's expression settled as cold as ice. Her gaze was fixed on the gate of Benedict Academy. She stepped in front of Arina as if to shield her, watching the woman approaching them with wary eyes.
What is she doing here?
Anna Gibbernoon. The mistress of the Gibbernoon Viscount family and Arina Grant's biological mother. After their brief encounter at the party, Arina had thought she would never see the woman again.
But what business could she possibly have coming all the way here?
It can't be a coincidence.
She didn't know the reason, but the woman had clearly come to see Arina. The proof was how she had immediately started walking toward them the moment their eyes met.
In that case, simply avoiding the situation like last time would be the worst move. Even if she dodged her now, it was obvious the woman would keep coming back.
"......"
Arina hid behind Marily, her face deathly pale. Knowing Anna's identity, both Marily and Jeon moved to block her path, while Togun quickly sensed the unusual atmosphere and stepped forward to protect Arina alongside them.
"Arina."
When Anna reached them, she called out Arina's name. Arina flinched and shrank back, pressing herself tightly against Marily's back. Then she cautiously lifted her head over Marily's shoulder.
"I missed you."
The unexpected words the moment their eyes met made Arina's eyes widen. At the same time, Marily's expression crumpled, as if her worst assumption had just been proven correct.
Café LeBlanc was a small café located near Benedict Academy. Tucked away at the end of a secluded alley, it was a hidden gem known only to regulars. Even so, during dismissal time it was bustling with quite a few people.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Anna Gibbernoon, Arina's mother."
In a corner seat of LeBlanc, Anna introduced herself first to the four people sitting across from her.
"Ah, yes. I'm Togun Masao."
When no one else responded, Togun took the lead and introduced himself.
"......Marily Raymond."
"Jeon Raydel."
The other two, who had remained silent, also gave their names. But unlike Togun's relatively compliant attitude, their faces were filled with clear displeasure. The atmosphere grew chilly, yet Anna paid it no mind and continued speaking with a smile.
"Yes, of course I know. Living in the capital, how could I fail to recognize the princess?"
There were quite a few people who didn't know her. Even the Majoan's secretary she had met at the Grant Department Store had clearly shown no sign of recognition. People tended to be indifferent to anything outside their personal interests. They could recite celebrities' faces from memory but often only knew politicians' names without recognizing their faces.
"I've always wanted to meet you. It's a tremendous honor to be able to converse like this."
Even in the face of Marily's curt attitude, Anna kept speaking to her. Seeing this, Togun leaned slightly toward Jeon and whispered.
"That's Arina's mom? The one you ran into at the party last time."
"Yeah."
"She's different from what I imagined."
From what he'd heard from Arina, he had pictured someone prickly and fierce. But she seemed softer and kinder than expected.
"Yeah, she's even more vicious than I thought."
It seemed Jeon felt the complete opposite. His already cool gaze grew even colder.
"If you're going to put on an act, it would have been better if she went all in."
Perhaps she had only half-learned noble etiquette. The awkward obviousness of it made the whole thing more irritating and infuriating.
"......"
Wondering if something about the situation bothered him, Togun stared intently at Anna Gibbernoon, trying to figure out what Jeon meant. Then his eyes widened slightly as if he had noticed something.
Now that he thought about it, she had been speaking only to Marily since they sat down. She hadn't even glanced at Togun, Jeon, or even her own daughter Arina.
"She must have seen it at the party. The two of them entering together."
And upon realizing the person who had entered with the princess was the daughter she had abandoned, she had come looking for her. To use Arina to build connections with Marily.
"......"
It seemed Arina had realized this as well. The face that had brightened when Anna first spoke to her darkened again. Her mother hadn't spared her a single glance the entire time. Struggling to hold back the tears threatening to fall, Arina's clenched fist trembled beneath the table.
"You seem very interested in me."
Marily glanced at the scene and coldly cut Anna off.
"Don't you have anything to say to Arina? It's been a long time since you've seen each other."
"......That's true."
A somewhat awkward expression crossed Anna's face. But she quickly composed herself, and for the first time since entering the café, her head turned toward Arina.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes. And... you, Mother?"
"......I've been well too."
The word "mother" created an awkward tension between them.
"I never imagined I'd run into you again in the capital."
"Me neither."
"Did your father come up with you?"
"......"
"I heard the business has been doing well lately. I was thinking of meeting with him soon anyway."
"......"
As expected, she really hadn't cared at all this whole time. How Arina had been living. What had happened to her father. The realization made the tears she had been holding back finally spill over. Arina bowed her head deeply to hide them.
"......"
At the same time, Marily's face grew even colder. This was the part Jeon had called awkwardly half-hearted. If Anna wanted to build a relationship with Marily, she should have first melted Arina's frozen heart. What should have come first wasn't this kind of conversation but an apology.
She should have sought forgiveness from Arina and restored their relationship first. Only then should she have slowly approached those around her. If she had done that, Marily might have reluctantly accepted her approach for Arina's sake.
But the more they talked, the more she hurt Arina. Her investigation was insufficient and she showed no consideration for Arina at all. It meant she had never had even the slightest interest in her daughter from the beginning.
There was nothing more to see. Marily was about to shoot to her feet and shout when Arina grabbed her sleeve tightly and held her back. Biting her lower lip and shaking her head as if to say she was fine, Arina seemed unaware that her red, bloodshot eyes were upsetting Marily even further.
"Father is doing well too."
Arina wiped her eyes with her sleeve and answered Anna's question.
This is my problem.
She couldn't keep hiding behind Marily forever. Look at her now. Marily was furious because of her. This was the first time she had seen her friend so angry, and knowing it was on her behalf made her both grateful and sorry.
It wasn't just Marily. Both Jeon and Togun were wearing those expressions because of her. This couldn't continue. She couldn't cause trouble for her friends.
"But as you said, Mother, he's been very busy lately. He probably won't have time to meet."
Once her decision was made, her heart felt somewhat lighter. The trembling subsided. After a deep breath, her pounding heart gradually calmed. At the same time, her uncle's face flashed through her mind.
If you're a kid, then do whatever you want like a kid. I'll take responsibility.
Yes. It's okay. Arina opened her closed eyes, stared directly at Anna's face, and spoke.
"And I feel the same way. So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't come looking for me like this anymore. Mother."
At Arina's unexpected dismissal, Marily's eyes widened in surprise.
"What did you say?"
And across from them, Anna Gibbernoon's face twisted into something hideous and demonic.