2. The Moment Our Eyes Met
2. The Moment Our Eyes Met
Roseline lowered her gaze first.
That single, brief movement felt strangely vivid.
It was merely the typical reaction of someone who recognized the Duke of Edelhardt's daughter. Wariness, tension, discomfort. Knowing Serena's reputation, there was nothing unusual about it.
Yet that small retreat felt so unbearably sweet to me that I felt like I was losing my mind.
Am I crazy.
I exhaled very slowly. I intended to look away. No, at least I thought that was the normal thing to do. If I didn't want to get entangled according to the original work, turning my back here was the right call.
And yet my gaze refused to fall.
Roseline lowered her head and organized the documents in her hands. It took only a few seconds for her subtly trembling fingertips to calm again. In that brief span, she corrected her posture, steadied her breathing, and arranged her expression as if nothing had happened.
That kind of thing really drives a person crazy.
She was clearly shaken.
She was clearly tense.
But she doesn't collapse while revealing it.
I curled my fingertips inward against the inside of my gloves.
"Lady Edelhardt?"
A cautious voice from beside me snapped me back to reality. The staff member at the registration desk wore an awkward smile. Only then did I realize I had been blocking the line. Maintaining a blank expression, I stepped aside.
"Pardon me."
"Ah, not at all."
The other person hurriedly bowed their head.
In that gap, Roseline received her assignment sheet. She turned and began walking toward the corridor by the window. Her pink hair spread softly in the sunlight. Watching her receding back, the impulse to follow naturally raised its head.
I cursed briefly to myself.
No.
Not allowed.
If this is how it starts on the first day, it's over.
I barely managed to tear my gaze away and accept my assignment sheet when the main hall's entrance outside grew briefly noisy. The students' murmuring shifted in one direction.
"They say His Highness has arrived."
"Already?"
"The Crown Prince is attending the entrance ceremony in person, they said."
I instinctively frowned.
Adrian Arscenia.
The textbook male lead of the original work.
The savior everyone accepts.
And the surface-level justification for why Serena torments Roseline.
Near the hall entrance, students parted like a path being split. A man with golden hair and a neatly fitted uniform entered with a few attendants. His face was excessively handsome. Eyes that seemed kind to everyone, an overly public smile, an attitude befitting a Crown Prince by anyone's standards.
When I saw him through the screen, he seemed like nothing more than a paper doll, but seeing him in person, he appeared much more human and a far more exhausting type.
Adrian lightly raised his hand to acknowledge the students' greetings. In that moment, the atmosphere in the hall shifted blatantly. The young ladies corrected their postures, and the young lords puffed out their chests for no reason. Everyone wore faces desperate to catch the Crown Prince's gaze at least once.
Watching the scene, I felt strangely calm.
Right.
The original work is the original work.
The Crown Prince changes the scene just by appearing,
Roseline gets pushed into the center of that gaze,
And Serena watches it all, gradually breaking apart.
Even without me interfering, the story will roll on.
So really, I just need to keep quiet.
It was right after I made that resolve.
Adrian's gaze stopped on one side of the hall.
Following it, I turned my head and unconsciously bit my lip.
It was Roseline.
She had been moving according to the guide's directions, but it seemed she had bumped shoulders with someone as people crowded together. The folder she was holding fell to the floor, and several papers tucked inside scattered across the marble floor.
It was a trivial mistake.
But when people's attention gathers, even such trivialities become an insult.
Roseline immediately bent down. There was no hesitation in her kneeling motion, but it didn't prevent the surrounding gazes from making her seem smaller. Someone clicked their tongue softly, and others pretended not to see and passed by.
Adrian moved first.
"Are you alright?"
His voice was impeccably kind.
As the Crown Prince personally bent down and picked up one of the papers, the air around them subtly stirred. Roseline too seemed flustered and quickly lifted her head. Her lilac eyes wavered briefly.
"Th-thank you, Your Highness."
"It's understandable to be nervous today. But nothing worth having such a stiff face over."
He smiled very naturally as he handed her the document.
Truly.
It was textbook.
Pretending to put the other person at ease while ultimately making himself the center of the scene. A kind, smooth, enviable attitude. I could almost understand why the original work's readers were fooled by that face.
But even watching that scene, my gaze was fixed on Roseline rather than Adrian.
Roseline accepted the document with both hands. Her voice thanking him was quiet, her posture was neat, and no matter how flustered she was, it was clear she was trying not to lose her manners until the very end.
And yet, there was still plenty of tension in her fingertips.
Just that alone made my breath grow shallow.
To be that nervous,
And yet refuse to collapse until the very end.
My lower abdomen throbbed dully.
Damn it.
I twisted my gaze away as if wrenching it. I felt like I shouldn't look anymore. The starting point of the original work was always like this. The Crown Prince takes notice of Roseline, the surroundings create rumors, and Serena uses that scene as an excuse to find a reason to approach Roseline.
I know all about this development.
I know it all,
But seeing it actually unfolding before my eyes, it strangely took my breath away.
"Lady Serena."
My name was called again. This time it was Adrian.
When I turned my gaze, golden eyes were fixed on me. He wore the impeccably neat smile he always used in official settings.
"You're as noticeable as ever today."
To anyone listening, it was a polite greeting.
But I hated those words.
There's an old inertia between Serena and Adrian. That sticky expectation that makes everyone naturally pair them together. In the original work, it was so obvious that no one ever questioned it.
I forced the corners of my mouth to move.
"Your Highness is as unchanging as always as well."
"After the entrance ceremony, the student council plans to assist with freshman orientation. I heard Lady Edelhardt will be attending as well."
"That is the plan."
Imitating familiar conversation wasn't as difficult as I thought. The problem was that my eyes kept searching for Roseline beyond Adrian.
She had taken a step back after finishing her brief conversation with the Crown Prince. It was clearly an uncomfortable face at having been the center of attention. Yet she didn't blatantly avoid it either. Barely pretending to be calm, pretending nothing had happened.
That bothered me even more.
Why do you hold on like that.
You could just look more embarrassed.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I nearly let an insane expression slip and quickly tightened my jaw.
Adrian took another step closer to me.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?"
"Nothing much."
"Then I'm relieved."
He nodded lightly. But in his golden eyes, a faint question lingered. Serena probably wouldn't have been this blatantly focused on Roseline originally. No, even if she did look, it would have been with a colder, more overt hostility.
I didn't have the mental energy to put on that kind of act right now.
Just then, the student council members inside the hall began moving the freshmen to their respective classes. The flow of people shifted again. Adrian also turned his attention to his attendants, and the tension on my side eased for a moment.
And it was at that very moment.
I saw Roseline heading toward the stairs on the opposite side.
My feet moved first.
Much faster than I thought. Before my mind could judge, my body was cutting through the path. Just a few steps to reach her. The students naturally stepped aside, creating a path. I realized why I had moved only belatedly.
Crazy.
Am I really going?
I had to stop.
I had to turn back even now.
But Roseline sensed my presence and lifted her head.
Our eyes met.
This time, closer than before.
Close enough to clearly see the color of her irises.
Eyes tinged with lilac.
Pupils slightly widened from tension.
And that subtle hesitation that appears when someone who recognizes me holds their breath.
That brief moment was too alluring.
No.
That wasn't allowed.
I unconsciously chose a lower, softer voice.
"Lady Vellois."
Roseline's shoulders stiffened ever so slightly.
Just having her name called, and it shows that much.
Truly, she had a talent for driving a person mad.
"...Lady Edelhardt."
A composed reply.
But that short phrase carried all her wariness.
I stopped in front of her. I deliberately didn't get too close. But not far enough away either. A polite distance in the eyes of onlookers. But for the person involved, close enough for breathing to be a little distracting.
Roseline tightened her grip on the folder.
Ah.
Why does every single trivial change show so vividly.
"You were quite noticeable on the first day."
Depending on how you hear it, it could be a compliment or pressure.
Roseline's face showed she knew that too. Her lips parted and closed as if choosing her words.
"I'm not sure whether to take that as a good thing."
It was unexpected.
The Roseline from the early original work was more passive, giving a stronger impression of being on the receiving end of things. But the woman before me, though cautious, didn't just bow down completely.
I smiled a little.
"Taking it is up to Lady Vellois, I suppose."
"...I see."
Another short reply.
But this time, it was stiffer than before.
Was it my tone?
Or because I smiled?
Either way, it didn't matter.
Just the fact that she was conscious of me made the inside of my throat burn.
I tilted my head slightly.
"You seem nervous."
It wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't said out of concern either.
The very tip of Roseline's eyebrow twitched faintly. That one expression alone showed how much she was struggling right now. Trying to stay calm, trying to keep her manners, trying not to appear broken.
It was so beautiful.
"It's my first time in a situation like this."
"Still, Lady Vellois holds up much better than I expected."
For a moment, Roseline's breath stopped very briefly.
Probably because that remark meant I had been watching—including the moment she made a mistake in front of everyone.
I knew.
I knew my words had just made her uncomfortable.
And yet, strangely, I didn't want to stop.
"You were quite composed in front of His Highness as well."
This time, it was clearly visible.
The tips of Roseline's ears flushed faintly.
Whether it was shame, embarrassment, or wariness didn't matter.
What mattered was that the more I spoke, the more clearly she wavered.
Deep in my lower abdomen, a heavy throb stirred.
Truly.
I'm going insane.
Roseline pressed her lips together tightly for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
"You were watching me."
I almost couldn't suppress my laughter.
I was watching.
Too closely.
Too long.
But I couldn't admit that.
No, maybe it was okay to admit it just a little.
"It just happened to catch my eye."
"...I see."
She must think I'm lying.
Naturally.
I would have thought the same.
From inside the hall, another announcement urging class movement was heard. The students hurriedly began heading to their assigned locations. Roseline also bowed her head politely and started to turn away.
That was when it happened.
My hand moved first.
Very lightly.
The gloved tip of my finger brushed over her wrist.
Too gentle to be called grabbing,
But too clear to be called just a brush.
Roseline flinched.
Feeling that reaction, I swallowed my breath. The body heat transmitted through the thin fabric was warmer than I expected. Even though it was brief contact, a strange heat spread from my fingertips.
Am I crazy.
What did I just do?
Roseline too looked up at me with a startled face. Clear wariness and embarrassment flickered in her lilac eyes. Her expression looked like she might step back any moment.
And yet, she didn't completely pull away.
Without letting go of my hand, I spoke very lowly.
"Lady Vellois."
Her breath trembled faintly.
"It seems we'll be seeing each other often from now on."
My voice came out softer than I intended.
As if I were offering a kind greeting.
"So please don't be too frightened."
The moment I finished speaking, I let go.
Roseline immediately pulled her wrist toward herself. A natural reaction. Yet the motion looked like she was hiding a wounded spot, and my head spun dizzily.
For a moment, she looked at me as if she had lost her words, then barely managed to open her mouth.
"...I'll try."
That reply sounded like it was swallowing tears that hadn't yet been shed, and for a moment, I was rendered speechless.
What is this.
She's just being wary.
She's just acting like this because she's uncomfortable.
Why does that single phrase stimulate me so much?
Roseline didn't wait any longer and turned away. This time, she truly left. Watching her receding back, I couldn't move for a while.
The body heat that touched my fingertips remained.
I'm screwed.
Truly.
Too late, I realized.
Avoiding the path to ruin was already hopeless.
At least the part about not getting entangled with Roseline.
From that brief contact alone, I could tell.
From the moment I saw that woman again,
I was never safe.