#48
In the original story, Yutis always displayed a kind and proper image in front of others. He didn’t reveal his twisted inner feelings by spewing venomous words like he was doing now. Yet here he was, picking a fight that wasn’t quite a fight with none other than Persis.
I could understand if he showed this side of himself in the middle or later parts of the original story. But this is still the very beginning. No proper incident has even occurred yet. I couldn’t understand why he was taking such an attitude.
As Yutis said, Persis was kind to a fault. Seeing that I seemed troubled, he immediately came to help. If he was this considerate to someone he had briefly met in childhood, how much more would he care for those truly close to him?
“Yes, I am rather kind.”
Persis stated an extremely objective assessment. However, no matter how true it may be, saying it yourself tends to cause resentment. Yutis visibly contorted his face, showing his displeasure.
“But you’re no pushover either. Even for an employee of the Duke’s family, aren’t you being too attentive? Ana isn’t a child.”
“It’s Andelion, sir.”
“Ah, right. You’re in a position where you have to use honorifics. I forgot. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“No. I’m very well aware. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know that much.”
Not backing down one bit, Yutis poured out his emotions toward the prince. With any other royal, they might have already flown into a rage and ordered Yutis’s arrest. However, Persis merely spoke sharp words without using his authority.
Persis understood well that as long as they attended this school, everyone was a student of equal standing. Moreover, he wasn’t the type to wield power like other nobles. That’s why he listened to Yutis’s words to the end, refuting them one by one.
I felt proud that Persis seemed to have grown up to be so kind-hearted.
“Does Your Highness know your position?”
“My position?”
“Yes. You are a prince. You can cast aside someone like the Young Master anytime. Push him away whenever you want. Are you going to push him away again? What on earth are you thinking…”
“Yutis.”
Any further words would cross the line. When I grabbed Yutis’s arm, he startled and closed his mouth. It seemed he had been swept up in his emotions, which was unlike him.
Perhaps all of his words until now had been Yutis’s calculated act. It could be a small show to demonstrate how much he cared about me, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
I looked at Persis, who was silently absorbing Yutis’s words. Fortunately, he didn’t seem too upset.
“I’ll be going now. I’ll see you later at the laboratory.”
I quickly pulled Yutis out of the classroom. If I had left them, who knows what more Yutis and Persis might have said to each other.
I recalled Persis as he listened to Yutis’s words. Throughout Yutis’s speech, he stood without the slightest movement. His face didn’t wrinkle, nor did he show any signs of displeasure. The sharp energy he had directed at Yutis had long since disappeared.
Mulling over this fact, I could properly recognize where Persis and I stood. No matter how much attention Persis paid to me, it was only out of loyalty to someone he had known in the past. Nothing more, nothing less.
“I’m sorry.”
Only after we reached a quiet corridor did Yutis speak.
“Pardon?”
“I shouldn’t have interfered.”
It wasn’t Yutis who interfered, but me. Wasn’t I the one who stepped between the two of them and interrupted their conversation? I even dragged Yutis away without warning.
“Not at all. You were just looking out for me in your own way.”
Of course, I think Yutis went too far by bringing up the relationship between Persis and me. That’s a matter between the two of us. If it was to be mentioned, I should be the one to bring it up. I don’t think Yutis is unaware of this fact. That’s probably why he’s apologizing to me now.
“It’s fine.”
I might have been angry if he hadn’t stopped at my request, but Yutis did stop speaking when I intervened. This was within an acceptable range. But if Yutis’s behavior today had been an act, that would be a different story.
However, my assurance seemed to have no effect, as Yutis continued to wear a troubled expression. All of this being an act? It was hard to believe. Come to think of it, even in the original story, Yutis mixed in genuine feelings when he was acting to win Iria’s heart. He also said that doing so made for better acting.
From that perspective, Yutis seemed to be genuinely concerned about me. After all, he would know better than anyone how the young lord who lost his position as Persis’s playmate overnight had been living.
“Shall we have dinner together?”
Yutis’s gloomy face brightened a little. I had only suggested having dinner together, but just this was enough to make Yutis wear a slightly brighter expression.
I shouldn’t be thinking this, but why did a large puppy come to mind? It was an image that really didn’t suit Yutis.
“Then I’ll see you at the dining hall later.”
“Yes, I’ll see you there.”
Somehow, it seemed like a large tail was wagging behind Yutis’s back.
* * *
The once uncomfortable dinner was gradually becoming familiar. In the past, I wouldn’t have known if the food was going into my nose or my mouth.
I didn’t have very good social skills, so I avoided having meals with people I wasn’t close to. I can’t even describe how difficult it was when I first had dinner with the Duke. I recalled my younger self struggling to swallow food with labored breaths.
Now I could have a proper meal even when facing the Duke. Just when I thought I had become somewhat familiar with him after spending a long time together, I came to this school. Just as I felt a sense of familiarity with him, I wish he would feel at least a little bit of rejection toward me, but knowing the Duke, he would probably prioritize his own desires.
Just thinking about my future with the Duke made me groan involuntarily.
The dinner with Yutis, which I had suggested first, wasn’t as bad as I thought. We ate without much conversation, but the awkward atmosphere was less intense than before. This was a remarkably impressive development.
After finishing a satisfying meal, we headed to Yaksi’s laboratory. If Yaksi hadn’t asked for help, Yutis would have been attending classes now. I knew he had to eat dinner late because of classes that ended late.
I felt uneasy, wondering if he had skipped classes that he could have attended, even briefly, just because I suggested dinner. But thinking about it again, if he had attended classes even a little, he would have missed dinner, so this seemed better.
Yaksi’s laboratory was located inside the building. When I knocked on the door, I heard Yaksi’s voice from inside telling us to enter.
As we went inside, we saw Yaksi sitting at her desk.
Yaksi’s laboratory was larger than I expected. It seemed she didn’t plan to work as a teacher for long, as she hadn’t brought many belongings. Only a few books were placed on the bookshelf behind her. Judging from the clothes scattered here and there, it appeared she was living in the laboratory without having secured separate accommodations.
“You’re late.”
Yaksi’s dissatisfied voice emerged from inside her robe. As far as I knew, we had arrived 10 minutes early, but Yaksi seemed unsatisfied.
Without a word, she pushed a stone on her desk toward us.
“Touch it.”
“Pardon?”
“I said touch it.”
I didn’t understand what she was saying out of the blue.
When we remained still, Yaksi pointed again at the dark, lumpy stone on the desk. I couldn’t touch it carelessly without knowing what it was. I recalled Kara’s earnest advice to my younger self.
She had told me to be suspicious of anything unfamiliar, no matter what it was. She said there was nothing in the world that could be easily trusted, and to doubt everything. Kara’s advice had become my flesh and blood.
Even Iria from the original story had been betrayed by several people because she trusted too easily. Since I didn’t have abilities like Iria’s, I needed to be much more suspicious and alert.
“Just touch it and we’ll be done, so hurry up.”
“What are you asking us to touch so abruptly?”
At that moment, Persis entered without knocking.
“Your Highness, it seems you’ve forgotten your manners.”
“I heard voices inside, so I just came in. It seems I’ve caused concern. I apologize, Teacher.”
Persis, who bowed politely after saying this, looked rather annoying. It was almost surprising that he could behave this way.
Yaksi, seemingly deciding not to argue with Persis any further, didn’t say anything else and pushed forward the stone on her desk.
“Now touch it.”
“How can we touch it without knowing what it is?”
Now that Persis had also come to dissuade her, Yaksi seemed to be getting irritated.
“Oh, really. It’s Clum. Clum! Satisfied?”
“Clum?”
I never expected to hear that name here. I was startled and looked at the dark-colored stone. The stone, which seemed either black or dark brown, sparkled in the light of the laboratory.
After our group assignment had gone in a different direction, I had planned to learn about Clum later. It seemed somehow connected to the Duke, so I had intended to look for clues through Kara or the history teacher I had met before, but I never expected to see it here.
“Why did you suddenly bring Clum?”
Persis asked, blocking our way. It seemed he wanted to examine the Clum properly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
