Inside the dimly lit dormitory room, Adrian Heather sat reclined on a plush sofa, dressed in casual clothes. The warm glow of the small table lamp cast a soft light that accentuated the man’s handsome features.
Flap. A page of the newspaper in Adrian’s hand turned. It was yesterday’s edition, but he wasn’t looking for a job posting, so it didn’t matter. The dragon quickly flipped through a few more pages and stopped at the section.
“Just as I thought.”
Adrian murmured with a faint smile, his fingertip gliding across the word Kevish printed among the auction listings. It was a plant that had once been the primary source of income for the Ordinas Club, but the members were notoriously sensitive. When irregular earthquakes began shaking the academy, they had been forced to stop cultivating it.
Now, no one knew it was possible to grow the seedlings again. No one… except one other person. Adrian glanced up from the paper and looked toward Mikhail’s bed on the other side of the room.
Mikhail was asleep, utterly motionless—as if dead. The prince’s silver lashes cast just the right kind of shadow beneath the warm light of the lamp.
It wasn’t the royal palace, but even in Basamiel’s dormitory, Mikhail upheld the royal etiquette etched into his very bones.
He had probably never once shared a room in his entire life, yet he slept without a single bad habit—breathing softly, still as a statue. A pair of plush indoor slippers was neatly arranged on the carpet at the foot of his bed, and the new sword he had recently purchased had been carefully maintained and set down beside his pillow.
Pfft. The dragon let out a quiet chuckle as he watched the prince who looked like an angel while asleep, then turned his gaze back to the newspaper.
- ──── · Basamiel General Store · ──── ·
Mailbox rentals connected to the Central Post Office ✧ 1 Tilon per use
· ────── ·
Mana Enhancement Elixir ✧ 15 Tilon each
· ────── ·
Professor Sigrid’s Notes ✧ 30 Tilon for 1-day rental
· ────── ·
.
.
.
Kevish Seedlings ✧ 10 Tilon per sapling
· ────── ·
The Kevish seedlings were listed at the very bottom of the general store’s page.
That must mean they’re not very popular. Last week, they were 11 Tilon—so the price is still dropping. Adrian smiled meaningfully, lifting the back of his right hand to his lips. Then he exhaled gently with a hoo.
[310.5 Tilon]
The amount of Tilon Adrian currently held briefly flickered before him in a soft, bluish haze before fading. At 10 Tilon per sapling, he could afford to buy thirty of them.
The dragon glanced over at the cloth calendar pinned to the wall above the table. It was the last day of the month, meaning the monthly salary from Ordinas—100 Tilon—would soon be deposited.
Adrian didn’t need long to decide. Dipping the tip of his quill thoroughly in ink, he pulled out a small piece of paper and swiftly began writing a letter to request the purchase of the seedlings.
***
As always, Mikhail awoke early. The crisp, bluish dawn air was seeping in through the cracks in the dormitory window.
The prince gently stretched the stiffness from his body before sitting up in bed. As he did, Adrian’s bed against the opposite wall naturally came into view. His golden hair was a tangled mess across the white pillow, and the blanket had been twisted this way and that—he must’ve tossed and turned all night.
The faint morning light was gradually illuminating the one and only redeeming feature of the man—his good-looking face. Adrian, bothered by the light even in his sleep, furrowed his brows deeply and let out a strange, muffled groan. Mikhail turned his head sharply to glance at the dormitory window. The curtain he had drawn earlier was the cause of the light streaming in.
“……”
Is the light bothering him?
The prince glanced between the curtain and Adrian’s face, then reached his hand out over the sleeping man’s face. Almost immediately, as if he could sense the absence of the offending light even in his sleep, Adrian’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed. Mikhail observed the small change in silence, then flinched as he suddenly became aware of Adrian’s quiet, rhythmic breathing so close by.
‘Why am I even bothering with this uncouth brute?’
Mikhail held his hand still in midair, saying nothing for a moment. Regardless of the prince’s deepening internal turmoil, Adrian seemed quite pleased with the shadow cast across his face, smiling faintly in his sleep. Without realizing it, Mikhail found the corners of his lips twitching ever so slightly in response to that smile.
…What a weirdo.
Just then—
The eyelids hidden beneath the prince’s palm slowly lifted. Mikhail blankly watched the movement until he suddenly locked eyes with Adrian, who was now staring wide-eyed at him. Startled, the prince yanked his hand back as if scalded.
“…What are you doing?”
Adrian asked, frowning at his roommate’s strange behavior the moment he woke. His voice was crisp and clear—not at all the kind of groggy mumble one might expect from someone who’d just been asleep.
“……”
Adrian tilted his head at the silent Mikhail and began sitting up slowly. Honestly, even Mikhail couldn’t explain what he had just done. Pretending nothing had happened, he flicked his hands casually and opened his mouth.
“…There was a bug.”
So what…? Adrian couldn’t hide the suspicious expression on his face, like he’d just come face-to-face with something that shouldn’t exist. A bug? Near him? And this guy dealt with it?
“Really? …Thanks, I guess.”
Running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair, Adrian glanced around the room—but there wasn’t a trace of any bug to be found. Meanwhile, Mikhail, having received Adrian’s awkward thanks, turned abruptly and began trudging toward the door.
Normally, Adrian would’ve made a snide comment or two, but his silence felt even stranger this time.
The moment Mikhail grabbed the dorm door handle and yanked it open—
Thud.
It didn’t budge. Something was behind it.
“…What the hell?”
Mikhail scowled, annoyed. He had only intended to take a light walk around the woods.
He shut the door again, then flung it open hard—like he was trying to shove whatever was outside out of the way by force. From his seat on the bed, Adrian watched the prince throwing a fit at the door.
THUNK!
But even then, it didn’t open.
What the hell is this? Mikhail clenched his jaw, biting down on the anger rising in his chest. With a short exhale, hoo, he tilted his head and stared at the damn door. There was one way to deal with a door that refused to open.
His crimson eyes gleamed.
“The Academy’s building management is utterly negligent.”
Just as Mikhail raised his foot to break the door down, Adrian shouted from behind him, “Wait, wait—!” and ran up in a hurry.
He grabbed the prince’s shoulders with both hands to stop him right before the kick landed.
Mikhail shot a glance at the hands on him, then, irritated, swatted them off his shoulders. Adrian let out a short grunt, “Ugh,” at the prince’s rough handling.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me without permission?”
Adrian stared down at his forcibly grabbed wrist, then slowly raised his head to meet the prince’s gaze directly. His amber eyes scanned Mikhail’s irritated expression, then curved subtly.
“You were lying, weren’t you?”
They were so close their noses could’ve brushed.
Caught in Adrian’s unwavering stare, Mikhail couldn’t dodge or deflect—he just muttered, flatly,
“What?”
“That there was a bug.”
As if I wouldn’t know. Adrian smirked, full of confidence.
Mikhail’s lips parted slightly, like he was going to say something—but in the end, he said nothing. He didn’t bother coming up with a follow-up to that lie, and the tension in the hand gripping Adrian’s wrist gradually loosened.
Adrian watched him for a moment, then smoothly slipped his hand free and gave the prince a light push, nudging him aside from the door.
“If you’ve got nothing to say, move. Don’t go smashing the poor door for no reason.”
“…It just wouldn’t open all of a sudden,” Mikhail muttered defensively, stepping aside so his roommate could check the door.
“You think that justifies breaking it? Seriously? …Huh. It really won’t open. That’s weird.”
Adrian jiggled the handle a few times, then lowered his gaze. Today’s school newspaper had been delivered, neatly tucked in the crack under the door.
“The paper got here just fine…”
He let out a thoughtful hum, then suddenly went, “Ah.” A light gasp of realization.
Come to think of it, there was something else scheduled for delivery today besides the newspaper.
Well—something else wasn’t quite right.
More like thirty somethings.
