“……Well, I… like you….”
Mikhail opened his mouth with an uncharacteristically deflated voice, then shut it again. It was frustrating—trying to confess in this situation. Adrian still wore that strange, unreadable expression as he waited for Mikhail to speak.
Mikhail decided it was best to start by explaining the flowerpot, so he came clean about the surprise gift he’d hurriedly prepared since yesterday.
“Because you liked it… I wanted to give it to you as a gift.”
“So why are you suddenly trying to give this to me?”
Adrian’s curt reaction made Mikhail abruptly lift his head in indignation.
He had truly believed Adrian felt the same way. Why was he acting so indifferent now? Mikhail couldn’t make sense of it. Hadn’t he practically laid everything out on a silver platter? Maybe Adrian really was that oblivious—or maybe there was something else going on. Still, if a confession required one of them to be the braver one…
Things weren’t unfolding the way he’d expected, but since it had come to this, he figured he might as well go all in.
“Because I like you too.”
“……”
What?
Adrian stared intently at Mikhail’s increasingly flushed face. Then, with a quick turn of his head, he glanced at the uprooted herb and finally spoke.
“……You mean that herb?”
“No, I mean you. I like you.”
“……What?”
Adrian furrowed his brow like he’d just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
“……What did you say?”
…No, I definitely didn’t mishear that.
Adrian tried to make sense of Mikhail’s words, but only ended up more confused. Then, upon seeing how red the tips of Mikhail’s ears had turned, the gravity of the situation hit him. If he hadn’t misheard… that was actually more of a problem.
“……You like me? You like me?”
“Yes! How many times are you gonna ask me?!”
Mikhail shouted, face burning red. Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t expected things to go this way either.
Their eyes met, but neither of them could find the words to break the silence. An awkward stillness hung heavy between them.
“……But wait.”
After a long pause, Adrian cautiously spoke. There was something about Mikhail’s earlier words that had been bothering him.
“When you said ‘I like you too’… what was that supposed to mean?”
“……Forget it. Don’t worry about that part.”
Only then did Mikhail realize everything had been a misunderstanding. Grumbling with embarrassment, he turned and walked toward the window.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the problematic weed. It had been a well-meaning, even ambitious gift, but now it drooped, wilted and lifeless. He’d been so sure Adrian would be happy to receive it—but the thing was already dead… and yet.
Mikhail picked up the flowerpot again and carefully poured back in the soil Adrian had dumped out. He replanted the weed in the center and patted it down with his palm.
“Mikhail. Even if you replant it, it won’t do any good.”
Adrian’s firm voice called out from behind. Mikhail ignored him, pretending not to hear as he finished repacking the soil. Only then did he turn around and thrust the flowerpot in Adrian’s face.
“There’s no such thing as something useless in this world. Don’t you feel sorry for the poor thing? Don’t give up—try to save it. It’s my gift, after all.”
“…That’s not a weed.”
It’s actually a pretty rare medicinal herb.
Adrian corrected him quietly. He figured this was a good way to brush off the confession. But Mikhail seemed to see right through him. His voice came low and unwavering.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“……”
“Answer me. How do you feel about me?”
Since it had come to this, Mikhail decided to go all-out with shameless confidence. And honestly, now that he’d said it all out loud, it felt like a weight had been lifted.
“……”
Adrian looked at Mikhail with a faint, troubled smile. Mikhail knew that expression all too well. That was the same face Adrian made when coldly rejecting a girl’s confession in front of the lion statue.
Mikhail pressed his lips tightly together and quietly waited for Adrian’s response.
“……Mikhail.”
To be honest, after spending nearly a year with him, Mikhail could already guess what was coming next.
“I had no idea you felt that way about me.”
“……”
“If I gave you the impression that I liked you back, then that’s on me. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding….”
He could see the expression on Mikhail’s face darkening right before his eyes. He must’ve gotten the message by now, right? Scratching his cheek with a finger in awkward hesitation, Adrian cautiously gauged Mikhail’s reaction.
Though Mikhail’s expression remained calm, it was clear he’d expected to be turned down. Still, he didn’t seem willing to budge until Adrian gave him a clear and final answer.
Sigh—Adrian let out a quiet breath, then lifted his head sharply. With no other choice, he gave his reply to the confession.
“I don’t have feelings for you beyond friendship. So I can’t accept your heart. I hope you understand.”
After Adrian delivered his final verdict, silence fell over the dorm room. The two stood staring at each other, neither speaking for a long while.
***
In the tense aftermath, Adrian was the first to break the stillness, saying he needed to stop by the Ordinas club room. Mikhail, caught off guard, avoided Adrian’s gaze and gave a stiff, awkward reply.
“……Uh, sure.”
Adrian glanced at him briefly, but after seeing Mikhail’s expression, he figured it was best to give him some space and left without another word.
The moment Adrian stepped out, Mikhail dropped himself onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut. A huge sigh escaped him. The scene from just moments ago kept replaying in his head like it had been burned onto a recording crystal—every detail vivid and humiliating. He couldn’t stop cringing at how pathetic he must’ve looked.
He understood why Adrian had rejected him…
Ughhhhh…!
Still lying down, Mikhail rolled to his side and buried his head in his palms. Damn it! Rejected that fast?! He was being lumped in with Cage Ritana now? That couldn’t be right. No way. He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Then suddenly, he bolted upright. The flowerpot—“Don’t give up, try to save it. It’s my gift, after all.”—that nonsense he’d blurted as he shoved it back at Adrian came to mind.
The flowerpot now sat neatly on Adrian’s windowsill.
He should’ve done more research before gifting it. Mikhail clenched his eyes shut and cursed his past self.
“…Well, he did take it back in the end.”
Still staring at the pot, Mikhail mumbled to himself. Sure, it was said the herb would die if exposed to sunlight, but… that wasn’t a sure thing. For some reason, he had this gut feeling Adrian could bring it back to life.
Even if the plant was just a weed, the pot itself was a masterpiece crafted by a renowned artisan. Mikhail mentally reaffirmed how romantic his gesture had been—securing such a high-end pot in a short time and gifting a rare greenhouse plant from the royal conservatory.
Adrian must’ve seen that effort and taken the gift back out of appreciation. No doubt about it.
“…Feelings can change.”
Yeah. Just like the flowerpot—this wasn’t some dead-end situation. They were still only first-years. And if he pulled a few strings with the Basamiel administrative office, it wouldn’t be hard to end up in the same dorm next year.
Gazing seriously into empty space, Mikhail spoke.
“He said we’re not more than friends—but that doesn’t mean he hates me, right?”
His voice dropped low, colored with quiet resolve. It was the first time anyone had turned him down so bluntly. And this wasn’t just some casual flirtation—this had been a full-blown, from-the-heart confession.
“Then all I have to do… is become something more than a friend, right?”
A spark lit in Mikhail’s eyes at that flicker of hope. He started thinking about the upcoming field study. There had to be some way—something surprising enough to make Adrian look at him in a new light.
Aha. A thought struck him. Mikhail rose from the bed and walked toward the dressing room. He flung open his wardrobe and began scrutinizing its contents.
Soon, they’d be leaving for the field trip. That meant no uniforms—casual clothes only. He went through each outfit on the hangers one by one, quickly sorting what to pack.
Originally, he would’ve just asked a servant to prepare five days’ worth of travel gear and be done with it. But this time, he was going all in—carefully selecting every piece himself.
Some outfits were hard to decide on, so he even tried a few on, studying his reflection in the mirror. He had never spent this much effort picking out clothes in all of his seventeen years.
That was when it happened. The door to the dorm opened, and Mikhail froze mid-pose, still facing the mirror.
Of course, it was Adrian.
Apparently, whatever business he’d had at the Ordinas club room hadn’t taken long.
Adrian stepped inside and gave a brief sidelong glance at the mountain of clothes Mikhail had spread out. Then he spoke, completely unfazed—as if that confession from earlier had never even happened.
“Packing for the trip?”
“…Yeah.”
Mikhail turned his head slightly, careful not to let Adrian see his expression of dismay. Normally he would’ve replied right away, but for some reason, it was hard to even meet his eyes.
As Mikhail remained silent with his lips pressed together, Adrian, going about his business as usual, commented casually,
“That outfit looks a bit too flashy for the field study.”
At that, Mikhail jerked his head toward the mirror and looked at himself.
Now that he thought about it, the clothes he was wearing were formal dress attire—something he’d wear to a party. Ornate embroidery covered the fabric, and both the cuffs and buttons were made from top-grade gemstones.
“…Who said I was bringing this?” His voice came out awkward.
He quickly began unbuttoning the outfit.
Adrian, watching him, gave a nonchalant shrug. Even in something so extravagant, Mikhail looked perfect—as if he were born to wear luxury.
“You know… you do look good in flashy clothes.”
Adrian said it with the confidence of someone who had refined their sense of aesthetics over countless years.
Besides, dragons were naturally drawn to glittering jewels.
The sincerity in Adrian’s voice made Mikhail murmur softly, “…You think so?” And in that moment, he silently added the dress uniform to his packing list.
No matter how heavy or cumbersome it was, he was bringing it.
