Adrian stood casually leaning against the lion statue Cage had mentioned, a letter and a book in one hand. When Adrian tried to open and read the letter on the spot after receiving it before class, Cage had stopped him in a hurry. She’d asked—no, insisted—that he only read it after class, alone, and then come meet her in front of the statue.
Being an impeccably courteous dragon, Adrian had walked to the quiet end of the hallway after class and read the letter. It contained only a short sentence, but even with a quick glance, he had memorized it perfectly.
“I think I like you. Could you give me your answer in front of the lion statue?
–Cage Ritana–”
Tilting his head slightly, Adrian gazed at the other students idly passing by the statue. The ones crossing the garden were chatting and laughing in lively little groups. A few of them paired off, exuding a somewhat awkward but clearly happy atmosphere—like couples in the very early days of dating.
Indeed, with the new semester underway, fresh currents of romance were bubbling all around Basamiel.
—“You’re going with me on next weekend’s outing, right?”
—“…Of course. Let’s meet in front of the main building.”
—“Really? It’s going to be fun! I made reservations at this famous restaurant and café!”
—“Wow, I’m excited!”
—“Me too…”
Young love, huh.
Still leaning against the statue, Adrian listened to their chatter. He hadn’t meant to, but even a dragon couldn’t shut off his ears.
‘So that’s probably why she called me here.’
Adrian let out a long sigh in his mind.
There hadn’t been much in the letter, so he couldn’t quite understand why she insisted he not read it before class. But since she’d asked for his reply here, he had no choice but to wait for Cage by the statue at the appointed time.
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Ah! Adrian!”
Cage’s cheerful voice rang out as she called his name. Her long golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, bouncing lightly with every step against the vivid green of the garden behind her. She came running and reached the statue in one smooth motion.
“You really came. Thank you.”
“…Yeah. I read your letter.”
Thank you? For something like this?
Adrian gave her a faint smile as he looked at her.
One blushing student with a radiant smile stood before a handsome student who met her gaze directly. From afar, they looked like a picture-perfect couple.
And then, a crisp breeze swept between them, making Adrian’s shimmering golden hair flutter softly.
“Ah? Wait a second…”
Cage’s pale, slender fingers reached toward Adrian, slowly. Hm? Adrian stared intently at the moving fingers. They were too delicate to ever hurt him, so he saw no reason to avoid them.
He felt the warmth of her fingertips near his jaw, just below his ear.
Thump-thump—the human heartbeat right in front of him throbbed so loudly it nearly bothered his keen dragon hearing. Her blue eyes were close enough for him to see them trembling ever so slightly.
“This…”
Cage’s breath brushed against his shoulder. It tickled a little. She gently plucked something from near his cheek. Her blue eyes, which had been laser-focused on the leaf stuck to his skin, shifted slightly. Then she noticed Adrian’s frozen expression—smiling, but clearly startled. Had she ever looked this closely into his warm honey-colored eyes?
“Oh, you had something stuck! I was just trying to get it off. Sorry.”
It seemed she had only just realized she’d acted without asking, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she held up the tiny leaf.
“It’s fine. Thanks.”
Adrian flashed a wide grin. Cage’s cheeks lit up instantly. Before entering Basamiel, she’d grown up in a wealthy household where she could do whatever she wanted and get whatever she desired. Never in her life had she imagined herself falling for a classmate, much less secretly nursing a crush since the entrance ceremony. And now, here she was—confessing first!
The fact that Adrian had casually accepted the cookies she’d nervously offered before the holidays suggested he might’ve already noticed her feelings. Still, getting a letter out of the blue today must’ve caught him off guard.
Now it was time to hear the answer to her letter. Judging by the way Adrian kept smiling and listening kindly, he couldn’t be completely indifferent to her feelings.
“So…”
Cage’s heart, which had already been pounding loudly, now thundered in her chest. Adrian, who surely just wanted to get this over with and head to the greenhouse, showed no sign of impatience as he calmly replied, “Yeah.”
“Can you… give me your answer to the letter?”
“Sure. First of all, thank you for liking me.”
And then… Adrian, wearing a perfectly composed expression, was just about to deliver his firm rejection.
“Adrian.”
A voice suddenly cut into the tender moment between the two. Footsteps followed, and both Adrian and Cage turned their heads sharply toward the interruption.
For some unknown reason, Mikhail had come running and was now catching his breath as if he’d rushed over in a hurry. After a brief pause to steady himself, the intruder turned to Adrian and spoke.
“What are you doing here?”
Cage, who had been tensely awaiting Adrian’s response, wore a crestfallen expression. No matter how important this moment might have been for her, it surely couldn’t compare to the business of a prince.
Ugh, I didn’t come up with an excuse…
Of course, Mikhail wasn’t here on official business—he had only come to crash their little confession scene. The moment he’d spotted the two of them standing near the lion statue in such an obviously romantic atmosphere, he’d made a beeline straight for them. Ignoring Adrian’s what the hell is this now expression, Mikhail opened his mouth again.
“…Are we not even close enough to say hi when we pass each other?”
“…”
Were they ever that close?
Adrian looked at Mikhail, whose words didn’t seem to match the situation at all. Even under Adrian’s scrutinizing gaze, Mikhail pretended not to notice and simply shrugged as if it were nothing. As Adrian opened his mouth to reply, he noticed Cage beside him, still staring up at him with desperate, pleading eyes.
Ah, right. There was something more pressing.
The more complicated the situation, the more important it was to handle one thing at a time.
“Anyway, can you wait a moment? I have something I need to say to Cage.”
At that, Cage nodded rapidly, while Mikhail’s eyes flared with irritation. So much for rushing over here.
“…Fine, whatever.”
With a thoroughly annoyed look, Mikhail crossed his arms and stood there. He didn’t even show the courtesy to step away. Cage glanced at him briefly but didn’t dare ask a prince to move.
“Can I continue what I was saying?”
“Y-yeah. Go ahead.”
The answer had been decided long before, whether Mikhail stood there or not. If he hadn’t barged in and interrupted, this whole thing could’ve been done in a matter of minutes. Despite her hopeful expression, Cage was momentarily stunned by the subtle coolness in Adrian’s voice—so different from the warm smile she’d imagined. Wait… this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.
Adrian, eager to get through the rest of his day, didn’t hesitate as he spoke again.
“I appreciate your feelings. But I’m not planning to date anyone at Basamiel. I’m sorry.”
“…!”
The pounding heartbeat that had been loud enough to hear practically stopped in an instant.
Cage had assumed—naively, perhaps—that just the fact he’d come out to the statue after reading her letter meant their feelings were mutual. But Adrian’s reply left her looking utterly bewildered. Wait, is that… is that a rejection? Her eyes trembled, her mind struggling to grasp it.
Facing her shock head-on, Adrian added flatly,
“Then, I’ll be going. I need to stop by the greenhouse…”
He was about to casually toss out a see you tomorrow—when the real shock came not from Cage, but someone else entirely.
“What? Are you out of your mind?!”
It was Mikhail. He’d been eavesdropping just a few steps away and now suddenly exploded with a loud voice. His expression showed even more disbelief than Cage’s.
Adrian slowly pushed off the statue he’d been leaning on, but froze mid-motion at the sheer drama on Mikhail’s face.
Why are you the one making a scene?
