#54
After chasing away Ray, who had been flustered by Noah’s confession of liking him but suddenly changed, spouting nonsense about today being their first day as a couple and having things he wanted to do together, Noah gazed out the window.
A long sigh escaped Noah’s lips as he looked at the garden now cloaked in complete darkness.
What exactly was he doing here these days? Everything was confusing, as if he was going through puberty all over again.
While it was much better to stay here than to learn how to dance with a private tutor or prepare for parties while seeing the sickening snow in the cold Austen region, the repetitive academy life was starting to feel a bit tiresome.
He had already done this for nearly 20 years in Korea.
At first, it was enjoyable to learn new things, but that phase had long passed.
“Should I just give up on everything and date someone like people say?”
The stone-faced, gruff Derik would never like him, and someone like Ray might be fine.
Ray was friendly, had a good personality, and was handsome. But why did he like Derik instead of Ray? Indeed, the human heart was unpredictable.
Noah couldn’t help but smile as he recalled Ray holding his hand, linking their pinkies, and declaring “Day one starts today!” Of course, both Noah and Ray knew it wasn’t really their first day as a couple.
As he thought about how Ray had cleanly resolved what could have been an awkward situation before leaving, Noah saw Derik’s face overlapping with Ray’s.
At times like this when he felt troubled, it was best to curl up in Aeongi’s warm embrace, stroking his soft fur or rambling to himself. But where had he gone again? He was never around when needed.
As Noah blankly stared into the darkness, feeling the wind tousling his hair, he quietly observed a white object swaying gently in the distance.
Sway. Sway.
The glimpses of white in the darkness resembled Aeongi’s tail. White with black patterns—did that mean Aeongi was over there?
Noah’s curiosity was piqued by the fact that after rushing out just moments ago, Aeongi hadn’t gone far and was now watching him. Somehow, Noah felt that if he followed now, he might discover why Aeongi disappeared so often, so he quickly looked around.
While arguing with Ray, he had missed the academy’s lights-out time, and since he couldn’t boldly walk out into the hallway, his only option to get outside was to climb out the window.
Since it was night, Noah put on a black top, carefully put on his shoes, and looked down from the window. Had the place Derik always used as a door always been this high? Now that he was actually trying to go down, it seemed even higher.
Even if he fell, the lush garden trees below would probably break his fall.
To ensure a safe exit, Noah approached the bed. This was how they did it in movies.
Noah removed the thin bed sheet, wrapped it around the desk leg near the window several times, and let it hang down.
“Well then, shall we take a night stroll? Aeongi, wait right there.”
Without hesitation, Noah grabbed the bed sheet and launched himself out the window. Fortunately, having attended some knight department classes, he didn’t fall ungracefully.
Carefully moving his hands, Noah safely reached the ground and quickly looked toward where Aeongi had been. He was worried his efforts would be wasted if Aeongi had gone elsewhere while he was doing this, but after confirming the white object was still swaying, Noah quickly lowered his body.
Moving through the shadows of the garden, Noah’s eyes widened when he arrived.
“You…”
When Noah reached what he thought was Aeongi’s location, a hollow voice escaped his lips.
“You did well coming without getting caught.”
Noah couldn’t find the right words in response to Derik, who was sitting on a garden stone, gently swaying a white leaf. More than questioning how Derik was sitting alone outside after lights-out, swaying some leaf, the fact that Derik had witnessed his entire escape process hit Noah harder.
“But won’t you get caught soon?”
Following Derik’s fingertip, Noah awkwardly nodded. Under the bright moonlight pushing back the darkness, a long white cloth hanging from a second-floor window of the gray stone dormitory was clearly visible.
Without Aeongi, he would have to return, but just thinking about climbing back up using that white cloth made Noah’s arms feel sore already.
“…”
Noah sighed softly, thinking nothing was going his way, when he looked up at the warm touch enveloping his hand. At first, he thought it was just to get his attention, but the large hand covering his moved to his backhand and continued moving until their palms met.
Following what seemed like a natural sequence, rough fingers with calluses intertwined between Noah’s fingers, causing his once-calm heartbeat to change dramatically.
Led by Derik’s hand through the garden, Noah could only blink his large eyes when he realized they had exited the academy without using the main or back gates.
So this neighborhood had a “dog hole” too. But it wasn’t really a dog hole—Noah simply walked confidently while holding Derik’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To have fun.”
“Now?”
“You’re going to be called to the Dean’s office tomorrow anyway. Since we’re already out, we might as well have some fun so it’s not a complete waste. You’ve never been out like this at night, right?”
Noah’s eyes trembled as he looked at the village filled with bright lights.
“As you know, next week is the festival period. It’ll be more splendid and beautiful then, but it’s quite worth seeing now too. It’s like they’re rehearsing for the festival—all the shops stay open late.”
Led by Derik’s hand, which seemed to be guiding him into a devil’s pit, Noah was soon walking along the main street of the village.
“If we get caught, won’t the punishment be more than just 50 laps around the training ground? Aside from breaking curfew, we’ve left the academy without permission.”
“Hmm… 50 laps around the training ground as a base, plus something extra, I guess? Want some skewered meat?”
“Then what will my punishment be?”
“Maybe an essay submission? Or do you want to run 50 laps around the training ground with me? Here.”
While discussing the punishment they would receive upon return, a meat skewer appeared in Noah’s hand.
“Are you crazy? I’d die if I had to run 50 laps around the training ground. Anyway, they’ll contact my father too, right?”
“Probably?”
Noah took a bite of meat from the skewer. They say even ghosts who die after eating look better.
“Mm. Yeah. My dad… he’ll scold me.”
Rather than ruining his night stroll worrying about tomorrow’s punishment, Noah decided to enjoy it and looked around while eating his skewer.
Though he thought he knew a lot about this place, that wasn’t quite true. He might have learned from books and about culture and etiquette from people, but this kind of night stroll was a first.
“Does the Grand Duke care about you?”
As Derik, who was eating a skewer beside him, held a cup to Noah’s lips, Noah bent down to drink.
“My dad likes me!”
Although his father liked Loren thousands of times more, he wasn’t a harsh person to Noah, his only son. When Noah first transmigrated, his father had been cold, and it was difficult to even face him.
During vacations at Schwein Castle, Noah spent much more time with Lucas than with Loren. Unlike Loren, who still saw him as a child and worried about him despite him being fifteen, Lucas treated him as an equal adult.
During the last vacation, Noah had even accompanied Lucas on patrol to non-dangerous areas. As they roamed the mountains alone together, Lucas carefully explained about the Austen region, as if Noah could become the family head. Unlike his tutor or Loren, Lucas talked a lot about practical territory management.
During their vacation, father and son would break ice to go ice fishing when they had time, and at night, they would share Lucas’s study, just like when Noah was younger. As before, Lucas would work, and Noah would pull out one of the many books in the study to read.
As these moments accumulated, Noah thought they knew a lot about each other without having to say much, and at least it didn’t seem like Lucas would pressure him to marry quickly and continue the family line, as he had in the previous regression.
Above all, Lucas had promoted many initiatives to raise omega rights, and Noah was well aware that all of this was because of him.
“That’s not what I heard…”
“That’s not true! My dad likes me! How would you know? Have you seen it?”
Having finished his drink, Noah raised his voice in irritation without realizing it.
“…”
“Do you say that because everyone thinks that way?”
“…That’s not it.”
“If that’s not it… then what?”
While Noah’s tone had risen, Derik spoke in his usual tone and put some kind of candy into Noah’s mouth, causing Noah’s pronunciation to become slurred.
“What would you do if there was someone who likes you more than the Grand Duke does?”
“My mom? Even I think my mom likes me more than my dad does. That’s for sure.”
“Then do you like your mom or your dad more?”
Noah laughed helplessly at Derik’s question as he bought more snacks from the street vendors, seemingly intent on trying everything they sold.
“I like someone.”
Someone better than mom and dad.
Someone who was quite gruff, who didn’t understand Noah’s feelings well, who made Noah flustered with absurd questions, but whom he still liked.
“Should I tell you who?”
Noah looked at Derik with curiosity. Most people would ask who it was when told someone had a crush, but Derik didn’t ask.
Ah, whatever~ When had he ever thought things through? He was the type to act first and deal with consequences later. And looking at Derik under the soft lighting made his mouth itch to speak.
He never wanted to tell Ray these words, but he wanted to tell Derik.
“I know. You like Ray. Actually, I’m leaving the academy soon. I haven’t told the Dean yet, but I felt I should tell you before anyone else. I was worried about how to tell you since there are so many people and ears at the academy, so I’m glad I could at least tell you like this.”
Looking at Derik, who was smiling brightly down at him, Noah couldn’t say a word.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
