Editor : Amethyst00



"Oooh?! That looks tasty too! Mister, I'll take one of those!"

Eliana bought a chicken skewer from a street vendor, her face bright with joy.

Watching her, Tade crossed his arms.

"Aren't you eating a bit too much?"

"Hmph! This is how you deal with exam stress!"

Nodding eagerly, Eliana bit into the grilled chicken, a look of pure bliss on her face.

Nella, watching her from the side, tilted her head curiously.

"Eliana's not usually the type to eat so much… What's going on?"

At that, Chelsea let out a short laugh.

"She probably flunked the exam and is eating her feelings."

"Now that I've stuffed myself, how about some exercise? There's a dart-throwing booth over there!"

"Says there Lumene students are banned."

"Whaaaaat?! Why?!"

Eliana wailed in despair.

Nella covered her mouth, stifling a giggle.

"Whatever the reason, it's nice to see everyone enjoying their free time. Let's enjoy ours too."

"Yeah!"

"Still… I get why Leo isn't here, but it's a bit of a shame that Carl's missing."

Nella smacked her lips lightly.

The ones gathered here were all from Class 5 during their first year.

"Right? I mean, the class rep is busy with student council stuff, sure. But Carl? Come on."

"He said he had to check on his shop or something."

"Great! Then let's all crash at Carl's shop tonight!"

"No overnight stays. We're taking the last boat back to Lumene."

At those words, Eliana gave Chelsea a sideways glance.

"…What's with that annoying look?"

"Nothing. Just wondering when you turned into such a rule-abiding model student."

"You idiot. You think Leo-oppa would let me off the hook if I broke the rules?"

"The class rep's close with us! He'd totally let it slide!"

Tade looked at Eliana, who clenched her fists as she made her baseless argument.

"Wanna leave her behind and head back? I'm kinda curious to see how Leo would punish her."

"You cowards! Don't you have any guts?!"

Eliana pouted and put her hands on her hips, whining about staying out overnight.

Just then—

"Who was it? Who just said overnight stay?"

Celia appeared, eyes narrowed sharply.

"Oppa!"

Behind her, Abad also showed up.

Chelsea beamed brightly and rushed over to him.

"Chelsea, you've been having fun?"

"Yes!"

As the siblings chatted warmly, Tade muttered under his breath,

"Chelsea seriously acts like a totally different person around Leo and Abad."

"Hmm? Isn't she always like that?"

"Well, sure, she's sweet to you too, Nella."

"What's she like when we're not around?"

"Don't ask. She's like a tiny little demon—ugh!"

Chelsea delivered a clean dropkick to Tade's stomach.

"Huh? What was that? Who are you calling a tiny demon?"

"Tell me I'm wrong!"

The two began shouting and growling at each other. Watching them, Nella chuckled.

'These guys haven't changed a bit, even in their third year.'

Thinking how consistent they all were, Nella turned her head.

She looked toward Eliana, who was now clinging to Celia, pleading dramatically for mercy.

Nella stifled a giggle with her hand and turned to Abad.

"Abad, what brings you here with Celia?"

"I was helping out with the disciplinary committee and ran into her on the way."

"Huh? But you're not on the committee."

"Well, somehow I ended up helping anyway."

Abad gave a soft smile.

Watching the two of them—undeniably the most attractive pair in their year—Chelsea paused her scuffle with Tade, clasped her hands together, and chirped,

"You two look so good together like this! Nella-unnie! How about marrying into our family?"

"Huhu, I'd be honored."

Nella replied with a graceful smile, but Chelsea puffed out her cheeks.

"No, I mean it seriously! Right, Oppa? You think Nella-unnie would be a great match too, don't you?"

Abad smiled just like Nella.

Chelsea recognized that expression for what it was—wordless rejection—and let out a small sigh.

'So the two of them really don't have feelings for each other, huh.'

Sensing that, Chelsea let the topic drop.

"What's going on over here?"

At that moment, Chloe, Duran, and Howl walked over, passing by nearby.

"Well, well, if it isn't the nobles of Class 1."

Tade crossed his arms and made a lightly provocative remark, to which Duran responded with a chilly grin.

"If you're picking a fight, I'll gladly take it. Tade Markov."

"This guy's no fun at all, huh?"

Tade clicked his tongue.

These four—including Celia—were all from Class 1 back in their first year.

Class 5 had been under Harrid's charge, while Class 1 had been under Sedgen.

These two classes, having survived the intensity of their respective instructors, remained unusually close-knit even after moving up to the second year.

Class 1 was tightly unified under Sedgen's leadership, and Class 5 had bonded through enduring Harrid's terrifying lessons.

"You're here."

"Hmph."

Nella greeted with a chuckle, and Duran scoffed, stepping back slightly.

Since first year, Duran had always shown a faint sign of retreat when facing Nella.

Watching this unfold, Eliana leaned closer to Nella and whispered, "Nella."

"What?"

"I've been wondering… do you like Duran—"

Thud!

"Guh?!"

Nella's fist struck Eliana squarely in the ribs.

Everyone looked puzzled as Eliana gasped, clutching her side.

Nella just smiled as if nothing had happened and calmly asked, "Sorry, didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat it, Eliana?"

"N-nothing at all!"

Eliana frantically shook her head.

She'd thought she had something to tease Nella about—but one wrong move, and her ribs might end up shattered.

With a chill running down her spine, Eliana changed targets.

"Celia."

"What now?"

Celia brushed her hair back as Eliana squinted suspiciously.

"Are you dating Abad?"

"Are you insane?"

Celia snorted, while Chelsea sighed.

"Here she goes again, talking about love."

"What? The vibe between those two's been weird lately, right? And the great detective Eliana's intuition is always right. Just a little while ago—"

She struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips but flinched.

She'd just seen Nella pull out a massive morning star and hold it casually in her hand.

"A-a-anyway! I'm telling you! There's a scent in the air! A scent!"

Eliana pointed dramatically at Celia.

"What could my perfect brother possibly see in a raging fire-boar like her?!"

"Hey! Why am I a fire-boar?!"

"Why?! You're always charging forward like a boar with fire around you! You totally fit!"

"Chelsea, it's not nice to make fun of people."

"Urgh…"

Even Abad chimed in, making Chelsea shrink back.

Watching that, Eliana stroked her chin.

"Hooh? Siding with Celia, are you? Suspicious, very suspicious."

"That's just Abad being Abad."

Chloe let out a sigh before shifting the topic.

"So, Eliana. Enough about other people's love lives—don't you have anything of your own?"

Caught off guard as the spotlight turned to her, Eliana blinked wide-eyed.

"Huh? Lately, there's a rumour going around the first-years that you and Carl are dating."

"Me and Carl?"

Eliana burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

"Carl's got zero charm as a romantic partner!"

Tade chuckled at her words.

"Funny. He said the exact same thing about you."

"Aang?! What gives him the right to judge me like that?! So arrogant—for someone like Carl!"

Eliana's eyes flared as she crossed her arms defiantly.

"Anyway! I already decided who I'm going to marry in the future!"

"…Huh?"

"…Come again?"

Everyone looked at her, stunned.

Chelsea stared in disbelief.

"Who?"

"The class president!"

Chelsea and Chloe both twitched slightly.

Celia crossed her arms.

"Rejected."

"Who are you to say that?!"

"Leo's cousin."

Celia flipped her hair back with a smirk.

"Whether you like it or not, Leo's become someone with global influence. That means his future partner will carry enormous responsibility and pressure."

"I know. I know that very well, Celia. I know you see me as reckless and impulsive. I get that too."

"…"

"But even so, I still want to be the president's partner."

"…I didn't realize you were thinking that seriously. I'm sorry, Eliana."

Celia gave her a rare apologetic look.

"If you truly understand the weight of it, then I don't exactly oppose—"

"Yup! That's why I want to be his second wife."

"…What?"

Celia's face went completely blank.

"I mean, he's basically royalty. It's not weird for someone like him to have a few concubines, right?"

Eliana's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"With someone like the president, he's not gonna be marrying just for status. He wouldn't even care about gaining the Raden family's assets. Heck, he might even hand over the family management to me. Then I could live in comfort, piggybacking on his prestige and enjoying the high life forever!"

She clenched her fist, full of enthusiasm.

Celia, looking mildly horrified, asked flatly, "You're joking, right?"

"I'm dead serious."

"Then as Leo's cousin, I'll personally make sure a morally bankrupt girl like you never even touches the title of second wife!"

"Why?!"

"Someone bring salt! I need to throw it at her!"

"Whyyyyyyy!"

Eliana wailed and clung to Celia.

"…What's all this ruckus?"

Just then, Carl returned from checking on his shop.

Seeing the chaos his friends were causing on the street, Carl wore a look of bafflement. Chelsea crossed her arms and filled him in on the situation.

When Carl heard the story, he let out a dry laugh.

"That's so typically Eliana."

"Right?!"

Even Chloe shook her head like she'd given up on her.

Watching them, Carl spoke with a teasing glint in his voice.

"Well, at least you two can rest easy now."

He smirked as he said it, prompting Chloe to glare at him and Chelsea to scoff.

"That idiot couldn't beat me even if she had a whole truckload of herself."

"Yeah, but Eliana's not the real issue right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You might want to brace yourselves."

Carl shrugged, drawing their attention.

Chelsea and Chloe turned to him, wary.

Carl was known for his sharp intel—especially if it involved Leo.

Looking at the two, Carl said calmly, "Senior Elena asked Leo to go with her—just the two of them—to a private island."

At those words, Chelsea's brows furrowed, and Chloe's eyes flickered.

"S-so? What did Leo say?"

Chloe asked, her voice laced with unease.

Carl scratched his cheek, hesitating. Honestly, leaking something he'd overheard came with the risk of Elena's wrath… but to him, his friends mattered more.

"…He said he'd go."