<Episode 14>
"Huh? What's all the noise?"
Suddenly, a buzzing sound reached his ears. Following Ares's gaze, Agnes and her brother turned their heads.
"Did some celebrity arrive?"
"Looks like it. People are gathered."
Just as Ares said, people were surrounding someone.
"...Seeing that, it reminds me of when I first entered the academy."
"Ugh, don't talk about that. It's horrifying just imagining it."
Lucas and Ares reminisced about their freshman days, sharing trivial stories.
Only Lucia was focused on figuring out who the surrounded person was.
"Herwin!"
Lucia let out a short exclamation. Lucas reacted to her words.
"What? Herwin?"
"...Herwin? Who's that?"
"Brother, Herwin is over there!"
Lucia hurried towards where he was.
The person buried in the crowd was definitely a person with black hair and red eyes.
Lucia craned her neck, trying to find a gap to squeeze through.
"E-excuse me...!"
She somehow managed to get in, but she couldn't move further inside.
"Lucia! Where are you!"
Lucas called out to Lucia from behind. But she was already stuck and unable to move.
"Ah, aah! Please don't step on me."
Lucia, being on the smaller side even among her peers, ended up buried among the other people.
"Oh, what should I do?"
She was starting to regret acting rashly. But the thought that Herwin hated being around so many people made her body move before she could think.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the pressure around her intensified. Some students were cheering.
Just then, Lucia's wrist was grabbed by someone, and she was pulled out of the crowd in an instant with a strong force.
"Oof!"
"It was you after all. What are you doing here?"
Lucia, who was rubbing her nose after bumping into something hard, smiled brightly at the familiar voice.
"Herwin!"
Herwin, who was much taller than Lucia, looked down at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Who is that woman?"
"Is he acquainted with Duke Peneus?"
"Could she be his girlfriend?"
Hearing the murmurs around them, Herwin clicked his tongue.
He took off his coat and covered Lucia's head with it.
Lucia, suddenly blinded, was flustered, while Herwin scanned his surroundings with a chillingly calm gaze.
"Don't bother people. Get lost."
A thick murderous aura emanated from him. Those who had approached him, hoping to get close, retreated with pale faces.
Herwin had been trying to suppress his rising annoyance since the crowd had started gathering.
No matter how annoyed he was, he usually tried to let things go, but he couldn't stand by when Lucia was struggling in the crowd.
Herwin took Lucia's hand and walked through the loosened crowd.
"Oh? Hyung."
Herwin, belatedly discovering Lucas, relaxed his cold expression and smiled gently.
"You, you little rascal. I wondered who it was, so it was you? When did you come down to the Kingdom?"
"I arrived last night. If I had arrived earlier, I would have gone to visit you, Hyung."
"Really? By the way, you've grown taller again since I last saw you. I'm sure you weren't this tall last time."
Lucas pouted and stood next to Herwin to compare their heights. Still, Lucas was taller.
"I'm at the age where I'm still growing. My knees hurt, so I think I'll grow even more."
"Stop growing. It's creepy now."
"I can't stop here if I want to catch up to Hyung."
Herwin and Lucas, meeting after a long time, shared the stories they hadn't been able to tell each other.
Lucia, who had been left to the side, took off Herwin's blazer that was blocking her view and tidied her disheveled hair.
Right in front of her, she saw Herwin laughing heartily as he talked to Lucas.
'He's become even more handsome.'
Lucia opened her mouth without realizing it.
He had become even more handsome than the last time she saw him.
His jawline was sharp, his neatly cut black hair swayed in the wind, and the sharp eyes that held red pupils were softly curved as he talked to Lucas.
How could he become more handsome as the days went by? Herwin was so amazing that she couldn't give up on her feelings.
Her heart was pounding, and a pleasant resonance spread, making her feel excited.
"By any chance, is that freshman Duke Peneus?"
"Kyaa!"
Lucia let out a short scream. Ares, who had approached unnoticed, whispered in her ear.
The two men, who had been chatting happily, turned their heads simultaneously.
Lucia tried to calm her surprised heart.
"Yes? Yes, that's right. He's Herwin Peneus."
"I knew it. I met Duke Peneus before, and he looks just like him."
"He does resemble the Duke a lot."
Tilt.
While talking to Ares, her weight suddenly shifted backward. Someone was pulling her from behind.
At the same time, Lucas squeezed between them and glared at Ares with wide eyes.
"You, where are you trying to sneakily approach my sister from!"
"Oh, was I caught?"
"Stay away from my sister! No, you're banned from approaching her from now on."
Just like before, Lucas was wary of Ares, and Ares chuckled with his usual sly smile, dodging Lucas.
"Who is that person anyway?"
A low, sweet voice reached her ear.
Lucia's ears turned red at Herwin's voice, which sounded like an attack. But she tried to maintain her composure and answered.
"He's my brother's friend. Ares Lydia. He's from the Lydia family, the same ducal family as you."
Herwin's eyebrows twitched. He eased his discomfort and stared at Ares intently.
"Lydia, huh. So that's why he has purple eyes."
"Yeah, I didn't expect my brother to be friends with Duke Lydia."
Watching the two bickering, she couldn't help but smile. As Lucia giggled, Herwin glanced at her.
"Even if he's Lucas Hyung's friend, be careful."
"Huh? Why? He doesn't seem like a bad person."
"Just listen to me. Regardless of whether he's good or bad, I don't have a good feeling about him."
"Hmm... If you say so."
"Hey guys, I think you should head to the entrance ceremony soon."
Ares, who was running away from Lucas, pointed to his watch. It was almost time for the entrance ceremony to begin.
"That's right, let's go."
"Yeah. We'll be going now. See you later, Brother."
As Herwin and Lucia were about to leave, Lucas shouted.
"Lucia! If you need my help, come to me anytime! Got it?"
Ares, who was caught by Lucas, also called out to Lucia.
"If you happen to meet my sister, please say hello for me! She'll accept you if you mention my name! Come find me if you're bored!"
"Why would Lucia go find you!"
Lucas raged and lunged at Ares.
"...Lucia, let's go."
Herwin, who had been watching the situation, frowned, put his arm around Lucia's shoulders, and headed to the entrance ceremony venue.
* * *
"There are so many people."
Lucia looked around with her mouth open. The auditorium where the entrance ceremony was being held was crowded with many students.
"Let's go over there."
"Okay."
Lucia looked for a place to stand with Herwin.
But as she moved with Herwin, she felt the attention of those around her.
Just being next to him was this burdensome, so how much more would it be for Herwin himself?
"Herwin."
"Why?"
"Are you okay with that now?"
Lucia covered her mouth with one hand, worried that others might hear. Herwin naturally bent down.
"I mean, people's attention. You hate being the center of attention, right?"
"Ah, that."
Herwin said nonchalantly.
"It's been a while since I got better. I don't care anymore."
"Still, today people's attention is more focused than usual."
She knew that Herwin no longer feared people's attention as he used to, thanks to long counseling and treatment, but she couldn't help but worry.
As wrinkles formed on Lucia's fair forehead, Herwin nonchalantly straightened up.
Thwack.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
With a light sound, Lucia grabbed her forehead.
"Don't worry about useless things and look ahead. It looks like it's about to start soon."
"You could have just said it. Did you have to hit me?"
Lucia pouted and rubbed her throbbing forehead.
She thought she heard giggling from behind and turned her head, but Herwin was standing there expressionlessly.
"Tch, don't laugh."
"Ahem, who said I was laughing."
Unlike his indifferent tone, the corners of his lips twitched. Lucia, who didn't miss it, expressed her dissatisfaction once more, but Herwin feigned ignorance.
Then, he turned Lucia's head, telling her to look ahead.
'Like a squirrel.'
Herwin bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh again. Nevertheless, seeing Lucia's back, he couldn't help but smile.
Perhaps it was because he had met Lucia and Lucas after a long time, but it had been a long time since he had laughed so aimlessly.
Herwin, who had been chuckling quietly again, noticed that Lucia was not standing still in front of him and was moving from side to side.
"What are you doing?"
Herwin, who had been watching Lucia's actions, asked.
"Herwin, can you see that blonde woman over there?"
"There are more than one or two blonde women. Who are you talking about?"
"Um, over there!"
Lucia stood on tiptoe and pointed to a woman far away.
Herwin looked in the direction she was pointing and searched for the blonde woman.
"Are you talking about the woman surrounded by people?"
"Yes! Could that girl be Princess Lydia?"
"She certainly has purple eyes."
"Ah! I knew it! I thought she looked like Duke Lydia!"
He seemed to have briefly seen Ares's face just now, and as expected, she was his sister.
"He asked me to say hello for him... Should I go and say something?"
"Don't bother. She looks too busy listening to other people."
Herwin used his tall height to explain Princess Lydia's current situation.
"Really?"
"And, I think that was just something he said, so is there a need to listen to it?"
"But he's my brother's friend..."
Judging by how Lucas treated him so casually, they must be quite close.
"It would be nice to get along if possible."
"...Just stay still. If it's meant to be, you'll meet someday."
As Lucia was about to move, Herwin's large hand grabbed her small shoulder.
Even the slightest action made her heart pound as if it would collapse. Lucia quickly straightened her body, worried that her face might be turning red.
Fortunately, Herwin's hand that had touched her shoulder fell away.
[Ah, ahem. We will now begin the 49th Imperial Academy Entrance Ceremony. New students...]
The amplified voice, using a voice amplification magic tool, echoed through the auditorium.
The entrance ceremony officially began.
