Chapter 138
Side Story 2. Winter (2)
When the heart that could not be suppressed leaked out of his mouth, Eugene hurriedly closed his mouth.
âWhat am I saying nowâ¦â¦.â
As the hand holding the teacup gained strength, the surface of the black tea fluctuated slightly.
He could never reveal this mind.
It shouldnât have been.
âHuh? You wanted to look good to me?â
In Eugeneâs ear, Yerineâs peaceful voice was heard.
He hoped it wouldnât be heard because he spoke in a small voice, but she seemed to have heard Eugene clearly.
Eugeneâs heart began to beat faster and faster.
He was afraid that Yerine might have noticed that his heart that had been pressed for years had burst.
However, Eugeneâs ears were filled with clear laughter.
âCompared to our old days, we have become really close. I hear you say that too.â
In front of Eugene with her head up, Yerine held a teacup in her hand and smiled happily.
âI couldnât imagine when we were just entering the Academy and we were fighting all the time.â
âHuh? Uhâ¦â¦.â
Eugene nodded with relief inside.
Fortunately, Yerine did not seem to have judged Eugeneâs words to be a sign of rational favour.
âWell, itâs different from then.â
It was fortunate that Yerine hadnât noticed that he loved her, and that made him still hadnât completely closed his mind.
Nevertheless, Eugene seemed to have a cold heart for some reason.
âA great Trump has visited your castle in person, and of course you sure want to look good.â
The more so, they continued the conversation calmly, pretending to be okay.
âItâs a different level from the successor, the chick at the Academy.â
âOh, what, was it like that? Isnât the reason too snobbish?â
âThis is how politics works.â
âWow, I didnât see you that way.â
Yerine shook her head with her arms folded.
âEugene in my memory was a bit dirty and always lost his temper, but he wasnât so dirty that he gave in to money and status.â
âNo, why are you swearing at me being dirty?â
With an exaggerated expression on his face, Yerine matching rhythm to her own words, suddenly saw laughter leaking through Eugeneâs lips.
âAre you taking it seriously? Of course, itâs a joke.â
Eugene said, putting down the teacup he had in his hand.
âDo you really think I said that for that reason?â
After Eugene uttered the words out of his mouth, Yerine glanced at him for a while.
Eugene faced her like that.
He thought her eyes were still pretty, shining like a wet star.
At that moment, itâs more intense than anything else.
Above all, the red eyes containing warm colours bent finely like the moon.
âNo, I donât think so.â
Then Yerine slowly lifted the teacup and put it on her lips.
As soon as her lips fell from the teacup, a gentle voice came out.
âAnyway, Iâm glad.â
Yerine, who brings up such a remark, was not smiling broadly.
She was just hanging a calm smile on her lips.
Eugene looked up at the soft voice calling him.
And he smiled softly.
âYes, Iâm listening, Spade.â
***
The blue flame, which fluttered gently like the dragonâs tail, stretched out from the tip of Yerineâs hand.
âJust like before.â
Eugene, who was still watching her magic, thought to himself.
Yerineâs magic has become so powerful that it is not comparable to that of the Academy years.
Her magic, which used to boast overwhelming fire magic at the Academy days, is now more refined and detailed.
Yerineâs eyes, using her magic, sparkled as purely as her Academia days.
Until now, she was truly fond of magic.
âOh, Eugene, I think itâs done. Just in case, could you send me a flash?â
âYes.â
The flames, which were dancing as if they were left to the wind, stopped moving at some point and disappeared.
Then, Eugeneâs purple flash flashed with a thunderous sound.
When the flash disappeared, the body of the charred monster fell on the snow.
Eugene turned his head toward Yerine, who was descending from the air.
âThank you. Thanks to you, I caught it easily.â
âNo.â
Yerine peeked at the monsterâs body and said.
âI just wanted to check.â
The remaining monsters that could not be merged into the monster Yerine defeated in the final battle of the coup were sometimes found all over the empire.
It was not a big headache as the power was weaker than before and the number of wizards who had fought monsters since the coup increased considerably.
However, there was a possibility that someone could abuse these monsters and create a powerful strain, so the 7Imperial Families always watched the monster problem closely.
Thatâs why Yerine said he would come himself when he reported that there were five monsters in the Duke of Ace.
âItâs not hard to come.â
âBut itâs true that you made me catch it easily.â
Eugene magically gathered the dead bodies of the monster in one place and said.
âI was supposed to hold each one of them, but if itâs your eyes, those monsters will come by themselves in a flock. So I can take care of it all at once.â
Eugene, who finished the body treatment, shook his hand and sighed.
âIf Iâm being grateful, then I should be thankful. You donât have to refuse and say no all the time.â
âOh, no, itâs not like that. Just as a matter of courtesy, l donât think saying thanks once or twice is not necessary.â
âItâs okay to be a little brazen. Where did your self-recommended ambition in the executive elections when you were in freshman?â
âCrazy, do you remember that?â
Yerine was startled and jumped and screamed.
âWhy do you remember that?â
âWhy would I remember that? Itâs intense, so I remember.â
âPlease erase it from your memory. Now that I think about it, Iâm so embarrassed, itâs a completely dark past.â
âIâm sorry, but the more you say that, the harder it becomes to forget.â
âAh, reallyâ¦â¦.â
Yerine made a desperate face, tearing her purple hair with both hands.
âThatâs the most regrettable thing Iâve ever done as an Academy.â
âReally? You were too confident at the time for that.â
Eugene cleared his voice and said.
âOh, I recommend myself, is the thing you said without a secondâs hesitationâ¦.â
âPlease stopâ¦.â
Yerine, who seemed to have lost her soul, whether she thought she couldnât be beaten alone, grinds her teeth and shouts to Eugene.
âYouâve never done anything to regret, have you? Youâre so proud of yourself?
âWell, at least itâs less than you are.â
âIs that so?â
Yerine raised his lips.
âSpade, thereâs a limit to watching you run wild without knowing your place, I wonder who the one has said it.â
âAh.â
At Yerineâs words, Eugene immediately lost his fighting spirit.
That was simply undefendable.
âThatâs cheatingâ¦â¦â
Eugene murmured, wrapping his burning forehead with his gloved hands.
Yerine smiled cheerfully at Eugene.
âNow do you have any regrets?â
âYou really, oh, no. Iâm sorry, Spade.â
âNo, I feel really sorry if you come out so sincerely. Donât do that.â
âWhy are you sorry? I did something wrong back then.â
Later, when he had a conversation with Yerine.
And furthermore, when he became fond of her, Eugene wanted to punch himself countless times in the past, which had undermined her.
âThatâs enough. It was a long time ago.â
âStillâ¦â¦â
The idea that he could say this crossed Eugeneâs mind.
âI still regret it.â
The sincerity in the low voice resonated.
âI was so mean to you back then.â
He didnât regret it. After all, he didnât want to make a bad impression on her because he likes Yerine.
It was because he was sorry that he hurt a good person.
The purple eyes glanced at Eugeneâs eyes.
âItâs okay. Everyone can make mistakes.â
She didnât mean it as a joke or pretence. Her transparently shining eyes proved the fact.
âAnd Iâm not so small as to be offended by what happened a few years ago. So donât be sorry. Really.â
Eugene expected Yerine to react like that.
âWhy are people so nice.â
âEugene, donât show that face. Itâs really okay.â
ââ¦..okay.â
Eugene felt that Yerine would be more sorry if he continued to look gloomy.
So he listened to Yerine and changed his expression.
âBy the way, I have a question.â
âWhat is it?â
âDo you regret any of the actions you did during your Academy years? Not this.â
âDo you have one?â
âWell, I donât think thereâs anything other than recommended myself to become the class president.â
Yerine smiled back.
âDo you have one?â
With a clear smile without a speck of darkness, Eugeneâs head came up with a view of the mistletoe passage in the dark.
âIâ¦.â
Eugene decided not to let her know for the rest of his life, but he actually regretted it over and over again.
The thing that happened that day
Again and again.
His lips quenched nervously.
Then he said in a deeply subdued voice.
âNot believing in superstitions.â
He did not believe the rumour that if some kissed his crushâs hand under the mistletoe, they could be together forever.
Thatâs why he didnât catch Yerine before Cassius.
He lost someone he might love all his life.
Yerine will never know that Eugene regrets all this.
Unless he speaks in person.
âItâs snowing.â
It snowed a lot yesterday, but it was snowing again.
Itâs as if trying to calm his boiling heart down. As if asking to bury his heart in that white snowfield.
Thatâs how the winter has deepened in the north.