By Zephyria 
Princess Lucilla was about three times as talkative as Shayden or Marianne.
Thanks to that, even though only one person had been added, it was much later, and by the time they left the throwing knife practice area, it was darker than last Friday.
Without even washing, they headed straight for the dormitory cafeteria to get dinner.
The previous time, when they could just practice by silently throwing knives, had been more comfortable and better.
However, it was uncomfortable to push away a child who wanted to join them, so Ernhardt did not refuse Lucilla, who insisted she wanted to join them next time, and agreed before bidding her farewell.
As Ernhardt walked back to the dormitory alongside Benjamin, he let out a small yawn from fatigue, and a hand patted his shoulder, just as it had done earlier.
Perplexed, Ernhardt looked up at Benjamin’s face.
He wore his usual stoic expression.
“Why?”
“No reason. You just looked tired today.”
“It’s nothing major. I’m just struggling because there’s no shortcut to what I desire.”
“That’s how martial arts are, aren’t they? Whether it’s a long sword or a short dagger. There’s always one that’s particularly stubborn.”
“Young Master Claudian, what did you find most difficult?”
“Me? Well… riding horses was the hardest.”
“Horses?”
“Yes. Animals don’t tend to follow me well. Perhaps it’s because I’m heavy.”
At that, Ernhardt looked at Benjamin Claudian again, carefully.
He was a boy with a generally large, masculine build. He looked more like a young man than a boy, appearing older than his peers, but he didn’t seem particularly fierce.
Perhaps it was because his aura was not yet contained, Ernhardt pondered along with him.
Rabbits, cats, dogs, and horses – all the animals he had encountered in this land had obeyed him well.
Every animal, no matter how fierce, would roll onto its back or trot over to rub against him as soon as they saw his face.
He didn’t know how to handle wild beasts, but he was confident in his skills with livestock, both in his past and present lives, so he spoke with assurance.
“Does the Academy have a horseback riding class?”
“Yes.”
“Then, next semester, it would be good for Young Master Claudian and me to take that class together. I’m good at handling animals, so I can help you.”
“Young Master Ernhardt?”
“Yes, I’ve received a lot of help myself.”
Benjamin Claudian smiled instead of replying with a ‘yes’.
He offered a brief “Thank you” only when they parted at the dormitory hallway intersection later.
Once inside his room, Ernhardt took out his well-worn Shierun Academy notebook and flipped through it, having looked at it so many times.
There was no end to what he wanted to learn. There were many classes he couldn’t afford to miss next semester.
He spent a considerable amount of time counting and making separate notes of the subjects.
❖ ❖ ❖
On the weekend, Ernhardt decided to join Shayden and his close friends who were going out to the market.
He had felt it was unfair that Shayden was mixed in with the unfamiliar children Ernhardt attended camping class with.
He knew that whenever Shayden stayed by his side, trying to help with various things, Ernhardt would tell him it wasn’t necessary, but Shayden would insist he was fine and diligently take care of him.
Therefore, Ernhardt thought it wouldn’t be bad to socialize with Shayden’s friends in return.
However, as soon as he met the friend Shayden was supposed to go out with today, Ernhardt felt a pang of embarrassment, realizing he had been thinking unnecessarily on his own.
Standing in front of the Academy’s main gate, a common meeting spot for students, was a familiar face waving in his direction.
Beneath neatly combed dark gray hair, a boy with kind brown eyes was Damian Christopher, who served as the leader for the camping class and always helped Ernhardt.
Thinking back, Damian and Shayden had greeted each other very familiarly on the first day Ernhardt joined the camping class. He had forgotten that they knew each other well.
It was arrogant of him to think Shayden was merely looking out for him by socializing with friends he wasn’t close to. He was embarrassed by his own delusion, stemming from the lack of close friends who doted on him so dearly at his age.
While Ernhardt was regretting his unnecessary thoughts, the two were conversing familiarly.
“Why are you here so early, Demi?”
“I just arrived. Danbi and Arno said they’d go ahead and wait.”
“And Gregory?”
“He forgot something and went back in… Ah, there he comes.”
“Hello!”
A short boy was running from a distance, clutching the straps of his bag with both hands.
When the boy’s eyes met Ernhardt’s, he bowed his head. It didn’t seem like a greeting for Damian and Shayden standing beside him, so Ernhardt nodded back in greeting.
He looked like someone he might have seen before, but also not.
As Ernhardt observed his face, the boy suddenly spoke.
“I’m Gregory from the Department of Magic, first year, Young Master Ernhardt! We met in class!”
“Ah.”
“He’s a friend Marianne introduced me to recently. He has a good personality.”
“Whoa, ah, I’m embarrassed.”
Gregory, speaking with exceptionally clear pronunciation, extended his hand, and Ernhardt shook it.
While his face was vaguely familiar, he didn’t recall the name. It was also news to Ernhardt that Shayden had become friends with Marianne and was now meeting her friend’s friend.
It seemed Shayden’s group, unlike Ernhardt’s own friends, called each other by pet names and spoke informally, making Ernhardt feel like a sore thumb sticking out among them, which made him feel awkward.
It was the same feeling he had when he was introduced to the table at the Five Dragons and Three Peaks after the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Being the only one inserted into a group that already knew each other well, explaining who he was and what he liked, was always difficult for him.
As he remained silent, Shayden’s friendly explanation followed, as always.
“One of the friends we’re meeting later is Danbi from the Business Department, whom you know. The other is Danbi’s girlfriend. I’ll introduce you when we meet.”
“Danbi… has a girlfriend?”
“Well, it’s about time we started thinking about marriage. You’re only thirteen, but we all debuted in society last January.”
“There’s no need to rush, Young Master. On average, people get married around twenty. However, the age at which you can get engaged if you find someone you want to be closer to is fifteen.”
In Ernhardt’s memory, Damian and Danbi from the Business Department were like white glutinous rice cakes coated in fine powder. The idea that such a small, puppy-like boy had a woman he intended to marry was astonishing.
Indeed, by age alone, he was old enough to marry in the Central Plains, but his youthful appearance made him seem unreliable.
As the children and Ernhardt left the Academy gates, a carriage awaited them.
When invited to board, Ernhardt’s senses finally returned. He couldn’t bear to watch the young ones leaning on and cherishing each other, nor could he lecture them that it was too soon.
It was wrong to interfere in such serious matters of life based solely on the fact that he had once given a nickname to one of the children.
The children discussed the play they were going to see, talking about the protagonist and so on. Knowing he would only take up space due to his lack of artistic appreciation, Ernhardt let their words wash over him.
And when they got off the carriage and met the children they were supposed to meet today, Ernhardt was so taken aback he lost his words.
A boy with a familiar face and a girl with an unfamiliar face were sitting side-by-side on a long bench in front of the fountain, holding hands tightly and kissing each other’s hands.
Stunned by the sight, Ernhardt couldn’t find a place to look. He stammered involuntarily.
“…Are, are those them?”
“Ah, you found them right away. Danbi! Arno!”
“Oh? You’re early. There weren’t many carriages on the road today.”
“That’s because everyone who arrived ten minutes before the appointed time gathered.”
“Patrick would cry if he heard that. Let’s go in. Shall we buy something to eat?”
However, Ernhardt was the only one greatly surprised. The children greeted each other warmly as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
As Ernhardt stood there awkwardly for a moment, Damian from the Department of Law pulled him over and introduced him to the two children.
The girl, with a demure appearance and standing shyly, was about half a span taller than Danbi. Her clear, pale eyes sparkled with joy.
“Hello, Young Master Ernhardt. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Arno Clément. I’m a first-year student in the Department of Administration, and I’m beautifully in love with ‘Danbi’.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to… meet you.”
“I’ve always wondered who gave our Danbi his pet name. I’m so happy to meet you today.”
Was there anyone in this Academy who didn’t know that Ernhardt had arbitrarily given this boy his nickname? A sigh escaped him.
Damian, still with his round head, from the Business Department, smiled brightly and looked up at Arno Clément. He seemed very proud of his lover.
The sight of the two holding hands tightly still displeased Ernhardt, but seeing them so confident, he wondered if he was thinking wrongly and couldn’t add anything more.
He simply nodded silently, concluding the greeting.
Leaving Ernhardt still bewildered, the children eagerly debated what snacks and drinks to buy.
Following Shayden, who told him to keep up because it was crowded with many people, Ernhardt tried to suppress his gaze from constantly drifting to Danbi and Arno, who were still holding hands.
No, even so, how could it be considered normal for an unmarried man and woman to walk down the street holding hands?
He sighed, thinking he must have been ignorant because he had only lived in Young Count Ernhardt’s Residence.
His thoughts drifted to Marianne’s earlier talk of ‘honey traps,’ wondering if the child had meant it sincerely, which made his head spin.
This would have been unimaginable in the Central Plains.
Even daughters of high-ranking officials, let alone women who walked the path of martial arts, had to wear veils that reached their elbows if their families were even slightly strict, just to see the outside world.
Perhaps it was out of fear that their beauty, if rumored, would bring harm, but it was also due to the prevailing custom that considered those who acted without chastity, whether men or women, as base.
Only the depraved scoundrels of the Evil Sect boasted of their corrupted bodies, spending their days in brothels.
The men of the Orthodox Sect, who knew it was proper to cultivate themselves and train their bodies daily, took pride in dedicating their energy to martial arts rather than romance.
It was not uncommon for the head of a family to have concubines, but even then, they had to offer a pretense of having many children to pass on their legacy to avoid criticism.
Didn’t Moyong Amu-gae’s sister, Moyong Yeonhwa, marry Jegal Amu-gae after only showing her bare ankle once to suck out poison?
Ernhardt believed that was right.
He walked where he was led, took what was placed in his hand, and sat where he was seated, feeling bewildered.
He couldn’t easily regain his composure even when he sat in the seats for which Shayden had already purchased tickets for him.
Then, as the play was about to begin and a thick curtain was slowly drawn up on stage, Ernhardt’s eyes snapped open.
On stage, a man and a woman were embracing each other tightly, as if they would burst, and kissing.