By Zephyria 
They exchanged names.
Oliver Combine, a fellow student of Glotin Tenner and a senior in my throwing knife technique class, was someone I remembered greeting a few times. But this was the first time I had seen the face of Glotin, Marianne’s lover, directly.
Marianne had gone on and on about how radiant and handsome he was, but Glotin Tenner was not significantly different from the Sierran average.
His hair color was a clear, bright blue like a lake on a clear day, so vibrant that he would be easily recognizable from afar. His eyes were a deep green.
He had round eyes, a high nose, and a slender face, but I still wasn’t sure if all those features combined made him handsome. He wore large glasses that seemed too big for his face, and the thin lenses allowed his large eyes to be seen clearly.
My curiosity grew, and I stared intently at his face, unable to tear my gaze away from Glotin. Marianne quickly stepped between us, blocking my view.
“Why are you looking at him like that? You’ll wear him out.”
“Wear him out?”
“…Mari, no. I won’t wear out…”
Glotin Tenner, flustered, tugged at Marianne’s sleeve to stop her. After I stood there blankly for a moment, not understanding his meaning, Shayden, suppressing a laugh, grabbed my sleeve and teased me in the same tone.
“See? Why are you looking at him like that? You’ll wear Mika out.”
“A scene where the handsome ones are just standing there, and only the guardians are working overtime.”
“Working overtime doing what?”
“It’s just… a thing.”
The children all laughed heartily, and I joined in, though I was still bewildered. I decided I’d have to ask Shayden to explain it to me later, suppressing my confusion.
As we stood on the street, facing each other, and it felt like a waste of time, Shayden checked the time and cheerfully invited the two seniors to join us for a meal. The plan was to decide on a restaurant, do our shopping, and meet at the appointed time.
Jenny, who was usually awkward around strangers, showed no hesitation, her interest in Marianne’s lover outweighing her shyness. And since Marianne seemed unwilling to part from Glotin, I enthusiastically agreed and encouraged the idea.
After parting ways with the two boys, Marianne giggled sheepishly and covered her cheeks with her hands. Her face, still flushed, was as radiant as if she had applied makeup.
“Do you like him that much?”
“Mmm… Oh, will everyone be uncomfortable? Me suddenly…”
“I was the one who suggested we eat together. I also wanted to get to know Tenor Young Master.”
“Wasn’t Tenor Senior in the business department?”
“That’s right. I heard his grades were quite good, too.”
Shayden and Damian answered kindly, soothing Marianne. After taking a few deep breaths to calm her flustered feelings, Marianne bravely raised her fist.
“Let’s go buy our Artifacts quickly!”
“Yes—!”
Jenny responded enthusiastically and raised her fist high, following Marianne. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should do the same, but seeing the boys beside me watching with smiles, I simply picked up my bag and followed them.
❖ ❖ ❖
The table was large enough to seat all the children.
A large platter filled with dishes was placed on the white tablecloth, and tongs were provided so everyone could serve themselves.
Everyone was too busy asking questions to touch the food on their plates.
My companions asked Glotin Tenner questions, and Glotin Tenner, who hadn’t even had a proper bite of food, would wet his throat with a drink and answer. No one seemed to care that the food was getting cold.
Only Ivan and I were steadily eating.
The questions, which began with inquiries about the business department professors and classes, soon turned to Glotin Tenner’s family relationships and his close friends.
I wondered if the questions were becoming too intrusive, but the person receiving them was kind and showed no signs of reluctance, so I let it be.
“Among my friends… I’m closest to Combine Young Lord here.”
“I’m not.”
“Even saying that, he only plays with me.”
Oliver grumbled in response, seeming inexplicably displeased.
Whether he was unhappy that attention wasn’t on him, or uncomfortable with us intruding on their interaction, or simply had a naturally talkative and easily annoyed personality, I couldn’t tell.
I remembered him being quite kind when he associated with me in class, so it felt strange.
Meanwhile, Glotin, with a gentle smile never leaving his lips, was busy politely declining the food Marianne kept piling onto his plate while she stuck to his side, yet he consistently answered with courtesy.
“Oliver and I were born in the same year… We first met as playmates around our fifth birthdays, and our connection has continued ever since. We’ve seen each other so much that I know what he’s thinking without him saying a word.”
“What are you thinking now?”
“What am I thinking now?”
Marianne asked, her eyes sparkling. Glotin Tenner replied in a playful tone.
“Hmm. That Philodendor Young Lady is pretty?”
“What? That’s Glee Oppa’s thought!”
Marianne burst into peals of laughter and lightly hit Glotin’s arm. Unlike the sharp gestures she used to hit me and Benjamin, it was a delicate movement, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings.
Watching the two of them, I suddenly turned my gaze and was a little surprised.
Oliver Combine’s face was set in a hard expression.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Shayden quickly changed the subject.
Thanks to that, I learned that Glotin Tenner had raised many pets since he was young and still had an eight-year-old dog at his family home.
While talking about the dog, Oliver Combine also chimed in with his usual chatter.
Oliver recounted stories of Glotin, who only liked to read books as a child, diligently going to the garden to walk the dog.
All the anecdotes he shared were so affectionate that I wondered if the strange look I had seen earlier was just my imagination.
After the meal, which took an unusually long time, no one wanted to leave. We ordered dessert and tea separately, extending our time together.
Thanks to the long conversation, the two seniors and my companions had grown considerably closer. It was just like how I had become comfortable talking with Moyong Yeonhwa as Jegal Amugae’s friend.
We compared the Marianne we knew with the Marianne that Glotin knew, and we posed playful hypothetical scenarios to test Glotin.
Glotin never seemed flustered by any question.
Just by the way he answered, I could tell he was a sharp one.
Jenny, with a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, smiled brightly and added another playful question.
“So, you two will get married then?”
It was the first question Glotin Tenner couldn’t answer immediately.
A very brief silence followed, filled with palpable awkwardness. Jenny also looked surprised, realizing her mistake. Glotin Tenner, still wearing his gentle smile, paused for a moment before answering Jenny’s question with a question of his own.
“From Jenny’s perspective… do you think Marianne would accept my proposal?”
“Ah, you’re crazy, really!”
Marianne immediately shrieked.
This time, the hit seemed to hurt a bit, and Glotin cried out in pain as Marianne struck him. His demeanor was so smooth and easygoing, he was like a fox in glasses.
Amidst the children protesting that they didn’t want to hear such things, I once again observed Oliver’s expression. Like the others, he was making a playful, scowling face and waving his hands dismissively.
Feeling embarrassed for having made a baseless assumption, I raised my teacup and took a sip.
It was late into the night with all the various conversations before we called two carriages to return to the academy.
Marianne and Jenny were taken separately, as the two seniors offered to escort them to the door of the women’s dormitory. As soon as we got into our carriage and closed the door, Damian and Shayden exchanged glances that seemed significant.
“Is this okay?”
“…No, I don’t know.”
“What don’t you know?”
Instead of Shayden, who hesitated to answer immediately, Damian spoke up.
“About Oliver Combine Senior. He seemed a bit strange.”
“In what way?”
“It’s not precise, but… it felt like he didn’t quite approve of the relationship between Marianne and Glotin Senior.”
I knew that much.
I had spoken with Shayden about Oliver and him before, so I glanced at Shayden. Easily sensing my thoughts, Shayden shrugged.
“I think there are three possibilities.”
“What are they?”
“First. Oliver Senior also likes Marianne. It’s… surprisingly common for friends to like the same person. You never know if it’s true destiny until you’re walking down the aisle. And even setting aside the fact that divorce isn’t easy in the Sierran Empire.”
“Hmm.”
“Second. Glotin Senior doesn’t like Marianne. This could be a misunderstanding caused by Glotin Senior being so smooth and good with words… When the marriage talk came up, he hesitated for a moment, didn’t he? As if he had never even considered it. He maintained his smiling face from beginning to end, his expression never changing.”
“…Mmm. And the third?”
“The third is.”
Shayden took a breath.
Ivan, who had been listening silently, rested his chin on his hand on the carriage windowsill and leaned forward, listening intently.
Damian, on the other hand, let out a deep sigh and sank back into his seat. Shayden also adopted the same posture as Damian and spoke.
“The first and second possibilities could have happened simultaneously.”
“…But Marianne, she…”
“Right, she likes Glotin Tenner Young Master. And she likes him in a way that’s obvious to everyone.”
Despite a strange sense of unease, I couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Listening to Shayden’s explanation, I felt an uncomfortable, almost choked feeling and couldn’t speak. The carriage ride back was silent thereafter.
Just before we got out of the carriage, Damian offered a single piece of advice.
“For now, let’s worry, but let’s not interfere.”
Everyone responded by nodding silently.