(unedited)

“You need time?”

He requested, as if to double-check.

“Sure.”

Liel replied with out hesitation.

So far as he was involved, Hamil’s supply wasn’t a foul one.

As a substitute of losing his time in coaching, he may enhance his grades and construct his resume as a future knight.

The label of “bastard” was beginning to hassle him, although he’d pretended to not discover. But it surely wasn’t a label that might be thrown away in any respect.

So, since getting into the Academy, he’d been pondering loads about it whereas ready for Lucy to reach.

He questioned what he may do to cover his humble origins, which could be revealed at any second.

“Is that what you say when you might get …… killed?”

Hemil put a hand to his brow like a person confronted with a troubling downside.

To inform the reality, the possibilities of Liel dying had been fairly slim; his swordsmanship exceeded that of most knights, and he was stronger than among the instructors on the academy.

Nonetheless, Hemil was involved that the younger man, nonetheless solely eighteen, would put himself in hurt’s method.

“The opposite instructors are alive and effectively.”

He mentioned in a playful tone.

It was a joke, after all, as a result of Liel himself was objectively conscious of his expertise.

If some other teacher had heard it, they might have scowled at him for being conceited, however not Hemil.

“So am I, and the others have lived lengthy sufficient.”

He shrugged off Liel’s remark, however he couldn’t assist however look frightened.

“Ha……. Properly, I’m not going immediately anyway, I’m leaving roughly every week after trip, so give me three days’ discover earlier than I depart.”

The holiday interval was virtually two and a half months, which meant he could be out of city for 2 months.

Liel nodded in understanding, then gave a short bow.

“I’m occurring this extermination mission. Should you say you’re coming with me, I’ll put you within the rear.”

His voice was low and menacing.

Nonetheless, Liel may solely nod, his grin by no means leaving his face.

* * *

[Lucy’s POV]

“Uh……. I imply, what……?”

Pavon, who had adopted me and Melissa yesterday, all of a sudden stopped me and requested for a while.

I adopted him into the empty lecture corridor with a puzzled look on my face.

Did I’ve sufficient of a reference to him to speak to him in non-public?

What the hell was he going to say?

After about 5 minutes of ready for him to talk, Pavon all of a sudden confessed that he had a crush on me.

Did I hear him improper……?

“I, I such as you.”

Pavon’s voice was too shaky to be a joke. His face burned as if he may burn me if I put my hand on it.

“M, me?”

“Sure…….?”

I repeated, however apparently I hadn’t misheard him.

That is the primary time I’ve ever talked to him, proper……? So why does he like me……?

I shortly racked my mind in case I didn’t keep in mind, however nothing got here to thoughts.

“…….”

This was the primary time I had ever been confessed by somebody. I don’t keep in mind a lot about my earlier life, so I can’t make certain, however it was undoubtedly the primary time on this life.

The unfamiliarity of the state of affairs made me really feel somewhat anxious.

‘How ought to I say no?’

There was no motive for me to exit with Pavon. It wasn’t as if I favored him, and it wasn’t as if I used to be in any pressing must work together with the alternative intercourse.

‘I used to be going to attend for Liel to get right into a relationship, at the very least……….’

I’ve heard that there are relationships that you just get to know after you’ve been collectively, however I truthfully wasn’t positive.

If I went out with Pavon, would he even care about me?

I stared at Pavon’s palms, which had been clasped collectively as if in prayer.

Pavon’s face turned an earthy coloration when he seen my gaze.

“A, are you mad at me for confessing……? Are you offended…….?”

“Huh? No, I don’t suppose so……?”

“You might have such an intense expression in your face to say no…….”

Pavon smiled vaguely, his face darkening much more. Solely then did I understand that I had been overthinking issues and tightening my forehead and eyes.

I pressed my thumb to my forehead in a determined try to loosen my expression. The already deep frown traces wouldn’t budge.

I couldn’t.

I’ll simply have to go away my forehead alone and reply his confession.

“You mentioned your title is Pavon, proper? I—”

“Now, wait!”

I used to be about to inform him that I wasn’t searching for a relationship but when Pavon shouted on the prime of his lungs.

His voice was so completely different from the one which had been creeping up on me that I reflexively took a defensive stance.

Ah, that scared me.

“You don’t must reply me proper now!”

He shouted again on the once-empty lecture corridor.

“N, not now, however in your……. C, can’t you consider it and reply me over the break?”

Why?

Isn’t it the identical factor I heard then and now?

It may have been extra torture for him. My barely loosened forehead tried to drag itself again collectively.

Then Pavon jerked again, as if horrified.

“Only a second, Pavon. Simply now, I’m not able to—”

I attempted to reject the confession with a pant, as if he had been going to run away. I used to be so rushed, the phrases didn’t come out proper.

The issue was, he was quicker than I used to be.

He was out of sight by the point I referred to as his title.

He appeared like a quick child, similar to yesterday. I used to be no match for him, who has sluggish toes.

As I stood there, bewildered, he all of a sudden whipped round and checked out me.

W, what’s it?

“Look, to begin with, I’ll inform you about me…… I’m the third son of the Depend of Merrin, so even in the event you inherit the marquisate, there will likely be no downside, and I’ve by no means favored anybody in my life, so I’m not a troublemaker, and I’m not a nuisance once more…… once more…… uh……. That’s all!”

What’s improper?

I couldn’t consider I may hear his voice from this distance, and he was speaking so quick.

He was gone earlier than I may even open my mouth.

“Uh……. Mmm…….”

I simply confessed, proper……?

However why do I really feel like I owe him?

* * *

It was trip time.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t completely happy about it.

I used to be virtually compelled to consider Pavon’s confession over trip.

Pavon had gone dwelling as quickly as trip started, and I hadn’t seen him since.

He was a quick child in additional methods than one.

“You haven’t mentioned a lot since yesterday, is one thing improper?”

Melissa and I had been sitting within the shelter between the women’ and boys’ dorms, making an attempt to get some solar.

Usually, when Melissa and I had been collectively, I might have crammed within the silence with my tales.

However proper now, I used to be too busy desirous about the issue Pavon had left behind. It appeared to be holding me from speaking a lot.

“Properly……. One thing sudden occurred…….”

“Sudden?”

It was undoubtedly sudden. I by no means thought the day would come once I, who was solely involved about different folks’s amorous affairs, would obtain a confession.

The opposite particular person even ran away in order that I couldn’t refuse.

No, what sort of confession is that this……?

I didn’t even understand it was ridiculous, as a result of the one who confessed appeared fairly honest.

“I acquired a confession…….”

“…….”

“The opposite particular person requested me to consider it over the break and get again to them with a solution.”

“Actually?”

“Yeah, however I used to be going to say no immediately as a result of I felt like that may be imply to him, too.”

“Yeah.”

“After which he didn’t even take heed to me and simply ran off.”

“…….”

Melissa’s expression modified oddly. She seemed like she wished to snicker, however she didn’t know if it was humorous or not.

“I don’t imply to be imply, however I really feel like I’ve taken on a burden I didn’t understand I had.”

I mentioned in a critical voice.

“Yeah, I suppose that might be true.”

To my shock, Melissa agreed with me.

“However what if.”

“What if?”

“If he’s actually good wanting, and he’s from an excellent household, and he’s acquired an excellent persona, and he’s acquired a clear report with ladies, then possibly it’s value giving this a critical thought.”

Quickly after, Melissa spoke up, sounding much more critical than I used to be.

Abruptly, I remembered what Pavon had mentioned to me.

‘I’m the third son of the Depend of Merrin, so even in the event you inherit the marquisate, there will likely be no downside, and I’ve by no means favored anybody in my life, so I’m not a troublemaker, and I’m not a nuisance once more…… once more…… uh……. That’s all!’

“Uh……. I suppose.”

To be sincere, I don’t acknowledge his face. I’ve by no means seen anybody extra good-looking than Liel in my life.

In a method, I’d be extra proud to say that there’s somebody extra good-looking than Liel.

“Actually? If that’s the case, it’s not a foul concept to consider it a bit extra—”

Melissa stopped speaking and seemed up at me with a disapproving look on her face.

On the identical time, a big hand gripped my chin painfully.

“Do you suppose so?”

I gently tilted my head up in opposition to my will.

My eyes went vast on the sudden upward motion. However unusually sufficient, I wasn’t blinded by the solar.

As a result of instantly above me, Liel’s shaded face was blocking out the solar.

“What do you suppose it’s?”

My chin held by him felt chilly. In some way, it felt just like the air round him had turned chilly as effectively.