[Reina’s POV]
“Raina. I will always be on your side…”
“Thank you, Lady Reina.”
“I won, Reina.”
“I’ll take care of you, no matter what…”
“Reina!”
“Sorry, Lady Reina.”
“Ugh!”
I gasped, choking as my eyes snapped open.
I had clearly been lying down, asleep—yet my heart was pounding uncontrollably.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Trying to catch my breath, I sat up and looked around.
The dorm room was empty. No one else was here.
I pulled back the curtains, hoping the cool air might help me calm down.
Starlight shimmered across the dark night sky.
“The wind is cold.”
Spring might be on its way, but I couldn’t feel any warmth at all.
It was fine.
After more than three years, I had grown numb to the cold.
But why did I have that dream?
Why did it ache so much… here in my chest?
[You may be right. But what you just did was still wrong.]
The memory from earlier replayed in my mind.
His expression—confused, disapproving—as he scolded me for covering up a fellow student’s mistake.
What had that look meant?
‘…Don’t think about it.’
‘It doesn’t matter. None of it does.’
‘They’re just lies. Don’t believe them.’
There was never a knight who stayed by my side, who protected me.
Even she…who I thought of as my sister—who promised to always be there, who used to scold me when I went astray—was gone.
“Liars.”
Maybe it was because I had seen him again, after so long.
We had spoken, and that was enough to stir the dust-covered memories.
Memories I didn’t want to recall.
‘I hate it.’
‘I hate remembering.’
Winter feels even colder because I once knew the warmth of spring.
‘I wish I had never known that warmth.’
‘If only you had been here…’
‘If only someone had given me honest, harsh advice when I needed it.’
‘If only someone had smiled at me—really smiled—and understood me.’
I know.
It’s a pointless fantasy.
But the memories flooded in regardless.
“…Help me, Ike.”
The words escaped my lips before I even realized it.
***
[Ike’s POV]
“Welcome, Reina.”
At my greeting, Reina’s awkward smile stiffened.
She was dressed in the ornate Arcana Academy uniform—white and gold, adorned with decorative insignia.
“What brings Young Master here?”
“I want to talk with you. Alone.”
“I’ve been summoned by Dean Ender.”
“I requested it. I asked him to lend us a room so we could talk privately.”
“…What?”
Reina frowned, clearly confused.
But everything I said was true.
The one who arranged this meeting was Dean Ender. I had spoken to him just yesterday.
***
“Do you have any concerns?”
Dean Ender had asked me that while I was sitting on a bench.
He had a dignified look: hair and beard washed in white, eyes filled with calm wisdom. He had a gentle smile on his face.
“Dean Ender?”
“Yes. You’re Ike, correct? A freshman this year?”
“That’s right.”
Without hesitation, he sat down beside me.
“…Do you have business with me?”
“Not especially. But it’s unusual to see a student wearing such an expression on the first day of school. If I can be of any help, I’d like to offer some advice.”
He spoke with no ulterior motive. His voice was calm, sincere.
Ender Arcana—dean of Arcana Academy and lord of Reinen, the Empire’s only self-governing province.
In the original story, he had been Sophia and the Crown Prince’s mentor. A man of integrity who always put his students first and helped them through hardship.
“I may not be perfect, but I’m confident when it comes to counseling students.”
But… could I really confide in Dean Ender?
It sounded ridiculous, even to me.
How could I explain that I sensed something was off—just because of a look in someone’s eyes?
That their personality had changed?
Three years is a long time. People change. That’s normal.
And I wasn’t in a position to judge.
The only reason I dared say anything to the Prince was because he was her fiancé.
But with someone I just met?
How could I expect them to believe me?
[In the end, everyone ends up leaving my side.]
[Young Master Ike was just another liar, after all.]
But there was no more time to hesitate.
In the end, she had no one.
That last conversation with Reina—it had felt like a final farewell, like a will.
If she was truly sinking into despair, I had to tell her.
I had to let her know—I’m on your side. No matter what.
***
“So, because Miss Reina, the second place, seems to be in an unusual state, you’re asking for a private space to speak with her?”
“Can I?”
“Hmm…”
Dean Ender looked down at the floor for a moment before responding.
“…I also thought Miss Reina’s condition was strange. Still, this isn’t a simple matter. Given her status, there could be accusations of power abuse.”
“I’ll handle whatever it takes.”
“Then allow me to ask you something, Student Ike.”
“Of course.”
“You and Miss Reina are childhood friends, but I understand you haven’t seen each other in over three years. People change, especially with time. So why—why do you insist on speaking to her now? What exactly do you want?”
thank you for the chapter!
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