“…”
“…”
Kaylee and Leje both stared at Rudell with awkward expressions, caught in the middle.
“Well then… why on earth did our adorable younger sibling refuse to listen to her sister?”
“Th-that’s…”
At Kaylee’s question, Leje averted her gaze.
After all, she was the one who hadn’t kept her promise.
It was natural she had nothing to say, even if she had a hundred mouths.
“Thanks to you, we get to see what Count Weinstein is like now.”
“…”
At those words, Leje looked up to meet Rudell’s gaze across from her.
In just a month, he looked completely different.
His once-glossy hair had lost its shine and turned dull, and dark shadows sat under his eyes.
His eyes, which sparkled like emeralds, now showed no life.
Right now, he seemed like someone who had lost their soul.
“…”
Leje stared at him in shock.
And at her reaction, Kaylee let out a short sigh.
“You’ve always been like this—when you set your mind to something, you completely ignore everything around you. That’s why it’s come to this.”
“Th-that’s…”
“You’re wrong. The person you need to talk to isn’t me, right?”
Kaylee snapped, causing Leje to hesitate and turn her attention back to Rudell.
She looked at him with a face full of uncertainty.
How long had it been?
“Sorry… I shouldn’t have, but I got mad at myself for no reason…”
Speaking in a soft voice, Leje lowered her head.
After all, she was a member of the Lagrind Dukedom.
She had to be better than anyone else.
Weakness had no place beside him.
“…”
She couldn’t admit that fact, so she bit her lip.
Emotions she had suppressed started to bubble up, and perhaps due to her heightened feelings, her body trembled slightly.
But it was in that moment.
“It’s okay.”
“What…?”
At Rudell’s reply, a dazed voice escaped from Leje.
When she looked up, the Rudell before her was noticeably changed from just moments ago.
Though his frizzy hair and the dark circles under his eyes remained, the life had returned to his eyes.
And above all, a faint smile had appeared on his lips that held no emotion just a moment ago.
“Rudell…?”
With a relieved smile directed at her, a dazed voice slipped from Leje’s lips.
Rudell, who had been gazing at her for a moment, spoke in a soft yet kind voice.
“I thought you had lost interest in me until now…”
“Me? To you? No way!”
To Leje, Rudell was an essential existence.
A world without him held no reason or meaning for her.
“Right, it was like that. Even knowing that, I foolishly worried. I was afraid you might leave my side.”
“Rudell…”
At his words, Leje tried to control the emotions that were threatening to spill over.
She didn’t want to appear foolish in front of him.
Just then…
“Ugh… I can’t watch this. Are you two putting on a play?”
“Cough…!!”
“…!!”
Kaylee, who had been observing the scene, squinted her eyes in disbelief.
Only then did both of them remember Kaylee and hurriedly averted their gazes, wearing awkward expressions.
“You two really are in your youth.”
“…”
“…”
In response, Kaylee let out a chuckle.
Then, getting up from her seat, she shot them a glance and said, “Since it seems like all the misunderstandings are cleared up, hurry and go. Being student council president is way busier than you think.”
“W-will do…”
“Th-thank you!”
With that, both of them hurriedly stood up, bowed to Kaylee, and headed toward the hallway.
“Um… hey, Rudell.”
The hallway was already dim.
Leje, who had been walking silently, cautiously opened her mouth.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Uh… you see…”
Feeling Rudell’s curious gaze on her, Leje hesitated and looked away.
Even though their misunderstandings were resolved, the awkwardness that had built up didn’t easily fade away.
But she had to say it.
To prevent any more misunderstandings.
“How about we go out together tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Well, we haven’t been out much lately. So… I was thinking a change of scenery might be nice…”
What if he refused?
Leje’s heart raced with anxiety…
“Sounds good. Let’s do it.”
“R-really!? No backing out, okay!”
With absolutely no hesitation in his answer, Rudell responded.
At his reaction, Leje beamed with a bright smile.
Thus, the misunderstandings between the two were gradually being cleared.
*
The next day.
“It’s almost time…”
Muttering to himself, Rudell pulled out his pocket watch.
There were about five minutes left until their meeting time…
“Guess she’s going to be late again.”
Since Leje always arrived precisely or a bit late, he muttered to himself and put the pocket watch back into his pouch.
“Haah…”
Was it because of what had happened?
For some reason, Rudell felt a sense of tension today.
How long had he been waiting…?
“Whoa-!!”
“Ahh!?”
Suddenly, someone yelled from behind him and lunged at him.
At that, a surprised voice escaped Rudell’s mouth.
“Hehe. You were scared, weren’t you?”
“Leje… you really…!!”
Relaxing his startled heart at the familiar voice from behind him, Rudell turned around.
And…
“…”
He was left speechless at the sight before him.
Her appearance was not much different than usual.
She wore a white dress she often donned when going out, along with a wide-brimmed hat.
And the simple blue hairpin he had gifted her adorned her hair.
But there was one notable difference…
“Wait, did you grow this tall?”
That difference was Leje’s physique.
The height she had when she looked at him was now significantly taller.
It used to be that she had to look up at him, but now she could meet his gaze just by moving her eyes.
“Really? Now that you mention it, I think I’ve grown a bit?”
At Rudell’s remark, Leje looked at him with a puzzled expression and began comparing their heights.
“Oh, wow, I really have grown!”
“…”
Watching her exclaim with admiration, Rudell felt his heart thump.
Leje, who had matured far beyond his memory…
That sight made Rudell realize he was seeing her as more than just a friend for the first time.
“Rudell? What’s up?”
Noticing his reaction, Leje tilted her head, puzzled.
“Ah, nothing!!”
At her question, Rudell waved his hands dismissively, but the flush on his face and his anxious gaze betrayed him.
“Could it be… you’re falling for my more grown-up self?”
“…”
As she narrowed her eyes and asked, Rudell turned away, falling silent.
He had felt butterflies in his stomach over her before.
But today, it was impossibly hard to hide that feeling, as if it were bursting to the surface.
“What? Really?”
Leje’s surprised eyes widened at the thought.
Then, she burst into loud laughter.
“Ahahaha!! You’re hilarious! How long have we been together, and now you say that?”
“D-don’t laugh…!!”
“Why? You could have complimented me even more!”
“Ugh…”
Completely caught in her rhythm, Rudell let out a low groan.
‘Honestly, isn’t this kind of unfair?’
Up until now, he hadn’t considered her as a romantic partner due to her personality, but also because of her physique.
The stark difference in height had made it hard for him to see her as anything more than a slightly younger-looking friend, despite her good looks.
But she now looked so much more mature that it stirred feelings in him he had never experienced before.
Realizing just how significant puberty is, Rudell let out a short sigh.
“Stop teasing… that’s enough.”
“Okay, okay. If you really say so.”
Who knew…
With that thought in mind, Rudell sighed and asked her.
“If you don’t have a place in mind, I thought of a restaurant we saw before. Should we go there?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. All the places you picked were great.”
At Rudell’s question, Leje nodded her head, and in response, Rudell averted his gaze before reaching out his hand.
Laughing, Leje grasped his hand, and they began to walk together.
‘Looks like it’s going to be a difficult day…’
Wandering through the bustling streets with Leje, Rudell thought to himself.
