Ch 148
It was the first time I had heard of such a thing. Was there anyone in Shyerun who practiced fortune-telling?
“Love fortune-telling?”
“Didn’t you try it? You pick a petal and say ‘I love him’ or ‘I don’t love him,’ one by one.”
“…I’ve heard of it.”
The idea of counting the petals of a flower and engaging in such a silly activity seemed like a form of needless torment for the flower, but I vaguely recalled it.
I remembered once seeing a person named Je-gal muttering to himself while stacking flowers on a table. I didn’t know what he was counting, but it seemed he was doing the same thing—reading fortunes in love.
It struck me as amusing that there were people doing the same thing in both the Central Plains and Shyerun.
Shayden, seeing my amused face, chuckled lightly and then casually asked, “How’s the second prince these days?”
“…Rubert?”
“Yeah.”
I wondered if bringing up Rubert in the middle of this conversation was intentional.
I hesitated for a moment and found myself unable to answer right away. Shayden’s gaze was still fixed on the flowerpot.
I had to suppress the urge to ask Shayden if he knew Rubert’s feelings and what he thought about him. I had learned from Marianne’s situation that I should not rely on Shayden for all my relationships. After thinking for a while, I answered.
“…Nothing’s really changed. Why?”
“Just worried, I guess.”
Shayden looked back at me. I asked with a smile, “Are you still worried?”
“Just a little. I’m glad to hear you’re okay.”
As Shayden left for his room, he asked if it would be okay to collect the seeds once the flower wilted. I happily agreed, thinking the beautiful flower would surely want that too.
The book made of orc leather felt new every time I touched it. It was hard to describe, sometimes feeling like cowhide, other times like crocodile skin.
If you thought of it as just an animal hide, the dark brown leather with a greenish sheen looked tough and stylish.
However, the orc depicted in the illustrations in the book, standing and walking on two legs, was so human-like that it reminded me of the unsettling feeling I had when I first saw an Inpimyeon-gul (a mask made from human skin for camouflage).
Stephen explained the contents of the book in his usual gentle tone and kind manner.
“As you can see in the book you’re holding, many monsters leave behind valuable by-products. The reason they haven’t completely driven the monsters out beyond the Uli Mountains and built strong walls is because of that.”
Before the midterms, we had learned about the classification of monsters by their size and their physical structures. Recently, we were studying the weaknesses of monsters and the value of their by-products.
The reason many knights were deployed when hunting monsters wasn’t only for safety, but also to maximize profit.
For example, the weaknesses of a troll are its head and heart. If you slice its neck cleanly and sever the connection between the head and heart, it dies, but it will also die if you crush the head and heart sequentially.
You could destroy its heart before the head fully recovered, or destroy the head before the heart fully recovered, and if you burned it all up completely, it would not revive.
However, whether knights or mercenaries, when facing a troll, they would sever the neck with a single strike.
The blood of trolls was used as an important magical and alchemical material, so it was preferred not to wound the skin as it would waste the precious blood.
It was a rash act that could only be done if one did not treat the monster purely as a game to hunt.
If a troll, around 3 meters tall, had fallen in the Central Plains, top-tier warriors would rush to it, and it would have easily destroyed an entire fortress. Yet, to the people of Shyerun, it was treated like a tonic, no different from velvet antler.
I chuckled briefly, and Rubert lightly tapped the back of my hand with his own.
‘Just.’
It was obvious that he was asking why I was laughing, so I quickly wrote it on the corner of my notebook.
When we first started writing notes to each other, I would scribble in the corners of my notebook, but Rubert had asked me to write in his notebook, and that’s how I ended up writing various things in his.
Most of the notes were trivial matters—what we would eat for dinner, what the professor had just said, or how noisy the children behind us were.
A few times, as he kept asking why, disturbing the class, I covered his hand with mine to stop it.
I wasn’t trying to stop his hand from moving, but once I had held his hand, I immediately regretted it. I had grown careless because Rubert had not made another attempt to hold my hand.
Once his hand became still, I let go, and Rubert moved his hand back to his desk. I spent a long time trying not to look at his red ears.
He then wrote something in the corner of my notebook.
‘Will you be at the library this weekend?’
‘I’ll be studying for exams with the other kids.’
I quickly added a note to avoid making him feel left out.
‘We’re also working on the first draft of the report assignment together.’
Rubert nodded quietly. I couldn’t read any hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Though similar things had happened several times, it felt strange to be so concerned now. I felt awkward looking into those black eyes, so I focused on Professor Stephen.
He was explaining how to trap monsters that produced worthless by-products, such as goblins, and exterminate them all at once. His calm demeanor made his words oddly chilling, which was quite fascinating.
It was almost May.
The second semester was halfway through. I had become accustomed to academy life.
I no longer worried endlessly during exam periods. Last year, I would stress out on days with memorization subjects, but now, thanks to consistent preparation and review every week, most exams were not difficult.
It was also because I had discovered, thanks to Damian, that every exam had its formulas, and because Rubert had consistently brought me his notes last year. Now, it was rare for me to feel unfamiliar with what the others were saying.
Because of this, when my friends and I gathered in the library’s small conference room to prepare for exams, I could now contribute as much as the others.
Comparing this to last year, when I only wrote down what others dictated to me, I had definitely grown a lot.
Sighing heavily, Jenny grumbled.
“I wish the midterms were back.”
“Why?”
“Because I already knew a lot about the Uli Mountains and the Shyerun Empire. But I’ve never been to the Sheton Desert or the Five Kingdoms, and I don’t think I ever will.”
“Even though they’re neighboring kingdoms?”
“Yeah, I don’t have much interest in visiting… Yulan sounds beautiful as a resort, but the rest of the kingdoms seem dangerous… I’m someone who really values my safety.”
It made sense, considering Owen, whose region was in a state of continuous civil war, or Felix, where the security wasn’t good due to the many desert tribes.
The only exception was Floyd, whose customs were similar to those of Shyerun. But since it was the First Prince’s stronghold, all of my friends from that region seemed to avoid it strangely.
“Isn’t Bivan similar to Yulan in customs? Do you dislike it too?”
“The sea and lakes are a bit different. I was born near the Saras River, so I like flowing water. When I look at a calm and still lake, I feel uneasy and restless.”
The Saras River was a huge river that began between the capital of Shyerun and the Count of Serbelles’ estate, and it cut through the Duke of Yeldith’s lands, running like a huge divide.
It was not just large, but it could easily carry a few villages, rivaling the Yellow River in size.
Talking about rivers reminded me of something, so I mentioned it.
“By the way, I heard the First Prince is getting married this summer, but there’s been no word about it yet.”
“The First Prince? Who is he marrying?”
“The daughter of the Duke of Yeldith.”
“Really?”
It was only Marianne who was shocked. Damian and Shaden shrugged their shoulders, Ivan and Benjamin remained silent, as if lost in thought, and Jenny said she had gotten a hint about it from the Serbel siblings last winter.
Jenny drew a few circles in the corner of her notebook before speaking.
“I heard that something went wrong… and it was postponed to winter.”
“What kind of problem?”
“From the Kiadris Duke’s family.”
Kiadris? I knew the only heirs from that family were Wesley and Edwin. When I couldn’t hide my confusion, Damian explained.
“The Kiadris Duke has a daughter born from a mistress, and he’s wondering why he’s only focusing on the Yeldith family, so it seems like they haven’t been able to decide on an engagement partner yet.”
“Hmm.”
“Although she’s a bastard, she was definitely born directly from the Duke… and her father also lives at the Duke’s estate. If the Duke himself grants a marriage title, no one can stop it.”
“They didn’t attend the Shyerun Academy, but they received education on how to marry into noble families. It’s said the Yeldith Duke’s daughter is about the same age.”
Hearing all of this, my thoughts immediately went back to Rubert.
Shaden’s words, that Rubert would never confess to me, resurfaced in my mind.
The Emperor’s marriage was different from that of regular noble families. It was evident that those with equal power were vying for the Emperor’s favor, and it made sense that Rubert, too, would have to enter into such a marriage.
That’s why, instead of pouring his heart out to me, he had said he would restrain himself and give up on his feelings.
I was glad that my uncle had withdrawn early. It would have been a headache if the two Duke families were in conflict, and if Valentia got involved in that competition, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any good outcomes.
After chatting briefly about various social gossip, Shaden tapped the table, bringing the conversation to a halt.
“That’s something we’ll talk more about during our break. For now, let’s focus on studying.”
He was right. I showed Jenny my world geography notes. I felt a sense of pride that I was someone who could help the others.