After meeting with his junior, Caelin walked home alone.
Lost deep in thought.
I know the sword duel is usually the biggest event in The Chosen Class… but why are second years participating this year? That's never happened before.
His expression slowly darkened.
There must be something going on.
After remaining lost in thought for a while, he finally hurried home.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the residence and opened the door.
Simon was sitting at the kitchen table while holding a letter in his hand.
"This seems to be for you," Simon said casually. "It says it's from Conrad. Katy and Silvia already said it's not theirs."
Caelin immediately approached him and took the letter.
"…Yes," he replied quietly. "I believe it's from my father."
Simon leaned slightly closer with a grin.
"Ohooo… a letter from the king himself," he teased. "No wonder the paper feels so fancy. Even the seal looks expensive."
"I'm glad you didn't open it," Caelin said calmly. "It wouldn't end well if someone accidentally opened a king's personal letter."
Simon rolled his eyes dramatically while standing up.
"Geez. I only looked at the cover anyway."
Still complaining to himself, he walked back toward his room.
Meanwhile, Caelin quietly entered his own room.
He dropped his bag beside the bed before pulling out a chair and placing the letter on the desk.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he slowly opened it.
---
Caelin,
I heard you finally distanced yourself from your friends like we agreed. I'm proud of you.
As a reward, I prepared a gift for you.
This year, second years will be allowed to participate in The Chosen Class sword duel.
Several generals from different nations will attend to witness the event, so I want you to win and build your reputation.
To help you, I've already guaranteed your place in the finals.
Now earn the rest yourself.
I'll be there once the finals begin.
— Conrad Veyron
---
The moment Caelin finished reading, his breathing grew heavier.
Suddenly—
Rip.
He tore the letter apart before violently brushing everything off the desk.
Books and candles crashed onto the floor.
"…Eh?"
A quiet voice came from the doorway.
Caelin froze.
Silvia stood there silently, staring at him in surprise.
The two looked at each other for a moment before Caelin slowly looked away.
"It's time to eat," Silvia said nervously. "I came to tell you… sorry if I interrupted."
She slowly stepped back, about to close the door.
"…Can you not tell anyone about this?"
Caelin's voice came out quieter than usual.
Silvia looked at him for a moment before nodding gently.
"Yes… of course."
She slowly closed the door.
Then a second later—
The door opened again.
Without saying anything, Silvia quietly walked inside and began picking up the books and candles scattered across the floor.
Caelin silently watched her.
"I'm sorry," he muttered softly. "You still have to look after me… even while I pretend not to know you."
Silvia froze for a moment.
Then she slowly placed the books back onto the desk.
"It's okay," she replied quietly.
"…I pretend too."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from outside.
Knock knock.
The door suddenly opened.
"Caelin, it's time to ea-"
Katy froze immediately.
"…Ah? Silvia? What are you doing in a guy's room?"
Silvia instantly panicked.
"Ah… ahh…"
"I asked her to help organize my books," Caelin answered calmly while smiling slightly.
"Ahhh, is that so?" Katy replied innocently. "Then hurry up. The food's about to get cold."
"Alright," Caelin replied.
Soon, both he and Silvia followed her toward the dining area.
During dinner, Simon and Katy continued arguing excitedly about this year's Chosen Class event.
Meanwhile—
Caelin barely touched his food.
And from across the table, Silvia quietly kept glancing at him in silence.
That night, after dinner had ended—
Silvia lay quietly on her bed, unable to stop thinking about what happened before dinner.
Slowly, her thoughts drifted back to the last time she and Caelin met before entering Elysium Academy.
The meeting between the Five Nations had finally come to an end, and the guests were beginning to return to their own kingdoms.
Near the palace entrance, Caelin stood beside his parents while politely bowing farewell to the departing nobles.
"Caelin…"
A small trembling voice called out to him.
Caelin turned around.
Silvia stood there with teary eyes while her parents quietly stood behind her.
"Go on," her mother said softly while gently patting her shoulder. "Say goodbye to Prince Caelin."
Silvia tried to speak, but every time she opened her mouth, her voice broke apart into quiet hiccups instead.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
Caelin quietly walked toward her.
Then he gently held her hands before taking something out from his pocket.
"Here," he said softly while placing it into her hands.
Silvia slowly looked down.
It was a small hairpin.
"Keep this," Caelin continued with a smile. "That way, if we meet again someday and you're still wearing it, I'll recognize you immediately."
His smile widened slightly.
"Then we can become friends again."
Silvia tightly held the hairpin in both hands.
"Thank you, Caelin," she said between trembling breaths. "I'll treasure it forever."
Caelin gently hugged her.
"I wish you good luck," he whispered softly. "And I hope you get home safely."
Soon after, Silvia followed her parents toward the carriage while still tightly holding the hairpin close to her chest.
Inside the carriage, Silvia slowly looked up at her mother.
"Mom…" she asked quietly while wiping her tears, "will I ever see Caelin again?"
Her mother smiled warmly.
"Of course," she replied gently. "Once you turn fifteen, you'll enter Elysium Academy too. Since both of you are the same age, he'll probably be there as well."
Silvia's eyes slowly widened.
"Really?" she asked hopefully while sitting up excitedly. "You mean it?"
Her mother laughed softly.
"Yes, of course. Children from noble families, royal families, and important households usually study there. After all, the academy was created by all Five Nations together."
Silvia slowly nodded before looking out the carriage window.
The evening breeze brushed softly against her face as the setting sun rested quietly between the distant mountains.
At that moment—
she truly believed she would see him again someday.
Back in the present—
Silvia slowly tightened her grip around the pillow in her arms.
"…I really believed that hope my mother gave me," she whispered quietly to herself.
A faint bitter smile appeared on her face.
"I studied so hard because I wanted to meet you again here."
Her eyes slowly lowered.
"And I did."
Silence filled the room.
Then she quietly buried part of her face into the pillow.
"But now…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Sometimes I wish I never saw you again at all."
The first day of school.
Silvia stood quietly in front of the mirror, carefully fixing her hair.
Her fingers slowly touched the small hairpin resting beside her bangs.
The same hairpin Caelin gave her when they were children.
A small nervous smile appeared on her face.
"I hope he notices this," she whispered softly before carefully adjusting it again.
She kept checking her uniform and hair over and over in the mirror.
Today wasn't just the first day at Elysium Academy.
It was also the hope she had carried with her for years.
Soon, Silvia hurried toward the academy.
That morning, all the new students gathered inside the grand hall while the principal gave a long welcoming speech alongside several school instructions.
As countless students filled the hall, Silvia quietly searched through the crowd over and over again.
Looking for only one person.
Later, back inside the classroom, she quietly listened as students introduced themselves one by one.
But by the end of class—
she realized Caelin wasn't there.
During lunch break, Silvia entered the dining hall while absentmindedly looking around.
Suddenly, she noticed a small commotion nearby.
Simon seemed to be arguing loudly with someone.
Curious, Silvia slowly stepped closer.
Then—
she froze.
Standing in front of Simon was Caelin.
For a moment, surprise, nervousness, excitement, and fear all crashed into her at once.
Instinctively, she took another step closer.
Then she noticed someone else sitting beside him.
Elara.
Silvia immediately stopped walking.
The excitement in her chest quietly faded.
Her gaze slowly lowered toward the floor.
Without saying anything, she turned around and quietly left the dining hall.
A few minutes later, Silvia sat alone on a bench behind the school building.
"…Ahhh, what was I even so happy about?" she muttered softly while forcing out a small laugh.
"He probably didn't even notice me."
She leaned back against the bench and stared quietly at the sky.
"But why am I even running away?" she whispered to herself.
"It's not like I was trying to confess or anything…"
Her voice slowly softened.
"He's just an old friend."
But the moment she said those words—
her mind immediately returned to the image of Caelin sitting beside Elara.
Silence followed.
Then Silvia slowly touched the hairpin in her hair.
"…Maybe it wasn't just friendship I was holding onto."
Slowly, she removed the hairpin and stared at it quietly in her hands.
Suddenly—
she stood up.
Her arm stretched outward slightly as if she wanted to throw it away.
But she stayed frozen like that for several seconds.
Until eventually—
she slowly lowered her arm again.
Only then did she realize how tightly she was gripping the hairpin.
"…Eh?"
A tear suddenly rolled down her cheek.
Silvia blinked in surprise before quickly wiping her face.
"…Ahhh, this sucks."
She laughed weakly to herself while putting the hairpin carefully into her pocket instead.
After taking a deep breath, Silvia slowly calmed herself down.
Then she quietly returned to class.
Since then—
my eyes learned you too well.
Even the smallest things you did somehow caught my attention.
Silvia quietly buried part of her face into the pillow as countless memories filled her mind.
Caelin laughing together with:
Elara,
Alaric,
and Lalanat.
The way they naturally stood beside him.
The way they belonged in his world so easily.
A faint bitter smile appeared on her face.
"I was so jealous of them," she whispered quietly.
"They got to stay beside you while I could only watch from far away."
Her fingers slowly tightened around the pillow again.
"And because I couldn't even bring myself to talk to you…"
She lowered her gaze.
"I decided it would be better to stop myself instead."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
"And yet…"
A weak laugh escaped her lips.
"Here you are now, living in the same house as me."
Her grip around the pillow tightened once more before slowly loosening again.
Then quietly—
almost like a tired prayer—
she mumbled:
"Have mercy on me, Hope…"
She slowly covered her face with one hand.
"…I'm tired of almost."
On the other side—
After finishing his training, Alaric finally returned from the bath.
While drying his hair with a towel, he noticed Lalanat sitting quietly near the table, writing something in a notebook.
Curious, he slowly approached her.
"Lala, what are you writing?"
"AHHH!"
Lalanat nearly jumped from her seat in shock.
"Oh my god, Alaric! You scared me!"
The moment she looked up at him, she immediately turned her face away again.
Only then did Alaric realize he was still shirtless.
"Ah… sorry."
He awkwardly covered himself slightly with the towel before sitting across from her.
"So? What are you writing?"
Lalanat quickly pulled the notebook closer to herself.
"Just… a diary of thoughts," she replied with a small smile.
"Ahh, I see," Alaric said casually. "You really like writing, huh?"
"I guess so…"
Lalanat slowly looked down at the notebook again.
"Or maybe it's more than just writing for me."
"Hm?"
Alaric tilted his head slightly.
"You once said it's where you express yourself, right?"
"…Yeah," Lalanat replied softly.
"It's something like that."
Her fingers lightly traced the edge of the notebook.
"But these days… my own words feel sharp."
Her voice became quieter.
"They cut more than before."
"Cut?" Alaric repeated in confusion.
Lalanat immediately panicked.
"Ah! N-nevermind! It's nothing!"
She waved her hands around nervously.
Alaric suddenly laughed.
"Haha… you're cute when you panic like that."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Lalanat instantly sat up straight.
Her ears turned red so quickly it almost looked painful.
Meanwhile, Alaric remained completely unaware.
After a while, Lalanat quietly changed the topic.
"By the way, Alaric…"
"Hm?"
"You seemed really confident earlier today," she said carefully. "I know you're strong, but this time the opponents will be completely different. And there'll be more than one too."
She looked at him curiously.
"Do you think you'll win?"
"Hmmm…"
Alaric leaned back slightly while thinking.
"Well, it's true that I'm confident in my fighting skills," he admitted honestly. "But winning isn't really my dream."
Lalanat blinked.
"Huh?"
"To me, fights are just part of the path toward my goal," Alaric explained while resting his chin on his hand.
"I just want to fight strong opponents and gain more experience."
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"So whether I win or lose doesn't matter that much."
He shrugged lightly.
"Though of course I'll still do my best."
Lalanat quietly stared at him for a moment while processing his words.
"…I guess that makes sense."
Alaric laughed softly.
"Experience matters a lot."
Then his expression slowly became more thoughtful.
"Some people are naturally talented at adapting during battle too."
"Like Caelin," he added casually.
"He doesn't have as much combat experience as me, but his ability to stay calm and adapt during fights is scary."
Alaric crossed his arms confidently.
"The only reason I beat him before was because I had more experience and strength. Not because my technique was necessarily better."
Lalanat looked surprised.
"You figured all of that out after fighting him only once?"
"Hmmm… well, once you train long enough, you naturally learn how important it is to read your opponent," Alaric explained.
"But doing that while fighting is hard. Most people panic too much."
He smiled slightly.
"That's why Caelin's dangerous. He learns really fast."
"Hmmm…"
Lalanat quietly fell into thought again.
After a while, Alaric finally stood up.
"I should head back to my room. It's getting late."
"What about you?"
"I think I'll stay here a little longer," Lalanat replied with a smile.
"Alright then. Goodnight."
Just as Alaric was about to leave—
"Ah… wait."
Lalanat suddenly stopped him.
"Hm?"
She avoided his eyes slightly before speaking.
"The other day… you bought a necklace."
Alaric blinked.
"Yeah?"
"…Who was it for?"
"Ahhh, that?"
Alaric lightly clapped his hands together.
"It was for my mother."
Lalanat quietly let out a small sigh of relief without realizing it.
But at that exact moment—
a faint sound suddenly came from outside the room.
Footsteps.
Alaric immediately turned toward the door.
The moment he walked over—
Elara suddenly tried sneaking away and immediately slipped onto the floor.
Bang.
Silence.
Then—
"Hahahaha!"
Alaric immediately pointed at her while laughing.
"You were listening to us?!"
"No I wasn't!" Elara immediately argued while still sitting on the floor. "I was trying to go to the bathroom!"
"Nahhh, you definitely were."
Before the two could continue arguing, Lalanat quickly rushed over to help Elara stand up.
Meanwhile, Alaric continued laughing shamelessly while Elara kept angrily insisting she was innocent.