Chapter 53

Four months had passed since the house arrest began.

It was a long and painful time.

During this period, something was slowly changing within Tirisia.

In her meetings with Kerg over the past three months, she felt the happiness of seeing him gradually overshadowed by dissatisfaction.

A thirst deep in her heart that could not be quenched.

To resolve it, she had to look for a solution outside of Kerg.

So after a month of pondering and worrying, on the day she finally secured a pass for an outing, she welcomed the morning with a new determination.

Tirisia stood before a large mirror, wearing a white dress that she had carefully chosen and a light makeup that was not too burdensome yet looked polished.

“…Yes.”

She brushed her hair aside and checked her appearance, nodding with a satisfied smile.

This was as beautiful as she could present herself in her daily life.

After all, she couldn’t wear a ball gown for a casual outing.

This was her best effort, where it wouldn’t evoke the feeling that she had purposely dressed up to meet him.

She chose this white dress because it was one he liked long ago.

It was a color that suited her pale skin and silver hair perfectly.

“…”

The face of the boy flickered in her aquamarine eyes.

Erto.

Her long-time childhood friend and past lover.

The reason she was putting effort into her appearance was that she would be able to see Erto face to face.

Although her parents had warned her that she should never be seen by commoners during outings, Kerg and Erto were an exception and had been allowed to meet her directly.

The stated reason was that her parents instructed her to apologize repeatedly to the two who had been wronged.

Of course, meeting Kerg was not for that purpose, but meeting Erto aligned with her parents’ intentions to some extent.

Rekindling her relationship with Erto was the goal of today’s outing.

She knew it was meaningless to want to make a good impression on him now.

Choosing her outfit cautiously or putting on pretty makeup to meet him felt like a blatantly shameless act as a traitor.

Still, Tirisia wanted to ensure she was fully prepared before seeing Erto.

Her relationship with him was already over, and she knew he wouldn’t see her as anything more than a woman.

Yet, for some reason, she didn’t want to show him an ugly version of herself.

Was this feeling just lingering affection or simply pride?

She couldn’t comprehend the reason behind her actions, but one thing was clear.

She wanted to see Erto more than Kerg right now.

That was the only feeling she could clearly sense inside her.

Ironically, as she resolved to meet him, Tirisia realized she felt like a lovesick teenage girl preparing for her first date.

Although she loved Kerg now, she hadn’t left because she hated Erto.

Even at the moment of betrayal, she had still loved Erto.

It was merely that her feelings for him were smaller in scale compared to those for Kerg.

That’s why, when faced with a situation where she had to give one of them up, she let go of Erto.

Though she loved him, she had torn his heart apart, carrying the anguish of separation.

She realized how selfish and contradictory her actions were.

But that was the love Tirisia had given from her heart.

She loved Kerg Durakal more than anyone else, so she was willing to give everything up for him.

Even if the path was filled with pain and loneliness, she was ready to leap in without hesitation.

It was akin to the courage she had to contend with the fact that she was once a commoner while facing the realities of being noble.

Back then, she had genuinely loved Erto, and she was prepared to visualize a future with him, unfazed by the gaze of the aristocratic society.

Even if it meant facing opposition from her family and lineage, she was determined to overcome it.

Such strength and devotion was truly her heartfelt attitude toward the person she loved.

Thus, the moment she found someone else to love, the direction of that love had inevitably changed.

Had it been anyone other than Tirisia Bruerd, perhaps Erto wouldn’t have faced such a tragic betrayal.

Because Tirisia was someone who had earnestly listened to the requests of her loved ones, she was able to endure all the malice directed toward Erto from Kerg.

She loved Erto too, but enduring the pain of being torn away from him was also something she accepted for Kerg’s sake.

She had set her resolve, yet—

“…”

Tirisia stood before the mirror, blankly gazing at her own face.

What was her current sentiment toward Kerg?

Was she happy when she met him?

Did she feel fulfilled?

Could it be that she was mistaking mere pleasure and lust for love?

Was it really possible to assert that the sweet nothings he whispered to her were sincere?

“……”

Tirisia averted her gaze from the mirror.

She didn’t know.

Her experiences over the past several months had gradually chipped away at her confidence.

She clearly felt that the emptiness inside her heart grew larger the more she met with Kerg.

That was the result reflected back at her from the mirror.

In order to meet the boy she once loved, who used to fill her heart with happiness, she had dressed herself up like a filthy traitor in hopes of leaving a good impression.

That was the current Tirisia Bruerd.

“…Ugh.”

She bit her lip, enduring a wave of nausea rising from her stomach.

The excitement of being able to meet him mixed with her self-loathing, leaving her feeling completely messy inside.

But today was an invaluable day for an outing that came once a month.

There wasn’t even enough time to fret.

“I’ll be back.”

Tirisia waved to the servants seeing her off and left the Bruerd family mansion.

She wanted to meet Erto as soon as possible.

*

“Huh?”

Standing in front of the entrance to Erto’s house, Tirisia voiced her confusion.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Whew—

Even using magic to sense inside the house, there was no sign of life.

“Is he out…?”

This felt like the wrong start right off the bat.

Since it was a holiday without going to the Academy, she thought he might be home, but it seemed Erto must have business outside.

She had no way of knowing where he had gone.

“…I should look for a place to go.”

One day of outing was too short.

Before wasting more time, Tirisia decided to venture out herself to find where Erto was.

Though it was a holiday, he wouldn’t have gone somewhere so remote that she wouldn’t know at all.

Being long-time friends, she had a few places in mind that he usually frequented.

Whoosh—

Using stealth magic, as the wind whipped around her, Tirisia leaped into the air to start her search.

*

Street. No one.

City. No one.

Market. No one.

Park. No one.

Square. No one.

Platform area. No one.

Academy building. No one.

‘Erto… where are you?’

While flying through the air using wide-range magic detection, a location popped into her head among the few remaining candidates.

A café in the outskirts of the city they used to visit frequently after school during their relationship.

Could he be having a cup of tea there?

Though she wasn’t sure if he would have a reason to go there alone, given it was a place they always visited together.

Now, since it was a place filled with memories tainted by betrayal, it could feel awkward as well.

Or maybe Erto was visiting there just to reminisce about those days.

‘Maybe… really…?’

If so,

if he was truly there,

there might still be some lingering feelings for her.

She didn’t know why she was harboring such pointless hope, but Tirisia felt a rising sense of anticipation as she sped toward the outskirts of the city.

And upon arriving at the café in the woods—

he was really there.

Erto had returned to that very place.

To the spot filled with their shared memories.

‘Ahh…!’

As Tirisia sensed his magical aura from the air, a bright smile bloomed on her lips.

Outdoor tables were set up for enjoying tea while gazing at the forest scenery.

And walking in between them was the magical aura of the boy.

He was indeed there, still lingering in a place where memories were cherished.

Such joy filled Tirisia’s heart, and something that hadn’t been fulfilled with Kerg felt like it was being filled up.

Whoosh—

With all her might, she swooped in and landed behind Erto, only to see,

‘…uh.’

Erto was at a table, surrounded by four girls sitting around him.

“Here, I’ve brought your order.”

He placed the tray he had received from the café on the table, serving each girl their drinks.

“Strawberry yogurt frappe, for you, Rusika?”

“Yes♡ Doesn’t the color match perfectly? Erto? Hehe!”

The four girls gathered around the table.

One of them was a bright girl with cherry blossom-colored twin tails wearing casual clothes. Rusika Rafisle.

She was an old friend whom she had ruthlessly assaulted and verbally abused before leaving.

‘…’

Tirisia stood a few steps away from the table, blank-faced as she began to observe the scene.

“And… the matcha is for Haidiera.”

“Thank you very much, Lord Erto.”

Another was a tall girl with unruly black curly hair dressed in dark Eastern-style casual attire. Haidiera Aisidel.

She was the one who exposed the wrongdoing she and Kerg had committed and had always firmly supported Erto without hostility.

‘…’

Tirisia’s lips quivered as if about to say something, but they firmly shut.

She couldn’t speak. The only person allowed to show her face there was Erto himself.

“And for the upperclassman… a chocolate cake shake. They blended a whole slice of cake into it, is this healthy?”

“Just eat and die, right?”

The last girl had a two-tone bob of blue and sky blue, wearing jeans and an oversized jacket. Perjena.

She was a swordswoman of peasant origin who had trained Erto, and kept a slight distance from them.

In the past, she had subtly supported their relationship when Tirisia was dating Erto.

‘…They’re all still by Erto’s side.’

Those were understandable members collected together.

Both Aisidel and Perjena had never actually drifted away from Erto in the first place.

Even Rusika had expressed her disappointment and anger toward him when she heard that they broke up by agreement, but it seemed they had successfully restored their relationship after the misunderstanding was cleared.

That was a relief.

That fleeting thought was short-lived as Tirisia shifted her gaze to the last girl seated at the table.

‘…But why?’

She couldn’t comprehend how she was also in attendance at this gathering.

It couldn’t possibly be.

“And… there’s no coffee here made with cinnamon-roasted beans brewed with a French press, Seldenne. Just drink plain coffee.”

“What do you mean by that?! What about your order?!”

The last girl reflected in her aquamarine eyes.

She had her golden roll hair styled up and wore a lavish dress in shades of red, maintaining the dignity of the high nobility even in casual settings. Seldienne Elconja.

‘No way.’

How could this girl still be maintaining a close distance with Erto?

Tirisia couldn’t logically unravel the doubts that sprung up in her mind.

She was the instigator who had led the aristocrats against Erto to expel him from the Academy.

Up until that incident, she hadn’t even been particularly close to him.

She had simply been a bothersome person who annoyed Erto daily.

Although she had cooperated with his training for just over a month before the dueling tournament, it was hard to say their relationship had truly grown closer.

In such a state, she had made the foolish choice of completely turning Erto into an enemy.

‘Why… why…’

Why was she smiling brightly next to Erto?

Why was Erto casually treating her well without a care?

During the past four months while I was confined at home, what on earth had happened?

Crunch—

As she clenched her teeth, a wave of unfairness and disappointment surged within Tirisia.

Even that traitor was somehow enjoying Erto’s favor, albeit through unknown means.

She was maintaining a close bond to the point of going on a holiday outing together.

What about her?

She couldn’t even speak to him, let alone show her face with others present.

‘Why me…’

Having spent the past few months alone, seeing Erto now being so friendly with those around him made a deep sense of loneliness pierce her heart.

Tirisia finally realized what her situation was.

Erto’s side was already full.

With women other than herself.

There was no place for her there.

None at all. She was, after all, the traitor who had torn apart Erto’s heart.

All she could do was watch his face secretly from a place where she would not be noticed.

And all of this was the result she had earned for herself.

The price of choosing to part from Erto and go with Kerg.

‘Ah… Erto…’

Tirisia reached her hand out into the void, knowing it was meaningless, wishing to touch him.

She wanted to call his name.

Even if he would never love her again, she wished he would turn back, look her in the eyes.

She wanted to restore their relationship, even just a little.

Only then would she feel as though she could fill the hole in her heart.

But she couldn’t.

Tirisia withdrew the hand she had extended with an expression of unbearable regret.

What right did she have to beg for Erto’s attention now?

‘…It’s not gonna happen.’

There was no way a dirty girl like her could intrude on their calm and wholesome outing.

To do so would mean throwing his life, which had finally regained peace, into chaos again.

If there was even a sliver of conscience left, she should let him be.

The only right given to a filthy, messy traitor was to never show her face before him again.

‘…I’m sorry, Erto.’

As she reflected on her brief moment of longing for his affection, Tirisia turned her back on Erto.

Whoosh—

Then, silently taking flight, she moved to the only place she could go.

‘…Yeah, it was a foolish desire.’

With despair settling in her heart, Tirisia ultimately changed her destination to the backside of the Academy.

Only that place allowed her to feel happiness anymore.

*

“…Senior?”

At midday, Tirisia stepped into the cave hideout on the backside of the mountain, wide-eyed at the scene before her.

“What? I thought you weren’t coming, and then you suddenly show up, making a fuss?”

In the room at the back of the central hall, Kerg was lying on the bed, holding two other women in his embrace instead of Tirisia.

Given his half-naked state and the shower-robed women on each side, it appeared he had already finished everything and was enjoying the afterglow.

Tirisia inspected the faces of the two girls nestled under his arm with trembling eyes.

‘Those girls…’

If she remembered correctly, they were faces of noble female students ranked among the top in the Academy.

But who they were hardly mattered at this point.

“Senior, what… what on earth are you doing?”

Even though the situation was clear before her eyes, Tirisia wanted to hear him explain it.

“Tsk.”

Kerg clicked his tongue as if displeased, pushing the women beside him away and rising from his position.

“You girls can go. You killed the mood.”

“Y-Yes! Lord Durakal!”

“Excuse us!”

The two noble students, dressed in shower robes, quickly left the room, glancing back at Tirisia.

Thud—

With the door closed, only Kerg and Tirisia remained inside.

“You didn’t say you were coming. What’s this all about?”

Kerg looked down at Tirisia with a gruff expression.

“What about you… what are you doing?”

Tirisia asked in disbelief.

How could he be involved with other female students while she wasn’t around?

That was cheating and betrayal, wasn’t it?

But Kerg responded with a smirk, his face unusually arrogant.

“What, are you upset ’cause I didn’t invite you? You should’ve said so beforehand. Why barge in and make things awkward? Now I’ll have to worry about keeping them quiet.”

“Sen—Senior… that’s not the point right now… why were you embracing another woman when I’m here?”

“Ah… you really have a terrible sense of timing.”

Wearing only loose pants and no shirt, Kerg scratched his head, frowning.

His dark eyes sharpened as he asked with a sinister smile.

“Didn’t you know I’m like this? Huh?”

Thump.

Tirisia’s heart began to race.

As she looked at Kerg’s vile and confident face, something within her began to unravel.

“Sen—Senior…”

Thump.

“Senior, do you really love me?”

Tirisia asked.

Whether there was any sincerity in their relationship.

“Hey… does that even matter?”

Kerg tongue-in-cheek mocked her serious question.

“What matters is that you really love me, right? Huh?”

Thump.

Her heart felt like it would explode.

Tirisia’s mind cleared up upon hearing his response.

Love?

Had she really loved this man?

Really? Sincerely?

“Senior… I—”

Tirisia realized that the feelings she had harbored so far were gradually fading.

How could she have fallen for a man like this?

Why had she loved such a lowly villain who coveted another man’s woman and disregarded loyalty?

It felt strange.

There was no way she could love someone like him.

There had to have been no way.

So why had she loved him even more than Erto?

The moment she recognized that truth—

“I…”

Finally gathering the courage to voice her true feelings, she said,

“I don’t love you, Senior.”

Tirisia Bruerd was,

After a long time,

gradually and gradually liberated from Kerg Durakal’s curse of enthrallment that he had secretly planted in her,

thanks to her innate resistance to magic.

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