There’s an old saying that goes something like this:

A man dies for someone who recognizes him, while a woman dresses up for the man who brings her joy.

Women are truly enigmatic beings, filled with contradictions. They desire to adorn themselves beautifully before the eyes of others, to not reveal their flaws in front of an undefined crowd, and to firmly establish that they are more beautiful than anyone else present.

At the same time, women are not fond of having their crafted appearances scrutinized by anyone other than the person they wish to show off to. The only individual a woman desires to notice her changes is that one special someone.

If anyone else happens to notice her carefully adorned appearance and expresses interest, it is likely to be perceived as an unpleasant act.

Erekaya was no different in this regard.

Today, I dressed up for you. No, I exclusively adorned myself for you. I wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder, converse with you, and stroll these streets together, indulging in the kind of grooming I had never done before.

And… I hope you recognize the effort I put in.

I know it’s quite selfish, but I want to confirm that you’ve been watching me with interest and that you are gazing at me at this very moment.

I want you, a man, to view me, a woman, with eyes clearly different from those of others.

“…Hmm.”

Jin’s gaze roamed over Erekaya’s entire figure, examining her as he tried to detect the changes she had made, as she requested.

“…Ah.”

Erekaya involuntarily recoiled under the unambiguously explicit attention directed at her.

If any other man had looked at her that way, she might not have hesitated to crush his eyes or pluck them out. Erekaya of the House of Pendragon was far too noble to be reduced to mere fascination or interest for another man in such a fleeting moment.

Of course, given her status as the little princess of the House of Pendragon, a man daring enough to regard her in such a manner undoubtedly didn’t exist in this world.

Yet… at this moment, Erekaya didn’t mind Jin’s gaze upon her body; in fact, she felt a strange sense of pride and satisfaction.

At this moment, it filled her with joy that you were looking only at me.

“Mmm… It seems like the layers of clothing you’re wearing underneath have changed. Your hairstyle appears to be a bit different too, and perhaps you’ve tidied up your nails. And…”

“…And?”

I wish he would tell me that there’s a different scent emanating from my body, or rather, that I smell even better than usual.

I wanted him to quickly notice even these subtle changes, having paid attention to me regularly.

“Umm, I can’t think of anything more. Sorry. I’m really not good at noticing things.”

“No, it’s fine. You got most of it right. It seems you’ve been observing my usual self closely?”

Erekaya laughed lightly, playfully deflecting with a smile. However, there was a hint of bitterness hidden behind her cheerful face.

In the end, did he not notice that I put on perfume…?

Well, that’s to be expected. From the get-go, Jin and Erekaya were not close enough to recognize each other’s scents or remember them.

If just the light application of perfume could make him realize her body emitted a different fragrance, they would already be close enough to be considered more than friends.

‘…C-close friends?’

In that moment, Erekaya felt a surge of panic at the word that flashed through her mind.

Could it be that Erekaya was daring to imagine that they might one day become lovers?

“Ugh.”

Let’s not entertain those thoughts. At least for now, let’s refrain from thinking such things.

No need to rush or feel anxious. After all, time is on my side.

Today marked the day they initiated their student council duties together, the day they first went out together, and the day they embarked on an outing for shopping together.

There will be plenty of opportunities in the future to spend time, engage in activities, and create memories with him.

So… let’s be content with this moment.

Ultimately, the final winner of this game surrounding that man will neither be Altina nor Claire; it will undoubtedly be Erekaya.

“Well, shall we go?”

With determination, Erekaya grabbed his hand.
Erekaya said this as she firmly grasped Jin’s hand without a hint of hesitation.

“There are so many people passing by here. We could easily get lost or lose track of each other…”

Although what Erekaya said, considering her mastery, might have seemed implausible – she could hear the sound of ants crawling tens of meters away if she so desired – Jin wasn’t the type to overlook such details.

Besides, as she mentioned, the shopping district in front of Nineveh was one of the busiest areas in the capital, so it wasn’t impossible for them to end up getting separated.

“Shall we start by buying some snacks for the guests? If we wait too long, all the good quality ones might sell out,” Erekaya suggested.

“Sure.”

Importantly, Jin didn’t mind holding Erekaya’s hand at all.

Thus, Jin and Erekaya began wandering through various shops in search of items to purchase.

They ended up picking up quite a few things that day.

Starting with snacks for their guests, they also got folders, stationery, paper, and various supplies in preparation for the upcoming festival.

Erekaya, being particularly discerning, pulled Jin from one store to another, meticulously inspecting various items, which left him feeling a bit fatigued.

‘It’s been such a long time since I felt like this.’

He had almost forgotten how tiring it could be to shop with a woman among the myriad of mundane activities in the world.

‘At least it’s a good thing I’m not here to buy clothes,’ he thought.

Considering that he was only here for one outfit but had spent hours browsing dozens of stores and sifting through hundreds of garments before finally choosing the first one he had looked at, this was a much more tolerable experience.

Just then, while Jin was watching Erekaya’s back with a wry smile…

“…Hmm?”

Erekaya had moved closer to Jin after carefully examining some items and whispered in a tiny voice.

“Jin, I’m going to step away for a bit. So, please hold onto the items we bought.”

“Where are you going?”

In response to Jin’s offhand question, Erekaya simply smiled brightly.

“How silly. When a lady is about to leave like this, a gentleman should let her go without asking questions.”

With that, Erekaya left Jin behind and headed out of the store, walking without hesitation towards a dimly lit alley.

Unlike the bustling, vibrant shopping district filled with people, this alley was eerily silent and devoid of any passersby.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Erekaya had chosen a spot in the alley where she couldn’t feel any signs of life, either.

“I initially tried not to pay attention. I was aware of it, but I didn’t want to acknowledge it. After all, it’s not like there were just one or two little rats trailing me, and on a day like today, I didn’t want to focus on anything else.”

Erekaya muttered softly, yet her tone held a certain gravitas.

But whom was she speaking to? There was only Erekaya in this alley; there were no signs of anyone around—

“However, I couldn’t completely ignore it. Because I realized that your gaze was directed not just at me.”

As she said this, Erekaya’s hand slowly began to rise.

Since their outing was primarily for shopping, she hadn’t sheathed any weapons on her person.

However, she didn’t need a sword from the start. Once she decided to cut something, it didn’t matter if she had a sword in her hand or not.

With a swift motion—

Her hand descended gracefully from above.

Outwardly, it appeared an extraordinarily slow, delicate movement, seemingly inconsequential.

Yet, the outcome produced by her gesture was far from inconsequential.

Boom!

In the next instant, the space behind Erekaya cracked open, and a bird with blue feathers appeared out of nowhere.

Just moments ago, there had been no one in the vicinity but Erekaya, yet even with the sudden appearance of the bird, her expression remained unfazed.

“I didn’t notice it at first. There were so many people around me looking, and the method you used to conceal yourself was bafflingly clever.”

She skillfully distorted the surrounding dimensions and layered the cloaked space around her to conceal her presence seamlessly.
If Erekaya had not learned to perceive the distorted spacetime through her encounters with Altina, she would not have noticed anything at all; the magic was incredibly powerful.

“Given the level of magic being used here, you must be a renowned magician. Yet, spying on me is all you do? How absurd.”

She felt a surge of disgust. It was not simply because this magician was watching Erekaya.

Was someone monitoring her actions from somewhere? Sneaking a gaze at her from the shadows?

From the moment she vowed to live as the heir of the House of Pendragon, she had resolved to disregard such trivial scrutiny from others.

Furthermore, Erekaya was not only the sole heir of the House of Pendragon but also a key figure poised to become the future Duke of Pendragon in the Empire.

Thus, the presence of little rats peering into her every move to gather information was hardly surprising.

…However, while she could accept being watched, she could not overlook the fact that someone dared to spy on Jin.

Putting everything else aside, Erekaya was deeply disturbed by the interruption of the precious time she had with him.

It felt as though something inside her was boiling over, as if she had witnessed something dear to her being plunged into murky waters.

This was a lesson.

On a day like today, while she was spending precious moments with someone else—

It was a stern warning not to cast those filthy gazes her way.

“Let me make myself clear. I don’t know who you are, but if you dare to spy on me or him again—”

Crack!

Without any hesitation, Erekaya broke the neck of the bird with blue feathers.

“…It won’t end with just a warning today.”

Whoosh!

Afterward, flames of aura ignited from within the bird’s body, incinerating its remains. The overwhelming heat caused the body to vanish without a trace.

 

“Ugh!”

In the A-class girls’ dormitory of Nineveh.

In the center of a particular room, a woman with blue hair, Claire, was holding her neck and retching.

“Hah, hah, ha—”

Just moments ago, the link with her familiar, which had connected her vision to the outside, had been forcibly severed.

The backlash hit her instantaneously, and as a result, she found herself rolling on the floor as if her insides were being torn apart.

However, the emotion now gripping her was not merely pain from the feedback of her familiar.

“…I was discovered.”

She had been caught. She never thought it would happen, and it was none other than Kaya who had spotted her.

And Kaya had looked at her familiar, declaring it to have “spied.”

…Spied? On Kaya? Like a rat? Surely, that couldn’t be true.

She had never taken an interest in Kaya from the start. Her sole concern was for Jin’s safety.

Fearing he might get hurt somewhere, that he might fall into danger in a place she did not know about, that he might head to an inaccessible location like last time.

It was solely that concern that had led her to create a familiar and set it to guard Jin in secret.

Yet, not only was she unable to comprehend anything, but she also went so far as to label it a rat and even kill her familiar!

“…Kaya.”

Claire understood. Kaya had assumed that someone with an unknown identity was spying on them, which had led her to make that choice.

If she were in Kaya’s position, she too would have crushed the rat without hesitation.

But… that was one thing, and this was another.

The only time I could spend with Jin was during mealtimes. Outside of that, our relationship was merely that of acquaintances.

Yet, Kaya, you not only work alongside him in the same space but also spend time together, going out while holding hands as you walk the streets.

I haven’t even been able to create any memories with him. I wanted to walk the streets with him, wanted to hold his hand!

Does this mean I am not even permitted to glance at him from a distance?

“…Jin.”

Finally, sitting down heavily on the floor, Claire found herself staring blankly at the ceiling.