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*****

A broken mind cannot be easily fixed. Observing soldiers suffering from PTSD or individuals grappling with deep trauma makes this painfully clear.

Just as untreated or poorly treated wounds leave scars, the psyche also carries its scars. When mental scars are carved deeply, they are nearly impossible to erase unless they are fully addressed.

Through Mora rather than Luminous, some relief can be found, but if such scars are solidified into one’s "personality," the situation becomes almost hopeless.

This applies to Cherry as well. She had fallen to rock bottom and only barely clawed her way back up.

Her broken dreams were revived with help, and the oppressive presence of Count Letish, the root cause of her struggles, was removed. Nothing binds her anymore.

The problem lies in her fragile self-esteem, which had hit rock bottom and is only slightly recovered. I remember what she told me during the exhibition.

She begged me not to abandon her, saying she would do anything to prevent that. Her words revealed both her fragile state of mind and her deep feelings for me.

I couldn’t ignore her plea and accepted her with an open heart. Thankfully, neither Marie nor the other women seemed particularly troubled by this.

But perhaps due to my overwhelming busyness, my encounters with Cherry had naturally dwindled since the incident where I slapped Hiriya.

It’s only natural that her mind grew restless. Cherry is like a delicate porcelain vase that has been shattered and painstakingly pieced back together.

A single drop could shatter her irreparably, and I am the one holding that fragile vase.

One mistake, and her very life could hang in the balance. Even now, she audits every class I attend.

The only comfort is that, so far, the warning signs haven’t worsened. If they do, she might go as far as self-harm to gain attention.

"Is it good?"
"Yes…"

To address my plans for her and receive her manuscript, I decided to meet with her separately. Of course, I made sure to finish all my classes first.

We met at a café we used to frequent. Visiting such places is no issue, as Academy guards follow me wherever I go.

Unlike my personal escorts, Adelia and Kate, these guards operate outside, ensuring no suspicious individuals linger near the café.

Additionally, Gartz, a Reaper dispatched from Helium, observes from afar, providing further reassurance.

"What have you been up to while I’ve been away?"

Sipping iced coffee sweetened with an excessive amount of sugar, I casually asked Cherry. The sweetness lingered pleasantly in my mouth.

At my question, Cherry slowly lifted her gaze from the table, her eyes still as gloomy as ever.

Would those eyes ever change? I couldn’t help but wonder whether her shattered self-esteem from Count Letish was to blame, or if she had always been like this.

"I… I’ve just been waiting for you, senpai."

Cherry’s pink lips parted as she answered, her words stabbing into my heart like daggers of guilt.

I wanted to excuse myself by claiming I’d been too busy recently, but such an excuse felt too pathetic. What I owed her right now was an apology.

"I’m sorry. There’s no excuse. No matter how busy I am, I should have paid more attention to you…"
"I-It’s okay. I understand."

Cherry waved her hands hurriedly, her expression momentarily startled. Even with those shadowed eyes, she could still look surprised—and somehow, it was endearing.

"Even if you drift away, senpai, I can always follow behind. Hehe…"
"…"

Cherry smiled broadly as she said this. To anyone else, it might have sounded like a confession, but coming from her, it felt unsettling.

It was as though she was openly declaring her intent to stalk me. Startled, I glanced at Adelia first.

Surprisingly, Adelia looked at Cherry with a mix of pity and empathy.

I had already explained Cherry’s identity and circumstances to her.

After learning about Cherry’s tragic family background, Adelia seemed to feel a sense of kinship and genuine compassion, rather than suspicion.

‘And Kate…?’

Next, I turned my gaze toward Kate. Unlike Adelia, she didn’t know much about Cherry, but her expression remained calm and indifferent.

Perhaps she hadn’t sensed anything amiss. While stalking was problematic, Cherry’s feelings for me seemed genuine.

‘They’re genuine… right?’

They probably are. If they weren’t, she would have already done something far more outrageous.

Her extremely low self-esteem is the issue, but Cherry retains a kernel of purity in her heart.

The real culprit is Count Letish, who nearly tainted that purity with his malevolence.

‘I wonder what that man is up to these days.’

Since revealing my identity as Zenon, Count Letish must have figured out Cherry’s background. It would be strange if he hadn’t, given how much I had shielded her.

However, he hadn’t seemed to approach either Cherry or me since then.

Perhaps the weight of my pointed remarks had hit him harder than expected.

"Ahem. Cherry?"
"Yes… What is it?"
"How far along are you with the manuscript?"

Setting aside the stalking issue for now, it seemed more prudent to focus on her work.

Her debut novel, Crimson Twilight, had taken the literary world by storm after The Chronicles of Zenon, but its publication had stalled due to my busy schedule.

That wouldn’t be the case anymore. I planned to give Cherry the attention she deserved and even integrate it into my broader plans.

Given her newfound connection to me as a collaborator, no one would dare touch her lightly.

"I’ve finished up to volume three, and volume four is about halfway done…"
"That’s fast."

I wasn’t just saying that. It truly was an impressive pace, rivaling my own speed before I was gifted a typewriter.

In this world, books are written entirely by hand, and completing even one volume per month is nearly impossible.

Cherry, being a first-year student and among the busiest at the Academy, shouldn’t have had much time. Even I had taken two to three months to release new books during my first year.

"By the way, you’ve been eating properly, right?"
"Yes."

Of course, she must have been eating well—there’s no way her chest would grow so noticeably otherwise.

"And you’re getting enough sleep?"
"Yes."

Despite the lack of light in her eyes, she didn’t have the dark circles that Cindy bore. Her pale, glowing skin showed no signs of fatigue.

"And your studies?"
"I’m doing well enough to avoid failing."

While it sounded a bit arrogant, as long as she avoided failing, her grades weren’t a priority. Cherry was already thriving as an author, enjoying both fame and financial stability.

Given the circumstances, it made sense that she had managed to write two volumes in such a short time.

"That’s good to hear. Nothing bad happened while I was away?"
"The only bad thing was you being away, senpai."
"…"
"Other than that, everything was perfect. Hehe."

I’m sorry. Please don’t smile at me like that.

Feeling the weight of my guilt deepen, I gave a weak smile. It was a good decision to meet with Cherry sooner rather than later.

"Isaac, may I have a word with Cherry for a moment?"

As I massaged my temples with a heavy heart, Kate approached with a request. I removed my hands from my face and looked at her.

Kate, as always, wore a gentle expression. It seemed she had picked up on something from our conversation.

"Go ahead."
"Thank you. Cherry, right?"
"Yes… My name is Cherry Blossom Roseberry."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kate Louise Angelica, a devoted servant of Luminous. Cherry, do you perhaps have feelings for Isaac?"

Kate skipped the pleasantries and dove straight into the heart of the matter. It was clear she didn’t care about Cherry’s background or circumstances.

Caught off guard by Kate’s bluntness, I watched as Cherry blinked slowly.

Her slow blinking was a sign of either interest or surprise. In this case, it was clearly the latter.

Cherry blinked once more before softly answering.

"Yes… I like senpai…"
"As I thought. Then…"
"If you say anything strange to Cherry, I’ll send you back to Savior."

Before Kate could continue her line of questioning, I cut her off abruptly. I still hadn’t forgotten how awkward her “seed” comments had been with Elena and Cindy.

To my surprise, Kate shook her head, indicating that wasn’t her intention this time.

"That’s not it. Isaac, you are a generous man. Cherry, you may not know this, but Isaac has not only his fiancée but also the Princess of Helium and Sir Cross by his side."
"…"

The fact that Kate managed to phrase "womanizer" so elegantly was almost impressive.

While I understood her intent, it still made me feel embarrassed. As Adelia gave me a sharp look, I could only feign ignorance.

Meanwhile, Kate pressed on with her point.

"Yet you, Lady Roseberry, seem content to linger on the periphery rather than approach directly. Isaac seems interested in you, so why not take the initiative?"

Although she trailed off, her message was clear: stop stalking and step forward boldly.

Cherry’s response, however, left us all stunned.

"Someone like me?"
"…Excuse me?"
"How dare someone like me?"

Even Kate was taken aback by Cherry’s words, as were Adelia and I.

The most troubling part was that Cherry genuinely seemed confused, tilting her head as though the idea were incomprehensible.

"I’m more than satisfied just knowing senpai won’t abandon me. Like a caterpillar content with pine needles, I have no desire for more."
"…"
"Senpai can use my body however he wants, even make me his slave. It’s far better than being abandoned. Being abandoned is worse than death."

As we sat in stunned silence, Cherry’s lips curled into a smile.

It was a smile brimming with sincerity, making it all the more somber and haunting.

"I’ll leave it at that."

No one dared to speak. No one could speak. Her state was far more severe than we had realized.

Her self-esteem, already shattered, had barely been pieced back together. The fact that I was her "center" only exacerbated the issue.

It was a textbook case of someone with extremely low self-esteem anchoring their sense of worth to another person.

Even Mora couldn’t fix this. Unless her entire personality was erased, there was no way to restore her mental state.

This alone would have been enough to leave even a normal person speechless, but…

"So, Isaac is your light, Lady Roseberry?"

Kate, being Kate, managed to break the silence with her offbeat charm.

Whether she truly grasped the gravity of the situation or not, her words were baffling.

Even more shocking was Cherry’s reaction. She nodded fervently, clasping her hands as if in prayer.

"Yes. He is my light, my hope, and the one I want to give everything to. He helped me achieve my shattered dreams and granted me true freedom."
"That’s wonderful. But you should work on building your confidence. How about trying to get closer to him?"
"If I get too close to the light, I’ll go blind. I’d rather admire him from afar."

How are they even having this conversation?

Kate continued trying to persuade Cherry to rebuild her self-esteem, while Cherry steadfastly refused, creating an endless loop.

Regardless, one thing remained constant: I was at the center of it all.

"I see. It seems you still lack the faith you need. May I call you Cherry instead of Lady Roseberry?"
"You may call me whatever you like, Cardinal."
"Good. I’ll help you build your confidence. Until then, feel free to follow Isaac around."

Kate openly endorsed stalking.

"What about my opinion?" I interjected.
"Would you refuse her?"

Refusing would likely push her over the edge. At Kate’s words, I glanced at Cherry.

Cherry’s pleading eyes silently begged me not to reject her. If I did, her already dim eyes might lose all light entirely.

In the end, I could only sigh and shake my head in reluctant agreement. Kate smiled in satisfaction at my response.

‘It feels like things are falling into place… somehow.’

What an odd combination they made.