Another peaceful morning.

Yuria awoke to battle the beast of a hangover.

“Ugh…”

Just how much had she drunk yesterday? A tumultuous stomach and a dizzying headache brought fleeting memories of the previous night.

– Let’s…be friends again.

“Ughhh!!! Crazy woman…!”

Horrified by her cringeworthy recollections, Yuria lashed out with her legs, kicking the blankets away in teenage angst.

“Argh…”

She glanced at the clock.

[10:10]

Ashamed and wanting to hide her flushed face, Yuria covered it with the blanket, exhaling a resigned sigh.

“Ugh…”

The memories of yesterday were vivid.

She had been drinking.

Talking with Ricardo.

And then Ricardo got hurt.

Though she professed to despise him, Yuria’s feelings were unexpectedly complex upon seeing his injured form. One might think she’d relish the misfortune of someone she hated, but her heart ached weirdly.

And the ever-recurring sight of Ricardo getting hurt also bred resentment.

That was likely why she had blurted out such an embarrassing phrase as ‘Let’s be friends again.’ It had been the only sentiment she could muster at that moment.

Without the heart to speak cruelties,

Nor the rapport to apologize for past conflict. Would anyone truly accept an apology for being stabbed in such an awkward relationship?

Ricardo would probably respond with graciousness.

Yuria wanted to apologize.

She felt the need to acknowledge her wrongdoing during the dungeon incident to Ricardo. It was due time for them to reassess their relationship.

If she were to apologize, they would need progress in their situation, and deep down, she yearned to grow closer to Ricardo.

Thus, she harbored no regrets.

Despite having been swept up in the moment, she was relieved they could clarify their positions with one another.

And then…

Ricardo’s hand, too.

On the way home,

Ricardo, who had carried her, had kept telling her – it was not Yuria’s fault, over and over so much that it almost grated on her ears.

Although she didn’t fully believe his words, his persistent consolation seemed to lighten the emotional load she carried.

Blinking bemusedly under the blanket, Yuria tightly clutched a handmade doll with red yarn hair, soothing her burning heart.

Her heart raced.

The realization that they could revive hope in a relationship that seemed to have reached its conclusion brought a modest smile to Yuria’s face.

Perhaps ten minutes had passed.

Yuria got out of bed and aimlessly looked at the clock.

“There was some important promise I felt like I forgot.”

Tick-tock went the second hand, inducing a strange sense of foreboding in her. As though she had forgotten an incredibly important appointment.

Yuria looked at the round clock on her desk.

As always, the clock’s second hand moved with taciturn precision, indicating its commitment to its duty.

10 o’clock…

“I think there was an important promise…”

Staring at the clock had the curious effect of bringing back forgotten memories, pertinent ones involving time…

“What is it…!”

But the thought was elusive.

Annoyed with the feeling, Yuria frowned and engaged in a staring contest with the clock.

About five minutes of pondering later,

“Ah…”

The rush of recalled memories sent a chill throughout her body—a shiver that felt like being covered in a cold sweat.

Yuria jumped out of bed and took another look at the clock.

[10:25]

“You idiot…!”

-Finally, we have arrived.

-…So you won’t answer?

-What answer?

-About being friends again. You never gave me an answer.

-I see…

Last night’s conversation with Ricardo, as they walked back to the dormitory, emerged in her mind.

-That’s a bit…

-Don’t you want to be friends with me?

-No, it’s not like I don’t want to. Just wondering if it’s really okay.

It wasn’t okay.

At that point, the sentiment had been more a result of overwhelming emotion; the residue in her heart required time for healing.

So Yuria had made an excessive request yesterday.

-Then… we could start from tomorrow.

-Start what?

-Our relationship. Let’s start over, beginning from scratch. If we find that nothing’s changed, we can end things then.

-Pfft… That would be something. I have so many charms that I might become closer to you than Michail or Ruin.

-I know…

-What?

-Nothing… What about tomorrow?

-What about it?

-Tomorrow at noon… I’m suspended so I’ll have time.

-That sounds suspiciously like a benefit of a not-so-innocent incident.

-Anyway… What do you think?

Yuria flung open her wardrobe in haste.

She had nothing to wear.

To be precise, she had many clothes, but nothing seemed right for today.

No choice picked in such haste would feel satisfactory.

At the very least, she should have deliberated about her outfit two hours in advance, but now time was desperately short.

Taking a shower and drying her hair would take at least 30 minutes, and putting on makeup, another hour.

And to reach the meeting place at the fountain, another 30 minutes—if not more. There was simply no leisurely time left to choose an outfit.

Regretting her prior tardiness, Yuria rushed into the bathroom.

“Haah…!”

This was a disaster.

For real.

“Stupid…!”

***

12:30 PM

The majestic clock tower stood, its hands pointing at 12:30.

Alone in the cold winter wind, I stood by the fountain, feeling abandoned.

I had arrived 30 minutes early just in case, but sighs deepened with Yuria’s continued absence.

“Something must be up.”

I pondered over Yuria, who usually kept time like a Swiss watch but was now a curious half-hour late.

“Hmm…”

Thoughts of her struggling to wake due to overindulgence the night before, or perhaps a bout of ‘alcoholic amnesia’, seemed plausible enough—blackouts after drinking were common, after all.

The worst-case scenario was that Yuria had changed her mind and chosen not to come.

I decided not to resent Yuria for her choice, as I hadn’t expected much, and continued to blow warm breath onto my chilly hands.

“It’s a bit chilly.”

Indeed, the world outside the blanket is perilous.

There was no shortage of people passing by the fountain.

It was near the Royal Academy and a bustling commercial district. Many couples strolled by, and students milled around the fountain, but standing alone there made me self-conscious.

As people around me met with their companions and departed, I alone stood for almost an hour, overhearing some murmurs.

“Look at that man, he’s seriously gone mad.”

“Awaiting his girlfriend, perhaps?”

“It must be so. With looks like his, it’d be odd not to have one.”

“But he’s been there for quite a while, hasn’t he? Did he get dumped?”

“Possibly? Should we make a move?”

“Are you nuts?~”

“Why not?~ Who knows, maybe the guy’s never had a girlfriend, a lifelong solo.”

‘That’s peculiarly heartbreaking.’

The whispers of female students passing by the fountain were quite entertaining. The term ‘lifelong solo’ did irritate me a bit, but since it was true, I couldn’t complain.

They did say I was handsome, after all.

That’s a redeeming point.

‘Being handsome is the best.’

For the first time in ages, I wore casual clothes instead of my butler uniform—black suit covered by a black coat. On my way here, I had bought some trendy outfits the youngsters were wearing these days.

I had been making good money.

With a meeting set to see Yuria, showing her the same old look didn’t seem polite.

After secretly spritzing myself with the lady’s perfume, I checked if the fragrance might be too strong, lifting the sleeve to my nose.

‘Feels just right.’

I nodded slightly, pleased with the subtle scent of lilacs.

‘When will she show up?’

The time was already 12:45 PM.

The wall of meaninglessness was closing in on the effort I’d put into grooming for today.

“Isn’t she coming…?”

I should’ve followed the lady.

She went out for a walk with my lord and the future lord, visiting the hospital, and then on a side quest to spend some money. I declined her invitation to join them because I already had plans, but now… I somewhat regretted it.

Not that I wanted to follow them, but because I was worried they might cause a stir.

With Kyle’s rational mind and chilly personality, I trusted he’d make sound decisions.

Time flowed on.

Ten minutes passed. Fifteen minutes… Thirty minutes, and as the clock tower signified 1 PM, I realized I had braced myself against the wind.

It could be Yuria forgot about the sudden appointment, or maybe she wasn’t ready to face it.

‘Maybe I’ll head over to the boss.’

Without anything on my agenda, I considered going back home when…

“Wait a moment!”

Huff-huff…!

The person I was promised to meet appeared across from the fountain, panting heavily.

With pink hair down to her waist.
Wearing a tight-fitting white turtleneck.
And covered by a pink cardigan.

Yuria shouted at me, gasping for air,

“I’m so sorry…! Am I… very late?”

I responded with a small smile,

“It’s fine. I just arrived myself. Ah… But I think I’m going to freeze.”

“Huh?”

Yuria looked at me, bewildered.

“You dressed too lightly for the weather.”

I took off my coat and draped it over Yuria’s shoulders,

“You look very pretty. Truly.”

Yuria, her cheeks reddening, muttered softly,

“You’re wicked…”