Chapter 66: A Needlessly Annoying Day
“Do whatever you want. …Ah, but your uniform will get dirty.”
Noel glanced at her white uniform with concern.
“Ah, right, there’s a rule against getting the uniform dirty.”
Interestingly, Noel was wearing his Knights uniform. Was he wearing it the first time they met too? She couldn’t remember. Sue chuckled dryly and replied,
“It’s fine. As long as you keep it a secret.”
“…Yeah, whatever.”
“Thanks.”
Sue settled down in a corner of the park, her head lowered, staring straight ahead in silence.
The chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves falling to the ground, and the gentle lapping of waves filled the silent park.
There wasn’t a single person in sight. She thought that children might start arriving soon, as it was still early in the morning.
On the other hand, she was glad that the park was empty. Anyone would be surprised to see a boy and a girl, dressed in Knights and Full Bloom uniforms, respectively, sitting by the lakeshore, lost in thought.
There was no conversation between her and Raines Noel. They sat in silence, three paces apart, awkwardly sharing the stillness. They were in the same place, but the three paces between them felt like an insurmountable distance.
Sue chuckled hollowly. They had never been this silent before. At least when they were at the academy, someone would always try to start a conversation.
But this was, ironically, their reality as ‘friends’.
“Noel.”
Sue suddenly felt a strange urge to break down the thick wall that stood between them. She wouldn’t normally do this, but today, she felt a strong desire to do something, a desire that welled up from deep within her.
She wanted to do something, anything, to break free from this boring, mundane routine.
And so, Sue Byron, caught in the whirlpool of her desires, started to create noise in this peaceful park.
“Why did you tell me not to meet Sir Leo?”
She turned her head towards Noel, her gaze fixed on him. Their eyes met. He had probably been watching her all along. It was one of his habits. What a strange boy.
“I’m not going to see him anymore, like you said. But why did you tell me not to see him?”
As expected, he didn’t answer. So she continued,
“Did something happen between the Noel count family and the Lopetrefer grand duke family?”
Leo’s last words at the salon had been bothering her. She had been wondering why he had suddenly asked about Enzhe, but she couldn’t figure it out on her own.
If it was related to Enzhe Lopetrefer, Sue Byron had to know. She didn’t want to have any regrets.
Noel’s face contorted at the mention of Enzhe’s name. He stared at her with a hardened expression, then bit his lip and spoke, his voice strained.
“…Byron, how much do you know?”
His voice was filled with hesitation. Sue shook her head immediately.
“I don’t know anything. Really, nothing.”
“……”
“But… it is related to the Lopetrefer grand duke family, isn’t it?”
“……”
Noel remained silent, like a stone statue. He stared at her with a pained expression. Sue felt a tightness in her chest, unable to meet his gaze.
“…Okay, I understand. I actually didn’t expect you to answer. You always do this. Well, it must be something difficult to talk about, right? Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about. Things they want to hide. So, you don’t have to tell me.”
Sue quickly surrendered. The life of an extra, who never even had her name mentioned in the novel, seemed incredibly difficult.
She regretted asking and tried to forget their meaningless exchange. The problem between the Lopetrefer and Noel families is none of my business.
“At least it won’t affect you.”
His answer, after a long silence, was simple. It wasn’t a cold voice, but it wasn’t warm either. Sue just nodded, not asking any further questions.
After a while, it was Noel who asked a question this time.
“Byron, why aren’t you going?”
“Huh?”
“To the academy.”
Sue couldn’t answer, despite his casual tone.
Why am I not going to the academy?
She had forgotten for a moment, but it came back to her now. She groaned involuntarily and mumbled, her head lowered,
“I… don’t want to go.”
“……”
“It’s true. And I’ll go later.”
She pouted. She knew it wasn’t a proper answer to his question. But they were both in the same boat, so he didn’t press her further.
After a gust of autumn wind blew, they started a new conversation, three paces apart. This time, it was a lighthearted topic.
“It’s going to rain.”
Sue looked up at the sky at Noel’s casual remark.
“…You’re right. It was sunny a while ago.”
The clear blue sky had disappeared, and dark, ominous clouds were gathering.
“Is it a shower?”
“I don’t know. It looks like it’ll rain for a while.”
Noel didn’t seem to have an umbrella either.
“You can tell how long it’ll rain just by looking at the clouds?”
“Sort of. I learned it at the academy.”
“……”
She had been effortlessly outdone, as expected. Seeing her dejection, Noel quickly added,
“Haha, well, I’m usually interested in this kind of stuff.”
“This kind of stuff?”
Noel nodded and gestured at their surroundings.
“Nature.”
“Hmm… So you come to this park often?”
Raines Noel, enjoying the beauty of nature. She had noticed it earlier, but his blue hair, swaying gently in the wind, looked quite picturesque.
“I feel like we’ve run into each other here quite a few times.”
Sue chuckled. Noel tilted his head, looking up at her slightly.
“I like mountains.”
“Mountains?”
Sue asked back, surprised. Noel thought for a moment, then continued,
“Yes. …Ah, maybe it’s trees? There are a lot of big trees here. And mountains too. I like the smell of trees.”
“The smell of trees in the morning…”
She knew what he meant. The green, ‘green-like’ scent that was filling the air.
“So you go to the mountains often?”
Noel chuckled.
“These days… I used to go whenever I had time, until last year.”
“Really? Which mountain do you go to?”
“There’s a small, nameless mountain near our mansion. Like I said, I like trees, not hiking, so I usually go there.”
“I see.”
“Haha, actually, we sometimes climb mountains during Knights training. But that’s really tiring…”
Noel talked about his love for mountains and trees for a while. Or rather, it was more of a preference than love, but seeing him smile like a normal boy for once made Sue smile too. She had unexpectedly learned about his hobby. Come to think of it, they had never shared their hobbies with each other.
Even though they were friends.
It was strange.
“Take me there sometime.”
Her clear voice spoke softly. Noel’s eyes widened. He was genuinely surprised. Sue gulped. There was nothing more foolish than regretting something the moment you said it.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of being rejected. She cursed herself inwardly.
I messed up.
*I shouldn’t have talked to him this morning. I shouldn’t have sat next to him. I shouldn’t have tried to do something. *
Stupid Sue.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Was there anything more heartwarming than someone smiling brightly at your empty words? But seeing Raines Noel’s genuine joy, Sue felt a slow, sinking despair. She couldn’t return his childlike smile. She had been pulled back to reality.
To the reality that the three paces between her and her ‘friend’ were an insurmountable distance.
***
“Sigh.”
The sky was completely covered with clouds, no longer white. Sue blinked repeatedly, chewing on her straw. The juice bottle in her hand was empty. The afternoon wind, heavy with rain, was chilly. She felt a wave of drowsiness, but the cold air quickly forced her eyes open. She felt like her dark circles had reached her chin, her entire body drained.
‘Giona Vercia.’
‘I hate that bitch.’
She repeated those familiar words in her mind, her body shivering despite her hazy consciousness. She took a deep breath, her chest tightening. She hunched over, and the straw she had been chewing on fell to the ground. She mumbled, as if gasping for air,
“What am I even doing?”
No, what was she trying to do?
An image appeared before her eyes. It was Sue Byron, back when she had first woken up in this world. She had only had knowledge of this world, and her judgment of her future had been vague. But now, it seemed ridiculous.