Chapter 83: Countdown(2)
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“.....Ah.”
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I awkwardly waved my hand, finding myself in an uncomfortable position.
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Asena must also know that when I said “such things can happen,” I was just making an excuse to ease the atmosphere. But despite knowing this, she, yearning for love, was asking me again to cross that line.
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And the most troubling thing was that Asena looked more serious than ever before.
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Biting the edge of her lips slightly, she was looking up at me as if urging me to hurry up.
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Today, everything felt strange and awkward.
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Both Keirsey and Asena… Why were they both acting this way?
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I wondered if I was being overly sensitive, but today, their eyes seemed more desperate, and their actions, a tad more aggressive.
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Do they want more affection because I’m leaving? But that can’t be it; Keirsey hasn’t really yearned for my affection.
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She merely exposed her skin to me.
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Amidst my confusion, Asena spoke up.
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“...Why? You said we could do such things.”
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“...No... I misspoke because of the unexpected situation. You know that.”
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“...No, I don’t know.”
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“.......”
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“...Just once more, even if lightly.”
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At that moment, the door to Keirsey’s room flung open.
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Asena stiffened her expression and distanced herself from me.
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I immediately turned to look at Keirsey and thanked her internally.
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Thanks to her, now I would be able to divert the topic.
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“Keirsey, are you ready?”
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“......Um.”
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She glanced back and forth between Asena and me, then, swallowing as if holding back something, she flashed a smile.
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I didn’t ask and since their dormitory had a different atmosphere today, I urged them to leave quickly.
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“Let’s go then.”
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****
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It’s troublesome.
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I thought it was only an issue inside a closed space, but it was the same outside as well.
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Asena was tolerable, but Keirsey tightly wrapped her arm around mine, using her entire body to trap it securely.
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I repeatedly told her to let go, to consider the public gaze, but Keirsey ignored all of it.
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It’s not like I’m going to change my mind because of her aegyo.
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Moreover, it’s not good to show this kind of behavior in front of other nobles.
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Regardless, she wouldn’t let go.
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I initially left her be, but as we got closer to the academy and as more gazes fell upon us, I began to feel this wasn’t right.
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“...Keirsey. Let go of my hand now.”
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“........”
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Instead of replying, she gripped my hand even tighter. Blood stopped flowing to my fingers that were caught in her grip.
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I finally stopped in my tracks.
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“Let go.”
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“.........”
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She buried her head into my arm and gripped my hand even more tightly. I could feel her determination not to let go.
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Was she shocked because I left them to talk with Daisy the previous night? Clearly, something had changed with them, especially with Keirsey.
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“......”
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In times like this, I needed to be a bit stern. Also, I decided to also hint about what’s to come. Because if everything changed due to my conversation with Daisy, they still had a long way to go.
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“Why are you like this today? Is it because I talked to Daisy yesterday?”
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“.......”
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“Just for that reason? Can’t I even talk to my fiancee? If that’s causing the issue, there will be more issues in the future.”
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“......”
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“...Well, since there are many eyes watching, let go now. We should also reduce such displays of affection in the future.”
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“......Huh?”
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“...I mean, I’m now engaged. What will others think when they see us?”
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“...Where... where did you get that idea...?”
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Keirsey tightened her grip on my hand.
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“What will they think...?”
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Asena voiced her doubts in response to my words.
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I replied to both of them at once.
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“It’s not right anymore, Keirsey. I have a fiancee now. And Asena, what would they think... It would be strange if an engaged person is clinging so much to their siblings.”
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“...But you like us more. What’s wrong with clinging to those you favor more?”
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Of course, Asena must have found fault in her own statement. So, it was just an excuse to convince me. Nothing more and nothing less.
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“......”
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I silently gazed at Asena for a moment. She turned her head, perhaps feeling a sting from my stare.
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Slowly, Keirsey began to loosen her grip.
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“...Fine... No... I understand.”
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After letting go, Keirsey walked a step ahead of me.
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“......”
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After a while of walking, when we arrived in front of the Political Science building, the first people we met were Judy, Daisy, and Sir Horslow.
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When Sir Horslow, a professor of the Knights Department, saw the twins, he bowed his head briefly.
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Asena acknowledged the greeting and shifted her gaze to Judy and Daisy.
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Then, with a cold tone completely opposite to what she had used with me in the morning, she asked, “....What is going on?”
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“Ah, I came to inform you that their escort training ends today,” Sir Horslow responded calmly.
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Asena tilted her head menacingly. “....Excuse me?”
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“Cayden Praister and Judy Ice. They will return to the Knight Academy as of today.”
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“...I was under the impression that the escort training ends in 20 days. Roughly two weeks before the end of the term.”
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“They’ve both excelled and gained ample experience, hence the shortened period. The evaluation is also complete.”
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Asena paused for a moment, then sharply inquired, “......Did Grandma intervene?”
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“....?”
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For me, this context was hard to understand. Why would Grandma intervene?
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I thought maybe Asena misspoke.
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However, Sir Horslow didn’t respond to her question. With a stiff posture, he conveyed only his own message.
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“.....I’ve explained the reason. Now, Cayden. Judy. Follow me. I’ll wait for the farewell greetings.”
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Immediately after, he distanced himself.
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The situation was so sudden that I awkwardly glanced between the twins, Daisy, and Judy.
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The first to act was Judy.
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She didn’t hesitate. Avoiding my gaze, she promptly bowed to Daisy, and then approached Asena and gave her a bow as well.
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Even though she’s currently escorting Daisy, Judy had been Asena’s escort for a long time, so it was only natural for her to greet Asena as well.
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While I could let it slide, because of yesterday’s events, facing Judy was awkward for me. More than awkward, it was a feeling heavily tinged with guilt.
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She seemed angry at me, avoiding even looking at my face. In a way, maybe that was fortunate for me. After all, I had no idea how to face her either — Her voice, pleading, still felt fresh in my ears.
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I pushed those useless thoughts aside.
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Seeing Judy take the lead, I started to move as well.
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Honestly, I felt relieved that it ended earlier than expected. Leaving the twins aside, I was worried about Judy.
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Her position was complicated, whether she was escorting Daisy or the twins. And the reason for that was entirely because of me. Hence, when the situation unraveled this way - it brought me some relief.
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So, I stood still, watching the twins slowly turn toward me. It was also the end of my time as an escort.
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“...Then, I should go.”
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Keirsey once again grabbed my wrist.
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“Ah...no.”
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“...Don’t do this again.”
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“...If you do, the plan...”
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“...?”
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Thinking she was speaking to me, I tried to pay her attention, but she just mumbled with a vacant look in her eyes. On closer inspection, her gaze seemed unfocused, as if she were talking to herself.
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“...Keirsey. I’m leaving.”
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I called her name, trying to snap her out of it.
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Like waking from a dream, Keirsey looked up at me with surprise.
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Her mouth opened and closed, suggesting she wanted to say something, but it seemed she knew it wouldn’t sway me.
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She surely wanted to tell me not to go. Of course, I would say it’s not possible.
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Knowing both those facts, Keirsey just looked at me with a gaze full of longing.
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I shifted my gaze from her to Asena.
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Asena’s expression was stern. There was a faint hint of displeasure in her eyes, but it wasn’t entirely clear.
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After gently brushing Asena’s cheek, I walked over to Daisy.
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“...This is it,” I told her.
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“...It’s a pity, Cayden.”
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“It’s kind of you to say so.”
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“Cayden… isn’t sad?”
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Just as the twins had changed, so had Daisy. She wasn’t blatant about it, but she clearly displayed a fondness for me.
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I replied, “We have plenty of time ahead of us. You know that.”
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- Grind!
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A noise came from the direction of the twins, but I ignored it.
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My words seemed to soothe Daisy’s slightly disgruntled expression. She closed her lips, lowered her gaze, nodded a few times, and said goodbye with a look that held no regrets.
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“...That’s right. Cayden, then, take care.”
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“Thank you. You too, Daisy.”
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Immediately after, I turned and approached Professor Horslow.
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Judy still wasn’t looking at me.
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I didn’t really spend much time observing her either.
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From behind me, I could feel the gaze of the twins, but I acted as if I was oblivious to it.
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****
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During class, Asena’s expression hardened even more.
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The content of the lesson never registered in her ears.
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She was preoccupied with fixing her shattered plans.
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The physical time she could spend with Cayden had significantly diminished.
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An even greater concern was that he currently did not want to see them.
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What this implied was... in the future, she would only become more clingy, desperate, and ugly in his eyes.
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Appearing before him, who desired a break,
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Following him, who wasn’t bound to her,
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And emotionally shaking him somehow…
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Asena didn’t want to do that.
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She’d tried that approach until now, but nothing had properly resolved.
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She felt a headache coming on, as no viable solution appeared.
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What should she do?
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All five methods to solve the problem had been useless.
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Avoidance. Concession. Confrontation. Compromise. Collaboration.
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Avoidance... was absolutely not an option. If she avoided the problem, hoping for it to resolve on its own, Cayden would eventually leave.
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Concession was also impossible. In this context, concession meant giving up on Cayden entirely, and that was even more out of the question.
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Confrontation. Competing with other women for him was a fight she couldn’t win. She had tried several times but never achieved a positive result... it only led to more arguments with Cayden.
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Compromise. She had already asked Daisy for a concession. Daisy remained unwavering, rejecting all of Asena’s proposals.
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Collaboration. With everyone wanting Cayden, collaboration seemed impossible.
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Only 4 days remained... and another obstacle emerged: Cayden not being her escort anymore and leaving her side.
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Again, deep in thought, she tried to think of a solution, but…
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...The mounting stress was becoming unbearable.
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Her thoughts shifted and while pondering ways to alleviate this piled-up stress, Asena absentmindedly licked her lips.
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--- Â End Of The Chapter ---
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