“Who is it?”
Lost in thought, Ceres looked up at the sudden question.
Kainel, who had been reviewing documents at his desk only moments ago, was now watching her intently.
“What are you talking about?”
“That look on your face. You clearly have someone in your sights. So who is it? Who managed to get on your bad side?”
“What are you even talking about?”
Geez, he’s annoyingly sharp when it comes to things like this.
Pushing herself out of the window seat that had practically become her designated spot, Ceres smoothly changed the subject.
“Have you eaten?”
Ever since she’d collapsed the other day, she wasn’t able to cook for him. The man had insisted she rest and banned her from setting foot in the kitchen.
“.....”
“Kainel.”
Did he just avoid my eyes?
“Answer me before I call your aide in here and ask him myself. Have you eaten or not?”
“He hasn’t eaten a single bite!”
Del suddenly called out from the doorway. Apparently, he’d been lurking outside. As soon as he spoke, he immediately ducked back behind the door to escape Kainel’s glare.
“What are you glaring at him for? Didn’t I tell you to eat properly?”
“Please keep going, Miss Ceres!”
Del poked his head back through the door, sounding far too eager. Watching Kainel skip meals and neglect himself over the past few days must be driving the poor aide out of his mind.
Thunk.
As though he’d been waiting for this exact opportunity, Del hurried over with a tray of food and set it on the table before quickly retreating.
Pretending not to notice him hiding behind her like a shield, Ceres spoke again.
“What are you standing around for? Come sit down.”
And stop glaring at your aide while you’re at it.
“.....”
When Ceres fixed him with a look that clearly said don’t make me repeat myself, Kainel sighed and took a seat at the table. No one knew better than he did how stubborn she could be when it came to meals.
Even so, once he sat down, he still had no desire to eat. The food wasn’t made by Ceres. After neglecting meals for so long, nothing looked particularly appetizing anymore.
“Are you not going to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Since when does anyone eat with their thoughts? You eat with your mouth.”
“I’ll eat lat—”
“Aaa.”
“.....”
Ceres speared a piece of salad and held it out toward him. Standing behind her, Del watched the scene unfold with widening eyes.
M-Miss Ceres, I don’t think that’s going to work!
Aaa? Aaa?!
You don’t seriously think Lord Kainel will actually...
Chomp.
...He ate it!
Del could only stare. Kainel accepted the food from Ceres without the slightest hesitation and ate it.
“What are you doing? Aaa.”
“That’s bell pepper...”
“Aaa.”
“.....”
After that, Kainel accepted every bite Ceres offered him. He frowned the entire time, but he ate it all.
Watching the unbelievable sight before him, Del barely managed to keep his astonished reaction from slipping out.
***
“Aria!”
“Oh my, what happened to your arm?”
“Did you get hurt again?”
The next morning, the moment Aria stepped into the classroom, a crowd of students rushed over to her.
“Um...”
Her right arm was wrapped in layers of bandages.
“In the dining hall yesterday, I...”
“The dining hall? You mean what happened yesterday?”
Someone must have seen Aria drop her tray.
“My burn hadn’t fully healed yet, and I guess carrying something heavy put too much strain on it. The healer said I may have injured the bone...”
Aria smiled weakly as she touched the bandages around her arm.
“It’s swollen, too. It hurts quite a bit.”
“Oh no!”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
The students looked at her bandaged arm with concern.
Good grief. What is she, a porcelain doll? Since when does carrying a tray wreck your arm?
Watching from the side, Ceres nearly snorted.
“You shouldn’t have been carrying trays in the first place.”
“Exactly! This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for her!”
Apparently, everyone else saw things differently.
When Aria mentioned her injury, the blame landed squarely on Ceres. Hostile looks came flying from every direction.
What do you even call this?
People really did stop seeing reason once they’d made up their minds.
Looking around the classroom, Ceres couldn’t help but feel amused. It was as though the entire class had been enchanted. No matter what happened, every road somehow led back to her.
Rustle.
“You got hurt?”
Ceres rose from her seat and walked over.
“Huh? Ah... yes. But don’t worry. It’ll heal soon.”
Aria’s hand lingered on the bandages as she offered a small smile.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be able to bring your lunch for a while.”
The guilt and worry on her face were so convincing that anyone overhearing would think Ceres had forced her to carry the tray.
“Honestly, Ceres...”
“Don’t you think you’ve gone too far this time?”
“What are you going to do about Aria’s arm? Look how swollen it is!”
Just as she’d expected, accusations immediately started flying. Ignoring them all, Ceres took another step closer.
“I have a medicinal herb that’s excellent for injuries like that.”
“Huh? A medicinal herb?”
“It’s especially good for swelling and bone injuries.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine. I’ve already been given medicine.”
For the first time, Aria looked caught off guard. As she instinctively stepped back, Ceres reached out and caught her arm.
Slide.
Before anyone could stop her, she began unwinding the bandages.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Let go of Aria!”
Ignoring the voices that immediately rushed to Aria’s defense, Ceres looked down at the arm she’d just freed from its bandages. Then, she tilted her head.
“Where am I supposed to apply the medicine?”
She sounded genuinely puzzled.
“What kind of nonsense is tha—?”
The protest died halfway out. Every pair of eyes had turned to Aria’s arm.
It was perfectly fine. There was no swelling, no sign of injury, not even a trace of the burn marks that were still visible the day before.
“...It’s fine?”
“Didn’t you say it was swollen, Aria?”
The students stared at her in confusion.
“N-No! It definitely was this morning! I-I don’t understand...”
Aria herself looked just as bewildered. The story about injuring her bone was a lie from the start, but the burn marks should’ve been there.
Where did they go?
Where else? I turned back time while I was taking the bandages off.
As the classroom struggled to process what they were seeing, Ceres bent down and picked up the discarded bandages.
“Were you wearing these because they looked pretty? Or because you were cold? Want me to wrap them back on for you?”
At her questions, not a single person had anything to say, including Aria.
***
“Haha.”
A laugh slipped out before Alex could stop it.
Standing outside the classroom with the door slightly ajar, the Third Prince had watched the entire scene unfold.
The smile on his face only deepened as he watched Ceres carefully rewrap the bandages around a speechless Aria.
“.....”
Then, he noticed someone else. Nailia stood nearby, staring blankly ahead like she couldn’t make sense of what she’d just witnessed.
Alex clicked his tongue.
Idiot.
He’d known for a long time that Aria had attached herself to Nailia.
Normally, he wouldn’t have cared. He already had more than enough on his plate without involving himself in someone else’s affairs.
And yet...
“Brother, what brings you here?”
“......”
“W-Wait, what are you burning?!”
Why did he step in? He could’ve ignored it like he always did. Whether that girl got hurt or not had nothing to do with him.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
The voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Turning his head, Alex found Daniel standing beside him. The homeroom teacher of Class 2-C smiled pleasantly from behind his thick glasses.
“I have no idea what’s going on, but it looks interesting. Mind letting me in on it?”
“.....”
Alex gave him a brief glance. Then, he walked past without a word.
“How cruel. You’re ignoring me again, aren’t you?”
He watched Alex’s retreating figure with a wounded look until the prince disappeared around the corner.
The moment he was gone, Daniel’s smile returned as though it had never left. He leisurely stepped into the classroom.
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