* * *
Even in the early morning, his posture was flawless.
Sitting with his back bolt upright as he ate, he was already drawing the gaze of every other student in the vicinity.
Chester Callaway—it wasn’t an exaggeration to call him a celebrity at Whitmore Academy.
He was the protagonist of this novel and the second son of the Duke of Callaway, the man to whom Ruite was currently betrothed in an arranged marriage.
And the most important title he held? He was the man destined to kill Ruite in the future.
“……I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”
“Then can I have your bread?”
Ruite slapped Dylan’s hand away, telling him he still couldn’t have it.
Looking back at why Chester kills Ruite in the original story, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Chester was naturally opposed to the arranged marriage itself, but his partner eventually became a person who refused to break the engagement, clung to him for affection, threw tantrums, and eventually put him in danger through a twisted sense of love.
Understanding it was one thing, but dying was another matter entirely.
Ruite had despaired, thinking life was over just because he had possessed the body of a villain.
However, after thinking it over carefully, he realized he had arrived at a point before Ruite and Chester were married.
In other words, before the transformation into a true villain.
There had to be a reason for being sent to this specific time—likely to somehow avoid that gruesome “dead end.”
That was also why the dream about graduation was a “good dream.”
On graduation day, Chester would set aside his usual cold attitude, bow his head to Ruite, and politely request to break off the engagement.
At that moment, unlike in the original story, Ruite planned to accept the request.
In truth, Ruite wanted to demand the breakup right now without waiting for graduation.
But the Everhart Baron family was the one desperate for this union.
The family, which had lost its former prestige, looked at this marriage as their only breakthrough.
Therefore, even knowing the ending led to death, Ruite couldn’t simply step forward and demand a breakup first.
Since the parents held more power than the individuals involved, Chester was likely in the same boat.
That was why Chester, despite his distaste, couldn’t bring up the breakup directly yet.
But graduation day was different.
Ruite didn’t know what would happen to Chester in the meantime, but at that specific moment, Chester would ask for the breakup with total sincerity—as if it would all be solved the moment Ruite agreed.
So, that day would likely be the first and last chance to end the engagement.
The original Ruite missed that chance, but this Ruite had absolutely no intention of letting it go.
“But hey, Ruite.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you close with Chester?”
“……Why do you ask?”
Instead of answering, Dylan showed him.
As Dylan glanced behind them, Ruite’s gaze naturally followed.
Chester had finished his meal and was standing up, looking toward them.
His gaze was incredibly sharp.
“See, Dylan? No matter how you look at it, that’s not the look you give a friend, right?”
“Is that so?”
Dylan dropped it and went back to eating.
Chester did not like Ruite very much.
There were many reasons, but the biggest was likely his distaste for the affection the character “Ruite” had for him.
In the original work, Ruite had been infatuated with Chester for a long time.
It was only natural for Chester to hate someone whose excessive, unrequited affection felt burdensome and uncomfortable.
The resentment of having a marriage partner forced upon him by his family since childhood also played a part.
Ruite had heard that when the topic first came up, Chester had resisted and protested fiercely.
Chester wasn’t the type to obediently follow things decided without his input, so he obviously wouldn’t welcome this contract.
Furthermore, Ruite’s past behavior was notable.
In the original story, Ruite’s obsession was so great that he had been secretly stalking Chester since they entered the academy—lingering near his classroom or waiting for him to finish school just to follow him back to the dorms.
Of course, the original Ruite was somewhat timid, so he never got caught or did anything severe enough to cause a public scandal, but from Chester’s perspective, he must have been a persistent, annoying stalker.
Being forced to spend a lifetime with such a person by the pressure of adults would be a nightmare.
Anyone would hate being tied down to a partner they disliked for the rest of their lives.
But all of that would be “goodbye” once they endured until graduation.
Both Chester’s unwelcoming glares and his attitude.
“The new semester always finds its way back, tirelessly.”
After eating breakfast in the dormitory cafeteria and neatly donning his uniform, Ruite stared blankly up at the massive main building of Whitmore Academy.
The sunny weather was nice, just as he had hoped, but the thought of sitting through endless, boring classes on a day like this was already stressful.
As he entered the main building, he saw some students heading to the training grounds, each carrying a sword.
They seemed to be from the Swordsmanship Department.
There were four departments in total at Whitmore:
The Swordsmanship Department, where students learned swordplay and physical combat to become great knights; the General Department, for general knowledge and academics; the Magic Department, which taught mana arts to future mages; and the Manufacturing Department, a branch of magic focused on the technology of creating mana tools.
Unlike the Swordsmanship and General departments, the Magic Department was considered quite special, as only those born with the ability to handle mana could enter.
Ruite Everhart, a third-year Magic Department student, was currently dragging his body—which desperately wanted to go back to sleep—toward his classroom.
“Ruite.”
“Hello.”
Harold, the professor in charge of Ruite’s class, approached him with a bright greeting.
Seeing that uneasy smile, Ruite had a strong feeling he was about to be asked to run an errand.
“Are you just arriving?”
“Yes.”
“Then, after you go to the classroom, could you stop by Training Hall 1 and help prepare for class? There’s not much to do. Just check if the number of practice mana wooden swords is correct and get the hall ready for use.”
“Me?”
Ruite wasn’t asking because he was curious; he was asking because he really didn’t want to do it.
“I was going to do it, but a meeting was called this morning. I already asked Chester in advance, so you can just work with him.”
“Pardon? Who…?”
Before he could even ask again, Professor Harold vanished like a flash, saying he was counting on him.
Ruite wanted to chase after him, grab him by the collar, and ask why of all people he had to pair him with him.
But as a student under a professor’s guidance, he didn’t exactly have the right to refuse.
With a heavy sigh, Ruite dropped off his bag and headed straight out of the main building toward the training grounds.
To the west of the main building was an area filled with various halls for practical training.
Since the Swordsmanship and Magic departments focused on practice, they used these halls frequently.
As he entered the vast space, he heard someone moving inside.
The other person turned their head, sensing his arrival.
“……”
“Hi.”
Ruite offered an awkward smile and a greeting to Chester, who was staring at him sharply.
Instead of returning the greeting, Chester simply stared with suspicious eyes.
“Professor Harold told me to help with the preparations,” Ruite added, feeling a bit defensive.
Chester, who had been inspecting the mana wooden swords, set one down and stood up slowly.
His eyes were full of distrust.
‘Ah, does he think I followed him here on purpose to create a ‘moment’ between us?’
“Did you know in advance that I was on duty today?”
“You were on duty? On the first day of the semester… you’re really working hard.”
‘Talk about bad luck.’
Ruite shook his head and approached Chester’s side, crouching down next to him.
But the moment Ruite sat, Chester stood up abruptly and moved to the other side.
Regardless, Ruite focused on counting the wooden swords for the practice.
Actually, counting the swords was the easiest part of the preparation.
You just had to sit and count.
No words were exchanged while they worked.
Ruite felt a stinging gaze on the back of his head occasionally, but he simply ignored it.
A short while later, just as things were wrapping up and Ruite was about to head back to class—
“Hey.”
Chester called out to him.
“Did you ever tell anyone about the matter between our families?”
“No. Why so suddenly?”
“In the cafeteria this morning, it looked like you and your friend were whispering while looking at me.”
‘That’s because you glared at me first.’
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t go around talking about things our families decided on their own.”
Chester turned away after saying that. In the original story, Ruite was so happy about the confirmed engagement with his crush that he couldn’t help but drop hints.
Of course, because it wasn’t a public fact yet, his parents had strictly warned him not to talk, so he hadn’t blabbed—but Chester had clearly seen through Ruite’s feelings.
That was why he was issuing this warning.
If the news of the arranged marriage spread through Whitmore, it would cause a huge stir and spark all kinds of rumors.
After all, one of the parties was the famous Chester.
It would be miserable to not only be forced to marry someone you hate but also to deal with those stares and whispers throughout your time at the academy.
For now, only a few relatives of both families knew the truth.
Ruite thought for a moment, then tapped Chester on the shoulder.
Chester frowned at the sudden contact but turned his head.
“Just to be clear, Chester.”
“……”
“Don’t worry. My lips are sealed. I’ll take that secret to the grave, so rest easy.”
Ruite even flashed a confident thumbs-up in front of Chester’s face for good measure.
If those rumors spread, Chester wouldn’t be the only one in trouble.
Ruite would be, too.
If the news that the two families were engaged spread too early, imagine the gossip that would fly when he actually got dumped later.
“……”
Chester’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Ruite, failing to notice the nuance of that expression, nodded to himself.
Without a word, Chester turned coldly and walked away first.
Ruite had expected him to disappear quickly anyway, so he took a moment to leisurely check if anything else was missing before returning to the classroom.
At Whitmore Academy, from the second year until the graduating fourth year, students stay in the same class as they move up.
Ruite and Chester had been in different classes during their first year, but by some cruel twist of fate, they were put in the same class in their second year and remained there.
The thought of having to do this until next year was a bit depressing.
As he entered the room, a familiar atmosphere welcomed him. Inside the large classroom, desks made of dark solid wood were arranged in rows.
The long desks, meant for two people, were so sturdy that not even a pen could scratch them.
Flower-shaped lamps were mounted on both walls, with bright light spilling from the buds to illuminate the interior.
Because each department had distinct characteristics, the interior decor varied, and the Magic Department had a mysterious, fairy-tale-like vibe.
Flowers blooming on vines that climbed the pillars gave off a sweet fragrance.
As Ruite sat down and absentmindedly reached for an orange flower he hadn’t seen before, a sharp command came from Rona, who was sitting behind him.
“Don’t touch it, Ruite! It’s a very sensitive species.”
“Rona, isn’t it a contradiction to grow a sensitive species in a place with so many people?”
“Living things grow through trials. I’m growing it without Professor Harold knowing, so be quiet, okay?”
Rona, who was skilled in earth magic, had a profound interest in plants.
However, Ruite predicted that within a week, Professor Harold would find out and the flower would be uprooted.
“I heard Professor Harold made you run an errand this morning?”
Just then, someone sat down heavily in the seat next to him, offering a very cheerful morning greeting.
* * *
