* * *
Ruite looked at Chester for a moment before turning her gaze to Colin.
When she gestured with her head as if telling him to go, Colin pointed at himself and asked Chester, “Me?” with a look of confusion.
It seemed they each had a different person in mind.
Ruite was about to say, “Who else would it be?” when Chester took a large step toward her.
And he was staring right at her.
“Were you talking to me?”
She asked just in case, and Chester gave a single nod before turning around and exiting the lounge first.
Ruite tilted her head reflexively.
Within the academy, he usually wanted to avoid being associated with her as much as possible.
After all, he hated the rumors about their marriage.
Ruite scratched her head and followed Chester out, leaving behind Colin’s well-wishes.
They arrived at the back of the main building.
She felt a sense of déjà vu.
She had brought Chester here once before to deliver Leah’s letter.
“You received a letter from the Count’s estate, didn’t you?”
“A letter?”
Ruite, who had been blankly counting the stars in the night sky, slowly shook her head at Chester’s sudden question.
“Are you pretending not to know on purpose?”
“No, I’m telling you I haven’t received anything.”
“…The letter about the luncheon invitation to the Callaway mansion. You really didn’t get it?”
Ruite suddenly remembered the mailbox on the first floor of the dormitory she had seen while leaving the library.
Come to think of it, there did seem to be something there; was that it?
“But why do you ask?”
“It seems your family suggested the luncheon first. They likely want to create points of contact before the marriage to solidify the bond between our families.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
For the Everhart family, it would be crucial to maintain a strong and friendly relationship with the Callaway family until the marriage was finalized.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t come to the luncheon.”
“Huh?”
“I heard the Callaway family invited you as well, but I’d like you to decline appropriately. Seeing you here is enough.”
Chester looked at Ruite for a moment, then sighed and turned his head away slightly.
Ruite nodded, understanding his point perfectly.
He didn’t want to be involved with her outside of the academy.
If the two families gathered, the atmosphere was already a foregone conclusion.
The adults would try to push the two protagonists of this politically motivated marriage together to suit their own tastes.
Chester clearly loathed that idea.
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
As Ruite nodded vigorously, Chester’s lips twitched.
“I’ll come up with a good excuse. What should I write back…? Ah, saying I’m not feeling well would be the most plausible, right?”
Ruite was already thinking ahead to her excuse.
Since it would be difficult to skip such a gathering with a half-hearted reason, she had to convey her absence with the most convincing words possible.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to bow out naturally.”
“…”
“But did you call me all the way out here just to say that?”
“What about it?”
Even though the answer he wanted had come out of Ruite’s mouth, Chester’s voice was still somewhat aggressive.
“No, I just mean you could have told me quietly in class tomorrow and it wouldn’t have mattered.”
“…I’ve made my intentions clear.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m telling you plainly.”
“I get it! I said clearly that I’m not going either.”
Chester’s suspicious gaze scanned Ruite’s face.
Even if she talked like that now, acting as if it were nothing, there was no telling what variables might arise on the day of the luncheon.
Chester vowed to himself not to let his guard down until the very end.
A few days later, Chester submitted a request for special leave to the dormitory proctor’s office.
Permission was granted quickly, and he was able to leave the academy on time.
Today was the day of the luncheon.
With the tests approaching, he wanted to focus entirely on his preparations, but there was no way the adults would consider such circumstances.
“Young Master.”
A carriage bearing the Callaway family crest was already waiting outside the main building.
Upon spotting Chester, a servant bowed politely and opened the carriage door.
As soon as Chester climbed in with an expressionless face, the carriage rattled and set off.
Passing through the vast plaza, the carriage sped smoothly toward its destination.
Before long, they reached a road lined with trees on both sides.
The faint sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard.
Hearing this sound meant they had entered the Callaway estate grounds.
The servants guarding the massive gate recognized the carriage from afar and threw the doors wide open.
They did not forget to bow toward the passing carriage.
Along the well-maintained brick road, marble-rimmed ponds were placed at regular intervals on both sides.
Continuing straight ahead, the grand mansion revealed itself.
The massive white-walled residence situated under a deep purple roof—the symbol of the Callaway family—was Duke Callaway’s mansion.
It was one of the three most central noble houses in the Tehira Empire.
Looking at the Callaway mansion, which was considered the largest and most beautiful among those three, Chester’s eyes showed no particular inspiration.
Chester stepped down from the fully halted carriage and entered the mansion.
The moment the doors opened, a flurry of polite greetings from the servants poured out.
Chester glanced once at the crowns of the servants’ heads bowed toward him and followed the butler upstairs.
Various garments were already laid out in the room.
“I will help you prepare first.”
Looking at the flamboyant clothes prepared for today’s luncheon, Chester merely clicked his tongue.
The servants moved busily.
Chester looked down at his reflection, now wearing charcoal-colored attire instead of his Whitmore uniform.
The silver brooch at his neck was incredibly bothersome.
Conversely, the servants were busy stealing glances at Chester’s perfected appearance with proud faces.
“Is it really necessary to dress up this much?”
“As you know, Young Master, a luncheon with the Everhart family is scheduled for today. Your partner in the arranged marriage…”
Before the butler could finish his explanation, Chester turned abruptly and walked out.
The butler followed behind him without a word, as if he had already expected this.
“Please greet the Duke first. I will lead you to his office.”
Suddenly, his chest felt tight, as if he were being strangled.
He knew seeing his father was a standard procedure since he was home, but his footsteps toward the office felt as heavy as if he were sinking into a swamp.
“Duke, your second son has arrived.”
A faint voice from inside told him to enter.
The butler opened the door and stood aside, politely making way for Chester.
“Have you been well, Father?”
As Chester bowed, the eyes that had been scanning documents at the table turned upward.
Benger Callaway.
A man with a gaze as sharp as a blade, he exuded a unique air of gravity.
His face showed the passage of time along with a heavy shrewdness and a sense of intimidation that made it difficult to strike up a conversation.
“Sit.”
His voice was as heavy as his face.
Benger placed his glasses down on the table and pointed toward the guest table.
“How is your life at the academy?”
“Nothing special.”
Father and son sat across from each other at the guest table in the office.
However, the atmosphere surrounding them was so cold it was hard to see them as family.
“I’m sure you’re aware your grades dropped significantly in your second year.”
“…”
“If you continue like that, you won’t even be able to graduate at the top of your class. Our family has no use for someone who fails to graduate as the valedictorian.”
To Benger, second or third place was simply meaningless if it wasn’t first.
“I am aware.”
The place where Benger’s gaze landed felt stinging and uncomfortable, as if thorns were being pricked into him.
“The Everhart family is scheduled to visit today, so conduct yourself well.”
“…Father, do you really intend to go through with this marriage between me and the Everhart family?”
Chester spoke while clenching his fists tightly.
“I have told you repeatedly, I have no desire for a marriage forced upon me by the family.”
“You are still saying the same things you said as a child. Chester, what have I told you every time you utter such pathetic words?”
Chester stared at Benger, his eyes filled with intensity.
This was the only form of rebellion he could manage against his father right now.
“I believe I told you that your opinion on this marriage is of no importance whatsoever.”
Looking at his father, who regarded his children as nothing more than tools for the family, always stirred a sense of revulsion.
“Whether you want it or not doesn’t matter. You simply need to follow my will.”
Benger waved his hand as he said this.
Having dismissed him, he walked back to his desk and began working again.
The time he allocated to the son he hadn’t seen in a long time was barely five minutes.
Chester rose slowly.
Not even a footstep could be heard on the high-quality carpet covering the office floor.
“Ah, I was told Ruite Everhart wouldn’t be coming.”
Just before he reached for the doorknob, Benger’s casual voice struck his ears.
“He’s not coming?”
“Yes, I heard he has a fever so high he’s bedridden… Well, it doesn’t matter. The presence of children like you isn’t particularly important in this marriage.”
Chester bit his lip hard as he stepped out of the office.
‘I get it! I said clearly that I’m not going either.’
Just as she wanted, just as she said, it seemed Ruite really wasn’t going to attend this luncheon.
The unpleasantness from facing his father should have lessened at that fact, but strangely, his mood remained the same.
After that, the Count and Countess Everhart arrived, and the luncheon began without a hitch.
Just as Benger said, Ruite did not show up.
The Count and Countess apologized repeatedly to Chester, but he had no reason to accept such apologies.
He was the one who told Ruite not to come.
It was already stressful enough having to face her constantly at the academy because their seats were right next to each other; he hadn’t wanted to see Ruite in a place like this as well.
But strangely, the sinking feeling in his gut did not improve until the luncheon had safely concluded.
* * *
