* * *
“Yeah. Is that not okay?”
“No, it’s your choice! It’s your decision.”
“What about you, Lett? Have you chosen someone?”
“No. I haven’t thought about anyone yet.”
“I see.”
She says she hasn’t, but… maybe she’s just embarrassed to say it?
I smiled and tossed out a comment like it was nothing.
“You two would actually make a great pair as dance partners.”
“Cedy probably has someone else in mind.”
“Nope, I heard the other day—he said he didn’t have anyone he wanted to dance with.”
Liette immediately looked troubled and clamped her mouth shut. T
hen, brushing her face with her palm, she looked up with a hesitant smile.
“Eddy, are you really set on dancing with Miss Viola?”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, I mean… I was thinking of dancing with someone else! So, if it doesn’t have to be Miss Viola, could you dance with him instead? You two could use this opportunity to get closer.”
…Ah. Poor Cedy, this pitiful guy.
Since Liette held Cedric’s hand and continued to act like they were dating, I thought they must have had feelings for each other from the start.
But from her reaction now, it seems that wasn’t the case.
Maybe her feelings changed the moment she held Cedric’s hand.
She’d seen him as just a friend before, but after that, she started seeing him differently—and affection began to bloom.
‘…That could really be the case.’
Judging by how she usually treats us, the possibility is high.
Of course, it wasn’t like I was hoping to win Liette back or anything like that.
Even if the chance presented itself, my feelings had changed a lot since the past, and more importantly, I’d come to realize that what I felt for Liette hadn’t been genuine.
It’s just… I felt a little bad for Cedric, since he clearly meant it when he said he liked her—and now he had to hear all that, right in front of us.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were totally giving me that pitiful look.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Cedric shot me a sulky glare.
I just smiled quietly.
That poor guy stuck in a one-sided crush—I was silently cheering him on, hoping he’d win his love.
Time had flown by while we admired the new artwork and chatted over food and drinks.
When the conversation hit a lull, Liette excused herself to go to the restroom, leaving just me and Cedric alone.
“……”
“……”
The silence came the moment Liette left.
Being alone with Cedric like this… still felt kind of awkward.
I’d never really thought of him as someone I was close to, so I had no clue how to even start a conversation like this.
Normally, Cedric would be the one to strike up a conversation or tease me somehow.
But now he just kept staring at me like he was on guard, which was strange.
‘Thank god I turned on the music box.’
The Arcana Orgel—a common magical device—was playing ambient music that helped break the heavy silence.
They’d been trending at social gatherings lately, so I got one too.
It didn’t deliver the full richness of live music, but it definitely helped set the mood and made the space feel more lively.
Most of all, I appreciated how it filled this silence.
Thumbs up for that…
Suddenly, Cedric—who had been silently drilling holes into me with his stare from across the sofa—stood up.
He walked over to the Orgel and, without warning, switched off the music.
Then he spun around to face me.
Our eyes met, and I froze up instinctively.
“Eddy.”
“…Yeah?”
“What the hell are you thinking?”
“…What?”
Honestly, that’s what I want to ask him.
What the hell did I do?
“You like Lett, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Then why are you acting like you’re not gonna ask her to dance?”
Cedric’s voice was low and firm, almost like he was scolding me.
I blinked a few times in confusion.
‘Ah. So this is… that thing, huh?’
He’s jealous right now, isn’t he?
Now I finally understood why he kept staring daggers at me.
I had to fight the smirk that tried to creep onto my face.
If I still had feelings for Liette, I probably would’ve taken that as a challenge and gotten mad.
But now, all I saw was Cedric getting flustered and blurting things out, and it made him look… kind of cute.
“Lett’s just a friend to me.”
“…Liar.”
“I’m serious.”
“Be honest. What are you hiding?”
He clearly didn’t believe a word I said.
The more our conversation misaligned, the more frustrated I felt.
“I told you, I don’t like her! Who would know better than me?”
Before I knew it, my voice had risen.
Thankfully, I pulled myself back before it got out of hand.
‘Okay, calm down. Breathe.’
We just started getting along, after all.
I took a slow breath and shook my head.
Right then, Cedric—who had his lips pressed into a tight line—stepped toward me.
“……!”
Startled, I leaned back.
Cedric climbed up onto the sofa, one knee pressing down on the seat, and leaned over me, gripping the backrest.
His deep, icy blue eyes stared into mine from inches away.
He looked like he might grab me by the collar any second.
I met his intense gaze without flinching.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Eddy.”
“What?”
“That girl’s no good.”
His voice was low, almost like a warning.
Then, slowly, his hand reached out and gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen over my forehead.
Despite the hardness in his expression, his touch was unexpectedly soft and tender.
“Don’t even think about dancing with Miss Viola.”
While I was still reeling from the disconnect between his cold warning and the warmth of his hand, he dropped another chilly remark.
I was so taken aback I nearly laughed.
“Why do you get to decide that? I can dance with whoever I want—”
“Eddy, please.”
That restrained tone—and that scent I knew too well—washed over me.
Cedric’s pheromones.
But why was he releasing them?
Even though Betas can detect Alpha and Omega scents, we aren’t affected by them.
And we definitely can’t pick up emotions from pheromones.
Cedric’s breathing was heavy for a moment, like he was trying to suppress some emotion I couldn’t even begin to understand.
Then he spoke again.
“Just this once… please, listen to me.”
His head dipped, and I couldn’t see his expression.
Is this really something worth begging about?
What kind of face are you making while you say something like this?
Viola had always been calm and kind, even back at the Imperial Academy.
She never stirred up trouble or attracted gossip.
There was no reason not to ask her for a dance.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
A voice rang out from the entrance—Liette, sounding bewildered.
I turned my head instinctively… and only then realized the compromising position Cedric and I were in.
“Nothing! We were just talking! Hey, get off!”
I shot back a quick answer to Liette, then hissed at Cedric to move as I urgently nudged his shoulder.
Cedric was a dominant Alpha—a natural-born Alpha whose physical strength surpassed that of both Betas and Omegas, regardless of gender.
As a Beta, there was no way I could force him off me.
Cedric glanced toward the entrance, then silently backed away.
Only then did some space return between us—and I could finally breathe again.
‘Seriously…’
I shifted awkwardly toward the edge of the sofa, pressing myself into the armrest as I tried to calm my racing heart.
Meanwhile, Liette turned the Orgel back on and returned to her seat across from us.
But Cedric didn’t go back to his original spot beside her.
Instead… he sat down next to me and stayed there.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I stared at Cedric’s profile.
Maybe he sensed it, because he turned his head and met my gaze.
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
“Eddy.”
“…Yeah?”
“I told you. That girl’s no good.”
His voice was barely above a whisper—quiet enough for only me to hear.
I turned my eyes away without answering.
As the sun sank low in the sky, Cedric and Liette eventually left.
I let out a long sigh, finally able to relax.
‘Man, I’m tired.’
More than usual.
Apparently, Cedric had me more on edge than I realized.
As I walked up to my room, I found myself thinking over what he said.
‘Don’t even think about dancing with Miss Viola.’
‘I told you. That girl’s no good.’
Cedric had acted as though Viola was someone to be wary of.
I’m not sure if that’s exactly the right word, but that’s how it felt.
…Why?
One thing was clear—Cedric didn’t want me getting closer to her.
And this scene wasn’t even in the original novel, which just made everything even more confusing.
* * *
Because he likes you, duh😊😊