TMLOH 49

Chapter : 49

The battle for Harun ended with Harun running away.

“Ah! My friend!”

My one-time exemption from exercise hell!

When Harun couldn’t handle the pressure from the Sperom twins and Pession and fled, I reflexively tried to chase after him—but Pession grabbed me.

“Let go, Pession.”

“I can’t!”

“I said, let go!”

My exercise exemption is literally bouncing away over there!

I don’t know how my obsession with the exemption read to him, but Pession’s expression darkened.

“Arellin, do you really like Harun that much?”

“What?”

“Do you like Harun that much?”

“What are you talking about?”

Pession spoke with a worried expression.

“You picked Harun before, too.”

What is he even talking about—when did I ever choose Harun?

I tilted my head in confusion, then barely remembered that time I had sided with Harun during a confrontation between Pession and the twins.

No way… Is he still holding onto that?

Now that I think about it, something was off with Pession.

His dark gaze, his somewhat pale face—even his slightly trembling hands.

That unfamiliar side of Pession, who was always so confident, instantly doused the heat from earlier when we were bickering over Harun.

“You like Harun more than me…?”

Why is the logic jumping like this?

I just wanted to escape from exercise hell.

“Um…”

I was used to a cheerful Pession, but I had no idea how to deal with him when he was this deflated.

What am I even supposed to say?

While I was hesitating, Pession suddenly cut me off.

“No, don’t answer.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to know anymore.”

Pession lowered his gaze with a gloomy expression. His long lashes trembled sadly. No matter how many times I saw him, he still looked unreal.

“Because… Arellin doesn’t like me.”

“I don’t like you.”

Those words I once said, meant to push him away as harshly as possible, suddenly came back and pierced me.

I thought it was okay…

Looking at his trembling lashes, I couldn’t say a single word.

“It’s okay. Because I like you.”

He forced a smile as he muttered it like a spell.

It was still a bright, heart-melting smile—but somehow, a shadow hung over it, and without thinking, I reached my hand out toward him.

“Pession.”

“I’m just going to step outside for a bit.”

“Hey, Pession.”

“I’ll be right back, don’t worry.”

“Pession…”

My chest tightened.

I knew he was pretending to be okay, but I didn’t know what to say.

I should’ve told him it wasn’t like that, but I didn’t know how to say it in a way that wouldn’t hurt him.

“So, um…”

You said being with me would make you unhappy.

That’s all I could think of.

Why is it that I’m so good at saying things that hurt, but can’t say a single comforting word?

Why am I such a mess?

I was suddenly overwhelmed with my own shortcomings.

No wonder I was abandoned.

“…Okay. Go ahead.”

After hesitating, I let go of the hem of his clothes. Pession looked like he had something to say, but then he turned and walked away.

Watching his back, my expression darkened.

I found myself reflecting on my past life.

From being praised as a violin prodigy in my childhood to the final Tchaikovsky International Competition I participated in.

Until that day, I had never experienced failure.

When it came to the violin, I had genius-level talent. That was enough. My mother took care of everything else.

“All you have to do is play the violin well.”

What I lacked was simply…

My mother’s love.

But was that really all?

A mother obsessed with her dream. A father obsessed with my mother.

“It’s all your fault! Everything is your fault!”

“I’m sorry. Honey. I’m really sorry…”

It was a common story.

A promising violinist gets into a tragic accident and can’t play anymore. The cause of the accident was her beloved partner.

And then they had a daughter, born with overflowing talent.

It was strange that things hadn’t ended in tragedy.

“You don’t have to know anything.”

“All you need to know is how to draw the bow.”

“You won’t disappoint me, right?”

“You won’t crush my dream like your father did, right?”

Did my mother know?

Did she know how much it hurt me to try not to disappoint her?

I practiced desperately, worked so hard to succeed… And maybe, deep down, I had realized:

Maybe my mother didn’t really love me.

Maybe what she loved was “the daughter who would fulfill her dream.”

If I wasn’t a genius daughter, I could be discarded at any time.

My first failure, my first setback, my first disappointment.

Just as I feared, my mother discarded me without hesitation.

And once she did, she never looked back.

“…Haha.”

Even so, I thought she’d look back at least once.

“I thought… I was loved as her daughter, at least a little.”

Turns out, I was nothing.

But what’s the point in realizing that now? It’s all over.

Only after being abandoned did I realize how messed up I was.

The violin was the only thing I could do. And the more I avoided it because I hated being nothing without it, the more of a mess I became.

Still, neither my mother nor father ever looked back.

It was then I first picked up a novel.

And now, I’ve reincarnated into that novel.

“Seriously… You never know how life will turn out.”

As I sighed heavily, someone suddenly stood in front of me.

…What now?

“Ahem.”

“Hem-hem.”

The devilish brats of Sperom.

Albrecht’s pure evil incarnate spoke to me.

“Arellin, don’t you have something to say to us?”

I paused for a moment.

Why did I come to the imperial palace again?

Oh right, I came to join the club.

Ultimately, I came to make friends. If I made friends, I could escape from the exercise hell that punished anyone who didn’t walk 2,000 steps a day.

So how did things turn out like this?

I glanced around.

There wasn’t a single potential ‘friend’ in sight.

The stares hitting my cheeks felt like slaps.

All this overflowing jealousy and envy… So familiar it’s almost comforting.

Even back then, there were at least one or two kids who stuck around me just to get noticed by Pession.

But now? No one came near.

“Why?”

So, should I just hang out with the twins, the only ones who’ll talk to me?

The twins would probably become friends without hesitation.

But that’s a last resort.

I’d rather exercise with Pession than play with the twins.

Even if my body hurts!

Even if I’m depressed!

At least I wouldn’t die of a heart attack wondering what those twins would do next!

Sigh. Maybe I should just go home.

I thought everything would go smoothly once I got out here…

“Arelliririn, what are you thinking in front of us?”

“Yeah, Arelelel, we’re starting to feel neglected.”

“Oh—sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

The Sperom twins pouted. Obviously fake tears.

“Arelliririn, are you abandoning us?”

“Arelelel, were you just playing with us?”

“Quit the nonsense and just say what you came to say.”

I was being chased around by the noisy twins, Siel and Noel, who were always calling me cold.

“If you’ve got nothing to say, I’m leaving!”

As I angled myself to flee, the twins finally surrounded me with sinister smiles.

“Fufu. So it’s come to this, Arelliririn.”

“Yes, it’s come to this. Fufufu.”

What’s up with them? Did they eat something bad?

“What?”

“Sadly, there’s nothing we can do now.”

“About what?”

“We know what you’re trying to do.”

“What? How?”

Did I ever mention <Friend Shield> to the twins?

While I blinked in surprise, Noel and Siel grinned smugly.

“You want to become His Highness’s best friend, right?”

“You want to be officially acknowledged as the Prince’s bestie, don’t you?!”

“Uh…”

They didn’t seem to notice my rather deflated reaction, and continued to boast.

“In that case, we!”

“As twins, it’s only right that we test you!”

“Starting now, the trial begins!”

What are they even talking about?

“Yeah, no thanks.”