Chapter 8
The moment those words left his mouth, Adelia’s eyes widened so much that they looked ready to pop out.
“Th-That person is him?”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
How was I supposed to know?!
Encilia Academy selected only the best students from neighboring countries and provided them with intensive education. Every year, the academy held a chess tournament.
It was a huge event where talented students from not only the kingdom but also nearby countries gathered.
At first, the tournament had been started simply for fun. But eventually, it became a matter of pride between schools. After every chess match, fights between the different schools’ hooligans had become common.
“People were always saying that Encilia had kept the championship title for eight years straight because of biased judging or because they had tampered with the chess timers.”
“That’s right. In the end, though, no one ever confirmed whether those stories were true or just strange rumors.”
“But the senior who finally ended that undefeated streak was…”
“Rudolph. He may not look like it, but he’s surprisingly aggressive. He can’t stand losing.”
Good heavens.
Until now, Adelia had only thought that Rudolph seemed uncomfortable around her.
She had wondered if he disliked her because she had suddenly become the Duchess despite not even coming from a prestigious noble family.
Maybe… he was just looking at me like I was an idiot.
“If you get the chance later, you should ask Rudolph to teach you chess.”
“…Would he actually teach me, or would I just get completely destroyed?”
Roerston burst out laughing.
“You learn by getting completely destroyed.”
“So I’m definitely going to get destroyed.”
Adelia became a little depressed and barely touched her dessert.
After finishing reading everything inside the envelope, Roerston looked at Adelia with a puzzled expression.
“Why do you look like that?”
“…What does my expression look like?”
“You look like someone who put an entire frog in their mouth and can’t swallow it or spit it out.”
Adelia stared blankly at Roerston.
She had no idea what kind of expression she was making.
Is this… some kind of literature-type joke?
“It was a joke.”
Literary jokes aren’t very funny.
“But your expression really is strange. What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”
“No, no. I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.”
“What were you thinking about?”
Adelia’s eyes rolled from side to side.
“I was wondering how Rudolph… Senior would react if I asked him to teach me chess.”
“Hmm. Do you know how to play chess?”
“I know the basics…”
“How much do you know?”
“P-Pawns can move one square forward or diagonally.”
Roerston’s face immediately went flat like a boiled codfish.
“Why are you making that face?!”
“Ah, sorry. I couldn’t help it. So even our brilliant junior knows absolutely nothing about chess. It would be better if you learned from me before you learned from Rudolph.”
Unbelievable!
It was true that she only knew the basic rules of chess, but did he really have to make a face like that?!
Just as Adelia was about to give a long speech about the wonderful bacteria that break down leftover food waste…
Roerston suddenly stretched out his hand and stopped her.
“Wait.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“I have a feeling this is going to turn into a long conversation. So listen to me first.”
This is why I don’t like perceptive seniors.
“What is it?”
“Three days from now, we’re attending a party hosted by Lady Dorothea.”
“A… party?!”
Roerston raised his hand again, and Adelia immediately shut her mouth.
“It’s going to be a quiet party with a pleasant atmosphere. Only respectable people will attend, and there won’t be that many guests. So you don’t need to be too nervous.”
“B-But I have to go too… right?”
“That’s why I’m telling you. We’re going as a married couple.”
Adelia protested with an almost desperate expression.
“I’ve never attended anything like a party before! I-I didn’t even attend the end-of-year parties!”
Whenever a school year ended, the Royal Academy held parties for students in the same grade to celebrate their promotion.
However, Adelia hated being in crowded places so much that she had received special permission from her teachers to spend those occasions in the library instead.
“There’s nothing to worry about. You didn’t have a partner to help you at the end-of-year parties, but this time you have me.”
His voice was full of confidence.
Adelia tried to look directly at him.
But when she saw his gentle smile directed at her, her face turned red and she quickly looked away.
He’s ridiculously handsome. It’s almost unnecessary!
“You only need to stand beside me and smile. It would be even better if you greeted the other guests yourself, but if I ask you to do anything more than that, I feel like you’ll get sick immediately.”
Adelia covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled,
“…I already feel like throwing up.”
“You can throw up here. Rudolph will clean it all up anyway.”
Rudolph, who was standing some distance away, immediately frowned and glared intensely at the back of Roerston’s head.
“Senior, I really…”
“Did you forget our contract?”
“But it never said anything about having to attend parties…”
“What does the contract say you’re supposed to do as the lady of the house?”
Adelia looked as though she wanted to kill him, but she held her twisting stomach and answered with a groan.
“Do my duties…”
Roerston snapped his fingers as if that was exactly the answer he wanted.
“That’s right.”
“……”
“A Duchess, especially a newly married bride, not appearing at a single party would be considered a serious insult in noble society. I chose a quiet party specifically because I took your circumstances into consideration. So stop complaining.”
“I think my intestines are twisting.”
Adelia shuddered dramatically.
Roerston stood up, lightly kissed her temple, and said,
“It’s all right. You only need to loosen up again three days from now.”
Adelia’s forehead hit the table with a thud.
She couldn’t tell whether her head was spinning because she was overwhelmed by the thought of attending the party in three days, or because Roerston had kissed her even though they weren’t around other people.
Seriously, how did things end up like this?
“And why did you have to kiss me?”
Adelia pouted as she touched the spot where Roerston’s lips had landed, her ears turning red.
One Month Earlier
“Who told Miss Whitton the identity of her sponsor?”
The sitting room of House Ipsel was completely quiet.
The grand and beautiful furniture made Adelia feel as though it were pressing down on her.
She forced herself to sit up straight.
Then she quietly looked at Roerston, who was sitting across from her.
“Are you really not going to tell me?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
“Miss Whitton. No, that’s not right. Listen, Junior.”
Adelia blinked without answering, startled by the unfamiliar way he had addressed her.
Seeing her reaction, Roerston quietly sighed inwardly.
This girl is the genius who hasn’t once lost the top spot since entering the Academy.
She was the one and only prodigy at the Academy, the student who had made all her teachers work even harder because they wanted to create more grades above A+ just for her.
Yet the brilliant girl he had heard so much about didn’t seem as confident or capable as he had expected.
Instead, she looked fragile, like a delicate flower growing inside a greenhouse.
The fact that she had personally come to see him and said she wanted to repay, even little by little, the money she had received from the previous Duke of Ipsel showed just how sheltered and inexperienced she was when it came to the world.
“The intention of whoever told you is obvious, isn’t it? Don’t you think so? They want to make you feel guilty.”
There were cases where unpleasant things happened when a sponsor and the person they supported discovered each other’s identities.
So whoever had told Adelia may also have wanted to humiliate her.
“That…”
“And yet, I don’t understand why you’re protecting that person instead of telling me…”
“……”
“…I really don’t understand.”
Adelia remained silent.
She seemed to be thinking carefully about what she should say.
In the end, however, she only touched her cheek awkwardly.
Her brown hair fell over her shoulders and covered part of her face, but it couldn’t hide her completely.
Her soft features, small body, and tiny, delicate hands were so neat and charming that they looked like something you’d want to hold at least once.
The more Roerston looked at her, the more different she seemed from the image he had imagined.
For a moment, he found himself captivated by her.
Anyway.
No one knew that House Ipsel was supporting Adelia. How did someone find out?
According to the rules, a sponsor was forbidden from directly contacting the person they supported or revealing their identity.
These rules were the minimum protection put in place to prevent sponsors from using their age and wealth to control or mistreat the people they supported.
“Even if you say that, I still can’t tell you.”
Roerston narrowed his eyes at Adelia’s answer.
Judging from her expression, something had clearly happened…
“…Fine. We’ll leave that matter aside for now.”
It’s something I can deal with myself anyway.
There’s no need to lecture this overly innocent girl and tell her what she should or shouldn’t do.
Only then did Adelia visibly relax.
Roerston gave a bitter smile inwardly.
She’s really innocent.
How is someone this innocent supposed to survive in the world?
After thinking for a while, Roerston gave her a relaxed smile and slowly opened and closed his eyes.
“Now, more importantly, I’d like to hear the real reason you came all the way here.”
“The real reason?”
“Yes. You found out that I’m your sponsor and came to see me. I’m curious about what you wanted to talk about.”
“…Were you really planning to continue supporting me so that I could become a research student?”
“Of course.”
Roerston said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Adelia, however, looked even more confused.
