Chapter 31
That day, the Professor was away from the academy due to an urgent matter.
So, the evening training session was just Leon and me, alone.
“Today, weāre not just focusing on the sword, but also thoroughly working on how to use your body.”
Saying this, Leon took my arm and corrected my posture.
The feel of his firm palm made my heart leap.
“T-too close…”
“Donāt overthink it. Relax.”
With a serious expression, he placed his hand over my shoulder.
The proximity made it hard to breathe.
āø»
By the time training ended, my hair was sticking to my skin with sweat, and my legs felt heavy.
Without hesitation, Leon took off his jacket and handed me his canteen.
“Drink.”
“A-are you sure? But this is yours…”
“I donāt mind. Itād be worse if you collapsed.”
The moment my lips touched it, my chest warmed with emotion.
Though it was just water, it tasted strangely sweet.
āø»
“Lydia.”
On the training ground bathed in the evening glow, he suddenly called my name.
“I… donāt want you to take reckless risks.
To be honest, Iām scaredāof your bloodline, of our enemies…
But more than that… I donāt want to lose you.”
His direct words pierced my heart.
Just as I tried to respondā
āø»
The swaying shadows of the trees in the wind reminded me of the Professor.
The words he whispered that night.
His confessionānot as my guardian, but as someone who “had fallen for me, just as I am.”
(The Professor, too… me…)
The voices of the two intertwined in my mind, tightening around my heart.
I didnāt know whose words to believe.
āø»
“Lydia…?”
Snapped back to reality by Leonās voice, I looked up.
He was gazing at me with a worried expression.
“Iām sorry… I canāt give you an answer right now.”
That was all I could say before turning my eyes to the sunset sky.
The whirlwind of emotions swirling deep in my chest had yet to find words.
