I Start with a Bad Hand!

The situation was like the eye of a storm—tense and seemingly endless. Unable to sleep, I eventually got up and left my dorm room. Despite things going relatively well, there was a nagging discomfort. All the chaos up to now hadn’t stressed me as much as waiting for a delayed subway train on a morning commute.

The persistent unease stemmed from a single thought:

‘Dietrich might have experienced something similar.’

Every time I considered how much heavier this reality must have weighed on her, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t want to witness the process that pushed Dietrich to the brink, where her spirit was shattered.

Then, I heard someone behind me. I thought they would just pass by, but they hesitated and then lightly touched my shoulder, saying,

“Liar.”

Ah, what now… Do these guys never sleep? I marveled at their determination to pick a fight at this hour. But I had the determination to ignore it, even more so. I was silent.

“Said all 30 candies were different flavors.”

A light scolding was underpinned by a faint chuckle.

“They all tasted like pepper.”

“…Your Highness.”

In his dress uniform, not a school uniform, Icarus was looking down at me with a playful expression. My heart fluttered lightly. A thrilling sense of victory made my heart beat a bit faster.

“Couldn’t find you in the library. Not in the drama practice room either. Ended up meeting only the duke’s eldest daughter and curly-haired girl.”

“When did you arrive?”

“This afternoon.”

Icarus took his hand off my shoulder and leaned back against the window, looking at me.

“Curly-haired told me. Since I was gone, you skipped the academy, and you’ve been taking on every quarrel you would normally ignore…”

He brushed back his slightly grown-out bangs, pausing as if choosing his words carefully.

“She said you’ve become quite strange.”

Icarus paused for a moment. His face soon wore a playful expression again. His deep voice resonated in the quiet hallway.

“So, is it time for me to start treating you kindly?”

With a dimpled smile, Icarus locked eyes with me.

Afterward, things resolved much simpler than I expected.

“Pimp.”

“Your Highness, I truly… I’m sorry…”

Despite Icarus hearing what Aiden had said, he digested the information without malice, purely intrigued. Agnes couldn’t avoid discipline but managed to escape expulsion. After that day, Aiden and the damp laundry-like clusters at the training ground lost their focal point and scattered. The academy became a bit more pleasant.

***

Can you come to the lake behind the academy at 3 PM? I want to apologize.

And I know it’s embarrassing to ask this, but I hope you can come alone.

– Aiden Douglas

Agnes, who sneaked a peek at the fancy parchment, asked:

“Are you going?”

“Yeah.”

“Alone?”

“No.”

“Right, I guess I should come with you.”

Agnes grinned triumphantly, even as she was moving books in the old library as part of her school service after serving a seven-day suspension.

“It was nice to have a week off from classes. I can just look at your notes.”

Agnes laughed heartily, showing no signs of repentance. Her face looked even better than before the suspension. I was sorting books to be moved and said:

“But your service ends right at 3 PM.”

“I’ll sneak out.”

…Such behavior doesn’t align with the spirit of school service. Does the academy’s discipline even matter?

“Fine. The library isn’t far from the lake. Finish your service and come. Don’t stand right beside me; hide in the bushes or something.”

Agnes nodded casually and hummed a tune. She seemed happy enough.

It had been a while since I’d been to the lakeside since the summer. Even in a world where both magic and gods existed, mosquitoes seemed invincible. I hadn’t visited during the school term due to the crowds and became a food truck for mosquitoes during a walk in the summer break.

Perhaps because it had rained in the morning, the path to the lake was damp. The area near the lake seemed likely to be even muddier. Pushing through my reluctance, I walked out and saw Aiden from a distance, not looking like someone about to apologize.

“I’m sorry.”

But because of you… Aiden started to say but then clenched his teeth and shut his mouth with a troubled expression.

“…Don’t you have more to say?”

As I turned away without hesitation, he hurriedly added, “I’m really sorry!”

“So talk then, tell me you really mean your apology.”

“What are you talking about? Who are you telling to say what?”

Aiden didn’t answer, but it seemed like he knew who I was talking about.

“There’s no way she would like you even if I delivered your message. And you weren’t sincerely apologizing anyway.”

“…What? What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you talking about Senior Irene?”

At that, Aiden’s neck turned bright red as if he was about to explode.

“I was talking about the prince, the Second Prince. Why are you bringing up Senior Irene suddenly?”

Oh, was that wrong? I was a bit flustered myself and just when I was about to hastily leave, Aiden, as always, stopped me as if he was marking me.

“…This is why I dislike you. Just because you spend some time together, do you think you’re something special to her?”

“I never thought that, but still, I’d rather be something than be as pathetic as you are here.”

“Oh yeah? What do you think about dragging her into this, getting treated the same because of you?”

What? Caught off guard by his words, I glared at Aiden. Just as he was about to step toward me, someone said:

“…Enough already.”

Someone grabbed Aiden by the shoulder abruptly. Following the slender back, I saw the unmistakable silver hair that didn’t lose its luster even on a cloudy day.

‘Why is he here now?’

“Haven’t you tormented enough?”

Evan held Aiden’s shoulder tightly, speaking in an indifferent tone while still using polite language. This seemed to provoke Aiden, who roughly shook off Evan’s hand and pushed him away.

“Wow, Degoph is really something. Guess that rumor wasn’t wrong, huh?”

What rumor? What was Aiden talking about some rumor about me that I didn’t even know?

“The only reason you can behave so boldly is because you’re backed by the Elexion.”

…What?

‘What nonsense. Who would want to be involved with Elexion less than me?’

It would have been the same for Elexion too. Where had he heard such a thing? Despite Aiden’s words, Evan responded with the same expression.

“…Moderate yourself. With untruthful words…”

“Moderate?”

Evan’s comment made Aiden scoff. Although trying to maintain composure, unrefined sarcasm was flowing from him.

“You should stop interfering too.”

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? As I looked baffled, Aiden turned towards me and said,

“Hey, you taught me something good. Just like you said, bringing outside status into the academy is truly useless. Me, just an earl, being able to talk back to the younger son of the Duke of Elexion, that wouldn’t have been possible without you.”

…Did you really think I’d be safe outside just because I mess around in the academy?

Aiden was acting as he pleased. He roughly pushed Evan’s shoulder.

“So mind your own business. This is between me and Degoph.”

Evan, feeling quite upset from being pushed so roughly, couldn’t hide his displeasure and shoved Aiden’s shoulder just as hard.

“There’s a limit to the rudeness I can tolerate….”

However, when a heavier body collides with a lighter one, it’s a basic law of physics that the lighter one will be thrown. Young and unusually tall, yet somewhat lanky like a withered bean sprout, Evan didn’t have the physique honed by swordsmanship that Aiden possessed, and couldn’t push him effectively.

“Huh?”

Unlike the unflinching Aiden, Evan began to stagger from the recoil, slipping on the slippery grass. Neither Aiden nor I had the chance to intervene. Teetering precariously like a straw, Evan slipped into the lake without even uttering a ‘huh.’

With a splash, time seemed to pause. Aiden and I stood frozen by the sudden turn of events.

“Shi—shit.”

I was the first to break the silence.

What the? Evan didn’t seem like he would come up quickly. Could the lake at the school be that deep? For the first time, Aiden panicked, grabbing my shoulder while he rambled excuses.

“Hey, uh… hey. I didn’t, I didn’t do it on purpose,”

“I know! Don’t just stand there, pull him out!”

“Me?”

Aiden looked back at me in confusion, making absurd remarks.

“So, should I go?”

Damn it, Aiden muttered, throwing off his wristwatch.

“You’ve never learned to swim, and you’ve been doing what?”

Aiden hurriedly took off his school jacket, shouting. Is he crazy?

“You think my broken leg was just for show?”

“Yeah, you’re great.”

With those words, Aiden jumped into the lake. Why would they build an academy near such a deep lake? They could have chosen a different location.

‘What if neither of them comes up?’

We need to call someone! I was about to run towards the academy when I heard it.

“Degoph! Cough, you trying to run away!”

Aiden’s voice emerged from the water, coughing. Who would have thought I’d be so relieved to hear his nonsense? This is why life should be short.