Ch.335Legal Stalking (2)

I’ve posted Cherry’s illustration!

A broken mind cannot be fixed. You can understand what this means when you see soldiers suffering from PTSD or certain other people.

Just as wounds create scars when not healed properly or in time, the mind works the same way. Especially when scars form in the mind, they won’t disappear unless completely covered.

While some relief can be found through Mora rather than Luminus, there’s no solution once it becomes fixed as one’s “personality.”

This applies to Cherry now. She has already fallen into the abyss and barely managed to crawl back up.

I helped her nurture her dream that had been cruelly trampled, and furthermore, resolved the pressure from Count Ratish, which was the root cause. Nothing binds her anymore.

The problem is her self-esteem, which hit rock bottom and has only slightly recovered. During the exhibition, she told me:

That she would do anything if I just wouldn’t abandon her. Words that perfectly expressed her psychology and feelings toward me.

I couldn’t ignore Cherry’s plea, so I accepted it with an open mind. Fortunately, Marie and the other women didn’t mind much either.

But perhaps because I was too busy, my meetings with Cherry naturally decreased after I slapped Hyria’s cheek.

So it’s only natural that her heart would become anxious. Currently, Cherry is like a piece of pottery that was broken and barely pieced back together.

If it falls to the ground even once, it will shatter beyond repair. And I need to hold that pottery carefully.

One mistake could cost someone’s life. Even now, she was auditing every class I attended.

The fortunate thing is that the signs aren’t too severe yet. If this gets worse, she might even harm herself to get attention.

“Is it good?”

“Yes……”

So I arranged a separate meeting to ask about her future plans and receive her manuscript. Of course, after all classes were finished.

We’re currently at a café we’ve visited frequently before. It’s fine to visit a café because academy security guards follow me wherever I go.

Not direct escorts like Adelia and Kate, but other security personnel. Right now, they’re probably outside the café checking for suspicious individuals.

Furthermore, a Reaper dispatched from Helium, like Gartz, is watching from afar, so I can feel at ease.

“What have you been doing while I was away?”

I asked Cherry while taking a sip of coffee with round ice cubes floating in it. Perhaps because a lot of sugar was added, sweetness rather than bitterness lingered in my mouth.

Meanwhile, Cherry slowly raised her head after hearing my question. Her eyes were still incredibly dark.

I wonder if there’s no way to fix that gaze. I suddenly wonder if it’s because her self-esteem was shattered by Count Ratish, or if she was always like this.

“…I was just waiting for you, senior.”

Cherry’s pink lips, which had been tightly closed, opened. Her answer made me feel increasingly guilty.

I wanted to make excuses about not having time, being busy recently, but it seemed too pathetic to say. What I needed to do right now was apologize.

“I’m sorry. I can’t make excuses. Even though I was busy, I should have paid attention to you……”

“It’s, it’s okay. I understand.”

Perhaps my sincerity was conveyed, as Cherry waved her hands with a slightly surprised expression. She can make such expressions even with those gloomy eyes. Somehow it’s cute.

“If you distance yourself, I’ll just follow behind you. Hehe……”

“… …”

Cherry laughed sheepishly as she said this. If it were someone else, it might sound like a confession, but coming from Cherry, it sounds sinister.

As if she’s proudly declaring she’ll stalk me. After hearing her words, I quickly scanned both sides.

First, Adelia. Surprisingly, she was looking at Cherry with an expression of pity and sympathy.

I had already told her who Cherry was and what circumstances she had.

After learning about her tragic family history, Adelia probably felt a sense of kinship. Perhaps that’s why she was genuinely concerned rather than wary.

‘And Kate is……’

Next, I shifted my gaze to Kate. Unlike Adelia, I hadn’t told her about Cherry, but she had a peaceful expression, as if she didn’t mind.

Or maybe she didn’t sense any discomfort. While stalking is problematic behavior, Cherry’s feelings toward me are pure.

‘……They are pure, right?’

They probably are. If they weren’t, she would have done all sorts of strange things by now.

While her extremely low self-esteem is a problem, she certainly maintains purity in her heart.

Count Ratish was the villain who almost tainted that purity with a strange color.

‘By the way, I wonder what he’s been up to lately.’

Since I revealed that I am Xenon, he would naturally have figured out Cherry’s identity. It would be strange if he hadn’t noticed, given how much I protected her.

But he doesn’t seem to be pressuring Cherry, nor has he approached me.

Whether it’s due to the aftereffects of the truth bomb I dropped on him then, he seems to be respecting Cherry’s autonomy.

“Hmm. Hmm. Cherry?”

“Yes. Please speak……”

“How far have you written your manuscript?”

For now, it’s better to put the stalking issue aside and deal with her work first.

Cherry’s debut work and the novel that’s becoming popular following the Biography of Xenon, “One More Red Sunset.”

It appeared like a storm a few months ago, but recently hasn’t been published for several months because I’ve been busy.

But not anymore. I plan to give her the attention I couldn’t give her until now. Along with that, I’ll make plans too.

Given Cherry’s personality, even if she doesn’t reveal her identity, the fact that she’s my associate is known, so people won’t easily mess with her.

“I’ve written up to volume 3, and about half of volume 4……”

“That’s fast?”

This wasn’t just flattery; it was quite a fast pace. Similar to me before I received the typewriter as a gift.

As everyone knows, books in this world must be handwritten one by one, and publishing one volume per month is nearly impossible.

Moreover, Cherry is a student and a busy first-year, so she doesn’t have much time. Even I published new volumes every 2-3 months during my first year.

“I’m asking just in case, but are you eating properly?”

“Yes.”

Well, her chest wouldn’t have grown that big if she wasn’t eating properly. I could understand as soon as I saw her vigorously growing bust.

“Are you getting enough sleep too?”

“Yes.”

Even with lifeless eyes, she doesn’t have dark circles like Cindy. Her skin is also snow-white and glossy, showing no signs of fatigue.

“And your studies?”

“Not bad enough to be held back.”

It might sound a bit snarky, but as long as she avoids being held back, studying isn’t necessary. Especially since she makes a living as an author and has already gained recognition.

Everything is perfect for her writing. It makes sense that she wrote two volumes in such a short time.

“That’s good then. Nothing bad happened while I was away?”

“You mean you being away?”

“… …”

“Everything else was fine. Hehe.”

I’m sorry. So please don’t smile with that expression.

I smiled bitterly, feeling guilt piling up. It was good that I met with Cherry as soon as possible.

“Issac. May I speak with Cherry for a moment?”

While I was rubbing my face with my dry hands due to my heavy heart, Kate made a request to me. I removed my hands from my face and shifted my gaze to her.

Kate had her usual gentle expression. It seems she noticed something after listening to our conversation.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Thank you. Your name is Cherry, right?”

“Yes…… Cherry Blossom Roseberry.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kate Louise Angelica. I am a faithful servant of Luminus. Do you perhaps have feelings for Issac?”

Kate went straight to the point after her introduction. It seems she doesn’t care about Cherry’s circumstances or who she is.

While I was taken aback by her directness that skipped any build-up, Cherry blinked her eyes slowly.

When she blinks slowly, it means she’s either interested or surprised. In other words, she was surprised by Kate’s question.

Cherry blinked slowly once more and then quietly opened her mouth.

“Yes…… I like senior……”

“I thought so. Then……”

“If you say anything strange to Cherry, I’ll send you back to Sabre.”

I hurriedly cut off Kate before she could start talking about seeds. I remember how embarrassed I was when I had that conversation with Elena and Cindy.

But contrary to my expectation, she shook her head. It seemed she wanted to bring up a different topic.

“That’s not it. Issac is a generous person. Miss Roseberry might not know, but Issac has accepted not only his fiancée but also the princess of Helium, and now Miss Cross by his side.”

“… …”

How can she package the term “playboy” like that? It feels almost mystical when Kate says it rather than someone else.

Of course, I knew what she meant and felt embarrassed. I could only pretend not to notice even as Adelia gave me a sharp look.

Meanwhile, Kate continued without stopping, saying only what she wanted to say.

“However, Miss Roseberry, you seem to be circling around without approaching. Issac also seems interested……”

Though she trailed off, Kate’s message was clear: Don’t follow him like a stalker, come forward boldly.

It’s obvious that I’ll accept you, so why aren’t you stepping forward? That’s what Kate conveyed to Cherry.

And Cherry……

“Someone like me?”

“Pardon?”

“How dare I?”

She gave an answer that surprised even Kate. Not just her, but also me and Adelia who were listening.

What’s more serious is that Cherry tilted her head as if she genuinely didn’t understand.

“It’s enough for me just not to be abandoned by Issac. Like a pine caterpillar that only eats pine needles, I don’t intend to be greedy anymore.”

“… …”

“I don’t mind if senior uses my body as he pleases, or even makes me a slave. It’s much better than being abandoned. Because being abandoned is more painful than dying.”

While everyone was speechless, Cherry smiled, raising the corners of her mouth.

It was a smile that anyone could see was sincere, which made it even more gloomy.

“I’ll be satisfied with this.”

No one dared to speak. Or rather, couldn’t speak. It showed just how serious Cherry’s condition was.

I can understand since her self-esteem had hit rock bottom and barely recovered. The problem is that I’ve become her “center.”

It clearly showed the mindset of people with low self-esteem in many ways. The appearance of centering around someone else, not oneself.

Even Mora couldn’t fix this. It’s impossible to restore her mind unless her personality is completely destroyed.

Even a normal person wouldn’t be able to say anything to this, but……

“I understand. So for Miss Roseberry, Issac is light itself?”

Our Kate is a woman with a screw loose. Whether she recognized the seriousness of Cherry’s condition or not, she said such a thing.

This alone was absurd, but Cherry’s reaction was even more outrageous. Cherry nodded in full agreement with Kate’s words. Her hands clasped together was a bonus.

“Yes. He is my light, my hope, and someone I want to give everything to. He helped me achieve my dream that was torn to shreds, and furthermore, gave me true freedom.”

“That’s wonderful. But you need to build more confidence. How about trying to get closer?”

“If you get too close to light, you’ll go blind. So I’ll watch from afar.”

Opposites attract…… No, how are they communicating? I couldn’t follow their conversation that flowed so naturally.

Kate tried to persuade Cherry to regain her self-esteem, even if slightly off-point, while Cherry stubbornly refused. An endless loop.

But the fact that I was the center didn’t change. I really couldn’t understand what was happening.

“You still seem to lack devotion. Roseberry…… No, may I call you Cherry?”

“Cardinal, you may call me whatever you wish.”

“Good. First, I should help you build confidence. Ah, until then, it’s okay for you to follow Issac.”

Kate openly permitted stalking. I asked her incredulously.

“What about my opinion?”

“Are you going to refuse?”

I can’t refuse because she might commit suicide. As soon as I heard those words, I checked on Cherry.

Cherry was looking at me with pleading eyes, afraid I might refuse. If I did refuse, her already dark eyes would lose even more life.

In the end, I could only sigh and shake my head. Kate smiled brightly when I responded positively.

‘They seem to get along somehow……’

What a strange combination.