episode_0033

“…Indeed, the Hon’yak Festival was quite the celebration.”

Ariel had spent her days in the quiet of the library, unaware of the fact that the Hon’yak Festival was the biggest festival in the Northern Territories.

Apart from the white noise for reading, she had closed her ears to everything else.

It wasn’t until she widened her focus beyond reading and opened her closed ears that she could fully feel the excitement of the Hon’yak Festival.

And…

“There are so many people here.”

She found herself caught up in the fervor of the crowd.

She was at the northern square of the Grand Castle, where the final candidates who had completed the second evaluation were arriving.

It was a gathering place for idle servants and those with a moment to spare, all coming together to see the final candidates they were cheering for.

Ariel couldn’t understand how she had ended up here, when she should have been conducting research in the library.

It was as if she had lost her memory for a moment, as if she didn’t know why she had come here.

Caught up in the excitement leading to the northern square like a leaf in a swift current, she was swept along, unsure of what to do once she arrived.

“Lord Deron Kellid’s golden hair shines brighter than a ripe wheat field!”

“Hmph, so what? Lord Blund is the most handsome, isn’t he?”

“Ah, to be able to see him up close like this. I’ve been eagerly waiting for today!”

“They say Lord Kyle’s black eyes are so deep that once you look into them, you can’t escape.”

Among the gathered crowd, 90% were female servants, and naturally, the praise and admiration based on romantic relationships never ceased.

For Ariel, who had spent time with the maids in the residence, it was a familiar atmosphere.

The maids in the residence also had their own preferences for the candidates they were cheering for.

What was regrettable was that none of them mentioned…

“…anything about Elden.”

She understood.

The maids in the residence also didn’t speak positively about Elden.

Unlike the other candidates with good or neutral reputations, Elden’s reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

Ariel had also heard about Elden’s infamous titles like “troublemaker,” “hooligan,” and “riot starter.”

When Elden introduced himself in the freshman class, his peers had whispered about him.

“He’s the troublemaker from the Trimirion Duchy, the famous Viscount.”

“No, he’s not just a troublemaker, he’s a total lunatic.”

“No, no. He’s not just a lunatic, he’s a madman.”

At that time, she had just thought…

“I see.”

And moved on.

She had believed that their paths wouldn’t cross due to their stark differences.

That’s why she had thought…

“He really does look intimidating.”

And moved on.

As expected, during their time at the academy, they had no significant interactions.

She had graduated from the academy without any connection to Elden, and his name had faded into the background.

No, not just Elden, but all the stories from her academy days had become blurry.

If she hadn’t run into Elden at the library, she would have naturally assumed that his name wouldn’t be mentioned.

It was expected for him to be criticized.

The problem was that after several years, she coincidentally met him again, and the current him didn’t fit his previous notorious reputation.

Despite not seeing him for just a few days, he had distanced himself from his reputation of drinking and fighting, and the man who used to treat commoners as slaves was now in a relationship with a commoner knight named Rachel.

Furthermore, he now enjoyed reading and contemplation more than pleasure and instinct, diligently planning for the future.

“You can’t see the current Elden because of your preconceptions.”

Of course, before reuniting with Elden, she maintained the same attitude every time there was a heated debate about whether the Third Princess had a strange taste in choosing him as the final candidate or if they were mistaken for another candidate.

“What do I care.”

She found it more useful to read one more line of a book than to worry about someone else’s husband candidate.

It was more useful for her to invest in preparation for reading than to waste energy and time in useless places.

However, now those who ignored Elden were somewhat annoying.

Of course, she thought it was truly disgusting and funny.

After only a few days since their reunion, how could they think they knew so well about someone they didn’t even get along with and throw a tantrum, she thought.

She was just a reading buddy who read pure literature together.

Anyway.

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Well.

Since she was already here, she could just see Elden’s face and leave again.

By the way.

“If his score was the highest in the second evaluation, does that mean Kyle Gongja is in the lead?”

Of course, since no official information was provided, opinions about the winner were divided, but there was no news of Elden’s victory.

That’s what Elysia said.

“If Elden Gongja sets his mind to it, he will definitely win.”

So they heard that the second evaluation tested physical strength, and if that was the case, Ariel thought it was a test optimized for Elden.

It was a well-founded belief.

“Perhaps Elden was always in first place?”

[Physical Education]

In the subject that tested human physical abilities, Elden always recorded an overwhelming lead in first place.

His reflexes, strength, and endurance were all overwhelmingly higher than his ‘classmates’, so the other candidates who were ‘classmates’ had no chance against him.

That’s why Ariel was honestly skeptical.

“Didn’t Elden win?”

Although Kyle Gongja’s victory was heard most frequently, the names of Deron and Blund were also heard frequently, so she couldn’t rule out Elden’s chances of winning.

Perhaps it was a hasty desire to confirm that led her here.

At that moment, the inside of the hall became noisy.

A carriage entered the Grand Palace through the North Gate.

The carriage stopped in the square where the statue of Rocktard, the founder of the Winterfell Grand Duchy, was erected.

Ariel was swept away by the crowd rapidly gathering around and had to move to the square.

“Ah.”

With a scream.

“Who could it be?! Could it be Deron Gongja?”

“It’s not him, right? It must be Kyle Gongja! The winner should stand at the forefront!”

“Don’t be ridiculous~ Can’t you see those noble features shining through the curtain? It must be Blund Gongja~!”

The crowd speculated about the candidate inside the carriage, screaming and shouting.

Caught in the middle of them, Ariel hoped whoever it was would come out soon.

Otherwise, she felt like she would turn into a tortilla dough.

Click.

The groom who got off the carriage grabbed the doorknob.

Everyone’s attention was focused on their guesses.

Soon, the door opened, and an awkward silence swept through the hall.

It was caused by a Gongja with jet-black hair, red eyes, and a sullen face, chewing on fruit.

And.

“Elden-!”

In that silence, a woman’s lonely shout echoed.

**

“The medieval era is all well and good….”

Traveling was so uncomfortable.

If the carriage didn’t vibrate too much as long as it had a high-quality cushion, she could endure it, but the distance traveled with three horsepower was incredibly long, and the discomfort was endless.

But she had to adapt.

Compared to the grand culinary journey of the National Land Expedition, this was like a light snack.

Crunch.

Fortunately, just before she was about to make a bold proposal to Rachel, the carriage stopped at the northern square of the Grand Palace.

The atmosphere was somewhat stuffy, with the curtains drawn so nothing could be seen outside.

“We’ve arrived, Gongja-nim.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Shortly after, the maidservant opened the door and peeked out, sensing a stuffy presence.

The northern square was crowded with numerous women.

“Are they fans?”

There wouldn’t be anyone eagerly waiting for Gongja, the fallen noble.

The fans of the three who followed behind would be here.

As expected of a female lead in a romance novel, they were all elegantly dressed courtesans.

I casually stepped down the stairs to disembark, but…

“Elden-!”

A voice calling my name reached my ears.

Oh, could it be one of my female fans!

Thinking so, I quickly looked around and saw a woman being squeezed among the crowd, waving at me.

It was Arielle, a slender woman with golden rolled-up hair.

She should have been at the library, so what was she doing out and about at this hour, squeezed among the aristocrats?

As she awkwardly waved at me, I returned the gesture, and Arielle started to push her way through the crowd.

“Wait a moment.”

Rachel and I got off the carriage and soon faced Arielle.

In the meantime, the other carriages arrived, and everyone’s attention was diverted.

As expected, there was no one waiting for me.

Except for our dear rolled-up hair lady.

“What’s going on?”

“How was the second evaluation? Did you win?”

I chuckled at the thought of the bookworm coming out to check the morning curse.

I playfully replied, “Thanks to your enthusiastic support, we won.”

I thought she would be happy.

Her cheerful face while cheering was still fresh in my mind.

If she was happy, I planned to tease her by saying we lost.

As a small revenge for her cheerful curse.

But strangely, there was a strange light in Arielle’s eyes.

Her lips, which should have been smiling, were awkwardly parted, and her eyes, which should have shown joy, were trembling slightly.

It was an unexpected reaction.

“…?”

“Did you really win…?”

Continuing the joke was too awkward given her reaction.

I had to handle the joke on my own.

“It was a joke. We actually lost. Kyle won officially.”

“What?”

But with that, her deflated energy suddenly blossomed again.

Her awkwardly parted lips formed a gentle curve.

Her trembling pupils showed a hint of reflection.

A reaction completely opposite to what I expected.

Today, Arielle was unpredictable.

With caution, she asked, “Did you really lose?”

“I never really wanted to win in the first place.”

At my nonchalant reply, Arielle looked surprised.

“!”

I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“?”

Then, Arielle hesitantly asked, fiddling with her fingers.

“Um, so… will you come to the library tomorrow morning?”

There was no reason for a change in the rest and healing that had just begun.

No matter what storms came, a tree with deep roots would not be shaken.

As always, Junwoo would fulfill his duty as a bookworm through reading and training.

That was the life Junwoo desired.

So, I nodded my head in agreement.

“Of course.”

Arielle smiled brightly, said goodbye, and walked away.

“Got it! See you tomorrow!”

…Uh.

Hmm.

Well.

Okay.

See you tomorrow.