Chapter 27….
Erik tilted his head slightly, threateningly.
His hair, golden in the light, fell to one side, casting a shadow.
I couldn’t look away now—afraid that if I did, I’d appear like a timid prey. Instead, I had to keep staring at the unnecessarily sparkling emblem of Brannel.
I had only been waiting for him to express regret for wasting my time and to mark the brief end of what had passed as friendship.
But then Erik avoided my gaze.
It was the first time. His green eyes, shining like a wet forest, looked away from me first.
“I thought we were friends.”
He muttered in a small voice, almost as if hurt.
“You spent three evenings a week with me. And yet, you never thought to confirm that with me?”
“…What?”
I didn’t understand at first, and when I asked back, his eyes boiled over with anger and fixed on me.
“So, I looked like a loser to you, hiding in the cleaning closet to avoid your ex-girlfriend, right?”
I barely understood what he meant and had to ask again.
“You mean that girl isn’t your ex…? Then why did Christina—”
“Why should I defend the lies of that delusional, compulsive liar?”
Erik raised his voice slightly for a moment.
“Shouldn’t you be the one apologizing first?”
I was dumbfounded at the sharpness of his question. They hadn’t even dated? Yet Christina had demanded all that from me so confidently?
“I…”
The words he wanted me to say hung in my throat like a giant candy.
But what exactly had I done wrong?
Was it that I should have immediately doubted the words of a classmate who had come all the way to my room and spoken so boldly?
In my heart, the cowardly part of me defended myself, yet I couldn’t help recalling Erik on the forest path, drawing maps with wet sneakers, laughing, and even taking the long detour to Zarva for my sake.
All those moments—the consideration, the laughter—remained.
Erik was right.
We had spent a long time together, and at any point, I could have asked him to clarify.
If not, I could have confessed that I had made promises to his ex-girlfriend without asking him.
At the very least, I could have asked why he had to hide in the cleaning closet to avoid her.
Yet I hadn’t done any of that. It was uncharacteristic of me, and in the end, it was all because of the oath I had signed.
Because of that oath, I hadn’t wanted to know him deeply.
Every time Erik reached out to me warmly, I constantly doubted his true intentions.
And so, I couldn’t leave him angry with a hurt expression.
“I’m… sorry.”
His broad chest, honed from all kinds of exercise, heaved with anger.
Even though I knew the heir of Brannel wouldn’t use force against me, I couldn’t help feeling a little tense. After all, I was sitting alone in a small room with a big athlete.
Still, my fear wasn’t long-lasting or deep.
“…No, I’m the one who should apologize.”
Erik finally caught his breath and spoke.
“Sorry. Even though I could guess what Oxenscherna was doing behind my back, I… I didn’t protect you. I’m sorry.”
“Protect…?”
A suffocating silence fell again.
To be clear, that was never something I had expected from Erik.
I was an Asian immigrant who had learned taekwondo precisely because I realized no one would protect me.
So flustered, I said something ridiculous.
“I’m a black belt, you know? Well, now you can just go to Oxenscherna and kick them while asking if they deceived me.”
Erik stared at me in disbelief for a moment, then finally laughed.
“You really…”
Then, he unguardedly grabbed my hand, which had been resting on the desk.
“Still, don’t do that. Oxenscherna’s legal team is pretty strong. I don’t want you getting a record for assault.”
I ended up laughing while looking at him.
“Also, don’t go giving my information to Oxenscherna. I kind of want them to make mistakes so badly that they might even file a restraining order.”
Erik added this.
At that moment, I didn’t think about whether Christina or Erik was right, or if I should confront them both.
I only felt how reassuring the warmth in his hand was.
With just a single word, I trusted Erik, and out of guilt, I spoke first.
“Then… can I ask you for class tomorrow too?”
He nodded, and I added one condition.
“Tomorrow, let’s swap seats. I forgot you’re left-handed and sat on the inside. Was it too hot because of me?”
“Because of you…”
Erik briefly lifted his T-shirt that clung almost to his chest, revealing his torso for a moment before it disappeared.
“The heat… is just because I’m fired up.”
Even in that brief moment, my absurdly sharp memory resented remembering the shape of his upper body.
If my brain had any extra capacity, it should have been used for logarithms.
While scolding myself, Erik continued.
“Then, see you again tomorrow evening. Around seven, okay?”
“I didn’t protect you. I’m sorry.”
Erik’s words created a directionless wave in my chest.
I mulled over them repeatedly until I saw the dormitory building.
But the voice in my head vanished the moment I opened the dorm door.
Someone I knew was approaching, dragging a very large suitcase.
And that person was…
“Olivia…?”
The moment she heard me call her name, she broke down in tears.
“Bibi…!”
I held Olivia tightly as she collapsed into me, regretting the past week.
In the end, I had made the same mistake with Olivia that I had made with Erik.
How could I understand the circumstances of these extraordinary noble children?
Their common sense might differ from mine. Moreover, they might not know how to share pain with others.
How could I ever dare to be friends with them?
Yet, in reality, they were just seventeen like me, getting hurt somewhere, hoping for someone’s comfort or trust.
Still, I had believed the rumors about them and hadn’t asked anything.
How was I any better than the kids on the bulletin board?
I should have at least asked if she was really okay, considering how gaunt she looked.
I should have done that for the one friend in this dorm who had truly welcomed me.
Because I hadn’t, Olivia now sobbed in my arms as if she might crumble.
“What happened, Olivia…?”
I asked sincerely, belatedly.
She gave me a tearful, pitiful answer.
“I… I can’t go to school anymore… What should I do? It’s so unfair, so upsetting…! I’m scared.”
What? What is this?
I asked urgently.
“Why? Is there some reason? Tell me.”
Olivia hesitated briefly but eventually confessed the truth.
“My mom’s business went bankrupt.”
What?
Suddenly, I remembered something I had overheard at the restaurant a few days ago.
“By the way, did you see that Valderis Tech finally filed for bankruptcy?”
Why hadn’t I connected that to Olivia sooner? I should have at least looked up what kind of company it was.
“No, Olivia. As a scholarship student, there must be a way for you to stay at school.”
I hugged her even tighter, filled with regret.
Just as Olivia had helped me over the past three weeks, now it was my turn to help her.
“You probably didn’t have the time to figure this out, so from now on, I’ll help you.”
