Chapter 85
‘What…!’
Realizing that he’d just been insulted, the man’s face turned bright red.
‘I only said it because I thought she was pitiful! Even if it wasn’t me, surely she would be hoping for someone’s help—’
‘Did she ever ask for help first? Did she ever say she wanted to be protected?’
‘Th-that’s…’
The man’s face flushed red then pale, unable to speak as he breathed heavily.
Clicking his tongue briefly, Rohan continued.
‘Don’t go judging people however you please. If you’re interested in her, then have the guts to say it openly. Don’t look down on her under the excuse of helping.’
In fact, those around him had already noticed that the man harbored feelings for Wilhelmina.
He was especially drawn to women who were bullied or in unfortunate circumstances.
But that interest had never ended well.
Whenever a woman managed to escape misfortune or stand on her own, he would discard her without hesitation.
His affection was as shallow as his character.
That was why Rohan disliked hearing Wilhelmina’s name from his lips.
‘Don’t you dare define her like that… that’s what I thought.’
It irked him to see a strong person diminished by such flimsy standards.
‘And if you truly wanted to help, you should have reached out before the incident ever happened.’
‘I didn’t know something like that had happened!’
‘Lies. Your fiancée was one of the ringleaders, wasn’t she?’
‘H-how did you…?’
Rohan sighed.
There was no way this man could be ignorant of the full story.
He might not have egged his fiancée on, but he had deliberately stood by and done nothing.
‘If you stood by, then you’re an accomplice. Don’t you dare act superior while pretending to offer help.’
Rohan’s crimson eyes bore into the man—and everyone else nearby.
‘If you like her, then express it honestly. Her resistance isn’t something for your cheap gaze to belittle.’
Stung by the unexpected rebuke, the man’s lips quivered.
Unable to deny his feelings outright, he searched for excuses, then sneered mockingly.
‘Rohanos, so you’re interested in her too? Ha! No wonder—it’s like a wolf taking in a southern beggar girl as his bride—’
‘H-hey!’
The man tried to cross the line, and those nearby attempted to stop him… but—
‘Shut—your mouth.’
In that instant, Rohan’s hand clamped down on the man’s jaw.
Startled, the man struggled to pry Rohan’s grip away, but against trained strength, he was helpless.
And all he could muster in defiance was such a pathetic line.
Rohan frowned and spoke in a low voice.
‘I opposed you not because I’m interested in her. It’s because your view of love is that low.’
‘Mmph—! Ugh!’
‘I know exactly how you see me. I know you call me a mutt with a thousand tails behind my back.’
Crack—the sound of a jaw being forced aside echoed, followed by the man’s ragged groans of pain.
The more he struggled, the deeper Rohan’s fingers dug in.
‘I’ve tolerated you only because the Imperial eyes watching were troublesome. But don’t think for a second I condone your insults. So…’
Rohan flung the man toward his companions.
They caught him in a hurry, their faces pale.
That was because the razor-sharp magic pouring off Rohan’s body felt like it would devour them whole.
‘In my presence, don’t speak of your house, and don’t ever seek approval for your pitiful crush.’
Wiping his sweat-stained hand—sweat from gripping the man’s face—Rohan reined his magic back in.
The academy’s rules forbade using magic without permission, yet his aura lingered defiantly before slowly fading.
One of the quicker-witted students quickly urged the man up.
‘Hey, let’s just go.’
‘Let me go! I’m not finished yet…!’
‘There are no eyes watching here—don’t you get it?’
The man stopped short, retreating as the weight of those words sank in.
He had realized the Imperial eyes, their usual protectors, weren’t present in this place.
They muttered the usual empty threat—“We’ll see about this”—before disappearing toward the far end of the garden.
Rohan, with no intention of following them, simply stood there watching their retreating backs.
‘…Idiots.’
When they were gone, Rohan sighed, running a hand through his hair.
It was pathetic, studying alongside such riffraff.
Pathetic too, that he couldn’t properly put such a woman-insulting fool in his place.
‘Because I’m not yet the official successor.’
At that time, Rohan had only just entered the succession struggle and had no firm foothold.
As the weakest contender among the heirs of House Venice, he couldn’t risk clashing head-on with powerful nobles.
He was stewing in his own helplessness when—
She appeared.
‘…’
Rohan blinked in disbelief, wearing an uncharacteristically dazed expression as his eyes landed on her—Wilhelmina.
She emerged from a large thicket by the road.
Like a rabbit in a fairytale, she poked her head out from the bushes.
Her navy hair tangled with twigs and leaves, and her eyes, deep and unreadable, locked with his.
Rohan forgot how to breathe.
Yes, he was surprised by her sudden appearance—but more than that…
‘Did she… hear everything?’ he thought.
In an instant, his own words and actions flashed through his mind.
Had he acted like a know-it-all toward someone he’d barely spoken to? Did he come off as giving her unwanted help?
A storm of age-appropriate worries whirled in his head.
He was about to stammer out an awkward excuse—when she smiled.
Not a coy smile, but an unguarded, playful grin—her eyes narrowing, her lips curling in a bright, lovely way.
He had no chance to string together poetic descriptions—Rohan’s heart was simply stolen by Wilhelmina’s smile.
‘Thanks… for scolding them in my place.’
‘Uh…’
‘Those guys never listen to me no matter what I say. But they seemed scared of your words, so… I’m glad.’
‘I…’
All he could do was open and close his lips, unable to reply.
His heart raced, his hands clenched reflexively, his face flushed hot from neck to forehead as if molten lava had poured over him.
He struggled with all his might just to keep a straight face.
‘Back then, I didn’t know why I was so flustered.’
But now, seeing this memory in a dream, he understood.
If asked when exactly he fell in love at first sight, he knew—it was at this moment.
And if asked why—he couldn’t name a single reason.
Her face, peeking out of the bushes, was just too lovable.
The way she’d glared like a predator at his classmates, then turned to smile harmlessly at him—it was unbelievable.
Her friendly words delighted him.
Her honest, guileless thanks were endearing.
Her sudden appearance was unforgettable.
Even the blade of grass stuck by her ear seemed adorable.
Everything about her captivated him.
‘Next time, if I get the chance, I’ll repay you. Thank you again.’
He had wanted to play it cool, to say it was nothing.
‘It’ll be dinnertime soon, so I should go.’
He should have asked her for tea sometime, or said some other cliché line.
‘Bye!’
‘…Bye.’
But all he managed was a weak wave of his hand.
Thankfully, the blazing red of his ears was hidden by the sunset.
Then she slipped her head back into the bushes, her figure running off toward the women’s dormitory.
Rohan watched her go in a daze, muttering a foolish question.
‘So… why were you even there?’
He never did find out. She was always like that—Wilhelmina always defied his expectations.
As the question left his lips, the world began to darken.
The dream was ending.
And in that moment, Rohan understood why this dream had been a gift.
‘A protection spell against forgetting was cast on this memory.’
He let out a bitter laugh, realizing the Orb’s intention.
‘You don’t want me to forget, do you?’
The Fairy King, who could never forget his wife Titania and thus lived forever in regret and despair…
The reason his story remained in the Venice family archives was simple.
Because, in his desperation to erase Titania from his memory, he had dared to touch the Curse of Forgetting.
That curse passed only through the blood of the Venice dukes; a fairy could never master it.
The old texts say that when he left House Venice, he penned a poem filled with disappointment, calling them “fools who sacrifice memory to gain miracles.”
And that same curse had now descended upon Rohan as well.
The Orb, while shielding this memory, also whispered to him:
[Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t lose your memories to a curse.]
No matter what memories he might lose, this one—falling for Wilhelmina—was to be preserved as a gift.
Perhaps the Fairy King had thought of Wilhelmina as his Titania, just as Rohan now thought of her as his wife.
“Haa…”
As Rohan began to wake, the familiar scent of water greeted him.
The vast lake, the tranquil sky—and beneath it, that uniquely beautiful blue came into view.
Wilhelmina, just regaining her senses, was glancing around with hazy eyes.
Even after all the ordeals she had endured, she was still beautiful.
Rohan realized once again—the only thing that needed to change was himself.
‘I won’t make a mistake this time.’
Never again would he follow behind, late, like when he had only learned after the fact that she had gone west.
Never again would he allow Wilhelmina to curse her fate because of him.
He swore it with all his strength.
[Yes—if you let her slip away again, I’ll take her myself. Don’t regret it like I did, wolf.]
From across the lake, faint laughter seemed to echo.
