TWRM 132

Chapter 132

Mie, who had been shrinking back, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Then… do you really like Theodore?”

“Yes. How many times do I have to say it? I told you I’m serious.”

“Uh….”

Seeing how stunned Mie was, Selina let out a long sigh.
“Listening to what you said, I guess it was easy to misunderstand. If it looked that way even to you, I can only imagine how it must have looked to others….”

“W-wait, hold on. Then you didn’t suddenly develop feelings on the very day you confessed, right? You liked Theodore even before that?”

Selina nodded as if to say, Now you get it.

Mie jolted in shock, clapping a hand over her mouth before she could even scream. Selina felt oddly awkward—was it really that surprising?

“W-when…? No, wait! I’ve never once seen any sign of that!”

“That’s because I didn’t show it. And it wasn’t like how you have a crush on Chris. It was just… a strong fondness.”

At the mention of Chris, Mie pouted for a moment, then immediately focused on Selina’s words again.

“So you’ve consistently had romantic feelings for him?”

“That’s right.”

“Since when? Eek! I can’t believe the day would come when I’d be giving you relationship advice! Hurry up and tell me!”

“…Aren’t you supposed to be painting?”

“Hey! Is that important right now?”

Mie made a big fuss, dragged over a chair, and plopped down in front of Selina. Her green eyes sparkled as she urged her to keep talking.

“Hmm… maybe since I entered the academy?”

“When exactly after you entered? When did your feelings toward Theodore change?”

“If I had to be precise, I think it was around the time I started hanging out with him more. Especially when I almost got kidnapped by Cecil’s group for the first time.”

“Oh! Right, you said Theodore witnessed that, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. At first I was angry because the boys got away thanks to Theodore, but then I saw how he kept looking out for me, how he was even more desperate than I was to catch the culprits. Little by little, I started to like him.”

No matter how much she insisted that she’d been attacked, the academy hadn’t really tried to do anything, so she’d half given up.

But Theodore had said he absolutely couldn’t let this slide. He ran around everywhere, used his connections, and did everything he could to make sure the perpetrators were punished.
Even the restraining order issued against them had only barely been obtained thanks to his efforts.

“Ohh, I see.”

“He kept sticking close to me, saying it was dangerous, and only relaxed once I’d safely gone back to my dorm room. Well… it wasn’t just Theodore—others did the same too.”

To be honest, until then she hadn’t even realized that she’d been harboring feelings for Theodore.

She suddenly became aware of it when she told the club members that she wanted to date someone and described her ideal type. The more she talked, the more clearly Theodore appeared in her mind, and she realized she’d liked him all along.

“And do you know when I liked him the most?”

“No? When? What was it?”

Curious, Mie leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

“When you and I fought, and he ran straight after you.”

“Huh? That?”

“Is that weird?”

Selina laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek. But it wasn’t a lie—fresh, girlish emotions were written plainly across her face.

“Honestly, back then there were a lot of people comforting me, but there was no one by your side. That bothered me. After all, it was my fault you got hurt. I wanted to follow you, but I had this feeling that if I did, you’d never look at me again.”

Mie silently nodded.

As Selina had expected, if she’d chased after her at that time—when emotions were running high—and started making excuses, their relationship might have deteriorated beyond repair.

“So while I was stuck, Theodore followed you instead. For a moment, our eyes met, and it felt like he was saying, ‘I’ll go and comfort her, so don’t worry.’ That comforted me so much. If Theodore hadn’t gone to you, I think I would’ve stayed anxious no matter how many people tried to comfort me.”

Mie felt a sting at the tip of her nose. Selina’s sincere care for her came through so clearly that her chest tightened.

Mie pressed her lips together and hugged Selina. Selina let out a small laugh and continued.

“Well, it wasn’t just that. I also thought that Theodore is the kind of person who’d correct me when I’m wrong, right by my side. I like that kind of person—someone who isn’t swayed too easily by emotion, yet isn’t cold when it comes to me.”

“Mmm… I think I get what you mean. Theodore does have that side to him.”

Mie agreed with a nod.

“Thinking about it now, I guess my confession was a bit impulsive. It was too hasty. What if Theodore misunderstands?”

Selina anxiously bit her lower lip. Normally she would’ve said something cynical like, Why should I care?—but the fact that she wasn’t showed that her feelings for Theodore were genuine.

Realizing her worry had been unnecessary, Mie patted Selina’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. If it’s Theodore, he’ll understand your feelings. When it comes to you, he knows everything.”

“Then why did someone who knows that much misunderstand me all this time?”

When Selina shot her a sideways glare, Mie avoided her gaze and whistled innocently.

“So… should we get back to painting?”

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

“I’m not running anywhere!”

“Who do you think you’re fooling? You’re just changing the subject because you feel called out—”

“Oh! Look at the time already! It’s almost dinner. Let’s hurry up and finish!”

Blatantly changing the subject, Mie sat down in front of the canvas and urged her to hurry. Selina stared at her sharply for a moment, then eventually fixed her sloppy posture.

Until the promised time was up, Selina kept glaring at Mie.

As dinnertime approached, Theodore waited with Chris at their meeting spot, watching for Selina to arrive.

Leaning briefly against the wall, he lowered his gaze and sank into thought.

His picturesque 모습 made passing women blush. Those who walked by admired his looks, then whispered among themselves when they noticed Selina wasn’t with him.

“Why isn’t he with his girlfriend?”
“Isn’t he waiting for that witch?”
“Ugh, she’s so lucky. To have a guy like that as her boyfriend…”
“But are they really dating?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen them alone together.”
“Right? They always seem to be with friends.”
“I have a friend in Class 1—apparently they’re no different from before they started dating.”
“That’s weird. Could it be a fake relationship?”
“Why would Theodore need a fake relationship?”
“But they don’t suit each other at all. And when you’ve just started dating, you usually want to be alone together. They don’t show any sign of that.”

Wild speculation flew around, and even Chris—standing quietly beside him—was starting to get irritated.

“What are they even saying about people right in front of them? Sir Theodore! I’ll go shut them up right now—!”

“Stay put, Chris.”

“But, Sir Theodore!”

“Selina and Mie will be here soon.”

Only after Theodore stopped him did Chris finally calm down. While Chris glared at the gossipers, Theodore silently closed his eyes.

He knew he shouldn’t let himself be swayed by people who loved sensational rumors—but it still stung that it looked that way to others.

Does Selina really like me?

Dozens of times a day, Theodore imagined holding Selina’s hand, spending time alone with her, sharing days no different from other couples.

It wasn’t that he wanted intimate skinship reserved for lovers. He just wanted days that were different from when they were just friends.

But after they started dating, the only change was holding hands and linking arms. Everything else was exactly the same as before.

Worse still, she always preferred being with others, as if she didn’t want to be alone with him. Even when they had time together, she often avoided it.

Maybe I’m overreacting… or maybe I’m not.

They’d only been dating for a few days. Perhaps he was just impatient after liking her for so long. Still, the disappointment and doubts crept in unbidden.

And her confession was almost impulsive, too.

Theodore gave a weak smile, then hardened his expression.

When she’d suddenly confessed, he’d been shocked and overjoyed—but he wasn’t stupid enough to miss how sudden it was.

He’d simply reassured himself that she must have liked him already. But as time passed, his anxiety only grew.

If he let go now, it felt like she would turn away without hesitation.

A pain flared in his chest, and Theodore frowned.

The more negative thoughts he had, the more they gnawed at him—yet he couldn’t stop, and that made him feel pathetic.

Just as he squeezed his eyes shut to steady himself, a cool hand touched his cheek, carrying a faint scent of incense.

When he opened his eyes, the woman he loved was standing before him, as if she’d arrived without a sound.

“Theo, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“…Selina, you’re here?”

“Yeah. Were we too late? Why do you look like that? Are you cold? If you were cold, you should’ve gone inside. Look—your cheeks are freezing.”

“I think your hands are colder than my cheeks.”

“My hands are always cold. Sorry we’re late. Let’s go inside and eat.”

After tightening Theodore’s loosened robe, Selina gently pushed him toward the restaurant. Chris and Mie were already walking ahead.

The four of them regrouped and checked the menu.

As Theodore absentmindedly studied it, wondering what to order, red hair fell against his shoulder.

“Theo.”

Selina suddenly rested her face on his shoulder. Hearing his own heart pound, Theodore smiled softly—a smile meant only for her.

“Yeah?”

“Do you have time after we eat?”

“Time?”

“If you do, let’s go for a walk.”

Theodore’s golden eyes slowly widened. Seeing that, Selina drew back slightly and scratched her cheek.

“I mean… since we started dating, we haven’t really spent proper time together. It’ll be late, so there’s not much we can do, but I thought maybe a short night walk?”

Theodore was silent for a moment. Then, narrowing his eyes, he whispered teasingly near her ear.

“Is this a date invitation?”

Her earlobes turned bright red, clearly visible to him. Seeing this side of her for the first time, Theodore was genuinely surprised.

“Y-yeah. Why? You don’t like it…?”

Looking closer, he noticed Selina twisting her feet restlessly.

She was so adorable that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because you’re too cute.”

“W-what?”

Selina stammered, completely losing her composure. Theodore laughed and gently stroked her soft cheek.

“Sure. Let’s go on a date.”

Selina, who had frozen with a flushed face, saw his playful golden eyes and soft laughter and puffed up in a sulk.