ULDEM 22

“The most important thing is who you choose.”

Sierra spoke seriously.

To avoid Kisha and Irina—who could barge into the dorm room at any time—the two of them had settled in a quiet, empty lounge and were whispering with their heads close together.

“I don’t really care who it is. As long as he’s not a total weirdo.”

It wasn’t like she was actually going to be properly introduced to someone anyway. But Sierra was firm.

“You need to pick someone who’ll walk away cleanly once this is over. If you choose wrong, you’ll just end up with a stalker.”

“Ah… does it really turn out like that?”

“Of course.”

In other words, instead of some kind and naive guy, it might be better to choose a playboy who wasn’t desperate for female attention. That actually made sense.

“And it can’t be someone who obviously looks like he’s just for show. At the very least, he should be decent enough to pass your standards.”

“If we set the bar like that, I feel like we’ll never find anyone. Maybe we can compromise a little—”

Sierra beat her chest in frustration.

“Exactly! You’re picky! But he has to look convincing enough to your fiancé too! That way he’ll get suspicious or angry! If you sit some leftover scrap next to you, he’ll just assume you’re trying to break off the engagement and won’t even blink!”

Tislin hadn’t thought that far.

He had to look convincing to Damian… Not necessarily as handsome as Damian himself, but at least good enough to make him wonder, ‘Is that her new engagement candidate?’ Once she thought about it like that, the pool of candidates shrank dramatically.

“Let me think. Among the guys from the Magic Department I’ve dated, there might be someone suitable for this.”

“Someone you dated…? I mean, I guess I’m fine with it, but are you?”

Sierra didn’t bother saying things like, “Just because we went on one date doesn’t mean we were dating.” Instead, she coldly pointed out reality.

“Are you really in a position to be picky right now? Most decent guys have already been sampled by me at least once. If we exclude them, there’s barely anyone left to choose from.”

Tislin reluctantly nodded. Still, even if it was fake, being introduced to a man her friend had dated felt… uncomfortable. But since Sierra herself didn’t mind, she decided to let it go.

“Fine. You’re right. The awkwardness will only last a moment. Breaking off the engagement is forever—”

“Breaking off, breaking off…” Sierra mouthed the words before rolling her eyes.

“What?”

“Behind you.”

The door they had closed was half open. Through the gap, they could see Clayton Higher, arms full of books, tilting his head over the top of the towering stack.

Tislin blinked dryly.

They’d been caught.

“How much did you hear?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking from where I started listening?”

Clayton set down the stack of books and, very deliberately, closed the lounge door.

“I’ll overlook the fact that I’ve posted more than ten notices since last week about the faulty lock on Lounge No. 7. And I’ll overlook the fact that I’ve been using this place alone since last month.”

Come to think of it, they had wondered why there were so many unnecessary books in the lounge. They were probably Clayton’s—likely for his thesis or the civil service exam.

As for the notice… with assignments, the engagement, and Adelinde, Tislin had been far too distracted to pay attention to something like a lounge lock announcement. The same went for Sierra.

The two of them quietly grabbed each other’s trembling hands.

“S-so, where did you start hearing?”

“‘Convincing enough for your fiancé,’ I think.”

So he’d heard everything!

“You should’ve said something if you were there!”

Though, even with ten mouths, they wouldn’t have had an excuse.

“Since when were you engaged? I don’t recall hearing about that.”

Well, she hadn’t been until last month. And she hadn’t told anyone either. But Clayton’s indifference had never felt so welcome.

“It’s a secret, and I’m going to break it off soon. You won’t tell anyone, right? Not Lint or Ruben either.”

Clayton looked between Tislin and Sierra before nodding readily.

“Sure. Do whatever.”

“Wait—then why don’t you do it?”

Sierra suddenly raised her hand enthusiastically. Both pairs of eyes turned toward her.

“Do what?”

“For the breakup… we were planning to stage an introduction.”

Clayton’s face twisted as he listened to Sierra excitedly explain their plan.

“You’re telling me this is a plan devised by two nineteen-year-old third-year students in the Administration Department? This sounds like something kids my little sister’s age would think up—… Never mind.”

“Quiet. You think we wouldn’t have chosen another method if we had one?”

Clayton obediently shut his mouth.

That was exactly why he seemed like a suitable candidate. Low chance of causing trouble afterward.

“It’s not a huge favor. Just act close in public, talk like we’re in a relationship, escort me—that sort of thing. It doesn’t have to be constant. Only in places I choose.”

“From what I hear, Tislin, your fiancé is a student at this school but not in our department. So probably the Knight Department or Liberal Arts.”

What was with the detective act? Feeling threatened, Tislin quickly countered.

“He could be from the Magic Department.”

“Then Sierra wouldn’t have tried to introduce someone from Magic.”

That hit the mark. Sierra and Tislin fell silent and subtly clasped hands again. If necessary, they could knock Clayton Higher unconscious and—

“Is your fiancé that bad?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re so determined to break it off, he must be pretty terrible.”

That wasn’t it at all. Tislin rolled her eyes silently. But she also knew that denying it outright would sound strange. Even Sierra’s eyes were gleaming with curiosity.

“It’s not that. It’s… a difference in values.”

“Values? Radical expansionist? Extreme classist? Or anti-Manorca—”

Counting on his fingers, Clayton continued until he glanced at Sierra and stopped.

“…Sorry.”

“No need.”

Sierra Pontineare, former Grand Lord of Manorca and daughter of the prestigious Pontineare Marquessate, rested her chin on her hand and waved it dismissively.

“Enough detective games. So are you helping or not?”

“One limited-edition chocolate bar! …Two?”

As Tislin quietly raised the stakes, Clayton shrugged.

“I don’t mind settling the payment later, but I think you’re forgetting something important.”

“What?”

“Are you planning to marry me?”

Tislin blinked blankly. The words she had recently thrown at Damian came back like a boomerang. Clayton added with a sigh,

“If it’s another department, you break up and that’s it. But if rumors spread within the department, they won’t die down until graduation. And it’s not like we can ignore each other completely until then. Unless you truly want to ruin your reputation, you should think about that.”

That was true. Clayton Higher and his friends, Lintello York and Ruben Sheft, were the male students Tislin and Sierra interacted with the most. Considering the next year, there was no need to complicate things unnecessarily.

“What about you? You don’t mind? Your opinion matters too.”

Sierra asked with a grin.

“I wouldn’t call it especially pleasant, but I don’t mind someone who can occasionally hold a proper conversation.”

Those were incredibly lax conditions for choosing a marriage partner.

“…But saying that with a face like you’re being sentenced to divine punishment doesn’t help.”

At his blatant expression, Sierra scoffed inwardly.

What’s wrong with my friend?

On the other hand, Tislin didn’t seem bothered at all. Lost in thought, she spoke slowly.

“Hmm. If possible, I’d prefer a knight or a mage. With their own territory.”

Just a preference, of course.

“Then there’s even less reason to create rumors. I’m out.”

“You’ll keep this secret, right?”

Clayton nodded immediately, glancing between his stack of books and the clock as if regretting the time he’d wasted. The fact that he’d sat there listening at all was already a remarkable display of friendship by his standards.

Just then, Sierra suddenly jumped to her feet.

“I just thought of someone suitable! And I’ve never even dated him once.”

The two seated figures looked up at her. Sierra wore a confident smile—then suddenly frowned.

“But… ah, I’m not sure if this is really the right thing to do.”

“It is. It is.”

Relieved that a conclusion seemed near, Tislin answered quickly.

“What do you mean ‘it is,’ you idiot? You don’t even know who I’m talking about.”

“It is.”

Clayton, who clearly wanted to return to his work, agreed immediately.

“What are you even saying?”

Sierra shook her head.