Chapter 5
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I came here and did nothing but study. Then he suddenly shows up and I drop to second place.”
“If your goal is to become a researcher, you don’t need to be first. You’re already good enough—”
“It feels like my entire presence was crushed in a single moment.”
“……”
“Because of Aiden.”
Sonnet had always been first.
In a place filled with contempt and ridicule, that one fact made her feel validated. It proved she was winning.
No matter how much they looked down on her, she had always felt one step above them. The money followed naturally.
But now even that had collapsed. Thinking about the humiliation of living as second place, Sonnet glared at Tester.
“If it weren’t for Aiden, I’d be first.”
Tester frowned, frustrated.
“Aiden isn’t like us in the first place.”
“……”
“He’s someone we can’t beat.”
Hearing that only made her clench her fists tighter. It was true, which made her even angrier.
“I’ll beat him anyway.”
Tester looked into her eyes and shook his head. He stepped away from the tree and raised both hands.
“I knew you were obsessive about first place, but now I really don’t know anymore.”
As he passed her, he paused and turned back.
“Don’t actually fall for him.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think Aiden truly likes you either.”
That was true. She herself suspected he had some hidden motive.
“Don’t worry. The confession was fake. I won’t actually fall for him.”
Tester studied her for a moment, then left without saying more.
Sonnet stood there for a long time in the heat.
The hanging leaves blocked the sunlight, keeping her cool, but her face still felt hot.
Sweat ran down her forehead. She quickly wiped it away, annoyed.
She strode down the stone path.
No matter how powerful Aiden’s family was or how good his grades were, there had to be a way to beat him.
For example, dating him and interfering with his studies.
It wasn’t like Aiden had directly harmed her, but he was the leader of the group that mocked her. Even if he pretended to stop them when he was around.
‘Typical noble superiority complex.’
Pretending to be kind for the sake of reputation while secretly looking down on her.
Having attended this school, Sonnet knew very well how nobles treated commoners.
She believed Aiden was no different.
She walked briskly to the administrative office. Her steps were firm.
If her volunteer certificate hadn’t been processed yet, she was ready to make sure it was.
She opened the office door.
The bell rang, and everyone looked at her.
One staff member even stood up and smiled warmly.
“Are you Student Sonnet?”
The friendly tone caught her off guard. She nodded awkwardly.
The staff member approached her with a bright smile.
“What brings you here?”
Sonnet was so confused she couldn’t answer right away.
The atmosphere was completely different from when she had come before. They even knew her name.
When she didn’t respond, the staff member gently took her arm.
“Please, have a seat for a moment.”
Before she knew it, she was sitting down.
“Would you like coffee or tea?”
Sonnet frowned and shook her head.
She didn’t feel like leisurely drinking anything.
“Has my volunteer certificate been processed?”
The staff member hurried to a desk as if finally remembering something. He returned with documents and handed them to her carefully.
“It’s already been fully processed.”
Sonnet checked the papers to confirm.
As he said, everything was complete. All graduation requirements were fulfilled. All she had to do now was attend lectures and take exams.
She remembered the students earlier.
“This school is so slow with paperwork…”
Her certificate had also been delayed for a long time.
But now, the document showed that everything had been finalized.
Something that had dragged on for months was suddenly resolved.
She couldn’t adjust to the sudden change.
Even the staff member treated her with unusual respect.
Before, they had seemed annoyed whenever she came.
“Is there anything else you need?”
His tone was smooth and polite.
Sonnet stood up with the documents.
“That’s fine.”
She left the office.
Even when she checked again in the hallway, the volunteer certificate was fully approved.
She stared at the papers for a long moment.
The staff’s attitude. The quick processing.
‘Could it be because of Aiden?’
There was no other explanation.
Her hand lowered slowly.
‘It’s that easy?’
The fighting spirit she had when entering the office suddenly faded.
‘Is this good or bad?’
Still, her certificate was approved. One big worry was gone.
‘I’ll just take the benefits. Like this.’
She decided to think positively.
After all, the outcome wasn’t bad.
***
Three days later, the school grew loud.
There were barely any classes.
It was the day of the horse-lance tournament.
Exams had ended recently, so the entire campus felt like a festival.
The sky looked like it might rain at any moment, but from early morning there were drums and flutes playing.
Despite the gloomy weather, students wore school cheering uniforms, blue stars painted on their faces, laughing and moving around in groups.
Sonnet watched the noisy crowd from her dorm room and then looked down at the ticket Aiden had given her.
‘I confessed. It would be strange not to go, right?’
She had declared she was completely in love with him. It wouldn’t make sense not to watch the match where he played as captain.
And she had no classes today.
‘If I don’t go, he’ll suspect me.’
She remembered the sharp look in his eyes when he had asked if she was joking.
It was as if he had been trying to see through her.
If she wanted to interfere with his studies, he needed to be fully invested in this relationship. It was better to eliminate suspicion early.
She was good at concentrating. Maybe she could study even at the stadium.
It was better to study uncomfortably than let her plan fall apart.
Reluctantly, she packed her study materials and left the dorm.
***
The stadium was even louder than she expected.
At least the seats weren’t packed tightly together.
Her seat had plenty of space. She placed her bag beside her and looked down.
The view was surprisingly close to the field.
Strangely, as soon as she sat down, the dark clouds began to clear.
People in the stadium looked up at the sky in surprise.
Among them, Aiden stood out immediately.
His horse was a glossy black, unlike the others.
He wore a uniform today that suited him unusually well.
A black cap with a short brim and a top with a blue star drawn on it matched his muscular build without looking childish.
The tight white pants over his firm thighs and polished brown boots emphasized his noble aura.
His posture was upright and composed, drawing the eye.
He rode aggressively, far ahead of the others.
Everyone chased him, trying to block him, but he was faster.
The small ball seemed to stick to his long lance like a magnet, following precisely before sliding smoothly into the goal.
Cheers erupted. The noise rang in her ears.
The scale and energy overwhelmed her.
She had brought her books to study, but she couldn’t think about studying at all.
She stared at the match as if entranced.
Aiden lightly tapped lances with his teammates and smiled. Under the bright sunlight, he looked like he was shining.
Without realizing it, Sonnet found herself staring at him.
‘He beat someone nearly to death?’
He didn’t look like it at all.
In fact, his reputation was overwhelmingly good.
Unlike hers.
