"Eh?!" Selene’s voice shot up so suddenly that it cut cleanly through the room. "Leon’s staying here for the night?!"
The way her eyes widened made it look like she’d just been told sothing unbelievable. Her shoulders stiffened, and she leaned forward slightly, as if she’d misheard and needed confirmation, though the shock written all over her face said otherwise.
"Oh my, it seems Selene is excited too," Juna said, covering her mouth as she giggled softly. Her tone was light, almost teasing, but there was warmth behind it. "Wait here, Leon. I’ll go to the market and get the ingredients. Since you’re here, I want to make sothing special."
"You really don’t have to go that far," I replied, instinctively waving a hand. "I’m fine with anything, really. Whatever you usually make is more than enough."
"Fufufu, but I insist," she said without hesitation, her smile gentle yet firm. "I want you to feel welco. And since you’re soone special to our family now, it’s only natural that I prepare sothing truly special."
There wasn’t a trace of exaggeration in her voice.
She ant every word of it.
And honestly, when soone looked at you like that—like they genuinely wanted to do sothing for you—it was hard to find a reason to say no.
So I didn’t.
When Juna finally turned to leave, she paused at the door and waved at one last ti. The smile she gave wasn’t forced or polite. It was the kind of smile that ca from genuine happiness, like this small mont ant more to her than she let on.
The door closed softly behind her.
"It seems like you got caught in my mother’s web," Zeruel said, her lips curling into an amused grin.
"Hm... I guess I did," I replied, letting out a small laugh as I smiled back at her.
"You two are flirting right in front of ," Selene muttered under her breath. "Hmph. I really wish I hadn’t invited Leon here if you were going to act like that."
Sothing about her tone stood out.
It wasn’t sharp enough to be anger.
But it wasn’t neutral either.
It hovered sowhere in between. It was strained, almost pouty.
Jealous.
And she wasn’t even trying to hide it.
I didn’t say anything out loud, but it would’ve taken a special kind of obliviousness not to notice what was going on.
Selene had a huge crush on .
In fact, calling it subtle would be generous. She wasn’t exactly doing anything to conceal it anymore.
***
Later, Zeruel and I stepped outside for a while, giving Selene so space and using the chance to talk.
The topic naturally shifted to the tournant Myrcella was going to host.
It was only a few weeks away now.
Close enough that it was impossible to ignore.
I had already signed up for it, after all. There was no backing out now.
"What do you think she’s planning with this, Leon?" Zeruel asked as we walked, her tone thoughtful rather than worried.
I let out a slow breath.
To be honest, it wasn’t the first ti I’d asked myself that sa question.
"I’ve already said it before, but I really don’t know," I admitted. "There’s no point in thinking about it too much, though. I think she already has sothing in mind. She wouldn’t host sothing like this without a reason."
"You really trust her, huh?" Zeruel said, glancing at with a soft smile.
"Well," I replied after a brief pause, "I trust all of you."
"Fufufufu, we do too," she said lightly. Then, after a short mont, she looked at again. "By the way, Leon... I’m planning to start a business."
"A business?" I repeated, blinking in surprise. "You’re not going to follow through with becoming a magic knight?"
She didn’t look conflicted when she answered.
Instead, she smiled calmly, as if she’d already co to terms with her decision. "It’s not like becoming a magic knight was ever my real dream. It was just sothing I thought about because it felt practical. If I beca one, I could help my mother financially in the long run."
That explanation made sense.
Magic Knights were known as the most privileged position within the knight system of the Milham Kingdom. For soone struggling financially, it was only natural to aim for sothing like that.
They were paid around two hundred gold coins per month.
Just hearing that number was enough to make most people pause.
An inco like that wasn’t just stable—it was luxurious. Enough to completely change soone’s circumstances, to lift an entire family out of hardship.
That was exactly why Zeruel had aid for it in the first place.
And it wasn’t like she lacked the talent.
Her skills were real. Her swordsmanship alone placed her far above average.
That much had already been proven when she reached the top of the Gold Class almost imdiately.
She’d shown remarkable potential from the start, and even now, as we were finishing our third year and heading into the fourth, she’d managed to hold her position without faltering.
"I see..." I said slowly. "But are you really okay with that? You’ve studied for three years already. In just one more year, you’d be guaranteed to beco a magic knight."
From an outside perspective, it felt wasteful.
But that was just my opinion.
In the end, it wasn’t my life to decide.
"It’s not like I’m dropping out of the academy," she said. "I just... rethought my choice. Instead of becoming a magic knight, I want to be a business owner. If I beca a magic knight, I wouldn’t have much ti with my family. And since the whole reason I wanted that position was to support my mother and my sister, I think it’s better to stay close to them instead."
She paused for a mont before adding, "Don’t you think?"
I did.
Even though graduating from the academy and reaching the Gold Class practically guaranteed a magic knight position, no one was actually forced to take it.
And she was right—being a magic knight ant long missions, long absences, and very little ti at ho.
What she wanted wasn’t wealth or status.
It was to stay with her family.
And she was choosing that over everything else.
"Well," I said, eting her gaze, "if that’s what you want, then I’ll support you all the way."
Her expression softened instantly.
She smiled, not the confident kind she usually wore, but sothing quieter. More sincere.
Then she stepped closer to , closing the distance without saying a word.
And then, we kissed.
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