Chapter 90

Nerys’s tears were dangerous, like shattered glass, and at the same time, dazzlingly beautiful.

Her lips, which had pleaded moments ago, were now firmly shut like a flower bud, but the tears would not stop.
Bathed in moonlight, they glistened like silver threads.

After a moment of hesitation, Cledwyn quietly called her name.

“…Nerys.”

If she was having a nightmare, he wanted to wake her.
He wanted a world where nightmares could never touch her.

But Nerys showed no reaction to the soft call.
Instead, her brow furrowed as if the nightmare deepened.

Cledwyn’s hand moved slowly toward her face.

In the dark carriage, the only light came from the moon outside.
His broad hand, outlined by the moonlight, finally touched the girl’s cheek.

It was as if he had been doused in freezing water.
The warm sensation at his fingertips shook him harder than any trial he had ever faced.

His strong thumb gently, but firmly, brushed away the line of tears.

As his hand lightly traced her delicate jaw and lifted away,

Nerys’s breath-like murmur brushed against his now slightly flushed ear.

“…I knew you would leave…”

“I haven’t left yet.”

Was this sleep-talking too?
Cledwyn couldn’t tell. His ear reddened further at her words.

Her lips curved faintly into a smile.

“Mm… that’s true. You’re still here.”

It was certain. She was still dreaming.
Cledwyn laughed quietly and asked,

“Do you want me to stay?”

Who had appeared in her nightmare?

Who had made her plead through her tears, begging them not to leave?

Nerys didn’t answer this time.
Seeing her smile, Cledwyn decided he didn’t need to wake her.

He leaned back against the carriage seat and whispered softly,

“Whoever it was, they made the wrong choice.
Anyone who would leave you behind needs to re-enroll in the Academy.”

They should start by relearning the basics of being a proper knight.

Cledwyn turned his gaze out the window, lost in thought.
His chest felt tight.

Was there really someone who had dared to leave her?
Or was it just a nonsensical dream?

The spies he had placed around her had never once reported that Nerys had been meeting any man.
He doubted she would have been heartbroken over some foolish boy her age anyway.

But even if it was just a dream—it didn’t matter.
Whatever it took—

‘I’ll tear him apart. Scatter him like seeds.’

While a horrifying murder plot—one that even involved a member of the royal family, though Cledwyn didn’t know it—was quietly forming, Nerys continued her soft, peaceful breathing.

“You must have been really tired.”

He had seen her sleeping face before.

A little girl, fallen asleep over an open book in the library, embraced by the sound of ocean waves—his heartbeat then, and now, was the same.

Even now, the grown-up Nerys still held many secrets.
And even if she woke, he knew he would not receive her answers.

But so what?

Seeing her tears, he felt so helpless—like a clumsy child who didn’t know how to ease her pain.

In his mind, the faceless man who had made her cry in her dreams was torn to shreds.

Even though the dream figure’s features were vague, oddly enough, they resembled Nellusion Elandria.

That damned bastard—Cledwyn knew he had sent jewelry to Nerys.

He had sent the grand, coveted treasures to his sister while giving Nerys a “respectable” but ultimately unimpressive piece.

Today, the jewels Nerys wore had been personally selected by Cledwyn.
Maindulante had its own gem mines, and the finest pieces always passed through Penmewick before reaching the Grand Duke.

Right now, jewels the exact shade of Nerys’s eyes—large, flawless, and brilliant—were waiting for her in the vaults of the Grand Castle.

What kind of idiot chooses a ‘respectable’ yawn for a gift to a woman?

That man was no good.

A smile played at Cledwyn’s lips.

‘Did someone say no one would fall for her charm?’

He could answer that now.
The question should have been, who could possibly resist?

In front of her, even the brightest diamond looked like a dull pebble.

‘It hurts to see you in pain.’

Reality or dream—it didn’t matter.
If the man existed only in her dreams, Cledwyn would make her so happy she’d never have nightmares again.
If someone had actually dared leave her—he would erase them.

They had been apart for a long time.
During his time managing affairs in the Grand Duchy, maybe she had looked at someone else out of boredom.
Maybe his spies had missed something.

But so what?

In the end, there was only one place she would return.

The carriage, having left the lakeside, continued narrowing the distance to Nerys’s dormitory through a few shortcuts.
Finally, they arrived at the old, worn building.

“Careful.”

When the carriage door opened, Cledwyn lifted Nerys onto his back.
The coachman, shocked at the sight, managed to remain composed thanks to his strict training and quietly assisted him.

By the time they reached Nerys’s door, the coachman quickly pulled out a key—stolen from the caretaker’s office—and opened it.

Leaving the coachman to return the key, Cledwyn carried Nerys to her bed and gently laid her down.

Her trembling eyelashes, her cascading, golden hair—

The tightness he had felt since hearing her sleep-talk now filled him with an overwhelming, indescribable emotion.

The slender neck with faint veins, the straight, delicate collarbones, and the shoulders that rose and fell softly with each breath looked as pure and tender as magnolia petals.

The small single bed, already not very large, fit her petite frame perfectly.
Cledwyn gently pulled the blanket over Nerys to keep her warm.
When she, half-asleep, pushed her arms out from under the blanket as if feeling stifled, he smiled without realizing it.

The tightness in his chest eased, wrapped in the subtle scent that filled the room—Nerys’s scent.

Cledwyn lifted her small hand and pressed a soft kiss to her fingertips.

“You’re allowed to be angry at anyone who leaves you behind.”

Because they must be blind fools.

Instead, look at me.

I’m all yours.

So, just a little—may I have just a tiny bit of your now?

Tell me later, when you wake up.

If you don’t want to give me even a moment and want everything back, then no matter what, I’ll return it.

Because to fulfill your wishes, I can do anything.

…But.

“I’ll make sure you never ask for it back.”

Nerys, without frowning, sighed softly like a dream.

As he left the girl’s room, Cledwyn turned back once for a final glance.
He thought fleetingly—it would be better if he just took her away with him now.

Just a little longer. Just a little more patience.

—

“Graduate, Augusta Restin.”

The graduate, flushed with excitement, stepped onto the stage amid applause.
The solemn atmosphere of the auditorium belonged only to the teachers; the students were simply filled with the thrill of a new beginning.

From the second-floor terrace overlooking the scene, Diane pouted in boredom.

For underclassmen, it was still exam season in the early summer weekend.

Graduates were formally stepping out of the Academy today and into high society.

‘When will it be my turn to graduate?’

Diane sighed. It felt endlessly far away, even though it wasn’t.

She knew the real reason why.
Because she wouldn’t be able to sit in the same classroom, eat meals together, or laugh face-to-face with her friend anymore.

As of today, Nerys was officially no longer a student of the Academy.

Unfamiliar graduates took the stage one by one, receiving their diplomas and lining up again.
In their black gowns and caps, from above, they looked like a small wave.

Graduate so-and-so of which family, graduate so-and-so of which family—the names were called one by one, until finally:

“Graduate, Nerys Truydd.”

At the name of the student who had shocked the Academy upon enrollment, the graduates all glanced around.

Many of the linguistics students had shared classes with her and knew her face.
But no matter how they looked, they couldn’t find her distinctive, composed features.

Where is she?
She would be noticeable if she were here—there was no way she could be missed.

Seeing the confusion, Madame Hawkman on the stage announced matter-of-factly,

“Miss Truydd has left the Academy early due to personal circumstances and will not be attending the ceremony. Her diploma will be delivered later.”

At that, Diane, who was here to collect Nerys’s diploma, puffed out her lips and looked up at the high windows of the auditorium.

A clear, cloudless sky. A heartbreakingly beautiful early summer day.

Under that sky, Nerys must be traveling by carriage, heading to become a governess for Madam Kellen’s daughter.

‘She should’ve at least attended the graduation ceremony.’

Nerys had left several days ago.
There had been no choice—something about Madam Kellen’s household situation had required her immediate presence.

They had called for her so urgently. Diane couldn’t help but feel upset.

She knew Nerys hadn’t been particularly fond of the Academy.
But still—it was the place where she had spent all her childhood.
Wouldn’t attending her only graduation ceremony have been a fitting way to end it?

Yet once Nerys made a decision, she never changed it.
Diane had tried several times to persuade her, but in the end, she had to comfort herself with, “Well, it’s not like we’re graduating together anyway.”

Still… it would have been fun seeing Megara Lykeandros’s still-healing face every day.
Though it was steadily improving and would likely be clear again after the break, it would’ve been nice to enjoy those last few days.

Was that a terrible thought?

It was sad, of course, when someone was hurt. It wasn’t something to laugh at. Diane knew that better than anyone.

But remembering how some classmates had mocked her about her injured leg… and who had been behind that…

So maybe, just maybe, it was okay to be a little spiteful.
Maybe it was okay to be a little bad.
Maybe it was okay to feel a little less guilty.

If she confessed this in a temple, she’d probably get scolded. But Diane was serious.
And after all, she wasn’t planning to actually tease Megara openly.

‘Riz.’

The name she wouldn’t be able to call for a while floated up in her mind.
Diane half-heartedly watched the next part of the graduation ceremony.

‘I wish I could talk about silly things like this with you.’

She wouldn’t see her again for a while.

“Next, a speech by the representative of the graduating class…”

The dreams of the graduates floated up into the bright, merciless blue sky.

* * * * * * * *

(T/N: Im back! Lol, kidding. I had a free time so I’m trying to do some TL work. Mind you, we are still not on the regular upload schedule!)