Edwin walked inside the grand hall filled with students who had gathered for the ceremony. He could see many people staring at him, especially the girls who were whispering to each other in admiration while watching him pass by.
"It's nice being back here," Edwin said with a relaxed smile. "Don't you think so too, Osias?"
"These girls look like they're about to start screaming," the boy beside him muttered irritably. "How annoying."
The boy had deep blue hair and a pair of earrings that reflected the hall's light. He was none other than Edwin's best friend, the son and heir of the Duke of the South.
Osias Rafferty.
"Come on, Osias, don't be like that," Edwin chuckled. "I'm sure they're just excited to be back at the academy."
"Hey! Edwin!"
Both boys turned when they heard someone calling. They saw Penelope and Cecilia approaching.
Penelope had her usual frown on her face, while Cecilia wore her calm and gentle smile. The moment Osias saw Cecilia, some of the irritation on his face disappeared.
"Oh, girls," Edwin said warmly. "What's up? Penelope, you look nice as usual!"
His bright smile made Penelope freeze for a moment before a faint blush spread across her face.
"Ahem… w-why didn't you write back to me during the two-month vacation?" Penelope demanded, folding her arms.
Osias watched the scene with amusement. She actually looks kind of cute, he thought.
"Huh?" Edwin blinked. "Did you want to ask me something in that letter?"
Penelope's eyes widened in disbelief, and she clenched her fists. "Of course, Edwin! That's why I wrote the content in the letter!"
Edwin thought for a moment before smiling again.
"I see. Then how about this? Why don't you tell me now what you wanted to ask? I'll make sure to grant your request."
"Hmph!"
Penelope's anger slowly faded as she saw Edwin's bright and sincere smile. She quickly looked away and folded her arms again.
"Forget it… maybe another day."
"Huh? Oh… okay," Edwin replied, clearly confused.
Osias watched his best friend with a small smirk. He could easily tell Edwin was completely clueless when it came to women or maybe he was just pretending to be innocent. Either way, Osias shook his head. "Forget it," he muttered quietly.
"What about me, Edwin?" Cecilia asked with a soft smile. "Aren't you going to praise me too?"
Edwin immediately clapped his hands together and bowed slightly.
"Sorry, Cecilia, for not saying anything earlier," he said brightly. "You look beautiful as always."
"You're so sweet, Edwin," Cecilia said with a blush, slightly lowering her head and letting her hair shield part of her face.
Edwin laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Why don't we have a rematch like last time?" Cecilia continued eagerly. "I want to fight you again."
Edwin hesitated and subtly stepped back, creating some distance.
"Maybe… another time," he said nervously.
"Hey guys, look! Isn't that Fiora?"
Their attention shifted toward the entrance.
Fiora had just walked into the hall, slowly looking around. The once confident girl now looked exhausted. Dark circles were faintly visible beneath her eyes, and her expression lacked the bright energy she once had.
Edwin immediately noticed. This wasn't the Fiora he remembered.
"Wait a moment…"
Without hesitation, Edwin started walking toward her.
"Edwin!" Penelope called as she followed him, with Cecilia and Osias right behind.
"Hey, Fiora!" Edwin called out as he caught up to her.
The moment Fiora saw him, she quickly hid the sadness in her eyes and forced a small smile.
"Hello, Edwin."
Edwin blinked in surprise. The Fiora who used to joke around with him had greeted him with a cold and distant tone.
"D-did something happen?" he asked.
"Nothing at all. I'm perfectly fine…"
"You're lying!" Penelope suddenly interrupted loudly. "I could tell from the moment you walked in that something's wrong. Don't tell me it's Edsel again! Did he do something to you?!"
"Huh? N-no!"
Edwin now understood everything. Edsel must have harassed her again during the break, just like he always did. He clenched his fist until his veins became visible on his arm. Just like last semester, he would not stop until he taught that bully a proper lesson.
"Wait, everyone, please listen to me. He is not the one who made me feel this way. Besides, we are no longer engaged to each other. We broke off our engagement two months ago," Fiora explained while looking down.
"What?" everyone shouted in unison, completely shocked by the revelation.
"It must have been very hard for you, Fiora. Did he object to the breakup and cause trouble?" Cecilia asked with concern.
"He actually broke the engagement on his own accord without any argument from him." Fiora held her face for a moment before continuing. "Never mind all of this. He did not do anything wrong, so you do not need to confront him about anything." She looked around the hall, trying to find Edsel among the students. "Well then, I will see you all later."
She walked away from the group without looking back.
Edwin was dumbfounded and shocked at the same time by her behavior. She was acting so strangely compared to before. Osias could tell that the news had shocked everyone, especially Edwin. But then suddenly, he felt a pair of huge eyes gazing upon him from somewhere in the crowd. He felt like an ant beneath a giant's gaze.
His body hair rose, and he started trembling uncontrollably. He turned around quickly to find the source of the feeling, but he did not see anything unusual.
"What was that just now?" he muttered under his breath while trying to calm his racing heart.
On the other side of the hall, Edsel was staring directly at Osias and chuckling to himself. Seeing the whole group so surprised and Edwin looking completely shocked left a very satisfying taste in his mouth.
"M-my lord…" Silas suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts. "I just looked through Silas's memories… and you really were a troublemaker like him. You used to act completely on emotion. What caused you to change so much?"
Edsel tilted his head slightly before his expression became serious.
"Alright," he said calmly. "I'll tell you why I changed so much."
Silas swallowed nervously.
"But after hearing this secret," Edsel continued, "your life might be in danger."
"O-okay, my lord…" Silas gulped.
He waited anxiously for the explanation and Edsel spoke one word.
"Game."
Silas blinked.
"Huh? Game?"
"Yes," Edsel replied calmly. "Game."
Silas clenched his jaw, trying to suppress his irritation. Is he messing with me?
"…Never mind," Silas muttered quietly.