All sound vanished, muffled as if swallowed by waterlogged cotton.
The surrounding scenery receded like a low tide, swept away all at once.
The only thing Rine could see was Ludger standing before her—his figure, his gaze, even the movements of his body.
Like a balloon filled to the brim with air.
Sometimes, reality, in its excess, could feel even more dreamlike than a dream.
Rine thought that right now was exactly one of those times.
A state of complete selflessness, so still that she thought she might even hear the sound of a feather falling.
And just as it had begun, the magical time ended quietly and naturally.
“Ah.”
The sounds of the world returned, and color flooded her vision.
The spotlight that had shone on only the two of them vanished, and the entire ballroom, once dim, brightened.
Rine couldn’t help but let out a sigh of regret.
Just a little longer.
Five minutes—no, even a single minute more would be enough to savor this feeling.
But, cruelly, the hand that had rested on her waist slipped away.
A chill and emptiness, far greater than the loss of warmth, washed over her.
Still, she couldn’t cling to him any longer.
She had already pushed the limits of what was reasonable.
“Teacher...”
Even so, she had to ask this.
Her eyes, shimmering with starlight that seemed to spill from her dress, fixed intently on Ludger.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
When she thought about it, it was strange.
There was no reason for Ludger to go out of his way to treat her well.
And yet, he had given her so much—enough that even someone as insensitive as herself could clearly feel it.
But Ludger gave no answer.
Only the faint emotions in his blue eyes, meeting hers, could be sensed.
Why... why are you looking at me like that?
Before she could ask, Ludger slowly stepped back.
And as if to fill the space he left behind, women in dresses swarmed toward Rine.
“Hey, where did you get that dress?”
“Wow, look at the hem. It’s gorgeous.”
“You actually asked Mr. Ludger to dance? You’re amazing.”
Huh? Uh, um?
Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Rine froze, unsure how to respond.
“Wait! Rine is my close friend!”
The sudden interjection from Erendir only deepened the chaos.
And so, in the flurry of voices, Rine didn’t even think to try and stop Ludger as he quietly slipped away through the crowd.
Leaving the noise behind, Ludger returned to the second-floor terrace of the ballroom.
It was then that Selina approached him.
Beside her stood Merilda, her face darker than ever after tasting defeat.
Selina took a big step toward Ludger, the hem of her bright pink dress swaying softly with her stride.
“Mr. Ludger, well done. You were so dashing while dancing, I almost forgot to breathe.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Selina’s cheeks were flushed after watching Ludger dance with Rine.
She had only been watching, yet she’d felt a sharp jolt, as though a current had run across her skin.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t imagined what it might be like if she had been in Rine’s place... but the satisfaction of simply watching was enough to erase any lingering disappointment.
“...I didn’t think you’d dance at an event like this,” Merilda said in a subdued voice.
Ludger lightly shrugged.
“It was the request of the Miss Contest winner. I thought it only proper to grant it as a courtesy to the victor.”
“The victor... yes. And I’m the loser.”
The word “victor” made Merilda’s tone sink even lower.
If left alone, she might very well stay curled up in some corner for the rest of the evening.
“Your friend looks like she could ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) use some comfort.”
Ludger trusted that Selina would be good at that role.
“H-huh?”
Selina froze as Ludger passed her by.
She had been planning to ask him for a dance herself, even if it was only as the second partner, but of all times, Merilda’s sore spot had to be struck here.
In the end, as Ludger walked away, Selina, making a face close to tears, moved to Merilda and hugged her tightly.
“I-it’s okay, Miss Merilda! You’ll have another chance next year! You have the charm of maturity, after all!”
“...Right. The only thing I have that’s grown is my age.”
“T-that’s not what I meant...”
Merilda sank deeper into self-pity, while Selina broke into a nervous sweat trying to console her.
Leaving the two behind, Ludger stepped out onto the outdoor terrace.
The hot air of the ballroom was gone, replaced by a cool night breeze that pleasantly brushed against his face.
When he looked up, the sky seemed especially clear tonight, with a few stars visible.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the beauty of Rine’s dress.
“So. Did you follow me here because you had something to say?”
As he murmured, a new figure appeared in the outdoor lounge.
Ludger turned, leaning his back against the railing.
Freuden Ulburk.
One of the few who knew about his past—and a brat who was openly hostile toward him.
Freuden stared at Ludger with an impassive expression, but he couldn’t hide the storm of emotion in his eyes.
Naturally, Ludger read that emotion, though he didn’t bother to provoke it.
He simply regarded Freuden with calm, sunken eyes.
Freuden flinched slightly.
Against the backdrop of the night sky beyond the terrace, there was something about Ludger’s presence that was hard to put into words.
Still, Freuden was not someone who would back down easily.
The wolf of House Ulburk had been trained never to yield.
Ho...
Ludger’s face showed a faint trace of interest at the young man’s refusal to be cowed.
Even when he had been completely green, Ludger had sensed it—there was potential here.
The most noble of nobles, one might say.
At the very least, he had a pride that was worlds apart from the bluster of other so-called aristocrats.
“So, what’s your business?”
“You’re really asking that as if you don’t know?”
A crease formed on Freuden’s brow.
“You’re the one who got Rine that dress, aren’t you?”
He was already certain of it.
If it hadn’t been Ludger, there was no way Rine would have kept glancing his way all evening.
“Yes. I arranged it for her,” Ludger admitted without hesitation.
“Does that bother you?”
“Think about what you did to Rine. Do you really believe this kind of behavior is acceptable? Or have you forgotten what happened that day?”
“...”
Ludger stayed silent, which only made Freuden’s anger flare.
“Let’s say it’s a coincidence you came here. But why do you keep approaching her? If you had any conscience, you would have avoided her altogether.”
“So even being kind is wrong now?”
“When an enemy treats you kindly, it’s the same as mockery. Especially when the one who knows the truth does it to a victim who has forgotten the past.”
Normally, Freuden would have left it at that warning.
But not tonight.
He hadn’t shown it outwardly, but in his heart, he had already cut Ludger to pieces several times over.
“Leave quietly. Or tell her the truth. If you really care about her.”
“...”
“What, you can’t? Then are you saying you’re treating her well out of guilt for what happened?”
“...”
“Say something, damn it!”
Freuden strode forward and grabbed Ludger by the collar.
“Is it that fun to toy with someone’s feelings?!”
“You brat...”
The voice was low and heated, like something boiling up from deep underground.
Ludger’s hand clamped tightly around Freuden’s wrist.
“What do you know to be spouting such nonsense?”
A crushing force bore down on his wrist.
Freuden winced from the pain, but he didn’t look away from Ludger.
That was his pride—both as a noble and as a man.
“You say you care about Rine and think about her so much... but what do you actually know about her?”
“What?”
“You don’t. You’re just a young wolf who still knows nothing. That’s why you can bark so loudly.”
“...What the hell are you talking about?”
“Rine is terminal.”
At those words, Freuden’s expression twisted in shock.
He stared at Ludger with eyes full of disbelief.
“...Don’t lie to me.”
“This is why you’re still a brat. You don’t even know how bad her condition really is. Have you heard anything about her mana?”
“...Only that it’s Non-Attributed Mana.”
“If you can hear that and still react this way, then it seems you don’t actually know the properties of Non-Attributed Mana.”
Ludger brushed Freuden’s hand away.
Freuden had no reply.
“Rine’s mana will, as it grows, gradually destroy her body. The vessel of flesh simply can’t endure the excessive power. If she can’t find a way to expend it, it will eventually kill her.”
“...”
“On average, the lifespan is around twenty-five. Even in rare cases, they can’t live past thirty. And even that life comes with suffering so great that death would be a mercy. A mother who loves her only daughter might choose the extreme path of suicide.”
“...!”
Freuden sucked in a breath at Ludger’s final words.
“You asked what I know? I know everything—the truth of that day, why it happened, and I’m still searching for a new truth. A way to solve the symptoms of Non-Attributed Mana.”
Ludger’s voice, which had been rising slightly, cooled with a quiet sigh.
“...I’ve been searching all along.”
“...”
“And you? What have you done? You’ve buried yourself in only the surface of the truth and stayed there, acting on pure emotion. What can you do like that?”
In that moment, Freuden had no answer—neither a rebuttal to being called out by the man he hated most, nor the ability to simply accept the truth for what it was.
“Why.”
Freuden’s pupils shook violently.
“Why didn’t you say anything if you knew?”
“This is why you’re still a brat. If I said it, would anything change?”
“What?”
“Then let me ask you. Now you know the truth. Whether you believe it or not is your choice—but if you truly believe it, what will you do? Tell Rine the truth and promise to cure her?”
“Of course I—”
“And how will you do that? What about the nonexistent research on Non-Attributed Mana? You think you can solve in your lifetime what has gone unresolved for generations?”
If it were possible, it would have been done long ago.
“You are the pillar of one of the Empire’s Three Ducal Houses. Can you honestly say you’d move for purely personal reasons? For a mere commoner girl?”
That last line struck Freuden the hardest.
Ludger was right.
Though he’d thought vaguely that he had to help Rine, he had never been prepared to throw his entire house’s resources into it.
But this man...
As much as he hated to admit it—Ludger would use everything at his disposal to change Rine’s fate.
“If you’re a brat, then act like one. Stay out of the affairs of adults.”
Ludger’s words were cold and cutting.
He knew Freuden had feelings for Rine.
But at the end of that path waited only tragedy.
It was better, he thought, for her to remain ignorant until the end.
So, you found out anyway.
Even so, it didn’t matter.
If breaking this brat’s will required this, it wasn’t a bad method.
Now that he’d been made to know his place, if he had even a shred of sense, he’d give up on his own.
However—
Ludger had slightly underestimated the kind of person Freuden was.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
At the words, spoken almost like a declaration to himself, Ludger’s eyebrow twitched.
The atmosphere of the boy he’d expected to crumble and despair shifted—just a little.
“I said I’ll do it.”
“Are you serious?”
“I told you. I’ll do it. I never take back what I’ve said.”
Freuden’s eyes burned into Ludger’s, unwavering now.
“You called me a brat? I’ll admit that much. You’re right—I’m still lacking. So I’ll move in my own way, as a brat.”
“...”
“And I’ll beat you to it, just to prove it.”
Freuden’s response was something Ludger had not anticipated.
But the resolve burning in his eyes, the fierce determination in his voice—
There wasn’t a trace of falsehood in it.
So he wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill brat who only opposed me for the sake of it.
Still... perhaps it was because he was a man.
“Do as you like. Brat.”
In that case, he’d accept the challenge.
Ludger smirked at him, then turned back toward the ballroom.
Freuden stood where he was, staring up at the night-soaked sky.
But in his eyes, the fire burned hotter than ever—
Even if it meant burning his whole body away.
Just as he was about to head back in, Freuden came face-to-face with Flora Lumos, who was entering.
“...Flora Lumos.”
They weren’t close, so he was just going to walk past her—when she spoke.
“You’re a hotter-blooded man than I thought.”
“...”
He stopped.
“...Were you eavesdropping?”
“Unintentionally.”
“What, here to offer comfort?”
“Comfort? Me? Ha!”
Flora snorted.
“As if. I was just surprised. I didn’t think you’d be that into this Rine girl. Honestly, I never imagined you liking anyone at all.”
“And you? Didn’t you follow Ludger Cherish all the way here?”
The two of them locked eyes.
Their gazes were far from friendly, but there was a faint trace of shared understanding between them.
Flora smirked.
“I’m not worried.”
“...You’ve changed.”
“Something happened to make me. You can’t act like a child forever.”
“...I see.”
Muttering that, Freuden started walking again—leaving behind one last remark.
“I’m the same.”