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“Damian Kraus?”

Noel had never seen Elena with such a shocked expression before. Her usually calm face, resembling a serene lake with a gentle smile, was now upheaved as if a rock had been thrown into it, creating ripples and chaos.

For a moment, the ripples settled, and the lake froze over like a glacier. With an icy gaze that Noel had never seen, Elena spoke to her.

“Noel, it’s better if you keep your distance from him.”

“Eh? Why…?”

“Well… it’s obvious it wouldn’t be good for you.”

Elena’s weak answer didn’t satisfy Noel’s curiosity. She couldn’t fathom why Elena reacted that way this time. Instead, it only deepened her questions about Elena.

After all, Damian had a strong reputation among the students of the Department of Knights. Even Reinhardt, who could be deemed the best among the current students, considered him a rival and stayed close by his side.

If there were bad rumors about him, the sensitive kids would surely know, and while there might be admiration and jealousy towards his abilities, nobody spoke ill of him. In fact, to Noel, Damian’s character seemed worthy of emulation, making Elena’s doubts puzzling.

Thinking deeply about Elena’s words, Noel wondered if she had missed something. It was unusual for her to assert herself so strongly about another person. There had to be a reason behind Elena’s words. However, even after reflecting on it, Noel couldn’t reason that Damian’s behavior stemmed from hypocrisy.

“Practice more. You might die like that.”

His words resonated in Noel’s mind from their sparring session. It was a casual remark, yet for some reason, it kept replaying in her thoughts. It wasn’t because she wanted to remember his intent behind those words, it felt like it was etched into her memory because it was the first thing he had ever said to her.

As Noel thought more about Elena’s concern, it felt like her mind was filled with Damian’s voice. Ultimately, she couldn’t reach a conclusion. Although Elena hadn’t commanded her to stay away, Noel wanted an answer. She wanted to know why Elena had said that.

When Noel eventually asked Elena why she voiced such thoughts, Elena seemed like she had something to say but ultimately held back. Perhaps she also sensed the oddity in her behavior and chose to stop discussing Damian.

“Um, it feels strange to suddenly say this. Just forget what I said. If you regard him this way, I must have misjudged him…”

Muttering something she couldn’t understand, Elena abruptly ended the topic. However, she was unaware that such actions only fueled Noel’s curiosity further.

Since Elena wouldn’t explain, Noel couldn’t grasp the reason for her statement, but she did uncover one fact: Elena and Damian knew each other.

The southern and northern regions. How two people from opposite ends came to know each other was unclear, yet it hardly mattered. What was significant was that there had been something between them to elicit such a response from Elena. Noel shifted her focus there.

Though the significance of this fact seemed trivial, it nagged at Noel that there was a connection between them.

She wasn’t sure whether to feel happy about her few friends having this mutual acquaintance. Typically, Noel would think everyone could be friends, but now she felt concerned that Elena and Damian shared a history, and she was relieved their relationship appeared to have a distance.

Since recognizing this change in her feelings would come later, Noel couldn’t notice her atypical thoughts as she brushed them off.

Their conversation ended there, and afterward, Elena never discussed Damian again, but Noel kept her words in mind along with her questions. Her curiosity only deepened when she learned that there were rumors about a possible engagement between Damian and Elena.

When she found out about this, Noel decided to ask Damian. After all, Elena had dodged the question once already, but for some reason, she wanted to hear the answer from Damian this time.

“Wait, why are you bringing that up all of a sudden…?”

“Of course, I’m curious! I just learned that Elena had an engagement partner, and now it turns out to be you, so naturally, I’m wondering what happened. Plus, I thought maybe I could somehow learn about the type of guy Elena likes. Anyway! She never shares stories like this!”

“If that’s the case… I don’t mind telling you, but you’ll probably be disappointed. It’s really nothing special.”

Damian appeared flustered by Noel’s prompt, but unlike Elena, he showed no hesitation about discussing it. After pausing to consider how to explain, he soon opened his mouth.

“The reason we broke it off… no, that sounds off. I should say the engagement didn’t proceed. It was all rather trivial. We had misunderstandings, and that’s how it ended. That’s all there is to it. Technically, it’s correct to say we had no intention of getting engaged prior to the misunderstandings. It was just something our fathers brought up for us to meet. Nothing strange about it.”

Damian’s explanation was simple and clear.

It was merely a typical noble engagement story, and what he recounted regarding Elena was just that. He didn’t elaborate on the misunderstandings, but there was little difficulty in accepting it. From Damian, there was no sense of lingering feelings, making it sufficient for Noel.

“Wow, that really was nothing like I thought.”

“I told you it was nothing. What if you ask and get disappointed?”

After hearing his words, any anxiety Noel had vanished. She mistook it for relief from her curiosity, though she would come to learn otherwise later.

After that, the encounters between Damian and Elena became one of Noel’s favorite forms of enjoyment.

Both were her friends, and she loved spending time with her friends. So even if Elena and Damian didn’t want to meet, they often had no choice but to do so because of Noel.

Every time the two would meet, Elena would naturally be on guard around Damian as if trying to protect Noel, while Damian would wear a wry smile and brush it off. Though Noel didn’t derive happiness from witnessing conflict among others, their dynamic offered her a unique delight.

Was it because she felt she could fulfill the distance between them?

In similar relationship dynamics, she had never felt anything like this, but only with Damian and Elena could she experience such emotions. It was not until later that she realized her relief stemmed from seeing them unable to reach out to each other.

“Damian! After this, could you help me with my posture…?”

“Already? Isn’t it quite a long way from Ruden?”

“One teleportation is enough, so stop complaining and just come! We have to bring some things, haven’t you noted that in the book?”

“How am I supposed to remember all of that… Anyway, fine.”

Yet, before she realized it, the distance between Damian and Elena—once a comforting presence for Noel—vanished on a certain day. She wouldn’t know what brought about that change. It felt as if, without warning, their relationship had grown so close they could hardly recall a time they had bickered.

As time passed, unlike before, it became increasingly common to see them together even in Noel’s absence.

In those moments, Noel saw expressions on their faces she’d never witnessed before. She recognized that the distance she felt was created by her existence. No, could it even be called distance? Noel remained their friend, and they remained her friends. It was merely that Elena and Damian had drawn closer to each other than to her.

What had bonded them so tightly was beyond her understanding. Yet, what she felt was a sense of betrayal regarding the time she had alone before their meeting and the dawning realization that she could no longer find the same joy in watching them.

Elena’s star-like beauty—a sight that had always brought her joy—now felt sharper than any sword. The increasing tales of Elena from Damian turned poisonous, and whenever their gazes met and warm smiles blossomed, Noel felt a pang in her chest.

Only after realizing why it hurt did she understand the truth of her heart.

The feelings she once experienced—bickering among friends—had transformed into something more profound. It was the satisfaction of being able to touch what they could not. And beneath those emotions lay an unacknowledged affection for Damian.

While she might have been delayed in realizing this, she had not been alone in this confusion. It seemed Elena still did not grasp these feelings. So, even while aware of Elena’s sentiments and knowing whom Damian looked at, she acted as she did.

“Damian, would you like to be engaged to me?”

Knowing full well it was a futile insistence.

*

“…It seems that way. Altair asked me to let you know.”

“Okay.”

Noel spoke, swallowing the bitterness that lingered in her throat. She made a half-hearted excuse about Altair to gloss over it, lying to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Even if he discerned her feelings, what more could he do than feel guilty? She didn’t want to burden him.

Damian nodded at Noel’s words and quietly looked down at her. The duel was over; they could have stepped out, but he lingered as if he still had something to say.

Yet whatever that was felt uncomfortable for Noel. She wished he would just step aside; she couldn’t muster the courage to meet his gaze again after briefly facing him. Damian broke the silence once more.

“I’m sorry. I have someone I love.”

Noel looked back at him at that statement. He was still gazing at her.

Understanding whom he spoke of, Noel responded faintly with a smile.

“Yeah.”

 

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