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It rained for another two days.

For two more days, Vivian hadn’t seen Kyle.

In truth, it would have been fine to go see him.

If she was this curious about how he was doing, she could have just paid him a visit.

She could sneak into the Punishment Unit quarters and talk to him without the Dubos Young Ladies knowing.

The issue was, she wouldn’t have anything to say once she got there.

She had hardly ever sought him out first.

If there was an occasion, it was probably just to discuss changing meal times.

But now, with the Dubos Young Ladies dining with her, she couldn’t even use that excuse.

In the end, Vivian had no choice but to wait for the rain to stop and for the ladies to leave.

Why did they hide him so closely from her?

Vivian couldn’t figure that one out.

However, knowing that Lani had a huge interest in knights only solidified her feelings.

She knew she couldn’t keep living like this forever.

Someday, when Vivian continued her social activities and eventually attended a ball, Kyle Allen would surely be right by her side.

After all, no matter how she treated him, he was still the eldest son of the Allen Family, a major house in the East Kingdom.

Politically speaking, they couldn’t just completely ignore him or forcibly exclude him from the ball.

Though he might be treated as a hostage, he was still an invited guest.

“Sigh.”

The rain continued to pour today as well.

That meant one thing: she wouldn’t see Kyle tomorrow either.

Even if the rain stopped by dawn, the ground wouldn’t dry quickly enough for the carriage to move.

Vivian didn’t really know why she missed him so much.

The fact that she felt this way made her feel somewhat pathetic.

Could it be because of the memories from the last two years?

Time spent with him had certainly not been idle.

They had faced so many hardships together.

Sometimes they had surmounted challenges with competition, or out of grudges.

Perhaps, during that time, a bond had silently formed.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, Kyle had seemingly become the person Vivian felt most comfortable with.

“…”

Vivian tossed and turned in bed, getting up to clear her head.

Sleep wouldn’t come to her at all.

Wearing her thin nightgown, she stepped out of her room.

Maybe wandering the castle would help her find some sleep.

****

It rained for another two days.

For two more days, I hadn’t seen Vivian.

Well, honestly, I could have gone to see her.

If I was this curious about how she was doing, I should have just visited.

The problem was, I had nothing to say when I got there.

And to avoid her wrath, I’d have to go at least at night… but that was even more impossible.

First of all, she always locked the door at night, plus she had started seeing me as some sort of sexual monster; who knew what would happen if I went over?

The outcome was as clear as day.

In the end, rather than bear that discomfort, I endured thinking, just one more day, just one more day, but this damn rain showed no signs of stopping.

I vented my frustration through training.

As I wrestled all day with Balron, Willas, and Martin, I needed to get out for at least a bit to keep my sanity.

The waterfall-like rain wasn’t going to be an obstacle.

In fact, if anything, I’d consider this rain a refreshing change.

But even amidst all this, something unexpected occurred…

“Ah, refreshing!”

Lani had stuck with me through this torrential downpour for two days.

Was she a thrill-seeker, or did she just enjoy something that felt fresh and free?

The noble young lady was dancing with joy like some country bumpkin, enjoying the rain.

I shouted at her, “You’re going to catch a cold! Get away!”

I had no desire to take responsibility if she caught a cold and started wheezing.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

But Lani pretended not to hear my warning, continuing to circle around me.

Our relationship, which should have ended two days ago, was instead prolonged by the rain.

I found it ridiculous.

The rain wasn’t Lani’s fault, but the reason I couldn’t see Vivian was definitely her doing.

It was annoying that because of this one girl, Vivian was keeping her distance from me.

Sometimes I felt like I just wanted to punch her, but I knew she’d cry if I did, so I couldn’t.

I never imagined that five days could feel this long.

It felt like at least double that amount of time had passed.

Even Vivian’s voice was beginning to fade from my memory.

I swung my wooden sword to clear my thoughts.

-Boom!

Lani came over and started tapping my arm playfully.

With every step she took, the puddles splashed beneath her feet.

“Hey, stop training and let’s just have some fun!”

Despite her cheerful suggestion, I just repeated my earlier words.

“Get away!”

But Lani, as always, ignored anything that didn’t suit her.

“Kyle! What do you think? Wanna dance here with me? Doesn’t it sound romantic?”

She slowly reached out to take my hand.

-Thud!

I roughly shook her off and resumed swinging my sword.

Lani laughed as if she found it amusing.

It was as if she were in some kind of drunken joy.

It reminded me of how my father or his knights acted when they had a few too many drinks.

Lani kept getting closer to me day by day.

On our first meeting, she had only shown me curiosity.

Then in our second meeting, she had become a friend.

By the third, she had shared with me her secrets.

And during our fourth, she persistently asked me about training and I’d shown her some basics.

Now, on our fifth, she seemed oddly excited, continuing to chatter beside me in the rain.

This momentum didn’t sit well with me.

Our relationship felt too rapid and unnatural.

While I swung my sword, Lani suddenly stepped in front of me.

The wooden sword narrowly stopped near her forehead.

“Hey!!”

I exploded, my annoyance surfacing as I yelled.

Still, Lani acted as if she didn’t care at all.

Brushing her wet brown hair aside, she yelled through the pouring rain, “Hey, Kyle! You know what? I actually didn’t believe you were Kyle!”

“…Sigh.”

I let out a sigh, utterly confused.

“You see, I’ve heard that Kyle is quite small. But look at you. You’re so big and, honestly, handsome.”

Rain continuously drenched her face.

She approached me step by step with a bright, beaming smile.

“Totally… manly.”

Lani moved in closer, breaking all boundaries, placing her hand on my chest.

Her palm delivered an uncomfortable warmth to my heart.

I grabbed her wrist and quickly pulled it away, but she didn’t even flinch.

“See? You’ve got massive chest muscles. They show even more when you’re wet.”

Today, her playful demeanor felt strangely sensual.

And that made me feel very uncomfortable.

“Have you eaten something weird?”

She always disregarded unattractive remarks.

“You know, after what you said last time, I did some thinking. But I realized, it wasn’t adventure I wanted… I just wanted to escape my current situation. I hated the thought of being sold off to some strange man.”

Lani still wore a smile, but now there was a hint of sadness in her expression.

She exclaimed more cheerfully, “This memory will definitely last a long time! Playing in the rain with a friend from the East Kingdom will not be easily forgotten.”

“…Sigh.”

I looked at her without any response.

A shallow feeling of empathy slowly rose within me.

Maybe it was because I understood what it felt like to be pulled somewhere you didn’t want to go.

As I maintained my silence, Lani too seemed to run out of things to say and finally fell quiet this time.

She met my gaze without averting her eyes.

In a place where nothing but the sound of rain could be heard, we stood together like that.

Soon, the atmosphere around Lani shifted.

Her expression turned serious; her eyes slightly drooped.

A tense look became evident on her face.

Swallowing hard, she quietly asked, “Kyle, is there someone you like?”

“…You.”

“If not… Please leave me just one more memory.”

Lani approached with a serious expression.

With every step, there was an unusual intensity in her presence.

Her face transformed from that of a girl into that of a woman.

Perhaps because of the heavy rain, the wide training ground felt as if it had turned into our own private space.

In this moment, Lani seemed almost tipsy.

She said, “…Kiss me.”

That sudden request caught me off guard but was somewhat expected after her previous expression.

“Well… On the first day when you protected me from that falling arch, I think I already had my heart somewhat stolen. Just a few days in and that feeling has only grown.”

Though she claimed it was affection, I knew otherwise.

This was merely clumsy lust.

It was the same kind of emotion that boy soldiers had shown to maids.

“I know this is sudden. And I know you don’t have any feelings for me. Nevertheless, I plead with you. Leave me just one good memory. Is it called a fling? I want to experience it just once.”

“…”

“Before I get sold off to someone far in the future… I want to kiss someone I chose myself. That’s how I want my first to be.”

Just like the boy soldiers, Lani and I were now at an age where we were awakening to desires.

As much as I was curious about my changing body, I had newfound interest in the other gender’s body as well.

Lani seemed to feel the same way.

“You’ve never kissed a girl before, right? It would be fun to share that first moment together, don’t you think? Carrying that secret with us until we die.”

Lani began to explore my muscles with her curious fingers, each touch tempting me as she did so consciously yet naturally.

Then suddenly, she drew closer, her breath brushing my skin.

“…If it were you, I think I would be satisfied.”

She moved as if to embrace me.

With her throwing herself completely at me, I felt my heart race without my conscious will.

But in that moment, I instinctively pushed her away.

-Thump.

We were both startled.

My hands had already shoved her shoulders back.

As I felt her warmth slowly fade from my fingertips, a wave of embarrassment rushed in.

My body had moved before I even realized.

Lani blinked in disbelief, staring at me.

A faint mix of hurt and confusion flickered in her eyes.

Seeing that expression, something inside me suddenly burst forth.

“…I do.”

My words felt like a confession tangled with apprehension, lingering in the air.

“…Huh?”

Lani paused for a moment, then asked back.

I continued, not even sure what I was saying.

“…I do.”

But the feelings I had suppressed were now flowing out without me realizing.

“What… are you talking about?”

I wasn’t entirely sure what that feeling was, but my mouth was already speaking it for me.

“…I like someone.”

Perhaps, it was just an excuse to push away the annoying Lani.

“…Kyle.”

In that moment, I doubted my own ears.

A familiar and somewhat longed-for voice struck my ears.

I turned my head instinctively toward the source of the sound.

Red hair.

A breath-taking appearance.

Those shining red eyes even amidst the darkness.

…The very person I had just thought of.

The one I had missed the most over the past five days stood only about ten paces away.

“…Why… are you… here?”

I muttered unexpectedly.

The distance between us felt impossible to bridge.

The sound of the pouring rain was the only thing filling the silence between us.

-Shhhh…

Vivian, clad in her thin nightgown, stood drenched in the rain, alternating her gaze between me and Lani.

She asked, “…W-What are you doing… here?”

Vivian’s anger was so palpable that she stumbled over her words like before.

 

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