Anita took a step backward and felt something hard against her back.

‘Is that a wall?’

Bending her arm to feel the wall, the sensation was odd. It felt smooth, and there was warmth…

“Edmund.”

“Ah!”

A whisper flew into Anita’s ear. Startled, Anita jumped, almost fainting. Then the wall moved.

“Ouch… You don’t have to step on my foot.”

“W-who are you? Aren’t you supposed to tell me you’re behind me?”

Anita, still trying to calm her racing heart, turned around. Anita went white as soon as she realized that what she thought was a wall was the bare chest of a man she’d never seen before.

“I saw a new student backing away, so I was watching to see how far you’d come. Forgot I had to avoid, what was that about?”

“…Pardon?”

“I just wanted to kindly inform you that my name is Edmund, the ‘wall’ you were feeling around.”

He rubbed his forehead as if in pain, shaking his head. Anita, now less confused, regained her composure.

The man was tall enough to rival Rutger’s stature, Anita had to tilt her head quite a bit to look at him.

“Leaving that aside, why did you run all the way here? Did you steal money?”

It was dark, so she couldn’t see the man’s features. All Anita could make out about him in the dark was that he was about a head taller than she was and that he was playful because of his teasing tone.

Did she steal money…

“No, it’s not that. Um, and if you don’t mind me asking, could you tell me where the exit is around here?”

She hadn’t planned on being stuck here all day. By now, Rutger might have given up on searching for her.

“I don’t know.”

“Aren’t you a current student?”

“What made you think that?”

“Well, a freshman doesn’t refer to another freshman as a freshman; Plus, speaking casually comes naturally.”

Edmund made a “hmmm” sound and then hesitantly opened his mouth.

“That’s true. I’m a third year. But your second reason is wrong, I speak casually because I’m a noble.”

“…….”

“Don’t look at me like that. Even in these times, nobles still exist. Despite the rise of gentry and factories, nobles haven’t just disappeared. Of course, we’re a bit outdated now.”

Anita quietly nodded, unsure of what to say in response.

A few moments of silence passed, and Anita’s thoughts drifted to how the man could possibly know that I nodded in the dark.

“I see.”

“But why were you running away? I’m the student council president, for crying out loud. The suggestion box was closed recently because students just played pranks. This is your last chance to tell me?”

“What?!”

The student council president? Anita suddenly second-guessed whether she heard correctly. It wasn’t the idea of encountering the student president within the campus that startled her; it was something else.

On the first day at school, the man who was giving a speech to the new students then and the person here were the same person…

“Are you kidding?”

“What? Why would I?”

A flicker of memory passed through Anita’s mind: On a clear afternoon during the matriculation ceremony, a golden-haired man appeared on the stage.

 His hair is a bright lemon-colored blond swayed around his shoulders, and his silver-rimmed glasses sparkled in the sunlight.

His crisp white suit and dark wine-colored tie make him look like a prince of some distant kingdom.

A few of the girls standing next to Anita giggled and blushed.

“…….”

The person from that time is this person…

It’s unreal to think that the handsome, princely man that Anita has spent half her life looking at, the man that most men don’t even look at, is the same man who looks like he’s lacking somewhere.

“Well, I suppose I can understand your feelings. My grandfather keeps yelling at me to shut my mouth and live a little.”

“That speech was really impressive back then.”

Anita replied kindly as it was her first meeting with Edmund and she didn’t want to be rude.

“I didn’t write it, There’s a vice president named Lise, she wrote it, and  I just read it out line by line. I didn’t feel like memorizing the speech, so I just went up there. But Lise had already written it on the lectern.”

‘Well, that person is really good.’ Along with the excited voice from the side, and the image of the student council president that remained in Anita’s mind shattered and flew away.

“Let me give you some advice. Instead of tipping your head obviously, try pretending to brush your hair aside… But why were you being chased?”

Half-distracted, Anita unconsciously responded to his question.

“Oh, I wasn’t being chased. It was someone I didn’t want to encounter… huh?”

Before Anita realized it, the conversation had changed. Realizing that she had been caught off guard, Anita clamped her mouth shut like a clam. But Edmund, seemingly confident that he had already figured out the situation, spoke nonchalantly.

“Alright, I can help if that’s what you need. If it’s not a money issue. I’m a great snoop right now.”

Oh, okay.

Unwanted pieces of information kept flowing, making Anita feel disoriented.

“Just trust me.”

“Hahaha….”

With one last soulless laugh from Anita, they stepped out of the darkened building and into the sunlight. As Anita struggled to see, squinting against the light suddenly entering her eyeballs, Edmund whispered to her.

“Can I borrow your shoulder?”

“Yes?”

At that moment, what seemed like Edmund’s arm wrapped around Anita’s shoulder.

“Is that him?”

The sound of heavy footsteps began to echo in her ears. Anita was still blinking her stinging eyes, so she couldn’t see the face of the approaching person.

Anita finally opened her eyes and, at the same time, felt Edmund’s arm pulling her close.

“Rutger….”