The sun was setting on the mountain, turning the world dark.
Students, their faces bathed in relief, began to make their way off the mountain.
They were the ones who had survived the day, not falling to elimination.
To them, just enduring till the end felt like a victory.
Some bore low scores, but the joy of surviving outshone their disappointment.
Their faces were lit with smiles as they descended, all except for one individual, who limped painfully down the trail.
"Ugh..."
That person was Rie, her condition deteriorating by the minute.
"Luna... Where's Luna..."
Staggering, Rie scanned the area for Luna, or rather Ena, who should have been by her side.
But Luna's group had already made their way back to the academy, far from the practice field.
"Uh... Ugh..."
The sight of the usually composed and confident Rie, now in a pitiful state, drew the attention of her fellow students.
One male student hesitantly approached her.
"Are... you okay?"
"Get lost..."
"What?"
"I said, get lost..."
Rie spat out the words with a scowl.
Even if Rie was overflowing with lust right now, she hadn't lost her mind.
It's just that she dealt with things that she would normally deal with softly in a rather sharp manner.
As Rie stumbled onward, she ran into the last person she wanted to encounter.
"Oh, Rie. You made it through."
Rudy greeted Rie with happily, but seeing him appear out of the blue, Rie couldn't help but scream.
"No... Don't come! Don't come! Don't come!"
Rudy watched her outburst, his face etched in confusion.
Meanwhile, Rie's mind started racing.
'Why is he here!'
As her thoughts whirled, her physical condition took a turn for the worse.
Her body heated up at Rudy's sight, making it hard for her to even control her expressions.
Doing her best to avoid Rudy's gaze, she stole a quick glance at him, only to find his face inching closer.
"Don't, don't come!"
"You... approached me."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Rudy's statement, laced with confusion, made Rie assess her position.
'Did I... move?'
Realization dawned on her.
She had unknowingly drawn closer to Rudy.
She was losing control over her body, her legs taking her right up to Rudy.
"Huh?"
Her mind stopped racing and just gave up on thinking.
She just moved on instinct.
"Hey, hey! What... What's happening!"
"Uh...!"
Ignoring Rudy's startled yelps, she wrapped her arms tightly around his body.
"Hehehe..."
Her face buried in his body, she laughed goofily.
"You've gotten a lot stronger..."
Her hands explored Rudy's body as she held on to him.
"Hey! Have you lost it? You, hey! Hey!"
Rie's hands roamed across Rudy's back, stomach, and even his chest.
"Hehehe...."
'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.'
Rudy's name echoed continuously in Rie's mind.
Having examined Rudy's body thoroughly, Rie tilted her head up.
She was met with Rudy's face.
"Hehehe... Nice blond hair, just like mine..."
"Hey!!!"
Rie reached out, her fingers entwining with Rudy's hair.
Then she saw Rudy's lips...
She slightly closed her eyes and was about to stand on her tiptoes.
"Enough."
Suddenly, Rie felt someone grabbing the back of her head and pulling her away.
"Huh? What... Who... Who is this..."
She spun around, her eyes meeting the person who'd intervened.
"Ah... Astina...!!"
Astina was holding her as she thrashed around.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Rudy!!! Rudy!!! Help me!!!"
Calling out Rudy's name, Rie writhed in Astina's grasp.
Astina let out a sigh and glanced at Rie.
"How much will you regret this when you recover..."
"Rudy...! Help me...!"
Rie's plea was like a kitten mewling for its mother's aid.
Rudy was left unsure, not knowing how to react to Rie's behavior.
Should he intervene since Rie was asking for help, or should he trust Astina who was the one holding her back?
"She's not in her right mind because of some odd medicine. You shouldn't worry."
"Oh... okay."
With Astina's words, Rudy awkwardly nodded, a strained smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Rie whimpered in a heartbreaking tone, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Rudy...!!"
Rie was led away by Astina, her sobs trailing behind them.
Exhaling in relief, Astina muttered to herself.
"That was a close call."
The next day.
"Uh... my head...."
Rie groggily sat up in bed.
Her head was throbbing with pain.
"Huh... Rie, are you awake?"
"Who...?"
Rie turned to the source of the voice, a familiar face greeted her.
"Ena?"
A woman with a comforting smile was seated by her side.
It was Ena.
"How do you feel?"
Ena extended a warm cup of tea towards Rie.
"Huh? Well... my head's a bit sore, but other than that, I think I'm alright..."
Rie accepted the tea, her face etched with confusion.
"I'm sorry about yesterday... I didn't realize the potion would affect you so intensely."
Ena offered her apologies to Rie.
"No, it's okay, considering the circumstances..."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Rie brushed off the apology with a casual wave of her hand.
Her mind soon wandered off.
She mulled over what attitude she should take.
She was the one who had defeated Luna.
It'd be dumb to assume Ena held only goodwill towards her.
Moreover, her interactions with Ena were minimal compared to Luna.
She had only seen Ena and Luna talk from a distance.
So, what attitude should she take?
Rie always wore a mask.
She had dropped that guise long ago around Rudy and Locke, and even to Luna, she had shown a glimpse of her true self.
But she was wondering whether she could show herself to Ena or to keep their relationship strictly professional.
While Rie was lost in her thoughts, Ena gingerly spoke up.
"Do you... remember what happened yesterday?"
"...Yesterday?"
Rie tilted her head.
Yesterday...
She remembered everything up until the announcement of the joint practical's completion.
And... how she frantically searched for Ena while descending from the mountain.
People tried to approach her, and she became irritable...
Irritable?
Now that she thought about it, she was perpetually irritable...
"Ah...!"
A certain 'incident' suddenly flashed into Rie's memory.
She had rushed into Rudy's arms the moment she spotted him... and...
"Ah...! Ah!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The sheer embarrassment caused Rie to clutch her head, screaming.
Her face flushed beet-red, she was at a loss for what to do next.
"I, I, I've lost my mind...!!!"
As Rie spiraled into panic, Ena soothingly patted her back.
"No... I'm sorry... I felt terrible the moment I found out..."
Ena continued, squeezing Rie's hand sympathetically.
"I'm truly sorry... You could have been attracted to someone else in the academy, yet you ended up in the arms of someone you're not particularly fond of..."
At Ena's words, Rie was taken aback.
"Uh..."
Disagreeing would create issues, as would agreeing.
Rie was somewhat aware of her feelings for Rudy, though she was reluctant to acknowledge them.
But, she didn't want to confess these feelings yet.
If Rudy were to express his feelings for her, she thought she might consider it.
However, to confess first... Rie's pride wouldn't permit it.
"Umm..."
Rie merely pouted, not replying to Ena's statement.
She was adamant about keeping her feelings a secret, not just from Rudy but from everyone.
However...
'Huh?'
Ena noticed something strange in Rie's reaction.
The awkwardness she felt was because she didn't know Rie very well.
Rie always appeared confident and natural in front of others.
This awkward side of Rie was something Ena wasn't used to, and it made her uneasy.
Ena cautiously spoke up again.
"You're a princess... You'll have numerous responsibilities, including marriage and other matters... You'll have to be very mindful of them."
"That...is true?"
"Then I'll tell Rudy. Rie will never!!! never!!! have such feelings, so don't misunderstand. And I'll tell him to stop the other kids from spreading strange rumors."
"No, no, no!"
Rie hastily waved her hands, flustered at Ena's suggestion.
"Huh? Why?"
Ena looked at Rie, her expression innocent.
"That... If you say that, wouldn't Rudy feel embarrassed? No... why would Rudy be embarra... no, that..."
Though Rie didn't want to confess her feelings to Rudy, she was curious if he might have similar feelings for her.
A subtle desire to see Rudy's reaction to this started to seep in.
However, if she told him that outright, wouldn't she be shutting the door on any potential development with Rudy?
With Rie's gaze darting around in disarray, Ena flashed a knowing smile and threw out a question.
"So? What are you trying to say?"
Rie blushed at her words.
"Huh? That's right! Oh! You're right! I'll tell you! It was my mistake and I should explain and apologize myself! I'm not a kid!"
She latched onto that question like a drowning person clutching at a lifeline.
However, that lifeline was nothing more than bait on Ena's fishing line....
'This is a serious matter...'
Ena rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Until now, Rudy had been consistently overlooked at the academy.
Everyone turned a blind eye to Rudy, dismissing him with scorn.
Except Luna.
She admired Rudy, respected him, even adored him.
Ena assumed Luna was the only one who felt this way.
No one had challenged that assumption until now.
However, seeing the situation at hand, Luna wasn't alone.
The first princess of the empire!
The heir!
That person likes Rudy.
'Since when...'
Ena racked her brains, but the answer eluded her.
The students of the academy, and others, were unware of the dynamics within the school.
Everyone believed that it was Astina who had come to Rie's rescue.
No one could have imagined that Rudy was the true hero behind the scenes.
'How to handle this...'
Indeed, the usual authoritative image of Rie, who appeared to rule over everyone, was absent.
Only the shy countenance of a smitten girl was on display.
If Rie intended to exploit Rudy for political gains, it might have been okay.
Judging from Rudy's behavior so far, he seemed immune to such manipulations.
However, the affection of a bashful girl was not something Rudy would easily overlook.
'Luna... We have a serious issue on our hands...'
Thinking of Luna, Ena sighed and changed her expression.
First, she needed to get out of here.
"Then, I should get going! I've already administered the antidote and other medications, so you should recover quickly! Let me know if anything changes."
"Uh...yes! Thank you!"
Rie exhaled in relief, watching Ena depart.
"A tough kid to deal with..."
If it had been a discussion about work or politics, she wouldn't have felt so flustered.
Yet, having Rudy involved had left her flustered.
"Ugh..."
Rie then curled up, gripping her stomach.
"Warm..."
And she remembered the time she was in Rudy's arms.
"......hehehe."
Rie's expression softened, replaced by a foolish smile that no one had ever seen before.
