Chapter 13

After that, daily life quickly passed by. Before I knew it, midterm exams were approaching. Honestly, most nobles, including Lilian, didn’t seem too interested in grades, so the midterms didn’t seem to excite them much. But Yulia was different. Even though she would later be recognized as a noble, she was still a commoner, so proving her education was always essential. That’s why she worked even harder on her studies.

“So, Catherine. Can you explain this to me?”

“…Sure.”

“Wait, Yulia. Aren’t you relying too much on Catherine? You should try studying this on your own.”

“Eh. It’s fine like this.”

Watching the two of them running on parallel lines, I propped my chin slightly and looked over the problem. Since Yulia always won their arguments anyway, there was no reason to wait.

Regardless, my schedule had been incredibly tight lately. Part of it was due to the secret guard duty for the princess, which I kept hidden from Lilian, but the biggest time sink was creating practice questions for Lilian’s midterm cramming.

If Lilian found out beforehand, she’d absolutely refuse to study, so it had to be a secret. Because of that, most of my tasks were done while Lilian was studying at the academy, which left me with even less time for laundry, cleaning, and cooking.

No matter what, it was my duty to always stay by Lilian’s side when she was around.

“Then, how about Lilian studies with us too?”

“…Fine, go ahead. I’ll be back soon, so don’t do anything weird.”

“What’s ‘weird’?”

“…You know. That kind of thing.”

With that, Lilian went outside, and Yulia, victorious in their argument, approached me with a bright smile. Hmm, isn’t she a bit too close? Is this normal between girls? For a moment, many thoughts swirled in my head, but I didn’t voice them and instead stepped back a little. Yulia probably noticed she was making me uncomfortable.

“So, how do you solve this?”

But Yulia, effortlessly crushing my hopes, came even closer. She was so close I could hear her breathing, but she seemed completely oblivious, blinking innocently. Eventually, I gave up and let out a small sigh before speaking.

“Here, you substitute this part and move it over here to get the answer.”

At least Apatem Academy’s studies weren’t too difficult. Maybe because it’s first year. The part I was working on was basic linear equations. In Korea, this would be elementary school level.

“Wow, it really works. Thanks!”

“….”

Honestly, I wish she’d step back a bit. I don’t have many memories of my past life, but I was a guy who’d never even held a girl’s hand. So, I had no immunity to girls. If my facial muscles weren’t dead, my face would probably be bright red right now, and I’d be at a loss for what to do.

As Yulia checked the solution, her hand lightly brushed against mine. It felt like a jolt of electricity, and I flinched, pulling my hand away. Yulia just smiled slyly.

“Ah, sorry. My bad.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Ugh, ugh, ugh. Okay. I’m not flustered. It was a mistake. Yeah. But a girl’s hand feels so much softer than a guy’s. Or does it? The only girl’s hands I’ve held are the Young Lady’s and my own. Can I generalize this? Wait, should I consider my hand a girl’s hand? Since my body is female, it’s correct, right?

Gripping my head as if it were about to overflow, I suddenly sat up and then lay down on the bed. Glancing at Yulia, she was completely focused. Hmm, I guess it’s fine to leave her like that for now. Enjoying the rare moment of peace, I closed my eyes and drifted into thought, wondering where Lilian had gone.

#

“Huh?”

A soft breathing sound reached her ears. It wasn’t loud enough to break her concentration, but since all her focus was on Catherine, she immediately put down her pen and approached her. At first, Catherine just closed her eyes and breathed softly, but soon she started breathing regularly, as if she had fallen asleep.

Catherine, lying there without a single frown in her uncomfortable maid outfit, looked like a doll. She resembled something out of a fairy tale, and Yulia cautiously, very cautiously, approached her.

Each step toward the bed felt heavy. It felt like she was doing something she shouldn’t, but it wasn’t like she was doing anything bad, right? Convincing herself with that thought, Yulia stood in front of Catherine’s bed. Looking at Catherine, who was sleeping with her hands neatly folded on her stomach, Yulia’s heart began to race.

What kind of emotion is this? Yulia didn’t know, but she just followed her heart. Catherine’s hands, neatly folded on her stomach, slipped down. Staring blankly at the hands resting on the bed, Yulia slowly, very slowly, reached out toward Catherine’s hand. Her fingertips touched the pale white hand. The calluses on Catherine’s fingertips, from always doing housework, felt strangely pleasant.

Feeling as if she were burning up, Yulia rubbed her cheeks and reached out again. She aligned her fingers with Catherine’s and slowly began to intertwine them. It was a movement akin to animal mating, but Yulia, completely unaware, focused solely on intertwining their fingers.

And so, their fingers intertwined. The heated fingers tightened, embracing each other. As their hands hugged, a tingling electric current ran through them. Overwhelmed by the strange sensation, Yulia quickly let go. At that moment, the door suddenly swung open.

“I’m back— Huh? What were you doing?”

It was Lilian who opened the door and came in. Of course, it was her room, but Yulia was startled and quickly moved away from Catherine’s bed. Lilian tilted her head at Yulia’s reaction.

“Uh, yeah?”

“…Catherine’s asleep? What were you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just my first time seeing Catherine sleep. It’s a bit fascinating.”

Yulia waved her hands hurriedly, making excuses, and Lilian narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“But why is your face so red? Don’t tell me…!”

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Did she get caught? Just as Yulia’s face was about to turn pale again, Lilian suddenly raised her finger and opened her mouth.

“Don’t tell me you’re sick?”

“Huh? Yeah! Ah, I think I have a bit of a fever…!”

“Really? Then you should rest. Here, lie down on my bed.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

Phew. She didn’t get caught. Relieved, Yulia lay down on the bed, and Lilian stood beside her, smiling slyly. Then she slowly spoke.

“I don’t want to share what’s mine with anyone else.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, did you hear that? Sorry. I was just talking to myself.”

“…Yeah.”

For a moment, a chilling feeling washed over her, and when she turned her gaze, Lilian was just smiling slyly at her. Thinking it might just be her imagination, Yulia stared blankly at Lilian, and as if interpreting it somehow, Lilian’s smile deepened.

“Ah, today when I went out, Setra asked to borrow my tea set.”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. That’s what you were talking about.”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

With a sly smile, there was no need to question further, so Yulia just closed her eyes. Closing her eyes, she slowly surrendered to the drowsiness that came over her.

#

“Hmm.”

Seeing Yulia asleep, Lilian pulled the blanket over her and slowly approached Catherine’s bed. “I don’t want to share what’s mine with anyone else.” That phrase had suddenly popped out. It was as if the words had a will of their own, as if they were meant for someone who coveted what was hers.

What exactly was ‘Lilian’s’ obsession? Just because Yulia was standing in front of Catherine’s bed, those words had slipped out. Honestly, it was a bit scary. It was as if her body had moved on its own for a moment.

“Sigh. Should I sleep too?”

Pushing Catherine aside slightly, Lilian crawled into Catherine’s bed. Then she hugged Catherine tightly, like a precious possession. She didn’t know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. Because she’s mine. Yeah. I don’t want her to be taken away, so I’ll keep her in my arms. A voice in her heart seemed to say that.

You don’t want to be taken away either, right? Yeah. Of course. My life has always been about being taken away. So Catherine is ours.

The thoughts in her head wouldn’t stop. She wasn’t that tired, but her mind began to grow hazy. Slowly, as if falling into a trance, she drifted off to sleep. Soon, Lilian slowly closed her eyes.

#

“Hmm.”

Seeing Yulia asleep, Lilian pulled the blanket over her and slowly approached Catherine’s bed. “I don’t want to share what’s mine with anyone else.” That phrase had suddenly popped out. It was as if the words had a will of their own, as if they were meant for someone who coveted what was hers.

What exactly was ‘Lilian’s’ obsession? Just because Yulia was standing in front of Catherine’s bed, those words had slipped out. Honestly, it was a bit scary. It was as if her body had moved on its own for a moment.

“Sigh. Should I sleep too?”

Pushing Catherine aside slightly, Lilian crawled into Catherine’s bed. Then she hugged Catherine tightly, like a precious possession. She didn’t know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. Because she’s mine. Yeah. I don’t want her to be taken away, so I’ll keep her in my arms. A voice in her heart seemed to say that.

You don’t want to be taken away either, right? Yeah. Of course. My life has always been about being taken away. So Catherine is ours.

The thoughts in her head wouldn’t stop. She wasn’t that tired, but her mind began to grow hazy. Slowly, as if falling into a trance, she drifted off to sleep. Soon, Lilian slowly closed her eyes.