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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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The first day of autumn break.
Sepia lay face down on her desk in her dorm room, glancing at her communication crystal. She was debating whether to message Ethan.
Final exams were coming up after this week-long break.
It was time to start studying again. Her grades hadn’t been great in the first semester.
Thankfully, she had managed to secure 15th place overall thanks to her hard work during the final exams. It was all thanks to Vivian.
Vivian had created a study plan for her, given her quizzes, and even graded her essays.
Sepia shuddered to think what would have happened without Vivian.
Her grades would have plummeted, and she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy her summer break.
“I’m bored! What is everyone doing?!”
Vivian was currently busy preparing for the academy entrance exams.
If she weren’t, Sepia would have invited her for tea and a chat.
But Vivian was too talented to be “just a maid.”
She was skilled in swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, hand-to-hand combat, and magic.
Sepia had recognized her talent and encouraged her to apply to Neydia.
‘Vivian must be busy studying.’
Unable to bear the boredom any longer, Sepia picked up her communication crystal. She decided to message Ethan first.
―Ethan! Where are you? What are you doing?
―I’m outside the academy. I have some errands to run.
She was about to ask him what kind of errands, but then she decided to message Tesha instead.
―Tesha! What are you doing? Let’s hang out!
―Sepia! I’m in Northvan! ٩｡•̀ᴗ•｡
It’s autumn break! What are you doing? ｡•̀ᴗ-✧
You’re not already studying for finals, are you?
If you are, I’m going to have to work hard to beat you! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑
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She had sent a one-line message, but Tesha’s reply was twelve lines long. It was essentially a polite way of saying she was busy and would see Sepia later.
Sepia then messaged Anya. There was no reply. She was probably wrestling a bear in the mountains again.
She finally messaged Arthur.
―Arthur, what are you doing?
―I’m on a date! Arianna is glaring at me! Sorry, talk to you later!!!
She could picture Arthur nervously glancing at Arianna in a cafe. Sepia pouted and fidgeted with her communication crystal.
‘Should I call Tia?’
She and Tia had become… friendly, after all their fights and reconciliations.
―Tia, it’s Sepia. What are you doing?
She received a reply a while later.
―Sepia! What’s up?
―Nothing, really. Do I need a reason to contact you?
Why was it so difficult to just ask someone out for tea? Sepia sighed and typed.
―Well, I’m really busy right now.
―Oh, really? I see…
Tia chuckled at Sepia’s disappointed tone. She was currently helping out with the Erze Trading Company’s business.
The once-a-year Neydia Academy entrance exams were a good opportunity for the trading company.
There were always issues with hotel reservations, textbook purchases, and chocolate sales. Tia was gaining practical experience by mediating these disputes.
She was the heiress of the Erze Trading Company, after all.
―Do you know what Ethan is doing?
Tia smiled, reading Sepia’s message. She wanted to go to the Northvan auction with Ethan.
‘Fufu, I’ll let you have this date, Sepia.’
Sepia received a long message from Tia. Ethan was attending the Northvan auction.
Sepia immediately packed her bags and headed to Northvan.
‘Heehee! I’ll surprise him!’
Thankfully, she had a premium membership card for the Northvan auction house. The Logness family had a history of participating in their auctions.
According to Tia’s message, Ethan would also be attending the pre-auction social gathering. So, if she waited for him there, she might be able to see him.
She waited for Ethan in a corner of the banquet hall.
He arrived. He was a bit far away, but Sepia recognized him instantly.
She was about to approach him when she noticed he wasn’t alone.
He was with a beautiful woman. She had blonde hair and striking blue eyes.
‘Ah…’
Sepia hesitated.
They were chatting, and the woman occasionally laughed, her laughter captivating.
‘She must be a hired date.’
It wasn’t uncommon for people to hire companions for social events.
‘I know you’re a man, Ethan. I understand that you have urges. But if you’re going to do that, do it somewhere else.’
She had said that to Ethan after Tesha’s incident in the club room.
But this woman seemed different. She had an air of nobility about her. Sepia felt a pang of jealousy.
She didn’t want to admit it, but it was definitely jealousy.
‘Seriously…’
A man in a black suit approached Sepia.
“Good evening, my lady. It’s an honor to meet such a beautiful woman.”
Sepia glared at him, then forced a smile.
“I have a partner.”
She was telling him to back off. She looked back at Ethan.
He and the woman were walking towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
‘A partner… I want to be Ethan’s partner…!’
Sepia hurried after them, pushing her way through the crowd.
She reached the second floor and saw the blonde woman standing alone in the hallway. Sepia, catching her breath, glared at her.
“My, what a cute girl. Who are you?”
“Where’s Ethan?”
“He went to his room.”
Sepia’s expression softened. But she was still curious. She lowered her voice.
“Who are you?”
“I asked you first, dear. Who are you?”
“Sepia von Logness. The rightful heir to the Logness family, and the future lord of Logness!”
Etidorpha was amused by the girl’s boldness. She was clearly smitten with Ethan.
“It’s not very attractive to reveal everything about yourself so readily.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Remember, dear, a woman is more beautiful when she has secrets.”
The woman leaned closer and whispered in Sepia’s ear.
“If you like him, go and ravish him.”
“R-ravish him?! How… vulgar…”
“Fufu, fortune favors the bold.”
Sepia stepped back and smiled. The woman was still smiling, but Sepia could see through her.
“You tried to seduce Ethan, didn’t you? And you failed.”
“What…?”
Aphrodite was flustered. It was true.
“I had a feeling.”
“…You’re an interesting child.”
“You know why Ethan rejected you? Because he likes me.”
Sepia whispered in the woman’s ear. Ethan had called her cute while she was sleeping.
She might be willing to share Ethan with Tia and Tesha, but not with this… older woman.
“He said I was cute.”
Aphrodite chuckled. The girl was adorable.
All the men she had been with had praised her beauty, not her cuteness.
Cuteness couldn’t compare to beauty.
“Even chicks are cute, dear.”
“What…? What do you mean?”
“I wonder how long that cuteness will last.”
Aphrodite turned and walked down the hallway. She opened the door to room 204 and waved at Sepia.
“Good luck, little chick.”
“Who are you calling a chick?!”
The door closed, and Sepia stood there, fuming. The next day, she was caught following Ethan.
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At a restaurant in Northvan.
Sepia glanced at Ethan nervously. She had so many questions. She looked around the restaurant. There were several couples.
It was a romantic setting.
But Sepia couldn’t focus on the atmosphere. She was too preoccupied with the woman from last night.
But she couldn’t ask him directly. She would have to admit that she had seen him with another woman.
She sipped her water nervously.
‘I… I have to know who she is!’
Ethan was staring at the menu.
“Ethan…”
“Yes?”
“N-nothing.”
She couldn’t ask him. Ethan chuckled, watching her fidget.
It was a warm, gentle chuckle.
Sepia didn’t seem to realize it, but she always acted like this when she had something she wanted to ask but was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
“What is it? Is something bothering you?”
“Well… it’s just…”
“What is it?”
“Who was that woman?”
Sepia quickly added, hoping to downplay her jealousy,
“I saw you with a blonde woman at the social gathering last night. I couldn’t see her clearly, but… I thought it was you, so…”
Ethan paused, as if trying to remember, then chuckled.
“Ah… that woman. I don’t know. She was a stranger.”
There was no point in telling her it was Aphrodite. Sepia wouldn’t know who that was.
Aphrodite was a goddess from another dimension.
Sepia listened as Ethan explained how he had met the woman.
Ethan touched the ring on his finger.
‘Did I meet Sepia because of the Lucky Ring?’
A waiter came to take their order. Sepia fidgeted, then looked at Ethan.
“Sepia, what are you planning to buy at the auction?”
“What? The auction? Oh, just… a few things…”
Sepia smiled awkwardly, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Be careful. I think the auction house is planting shills in the audience to drive up the prices.”
While they waited for their food, Sepia listened to Ethan’s advice about the auction.
He even pulled out the auction catalog and gave her a price guide. He didn’t want her to overpay.
“O-oh… thank you…”
Sepia wasn’t interested. She was more interested in their date.
“You’re going to bid on that teddy bear, aren’t you? You like teddy bears.”
Ethan pointed to a picture of a teddy bear in the catalog. It was wearing a top hat and a monocle.
“A teddy bear? Well, I do like teddy bears, but…”
Ethan seemed to know everything about her likes and dislikes. He even knew she hated toast.
Even Vivian didn’t know that. Sepia had always eaten the toast Vivian prepared for her, hiding her dislike.
‘He knows my preferences better than Vivian…’
He must have been observing her very carefully.
‘How much of his memory did he lose…?’
She could ask the Lemegeton. It could answer three questions truthfully.
Sepia glanced at Ethan. His expression was unreadable.
‘I hope the price of the gem doesn’t go up too much…’
Ethan was lost in thought when he looked up and saw Sepia, sauce smeared on her cheek.
“Sepia.”
“Yes?”
“You have something on your face.”
He handed her a napkin.
Sepia stared at him, flustered.
He was so indifferent, yet so considerate. She had heard of men like that. They were called “bad boys.”
‘A bad boy…!’
She had scoffed when she first heard the term at a social gathering. It sounded so childish.
If you liked someone, you should be honest about your feelings. But Ethan wasn’t like that.
He was elusive, and that made him even more appealing. Sepia wiped her mouth and met his gaze.
His obsidian eyes, his black hair…
‘A bad boy… Ethan is a bad boy!’
Her heart fluttered. She placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm it.
‘He’s so cool!’
She finally understood why girls were so attracted to bad boys.
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