Unnoticed by them, someone is watching Zeff and Vichel’s first date from afar. Jacelin — dressed entirely in dark clothes on purpose — blends easily into the night and the crowd around her.

  “They seem to be doing fine, but I’m still worried.”

  With a look of curiosity mixed with concern, Jacelin keeps secretly tailing Zeff and Vichel from behind. She quickly hides behind a decorative pillar when the two stop for a moment to pick which food stall to visit.

  Her sneaky behavior draws odd glances from passersby nearby, but Jacelin seems unaware that she’s becoming the center of attention—including for one young man.

  “Lady Lurca?”

  That greeting breaks Jacelin’s focus. She immediately turns toward the voice and finds Tseryo staring at her in surprise.

  “Young Master Lavrel?”

  Zeff senses something strange and glances back. But he doesn’t spot any familiar face.

  It turns out Tseryo has already been pulled by Jacelin into hiding behind a thick shrub.

  “Huff, that was close…” Jacelin exhales in relief.

  But Tseryo looks uneasy.

  “Lady Lurca…” He raises the arm still firmly held by Jacelin.

  Only then does Jacelin realize and quickly lets go.

  “S-sorry…! I pulled you here on reflex so we wouldn’t be seen.”

  “Not be seen?”

  Curious, Tseryo peeks out from behind the shrub. His eyes immediately catch sight of Zeff and Vichel happily tasting food at one of the stalls.

  “You’re spying on Zeff Lou Roan and Vichel?”

  “Ah, I don’t mean anything bad. I’m just worried about their first date.”

  “Date?”

  Jacelin suddenly realizes who she’s talking to.

  “Ah, right… Tseryo has always been so kind to Vichel. Maybe he has feelings for her. I’ve let it slip…”

  “They like each other? Interesting.” Instead, Tseryo shows an eager expression. “Do you mind if I join you in spying on them?”

  Jacelin looks at him in surprise.

  “Ah, they’re heading the other way—come on, Lady Lurca!”

  Now it’s Tseryo who’s fired up about spying on Zeff and Vichel. Jacelin is still bewildered, but she ends up following him anyway.

  The two of them stop at another hiding spot where they can watch Zeff and Vichel’s movements without being noticed.

  “I didn’t expect Vichel to like a guy like Zeff Lou Roan.”

  “Y-you… are you really fine with their relationship?”

  Tseryo turns to her in surprise at the question. “Why would you ask me that, Lady Lurca?”

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  “I’ve noticed you’re always kind to Vichel, so… I thought maybe… you like her.” Jacelin voices her suspicion with hesitation.

  “Don’t I treat everyone kindly?”

  “Oh please, this is not the time to compliment yourself.”

  Tseryo lets out a soft chuckle. “Your assumption is too much, Lady Lurca. I don’t have that kind of feeling for Vichel.”

  Tseryo’s gaze returns to Zeff and Vichel, who are still happily sampling the food. A gentle smile forms on his face.

  “Vichella Arleith… she’s like a younger sister to me.”

  Jacelin is left stunned. Tseryo continues, his eyes filled with warmth.

  “Ever since I was young, I always wished for a little sister, and… I almost had one.”

  “Almost?” That single word only deepens Jacelin’s curiosity.

  “I was 7 years old at that time, and my mother was 8 months pregnant. I was so happy because soon my sibling will be born and I will become an older brother. Whether the baby is a boy or a girl doesn’t matter. But still, I hope my mother will give birth to a baby girl.”

  Tseryo’s face grows shadowed as he continues his story.

  “That happy day would have surely come, if only… the Cranoa mages hadn’t appeared.”

  “It was as if they had already learned that Duke Lavrel was away from the estate. They emerged through a red portal, like a houl portal, and stormed straight into the chamber of secret documents. My mother was there at the time.”

  “Even though their attack was stopped, the shock my mother suffered caused her to miscarry. The baby in her womb could not be saved. When she was delivered, the baby was no longer alive—and it was a baby girl.”

  The great disappointment Tseryo suffers back then never seems to fade even now.

  “Mage Cranoa, I will never forgive them.”

  For a moment, Tseryo’s usually calm and friendly aura turns cold, filled with hatred. It is the first time Jacelin sees such a scary side of him, and her body shudders. But Tseryo realizes he is not alone, and at once his demeanor shifts back to the friendly self she knows.

  “Forgive me, Lady Lurca. I have made you listen to such a dark story.”

  "Ah, it’s okay. I … can understand your feelings when you lost your sister."

  "It’s all in the past."

  Tseryo takes a breath for a moment before continuing his story.

  “In my first year at Verlyn Academy, I meet Vichel during a sparring match between classes. We face each other in the training arena. Vichel is very determined and so serious about wanting to keep getting stronger. She loses to me in the arena, but afterward, she asks me for guidance.”

  In those early days of the first year, after losing to Tseryo in the sparring arena, Vichel immediately goes down to approach him among the other Karsh students who are crowding around to praise the young master.

  “Your moves are very effective and efficient, how do you do them?”

  Meanwhile, the other students around Tseryo glance at Vichel with scorn, thinking she is just trying to get his attention. But in Tseryo’s eyes, Vichel doesn’t look like that at all. The blonde girl he has just met speaks with pure admiration from her heart.

  Tseryo gives a faint smile.

  “I can give you some guidance if you’re willing.”

  Vichel’s eyes immediately light up with joy.

  “Of course! I’m willing!”

  “In that case, I’ll be waiting for you this afternoon in the training hall.”

  That’s how their training together begins, giving Tseryo the chance to get to know Vichel better.

  “Vichella Arleith, she is an honest and innocent girl, without a trace of manipulative nature in her.”

  Sometimes, while studying in a classroom on the second floor, Tseryo deliberately chooses a seat by the window so he can watch Vichel training in the field with her classmates.

  “The more I get to know Vichel, the more I feel … if my little sister were alive, she would surely be like Vichel.”

  Tseryo honestly expresses what he feels about Vichel, his calm gaze and gentle smile showing it all—the feelings of an older brother toward his younger sister.

  Jacelin feels uneasy after realizing how Tseryo truly feels about Vichel.

  “I’m sorry, I misjudged your attention toward her.”

  “It’s alright. Vichel and I don’t share any blood relation, so it’s natural for others to misunderstand my concern for her.”

  “I also join the battlemage competition this year because I can’t accept seeing Vichel thrown out of the arena by Zeff Lou Roan last year,” Tseryo says casually.

  Jacelin is surprised. “You go that far just to stand up for Vichel? But in the end, both of you are defeated by Zeff.”

  “What can I say, he really does have more experience fighting in the arena.”

  “But now it seems you don’t mind seeing them on a date. You’ve already approved your little sister’s relationship with a guy you don’t like,” Jacelin teases playfully.

  Instead, Tseryo looks thoughtful as he keeps watching Zeff and Vichel.

  “That’s actually what I’ve been wondering. Do they really like each other? Look—there’s nothing romantic about their date.”

  Jacelin glances over with a puzzled look.

  At one of the food stalls, Vichel, clearly annoyed, stuffs a huge chunk of bread into Zeff’s mouth. Whatever the issue is, it’s obvious Zeff is in trouble.

  “Are they fighting?” Jacelin wonders.

  “Even on a date, they’re still battling. Truly eternal rivals,” Tseryo says with a touch of poetry.