At that moment, the door burst open once again and Bolton entered.

Thanks to his artificial eye, both eyes could see well, yet he still covered his left eye with an eye patch.

He said it felt awkward without the eye patch.

But Aaron knew that Bolton, who was obsessed with masculinity, considered the eye patch a kind of fashion item.

“Matian, there’s big trouble!”

“What is it.”

Matian wore his usual gentle expression, but his curt tone suggested he didn’t care at all about whatever was happening.

“The blockhead is meeting some woman at a tea house!”

Despite Bolton’s urgent manner, the content was truly underwhelming.

Phew. Aaron let out a deflated sigh.

That muscle-brained fool who only knew about alchemy. Making such a fuss over something so trivial.

But it seemed he wasn’t the only one disappointed by the news.

Suddenly, Matian sprang up from his seat and put on his jacket.

“Matian? You’re not going to see Bolton and Rukna Golden, are you?”

“Of course not. I’m just going to take a look at the square.”

Despite his hurried movements, Matian answered with a gentle smile.

But Bolton made his excuse awkward by exclaiming, “I knew you’d come with me!”

“…I’m telling you, I’m going to the square, Bolton.”

“Right, you go to the square. I’ll go watch the blockhead. We’re going the same way anyway.”

“Huh?”

What’s with these two? Aaron tilted his head at the combination of two people with completely different interests.

“Is Rukna Golden meeting a woman something our student council should pay attention to? Does it pay money?”

“A gnome like you who only cares about money wouldn’t understand a man’s circumstances.”

Bolton sighed deeply and ruffled Aaron’s hair.

As the pink curls instantly became a bird’s nest, Aaron swung his wooden mallet at Bolton.

Lifting his eye patch, Bolton dodged the wooden mallet with a cute pose that didn’t match his large build, teasing Aaron.

“Now I can see even better with both eyes.”

Bolton stuck his tongue out at Aaron before quickly slipping out of the student council room, followed by Matian walking fast while pretending to be composed.

“What’s the big deal about Rukna Golden anyway?”

Left alone, Aaron stared at their retreating backs with a bewildered expression.

“But Giselle, it feels like everyone is staring at us.”

Rukna darted her eyes side to side, glancing around at her surroundings.

The men filling the surrounding tables were jealous of Rukna for having such a beautiful woman.

“That’s all because Rukna is so handsome.”

“It seems like they’re looking at you, not me…”

“That can’t be, Rukna. All I see are vixens blushing while looking at you.”

Giselle jabbed her fork into the plate while eyeing the women around them.

The gazes of the ladies admiring the pretty boy immediately fell away.

“You’ll hurt yourself if you hold the fork like that, Giselle.”

When Rukna expressed concern for Giselle’s hand, she blushed.

“As expected, I only have Rukna.”

“Only me? You have elder brother Perta too, I mean, older brother.”

“R-Rukna. Just call me Perta.”

Perta scratched his flushed cheek with his finger and smiled shyly.
His face, now clear of sickly pallor and plump with health, was like a pure white lily.

Thinking that the beauty of this sibling pair was truly surreal, Rukna leaned forward towards them.

“Older brother Perta, did you find out about what I asked in my letter?”

In the letter, Rukna had asked if there were any possessions she had when she was adopted into the Golden Count’s family.

Just call me Perta. Perta mumbled with a disappointed look.

“Yes, I looked into it. But Rukna, I was surprised when the last letter you sent to Giselle was delivered by a snow-white dove, almost sacred-looking. This time it came with an ordinary postman. I was secretly hoping to see the dove again.”

Last letter? Rukna recalled the letter she had entrusted to suspicious postmen before and burst out laughing.

If it was that pious-looking postman, it would have been believable even if he said he delivered letters by dove.

Meanwhile, Perta took out a small box from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table.

“And you were right, Rukna. When I searched Father’s study, I found the seal of the Closet family.”

Upon receiving the letter, Giselle and Perta immediately began searching for documents and discovered the seal of the now-extinct Closet family in a secret drawer of the study.

The Golden siblings, who hadn’t known Rukna’s origins, were shocked.

Only then did they realize that the reason their parents had hidden Rukna’s identity and adopted her wasn’t for proxy enrollment in the military academy.

“Looking through Father’s diary, there were people constantly watching the mansion. That’s why he regularly changed the servants.”

“Giselle is right. The forces that wiped out the Closet family also targeted our family. Our parents’ deaths were their doing too. They seem to be after the families of past heroes.”

In the process of ousting their uncle and reclaiming the family head position this time, the Golden siblings discovered several circumstances.

Several groups and families appeared as suspects for the forces trying to bring down the family, but they were all affiliated with the Red Eagle.

“Our parents must have raised you as a boy to protect you after realizing this.”

Giselle said she still occasionally witnessed suspicious individuals trying to watch the mansion.

The Red Eagle’s obsession with bringing down the families of past heroes was persistent.

“If you hadn’t enrolled in the military academy, your identity might have been discovered halfway through. So let’s hang in there until graduation, even if it’s tough.”

“Okay, Giselle.”

Rukna nodded and opened the small box Perta had handed her.

Inside the box lined with black velvet should be the Closet family seal, but…

“Um, older brother Perta. This looks like a different ring…”

Instead of the seal, there was a diamond ring as large as Rukna’s eyeball.

“Matian, Matian! Rukna is over there.”

Bolton, pressed against the tea shop window, stared at Rukna’s table excitedly.

“What? I heard Giselle Golden was much prettier than me, but to my eyes, that blockhead… Ah crap, what am I saying? Is something wrong with my new artificial eye?”

This doesn’t seem to be focusing right. Bolton rubbed his eyes with both hands before pressing his forehead against the window again.

Embarrassed by him, Matian stood half a step behind with his hands in his pockets.

He wanted to maintain at least some of the student council’s dignity.

“Do you really have to look like that, Bolton?”

While saying this, he didn’t forget to return greetings with a gentle smile when passing cadets saluted.

“You came to see Rukna too. Since we’re here anyway, let’s get a proper look.”

“…My destination was the square.”

“Well then. By all means, keep going.”

Bolton vaguely pointed in the direction of the square without taking his face off the window.

The reason such a large guy wasn’t noticed despite being stuck to the window was partly because he had cleverly taken a spot that wasn’t easily visible, but also because there were so many people passing by here now.

Matian glanced briefly at Giselle and Perta sitting with Rukna, then turned his steps towards the Square of Honor.

That’s when Bolton’s voice caught his ankle.

“Huh? Huh? Is that blockhead getting a marriage proposal?”

A marriage proposal, not even an engagement promise? Forcing marriage on a cadet who hasn’t even come of age?

Worried that she might be getting sold off somewhere, Matian stepped back to the window.

In fact, it was common for young noble children to get fiancés.

But marriage usually took place after coming of age.

‘Rukna getting married? I can’t even imagine it.’

He’s small and slender for a man. Who would have the nerve to mention marriage to someone who still seems so underdeveloped?

“What do you mean Rukna is getting a marriage proposal?”

“You haven’t gone to the square yet?”

Bolton retorted irritably, shocked by something.

Matian didn’t press right up against the window like Bolton, but he did move his face closer than before.

Right now, Rukna was receiving a large diamond ring.

I heard the Golden Count’s family adopted Rukna as a son, but are they now planning to rewrite the family register and make her a son-in-law of the Golden family?

‘Who is giving that ring to whom?’

Since Rukna was male, it would make sense that Lady Giselle Golden was giving it to Rukna.

But Matian’s gaze was fixed on Perta.

That was because that young man, more than the young lady, was consciously aware of Rukna with a bright red face.

‘Are you saying a man confessed to another man?’

Ha, that can’t be. Matian snorted and furrowed his brow. Did a rock get stuck in his stomach?

He’d been feeling oppressed and stuffy for a while now.

‘Surely he won’t just accept the ring.’

But contrary to Matian’s expectations, Rukna glanced at the Golden siblings before slipping the ring onto her finger.

Giselle Golden rejoicing and Perta Golden looking shy. And Rukna with the ring on even had tears welling up.

Matian felt a surge of anger in that moment.

Throb. Just then, his chest began to tighten.

‘Damn it. Why now of all times!’

Matian clutched his heart. Cold sweat trickled down his straight spine.

It was because the devil’s fragment was acting up unstably again.

He couldn’t show weakness in a public place.

Gritting his teeth, Matian managed his expression as best he could before heading towards the dormitory.

“Matian?”

Bolton, who had been focused on Rukna, belatedly looked for Matian.

“Hey, Matian! Are you feeling unwell?”

He followed after Matian, finding his departing gait suspicious.