No, wait.

Walter is handsome?!

‘Could it be… does Sione also have a crush on Walter?’

With a skeptical heart, I studied her face.

And lo and behold.

As if to prove my hypothesis, Sione’s cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Walter is quite good-looking, you know. By looks alone, he’s among the top in the kingdom. People think he’d be a perfect knight if he’d just keep his mouth shut.”

“True that. Even I was surprised when I first met him.”

“Last time at the banquet, it was so annoying how the young ladies were looking at Walter with adoring eyes. I wanted to tell them to snap out of their fantasies.”

Huh, that sounds like jealousy.

…I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.

Because if I did, Sione would likely get angry.

“When I first met Walter, I actually thought he was a girl. It’s common among vampire nobles to dress up young boys as girls. They say it helps them grow healthier. Though it’s a superstition, really.”

“Interesting. You’ve been friends since you were little, then?”

“Yes. To me, Walter was my first and only same-age friend. Because I thought he was a girl, we got along even better.”

Sione then slowly elaborated on their childhood years.

She had treated Walter as a good friend because she had been convinced that he was a girl.

Elga and the people around knew Walter was a guy but nobody told her the truth.

For not just a few months, but for a whopping five years.

“I felt betrayed. As puberty hit, Walter locked himself in his room without a word to me and stopped replying to my letters.”

“That’s rough…”

“I found out from someone else that he was a boy. The truth about the child I thought was my only close friend.”

“Wow, that must have been a shock.”

“It was the worst. Our relationship began to deteriorate around that time, I suppose.”

In an instant, the affection and sincerity she had poured into her only friend turned into betrayal.

Sione, who was hurt at a young age, had started treating him coldly ever since.

Though Walter realized his mistake and tried to apologize and make amends, the damage was already done.

“Back when I thought Walter was a girl, I considered him princess-like. Whenever he wore dresses, I always complimented how beautiful he was. I had never seen such a beautiful child.”

“Yeah, considering how he looks now, he must’ve been really pretty back then.”

“Maybe it’s because of the past, but even now, every time I see Walter’s handsome face, I get angry. Including the time when he went missing after I told him I was coming to the Rose Palace.”

“Huh… So you do find his face attractive?”

“What other use is there for it?”

Hmm, can’t argue with taste.

I nodded and listened to Sione’s rants for a good while.

She seemed to have rarely had the chance to talk about this, as the episodes related to Walter kept flowing.

Seeing her talk passionately, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

It was strangely comforting to realize Sione had concerns like any normal young man or woman would.

“Oh my, look at the time. I’m sorry I’ve been talking about myself too much, Bella.”

“No worries, I enjoy listening to you. I couldn’t do that when I was younger. Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Sione grinned and asked me to keep today’s conversation a secret from Walter.

She said if he found out about her complimenting his looks, he’d become even more arrogant.

“Then I’ll go to my lab now. I need to wrap up some work with my mentor.”

“Okay. I’ll rest here a bit longer.”
After Sione left the garden, I picked up a snack in front of me and lost myself in thought.

Trying to play Cupid between Walter and her seemed harder than I had anticipated.

‘Still, it’s a relief that Sione doesn’t seem to dislike Walter.’

Strong rejection often implies strong attraction, as they say.

I wondered why she disliked Walter so much, but it seemed she had her reasons.

Of course, it would take some time to untangle the misunderstandings that had piled up over the years, but the two would undoubtedly make a good pair.

‘I should speak with Walter later on.’

I had heard Sione’s circumstances, including her past, but Walter might have his own issues as well.

Deciding to lay out a detailed plan to bring the two together later, I soon headed for my room.

Meanwhile, Sione, who had returned to the lab, let out a deep sigh.

Seeing the lab become a mess almost instantly after Elga declared it her solo territory, a sigh naturally escaped her lips.

“Sione, if you’re back, go to the dining room and get me a sandwich. I’ll eat while reading.”

From somewhere among the mountain of books, Elga’s voice rang out, causing Sione to furrow her brows.

“……Master, I’ve asked you to keep the lab clean. Where did you get all these books?”

“Obviously, from the kingdom’s library vault. Don’t ask if I got permission. Handling such matters is your responsibility as my apprentice.”

“Sigh.”

Sione rubbed her temples, trying to control her breathing.

Elga always created work like this, and the aftermath was always Sione’s to deal with.