If only there were some oilseed lettuce, it would be perfect.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in this world…
“Dinner’s ready.”
He called the two of them over, planning to send them off quickly so he could rest a while.
“Lin Yue… come here for a second.”
Airella suddenly said, her tone tinged with unease.
“What, want to take your money back?”
Lin Yue joked.
“I’m not that kind of person. Just sit down…”
“What are you doing, all mysterious… mmph!”
Just as Lin Yue closed his eyes and sat down, ready to listen, his head was suddenly pressed down onto an especially soft, smooth pillow—a pleasant scent drifting from Airella.
“J-Just this once…”
Airella suddenly rested Lin Yue’s head on her lap, the soft feeling making his mind go blank.
I… am getting a lap pillow?
Feeling the softness beneath his head and the faint fragrance by his nose, he could clearly sense Airella’s hand gently brushing his hair, her touch as tender as if stroking a wounded animal.
“You looked so down, so I wanted to comfort you a little…”
“You must be upset, right? You’re so strong, but you still lost to that guy.”
Airella’s voice quivered just a little.
Lin Yue opened his mouth, wanting to say he wasn’t that upset, he even felt it was a good deal, but the words just wouldn’t come.
“Don’t move, it tickles…”
Airella scolded, but her tone was warm.
Lin Yue couldn’t see her face—her hair brushed his face, bringing a strange peace.
“I know you work so hard, carrying everything alone but never saying a word. This loss must’ve hurt.
“But you’ve tried so hard, and there are people standing up for you. You’re amazing. Now you need to rest, stop worrying about everything…”
Lin Yue’s heart suddenly clenched.
He hadn’t expected Airella to be so sensitive, able to sense even the slightest bit of frustration deep inside him.
He wasn’t really upset about losing to Yuan.
It was just that too much had happened recently—Marpel’s tests, unexpected plot events—it all left him tired.
He’d begun to doubt whether what he’d done was actually making it easier to clear the story, or just twisting an already easily bad-ending plot out of recognition.
He wasn’t some master strategist—he was just forced to act by circumstances.
He didn’t know if what he’d done was right.
But once a move is made, there’s no taking it back.
At least nothing big had gone wrong yet, right?
“I’m really fine, Airella.”
Lin Yue said softly, reaching out to gently pat her hand.
“Losing to Yuan was actually a good thing for me. He won’t bother me anymore, and I’ll have a lot less trouble.”
Airella lowered her head and looked at Lin Yue’s face.
The twilight’s glow traced out his features.
His eyes, always so playful, now seemed especially serious.
For some reason, Airella suddenly found herself enjoying the feeling of comforting Lin Yue.
This guy was always so impervious, like a man of iron, but lying in someone’s lap like this, he was actually quite cute…
Airella suddenly smiled, feeling an overwhelming surge of motherly affection.
She was about to ruffle his hair when a small hand intervened.
“Lin Yue… it was my idea for her to do this, so you have to thank me.”
Lia wants to get involved too?
Airella saw Lia’s hand, utterly un-gentle, ruffling Lin Yue’s hair, and suddenly felt a pang of possessiveness.
She didn’t want anyone else touching his hair.
“Lia, stop it, he won’t like… huh?”
Just as she was about to pull Lia’s hand away in annoyance, she saw that Lin Yue, lying on her lap, had closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
He must be exhausted.
Poor thing.
From the day they met in the forest, he’d always been in the thick of things—never able to truly rest.
It was partly her fault, always giving him more trouble…
Looking at Lin Yue’s exposed forehead, Airella suddenly had the urge to steal a kiss.
But with Lia here, she could only give up…
No, wait, why do I feel disappointed?
I’m the one taking care of him, after all…
And so, in Airella’s arms, Lin Yue passed the most restful night since he crossed into this world.
…
Dormitory.
“Bella, did you pass on my message?”
After her bath, Isabella wiped her damp hair, pretending not to care as she asked.
She didn’t dare face Lin Yue herself, so she could only ask her sister to do it.
“Mm…”
Isabella, wearing her robe, her pale gray eyes fixed on her magic book, replied indifferently.
After so long observing, and with those hints from the other girls in the infirmary, Isabella finally understood why they thought there was something between Lin Yue and her sister.
From the first day of school, even long after the engagement ended, her sister would still mention Lin Yue from time to time.
She realized that, even if it wasn’t romantic, their relationship was at least closer than ordinary.
She’d never seen her sister so hung up on a man, for better or worse.
If not for all that drama, Lin Yue might already be her brother-in-law.
Or her own husband?
Who knew.
“‘Mm’ what? Did you or did you not say it…”
Isabella was frustrated by her sister’s ambiguous answer, but there was nothing she could do.
Her sister had always been like this since they were young.
In the arena, it was Isabella herself who went to talk to Lin Yue.
Isabella hadn’t known what to say, so she’d let her sister pass along some comforting words to Lin Yue.
Just as she was about to press further, she noticed her sister’s sapphire earring—something that had been with her since birth—was missing.
“Huh? Where’s your earring?”
“I used it to repay a favor.”
“To repay…?”
Isabella sat on the bed, puzzled.
“Why do you always do such big things behind my back… Who did you give it to? I’ll buy it back for you.”
As the elder sister, she had always looked after her.
Isabella closed her book, stood up, and came to her sister’s side.
Their two strikingly similar faces so close together, it was hard to tell them apart.
“If you want to buy it back… I might have to marry him.”
Isabella said the shocking words with a calm expression.
Measured by the value of favors, it was about right.
Without Lin Yue’s bold move, she really might have ended up marrying into the Hawk family.
“Huh?”
Isabella’s face darkened immediately.
Though the earrings were their birth gifts, they couldn’t possibly be worth the marriage of the Valiana sisters.
Even more infuriating was the condition.
Outrageous!
That was the word that came to Isabella’s mind.
No matter how the family declined, they were still nobility, still had political status, and both sisters were gifted, destined to become fifth-tier Archmages and inherit the family head’s seat.
Just as he’d said—the importance of power was only truly felt at times like this.
She suddenly recalled Lin Yue’s words in the council chamber.
Only by getting stronger could such things not happen to them in the future.
“Who’s the creditor? I’ll get it back myself.”
Seeing her sister’s disgruntled look, Isabella sighed and said, “You don’t need to…”
I’m afraid you’d throw yourself in, too.
Isabella thought to herself.
Has sis gotten dumber lately?
The one I’m describing is clearly that young master Hawk she’s always thinking about—how could she not realize?
“I gave the earring to Lin Yue, for… that day you almost got expelled.”
“I asked him to talk to you in the council. I owe him a favor…”
She’d thought about telling her sister the truth about the engagement that day, but in the end, she felt it was better for Lin Yue to say it himself.
That was what she’d told Lin Yue at the time.
“He… that day he came to talk me out of dropping out, you asked him to?”
At the mention of Lin Yue, Isabella’s eyes widened.
It was obvious—she became a different person just mentioning him.
Isabella watched her sister’s reaction with cool detachment.
Once you paid attention, it was easy to notice.
“Yes. He’d just woken up at the time, and I thought he wouldn’t make it, but he still went straight to the council. For that alone, he deserves the earring.”
Isabella knew what her sister wanted to ask, and continued, “I gave it to him of my own accord, as a token. He’s been cast out by his family, but when we make something of ourselves, we can help him in turn.”
But Isabella thought that perhaps Lin Yue’s achievements would one day surpass those of the sisters.
“I see…”
After hearing her sister out, Isabella anxiously fiddled with her own earring and muttered, “I thought he went because he didn’t want me to drop out…”
“And he didn’t even talk to me about it—clearly, I was the one who needed saving, and he took Bella’s things…”
Remembering Lin Yue enduring the crowd’s curses from beneath the stage today, her last bit of resentment toward him faded away.
She looked at the little wooden box on her nightstand that held her earrings, and a thought occurred to her.
Maybe… I’ll use my earring to get Bella’s back?
He lost his duel today.
He must be feeling down.
I’ll just use it to comfort him…