I Start with a Bad Hand!

Evan quickly withdrew his hand after noticing my gaze on the sleeve he had grasped. He then asked with a hint of hesitation, “If we happen to meet by chance again, may I at least greet you?”

After looking at his earnest face for a moment, I replied, “As I’ve mentioned before, please speak to me without formalities.”

“But…”

“And don’t call me ‘sister’.”

I rolled my eyes slightly as I looked up at Evan. After he had let go of my sleeve, he made no further attempts to come closer.

“If that’s the case… it’s not unusual for fellow academy students to greet each other and be friendly.”

A slight smile appeared on Evan’s face, which had been tinged with redness and a hint of melancholy. From that smile, I guessed once again that Dietrich must have been quite a person. Otherwise, why would someone who had been tricked by his own family follow me around and smile so genuinely? Like Yuri, and now Evan.

It seemed that Dietrich, unknown to me, had sown seeds of goodwill everywhere.

And the more I learned, the more I wondered. If Dietrich was such a kind person, why couldn’t she be kind to herself?

Why had Dietrich chosen death?

A perilous crack was forming in what had been a peaceful life. It wasn’t a major issue, but it was like sitting at a desk with uneven legs that wobbled, or like having to forcefully remove a hair caught in a button—it was annoyingly persistent.

Despite being extremely busy, Cedric, who I occasionally bumped into at the academy, seemed almost to despise me.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

Fortunately, he no longer approached to start confrontations as he used to, and as usual, I ignored Cedric’s glaring eyes. It was a relief that Roxanne was too busy with student council duties and accompanying the prince to run into her.

But it wasn’t just Cedric who was bothersome. Students who wouldn’t usually speak to me suddenly began to linger around me, having heard rumors of my joining the student council. Some of them approached more openly, trying to chat and ultimately leaving with a peculiar satisfaction after confirming some insubstantial fact about Dietrich.

Similar incidents were occurring within the student council itself.

“My uncle gave it to me. It’s a family heirloom, originally a medal from the Ephelot War that he had converted into a tie pin.”

“The Ephelot War, that’s almost two hundred years ago, right? Wow…”

The area around Aiden was bustling as the male students about to receive knighthoods marveled at the tie pin crafted from a medal.

“My uncle earned a new medal in the Demon War fifteen years ago, so he gave this one to me.”

Aiden stretched his shoulders as he spoke, and his words certainly piqued my interest. The Demon War fifteen years ago.  

‘Could it be the war from fifteen years ago? The war where Baron Degoph was granted his title?’

It was a surprise to hear a familiar name in this context. It must have been a significant war. Suddenly, I thought about how in a feudal system, an ordinary person needs to perform tremendous deeds to earn a title, when Aiden called out to me loudly.  

“Degoph, what about you?”  

Caught off guard, I looked at Aiden with a ‘what do you expect me to say?’ expression. Aiden smirked and continued.  

“I heard your father also participated in the Demon War. Didn’t you inherit anything from your father, a war hero?”  

All eyes turned towards us. As I chewed on my pen while writing in the ledger, I paused to think. Well, he wasn’t really my father…  

“…Perseverance?”  

“Pfft.”  

A snort of laughter burst from somewhere. The bustling student council room fell suddenly silent. Irene glanced at me and frowned slightly.  

“Douglas. Stop the chit-chat and focus on the work.”  

At her words, people snapped out of the awkward silence. Aiden stiffened for a moment but then shrugged his shoulders. His narrowing eyes filled with a sense of triumph.  

“Ah… right. Not everyone has such a family tradition. I was lacking in consideration, Degoph.”  

‘Really, what a…’  

I brushed off Aiden’s words casually. Did he bring up that tie pin just to talk about this? To brag about his family history? I was almost impressed by the build-up, and I had to suppress the urge to give a thumbs up.  

However, impressive as the build-up was, the grand history of his family left me as unmoved as the history of the Andong Kim clan might leave others. No offense to them, but honestly, unless you’re a part of it, who cares if a family has been around for 500 or 1000 years?  

Yet, it seemed to be a quality of nobility. Remembering the intricate details of someone else’s extended family. As always, I felt my way of thinking was too far removed to ever fit in with the nobility.  

New sneers were quietly accumulating inside me, a novelty in my life. Before, I was just a man without money, but here, I am both penniless and of low status. I was being disregarded on two fronts.  

Living in a world so rich in material for disdain. The lives of these nobles must be full of content, making their existence enjoyable.  

I listlessly turned the pages of the ledger again.  

As I balanced precariously between peace and disruption in my daily life, Irene arrived with a somewhat animated expression. Although her face was usually impassive and rigid, now it appeared slightly relaxed. From her expression, I could tell.

‘The embezzlement issue seems to have been resolved.’

It must have been due to Irene and me holding onto the paperwork, while Roxanne and Prince Elius worked hard to catch the perpetrator. Though it seemed Roxanne and the Prince were also caught up in a romance of their own.  

“There’s a small party in the student council room tonight to celebrate the resolution. Would you come if you’re free?”  

I was about to say I had no time.  

“It’s nothing grand. No need to feel pressured. I came because I really want you to be there.”  

And with a demure addendum that it was at her own expense, so no need to worry about contributions, Irene turned her back before I could even express any refusal, disappearing like the wind. It seemed she was cutting off any chance for me to decline. Having encountered Irene frequently in student council matters, even if briefly, she had probably already grasped the kind of person I was.  

‘Shouldn’t you give someone time to respond before you go?’  

Resigned to having been invited to the party, I headed back to my dormitory with a mindset to enjoy whatever good food there might be.  

***

Despite having finished all my assignments, there was still some time left until the party. Irene had said to come without feeling burdened, but given the day, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to put in a little effort.  

After the ball, I had returned to living as plainly as I had in Heylem. Days spent attending classes and conducting research meant late nights in the library, leaving no time to fuss over my appearance.  

‘A student council party, huh? I’m the type who doesn’t even go to someone’s birthday if there are more than four people.’  

With a sigh, I rifled through the items I’d brought from Heylem. Then, I cautiously took out a box containing ornaments from Heylem.  

I had no intention of dressing up flamboyantly. The old artisan from Heylem who had made these ornaments focused on classic and neat aesthetics rather than elaborate craftsmanship. Besides, it wasn’t a grand party, so I couldn’t wear something as fancy as the necklaces or earrings I wore to the ball.  

As my hand hovered over the box of ornaments, I eventually picked up a pin. It was a hairpin with small dark blue gems set in a line. I gently ran my fingers over it.  

The elderly grandfather from Heylem, who had crafted the original gems into this pin, was a skilled artisan who had even made jewelry for Baron Degoph to gift to the Duchess of Elexion, Roxanne’s mother, when she was alive.  

He had come to me a few days before I left for the academy. With his wrinkled hands, he presented me several pieces of jewelry and asked if he could place this hairpin in my hair. When I nodded, he mentioned that these gems were precious stones that had been presented to the ducal house.  

‘Of course. These gems were taken from the dress of a young Dietrich when she was expelled from the ducal house.’

Although it seemed suddenly obvious, I realized that Dietrich too was part of the ducal house, as I thought of the jewel that had been taken from her dress. It was a deep blue stone that seemed unremarkable. As if he had read my thoughts, he continued to explain with a smile.

“In dark places or indoors, people think it’s an ordinary, common gem, but once you step out into the sunlight, it sparkles with a clarity of blue unlike any other jewel.”

He added that anyone would inevitably be captivated by its light.

“Doesn’t it just resemble a young lady like yourself?”

“Have a good time at the academy, and gain many valuable experiences,” he said as he gently patted my hand.

After combing my hair neatly, I tried pinning it slightly askew. The calm blue, shimmering like the dark night, suited Dietrich’s hair well.

***

In the student council room, there were many unfamiliar faces, as if wondering if these people were part of the council too. The embezzlement case was being kept under wraps so securely that some people, who hadn’t been encountered yet, and friends brought by members of the council were present.

I was drinking a prepared beverage while talking with Irene.

“Hello…”

Roxanne entered the room of the student council with an unusually tearful expression. Today, she was alone, without the prince or anyone from the Elexion Ducal House. Roxanne’s expression looked serious, and soon people approached her with concerned looks asking how she was doing.

Roxanne tried to smile despite her worries, but it seemed difficult.

“I’ve lost a keepsake from my mother. I’ve searched all over the dormitory, but it’s nowhere to be found…”

Roxanne couldn’t finish her sentence as her voice choked up. It seemed that the prince and people from the Elexion Ducal House couldn’t come because they were too busy trying to find her lost item.

“What kind of item is it? If you tell us what it looks like, we can help look for it,” said a student from the council, trying to comfort Roxanne. Hearing that it was her mother’s keepsake, I also moved closer to listen to what Roxanne had lost. Spotting me approaching, Roxanne gave a slight nod and continued in a voice holding back tears.

“It’s a hairpin, a bit old-fashioned, not seen much in the capital these days, like the one Dietrich is wearing, with a blue… gem lined up in a row…”

Roxanne paused, looking at my hairpin.

“With a deep blue… gem on it…”