[Side Story 9] The young professor at the academy

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Spring had suddenly arrived at the Royal Academy.

Daphne, a reporter for the Empire Daily, the most prestigious daily newspaper in Ronta, was on her way to meet a young professor at the academy who had been consistently contributing articles to the Empire Daily for the past few years.

Daphne still vividly remembered the thrill she felt when she first read the article.

It was a time when there was a strong intuition that Bardednal, the so-called saint of Ronta and the former crown prince, had something fishy going on.

Although freedom of the press was somewhat guaranteed in Ronta, it was still impossible to completely ignore the royal family.

However, when it turned out that the royal family was hiding the truth of a very old history and even Crown Prince Bardednal was involved in a scandal, Daphne visited only places where all sorts of dirty rumors were circulating to break a scoop.

One night, when she stayed late at the newspaper office because her editor kept nagging her to find a scoop, a basket of hot cornbread she ordered for a late-night snack, not by a courier, arrived in front of Daphne for the first time with the problematic article underneath.

[The Two Faces of Crown Prince Bardednal]

The title of the article, which seemed to clear all the clogged blood vessels in her body as soon as she saw it, described in detail, but with a proper degree of moderation, the hidden back of Crown Prince Bardednal that Daphne had been searching for so long.

That was how their relationship began, already a few years ago.

Daphne counted on her fingers, then raised her left hand when she realized her right hand wasn't enough, and found the professor, her benefactor and companion in her journalistic life, standing at the entrance to the Royal Academy annex.

"I thought the deadline for this month's article was still a while away. Why did you come all this way?"

"I came here early in case you cut off contact again, haha."

The man, who was taller than Daphne, who was quite tall for a woman, was overflowing with elegance even though he was hiding his identity by wearing the rough black mask unique to the Royal Academy.

'Of course. If he's a professor at the Royal Academy, he must be a member of the royal family somewhere. Or maybe a royal who couldn't even receive a fief.'

Although Ronta occupied most of the continent, there were many large and small kingdoms scattered throughout the east, west, south, and north.

The Royal Academy was a place for the Ronta royal family and for them.

Only those who were called for the country after reaching adulthood were given the title of "graduate" of the Royal Academy.

Those who lost in the competition or lost in political struggles either remained in the academy forever or lived as scholars or professors.

So, the mana stone mask was no exception for the professor.

His hair, neatly tied in a bun, was as black as a raven's feather, and his sharp eyes, which were visible through the darkly shaded mana stone mask, were a grayish black.

Daphne was curious about the real face of this young professor.

But as cruel as it was, despite their years of relationship, this young and elegant professor had not revealed anything other than his identity as a professor of administrative science at the Royal Academy.

The Royal Academy was a veiled place where professors and students were called by nicknames or pet names, so it was difficult to investigate.

Daphne looked around the office she was seeing for the first time and sat on a small velvet sofa.

****

The deep green sofa, which looked completely out of place with a man's taste, was evidence that the man didn't invite anyone to his office.

There was only one single-seater sofa, as if it was placed for guests, and there was only a small side table big enough to barely hold a letter, let alone have tea.

Naturally, the man, without bothering to bring in a new sofa, sat in his office chair and stared at Daphne.

It was too distant to be considered a welcoming gesture for a guest.

"I got promoted recently. Thanks to being able to consistently publish your articles for the past few years, I was promoted without a single failure. Thanks to you, I'm about to become the editor-in-chief."

"...So?"

"You said before, didn't you? That you would tell me your name when I became the editor-in-chief. Since I've been publishing your articles without knowing your name for so long, relying only on your status as a professor, I'm going to get this month's article directly and ask for your name. That's what I'm going to do."

Daphne smiled brightly and shook the flower basket she had brought all the way from the capital.

A few petals fell from the rustic flower basket that was more than enough to fill the small side table.

"You've been very careful. No matter how many articles I put in the newspaper about the former Crown Prince, and no matter how much his image was buried in the ground, the royal family just pretended not to see it, right? Honestly, the current Crown Prince is much more popular. Maybe the royal family is taking advantage of that. If the professor reveals his identity and becomes active, who knows? Maybe you'll even enter the palace."

Oops.

Daphne closed her mouth slightly, wishing she hadn't said the last sentence.

She had completely forgotten for a moment what kind of people stayed at the Royal Academy for a long time.

"Anyway, what I mean is, I think it's okay to tell me your name now."

Daphne looked at the pale hands that had been tapping on the desk since a while ago. The long fingers were tapping on the desk elegantly. She couldn't see his expression because he was wearing a mask, but she was sure the man was deep in thought.

"Alright."

"Wow!"

"But I'll keep sending the articles the same way. I won't reveal my name."

"Yes! Your name is..."

The man got up.

Passing her, he went to the window and stared fixedly at the suddenly noisy outside, whispering so softly that it was barely audible.

"...Noah."

"Yes?"

"That's my name."

Daphne thought the man's back looked lonely for some reason.

Every spring, the Crown Prince and Princess would go on vacation to Pireta in the east.

On their way there, they would also hunt down monsters and let their children play in their villa, which was built as grand as the Pireta mansion.

With the establishment of a magic and magical power course at the academy, the Crown Prince and Princess, who possessed magical powers, always visited the east on their way there to receive reports on the research results, although it was a bit troublesome.

"I want to request an audience with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess, but there's a rumor in the industry that they absolutely don't accept audience requests during their vacation. If you don't want to lose your head, you have to be careful not to even step on their shadow, hehe."

Daphne smiled at Noevian, who had come out to see her off at the entrance of the Royal Academy.

"The professors at the Royal Academy always see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, don't they? I heard that the royal grandchildren also accompanied them and wandered around the academy. How is it? Aren't they really cute? I heard that their portraits sell better than newspapers at the newsstands in front of our newspaper."

"Well, then, this is it."

Noevian parted with Daphne without any hesitation. From a distance, he could hear her voice shouting that she would come back next month.

His steps naturally turned to the maze garden located at the back gate of the Royal Academy.

And there.

"Retina! Come with me!"

"Catch me, Daeon!"

There were children.

The golden hair, braided in two braids and curled up in a circle, shattered brilliantly among the greenery.

Without realizing it, Noevian stopped and couldn't move his body even though he knew he had to disappear.

Thud!

And he ended up colliding head-on with the child.

Noevian bent one knee and sat down to catch the child who was about to fall miserably.

The child, as if accustomed to being caught that way, did not push him away and accepted his support.

Caldeion, who had been chasing after him panting, ran faster from a distance, shocked at the sight.

It felt like time was slowing down.

The small child's ruby-red eyes in Noevian's arms sparkled.

At that moment, Noevian knew exactly who the child was.

It was Adrienne's child.

The child didn't look surprised and stared at him while in his arms.

Only when the child handed him the mask he had picked up, did he realize that he had been looking at the child without even realizing that he had dropped the mask he was wearing.

Noevian, who had been stiff, quickly picked up the mask and put it on.

"Is it the professor?"

"...Yes. You shouldn't run here."

A voice, suppressing its surprise, came out from under the mask.

Even though the mask was completely on, Retina, who had clearly seen the deep blue eyes and his face inside the mask, stared through the mask as if piercing it.

Although he knew he should drop it immediately, he couldn't avoid the child's eyes as if he were bound.

'I want to have a child with your eyes.'

'...If I can have a child, I want them to have your eyes.'

Her eyes were exactly like Adrienne's. The long, golden eyelashes too. The large, almond-shaped eyes with the corners slightly raised.

"I'll be entering this academy in two years too! Let me greet you in advance! I'm Retina Helene Kozma de Rontaye. Retina is my grandmother's name, and Helene is my great-grandmother's name."

The tiny child seemed to be paying her respects by holding up her skirt, then snuggled up to Noevian as if she were acting spoiled, just like she had done at first.

"Retina! Father told you not to cling to someone you don't know like that!"

"Daeon! Come here and say hello! This is the professor! The professor we'll meet in two years!"

As Caldeion, who was more wary than the simple Retina, approached, Noevian felt that it was time for him to leave this place.

But even so, he couldn't refuse this little child who was clinging to him.

"...Your eyes are like your mother's."

"Do you know my mother?"

Before he could retract the words he had blurted out, a question floated on the pretty face, holding Noevian's gaze.

"But I have red and pretty eyes, just like my father's! Like apples?"

"Yes, but your eyes are similar. The color doesn't really matter."

Retina smiled brightly, looking into Noevian's eyes without a trace of caution.

"The color is important to me. The professor's eyes under the mask were a beautiful color! It's the same as Uncle Epero's."

Retina, whose eyes seemed to want to take off the mask, gathered her light eyebrows as if recalling a recent memory. Even that expression reminded him of someone.

"But it's a little bit... deeper..."

The red gaze, which was moving busily to find something in the ashy eyes that had changed color due to the mask, brightened immediately.

"Your eyes are like the sea!"

"!"

"Like a deep, dark sea."

Even though Caldeion came up to him, huffing and puffing, Noevian couldn't leave that place and froze.

Caldeion desperately reached out for Retina, who had been lifted high up in the arms of the strange professor. It was as if he was saying that he would carry her if Noevian threw her here.

Noevian looked at the children who had come closer to him, taking a few deep breaths.

The precious royal descendants of Ronta, dressed neatly, were as beautiful as a picture, inheriting the beautiful features of their father and mother in equal parts.

But what caught Noevian's attention more was...

The large, sparkling eyes that looked at him under the eyelashes that were so dense they cast a shadow. And things like Adrienne's clear, light green eyes that had always pierced his heart.

"Why are you bossing my sister around like that?"

Retina jumped out of Noevian's arms and started arguing with Caldeion, then gradually moved away.

Noevian could only watch the children leaving him as if he were nailed to the spot.

That was when.

Retina, who seemed about to disappear without saying goodbye, waved at him lightly.

Her small, white, and soft hand fluttered like a flower petal.

Even Caldeion, who had been pulling Retina away, wary of him, bowed his head slightly with a slightly pouting mouth.

Judging by his red ears protruding cutely under his bright blonde hair that was turned back, he seemed embarrassed.

As he watched Retina waving until she left the garden, Noevian waved his hand unconsciously.

Silence returned to the maze garden.

Like a cold spring wind that seemed to have been deceived after a brief spring.

The warm wind turned into a desolate air again, enveloping Noevian who was standing alone.

After the children left, he realized a long time later.

The fact that his cheeks, hidden by the mask, were soaked horribly.

Retina, who had left the garden, tilted her head, saying she seemed to hear a man sobbing in the distance.

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