Her

"Ah, I forgot to mention," Hei said. "I'm already traveling with a friend. She'll be joining us on the way to the academy. I hope you don't mind."

Colt felt like he'd been struck with a wooden club. For a moment, excitement surged through him.

Hei had only one friend he ever grew close with before the academy.

And it was the same person Colt had been waiting to see.

Seila.

His girlfriend, killed by the enemy in his past life.

His everything—the one he couldn't save.

He wasn't ready. He hadn't expected to see her this early, not before the academy.

Of course, it could just be a misunderstanding. Hei hadn't said a name.

And even if it wasn't, there was nothing Colt could do but be glad to meet her again, sooner than he'd hoped.

"Are you alright? You spaced out," Hei asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Ah, sorry. Yeah, of course it's fine. I'm just a guest on your journey anyway."

"Perfect. I don't think she'll mind either."

They stepped into the front yard of the manor. The guards who had been shadowing them in the tavern bowed and welcomed them as if they hadn't been following them the whole time.

"Welcome home, young master!" they shouted in unison, announcing Hei's return loud enough for everyone inside the manor to hear.

The manor doors swung open with a loud bang.

"Hei! It's been so long!"

And Colt froze.

A girl with long, beautiful azure hair ran toward them, her steps light and full of excitement.

She looked to be the same age as him and Hei, but her body had already begun to mature.

And she was stunning.

Of course, she was. Colt had already known how beautiful she would become. He shouldn't have been surprised.

But he was in love all over again.

Then the dream ended—she threw her arms around Hei in a tight embrace.

Colt's chest sank at the sight, but he told himself it was fine. He already knew they weren't like that.

He'd heard the whole story from Seila in his past life.

Hei Ramgan and Seila Springold, son and daughter of two Counts who had been friends since childhood.

Hei and Seila were the same because of their fathers. They had been together since childhood, so they loved each other.

But not romantically. They were more like siblings—best friends.

The real trouble had started there. Their fathers, childhood friends themselves, had betrothed Hei and Seila when they were born.

They hadn't forced it, though. Once it became clear that Hei and Seila didn't see each other that way, the betrothal was dropped.

But that didn't solve everything.

As nobles, they were still expected to marry other nobles. Politics would eventually dictate who they could or couldn't love.

So when Seila was seventeen and her father tried to pair her with a 45-year-old count, and Hei, also seventeen, was offered to a 37-year-old woman, they made a decision.

They would get engaged—to each other.

Just until they found someone they actually loved. And if that never happened, well, at least they'd marry someone they could trust.

It was better than marrying wolves.

Later on, Seila admitted she believed this was their fathers' plan all along. She was sure that at least her father doted on her.

So, his father wouldn't give her to a 45-year-old man.

This wasn't to force them, but to guide them toward each other. To give them space to fall in love naturally.

Unfortunately for them, that didn't happen. Because Hei died even before Seila.

One of the fates in his death was that if Hei hadn't died, and if there hadn't been a war, Seila couldn't break up with Hei and take a commoner as her lover.

But it was too early for that.

This time, Colt would win her heart. And save them both.

His friend wouldn't die for his happiness.

By the time their hug ended, Seila turned to Colt, tilting her head slightly with a curious look.

Her long hair shifted with her movement, cascading gently to the side.

"Ah, let me introduce you. This is Seila, my childhood friend. She'll be accompanying us on the way to the academy. And Seila, this is..." Hei trailed off, realizing he hadn't even asked Colt's name yet.

Seizing the moment, Colt stepped forward, dropped to one knee, took her hand, and began speaking before thinking.

"I am Colt, Miss Seila. I hope to marry you- I am sorry, I hope to be good friends in the future."

Of course, everyone heard his absurd slip, which didn't sound like one.

Hei giggled as Seila frowned.

"Colt, I didn't know you were such a... bold person," Hei teased. "Just remember, that's my best friend you're talking to."

"Ah, I meant no disrespect," Colt replied quickly. "It's just that Miss's beauty caught me off guard for a second."

Wasn't that a villain's line? Stupid me.

"What the hell are you talking about! What beauty?" She turned her reddened face away.

"Come on, Sei. Didn't you know?" Hei joined in, grinning. "Since you are about to turn fifteen, your father's been rejecting marriage proposals left and right.

You're the top marriage candidate among the nobles our age. Rumor says even the second prince has his eye on you."

He was mocking her to no end.

"Shut up, Hei!" she snapped, then turned her attention back to Colt. "And you—what family are you from? I don't think I've seen you before."

Even her glare felt charming to Colt. "Sadly, I'm not the son of a noble. But right now, I can't imagine wishing anything more than to be one."

Of course, Seila also wasn't one to discriminate. She was perfect in Colt's mind.

"Whatever," she huffed. "Hei, why did you bring someone else? Also, did I hear you wrong, or did you actually say I would be accompanying you on your travel?"

"Ah, Sei, let me explain," Hei said quickly. "We met at the tavern earlier when I was... just out for a stroll."

For some reason, he didn't want to say exactly what he was doing.

"Colt is also taking the academy exam, so I invited him to come with us. Technically, he's the one joining us."

Colt could already feel it—Hei was in for a bit of an earful later, both for his teasing and that last remark.

"Fine, I don't care. Just make sure he doesn't..." She trailed off, unable to find the right word, which made Colt smirk.

At least he hadn't stepped too far out of line.

Just then, one of the guards entered, dressed in a butler's uniform. "Young lord, we're ready to depart whenever you are. The young miss is already prepared."

Though his tone was respectful, the message was clear: Hei should wrap up the conversation and head inside to get ready.

Seila gave a small nod.

"Alright. Colt, come with me. Let's get ready."

Colt followed after Hei, even though he had nothing to pack and would've much rather stayed by Seila's side.