- How do you feel?
Judy placed the elegant box on the nightstand and looked closely at Tilia's face.
- Oh my God, you're still so pale. It won't work that way. Let's go to the hospital.
- No, I'm fine. I just had a nightmare.
- Nightmare?
- Yes. I dreamed that I received an unsatisfactory grade.
Tilia pretended to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, trying to lighten the mood.
- Oh, God, dreaming about something like that, even when it's all over... Final exams are really scary, aren't they?
Hearing this joke, the worried expression on Judy's face finally softened and she smiled.
- Really. Even if you, in second place, feel this way, imagine how scared I am! I was afraid of failing the subject and was shaking with fear for three days!
Sitting on Tilia's bed, rubbing her hands as if still shaking, Judy suddenly remembered what she was about to do. She exclaimed "Oh!" as she pulled something out of her bag.
- Here, chocolate.
- Wow.
- And this is a medicine that is good for indigestion. Since you weren't feeling well, my mom bought it for you. Be sure to take after meals.
Looks like today is medication day.
Although Tilia thought about it cynically, she gratefully accepted the digestive medicine, the only item she had received today that carried a genuine sense of caring.
- Thank you. Please thank the Countess for me.
- Stomach upset right before an exam... Just the thought of it makes me dizzy. You said that after resting in the nurse's office, you barely woke up right before the exam, right?
- Yes, well... I was lucky... By the way, what kind of box is this? Did your brother bring it from Ontario?
Tilia quickly changed the subject, fearing that the conversation about her lies might drag on for too long.
- The velvet ribbon looks so luxurious. What kind of gift?
- Oh, this? It's not mine.
But Judy's answer was completely unexpected.
- The dormitory duty officer said that this was for you. To be honest, I'm curious too. What is this?
For me? Tilia's eyes narrowed.
“There is no one who could give me such a gift...”
Seeing Tilia simply staring at the box with an inexplicable sense of unease, Judy moved closer.
“I was dying of curiosity while bringing her here.” Can you open it now? Please? Please?
Under Judy's insistent pressure, Tilia hesitated for a moment, and then slowly untied the ribbon on the box.
The box lid opened smoothly, without a single rustle.
But as soon as the lid opened, Tilia's face froze.
- Medicines?
In contrast to the prim Tilia, Judy's tone was innocent. Chatting incessantly with excitement, she took out different types of medicines from the box.
- Let's see. It's good for bruises, it's ointment for cuts... oh, there's also a tonic to relieve fatigue and bandages.
Judy looked puzzled as she looked at the medications, then she looked back at her roommate.
- Tilia, it seems that all this came from a high-class pharmacist. Do you know who sent them?
In response to Judy's question, Tilia slowly shook her head.
- No. I have no idea.
***
After the final exams of the semester, there was a period of grading and revision. Life at the Academy at this time moved at a slow pace.
Even Tilia, who usually led a hectic life, could afford a little rest during this period.
Of course, this only meant finishing books she didn't have time to read, or reviewing the next semester's materials at a more leisurely pace.
However, Tilia enjoyed these small moments, looking forward to the entire semester for a short period of respite when the exams were over and her schedule cleared.
But now...
"This guy."
Looking through the books in the library, Tilia narrowed her eyes.
“What is this guy doing here?”
Her eyes turned to the man sitting by the window at the end of the bookshelf.
The central library, which existed since the founding of the academy, was as old as its history.
The musty smell of musty books was nostalgic but slightly unpleasant, and the marble on the floor was cracked in places, showing its age even where renovations had been done.
In such an old place, Ilex Davenport stood out like a recent oil painting and looked clearly out of place.
He sat cross-legged on the farthest seat of a long row of bookshelves, the early summer sun streaming behind him.
The sunlight, which was already bright, made his blond hair shimmer like freshly cast gold, highlighting his already graceful nose in an almost otherworldly way.
“Of course, I understand - you want to behave beautifully.”
But Tilia's lips, watching him from the end of the bookshelf, curled in displeasure.
“Why here?”
Irritated, Tilia put back the book she had taken out.
If their meeting had been a mere coincidence, she would not have reacted so emotionally. After all, she was the one who initially suggested pretending that they had never been intimate.
But why does he continue to hang around here?
Tilia bit her lip, looking around to see if anyone else was near the bookshelf.
From the day they woke up in the same bed, throughout the week after the exams, Ilex Davenport was constantly by her side.
At first she thought it was a coincidence. She considered it an overreaction caused by the awareness of his presence.
However.
“Tilia, am I dreaming...? Wasn't Ilex just outside the lecture building? How did he end up near the girls' dormitory? Does he have two bodies?
When even the unsuspecting Judy began to notice his presence, it became clear. He really hovered around her.
Why is he doing this?
Seeing that there were only two baby-faced first-years near the adjacent shelves, Tilia looked intently at Ilex Davenport.
Despite her gaze, he pretended that he was not interested in her, not taking his eyes off the book in his hands.
But Tilia knew. She knew he had followed her from the lecture building, through the main hall and into the library.
After all, she had seen him in each of these places.
Her brows furrowed as she remembered him. She would have directly confronted him if he had clearly followed her, but he didn't even give her the chance.
This cunning bastard was nowhere to be seen during the transitions, but appeared at the destination as if he was waiting there.
It was as if he already knew where she was going, as if he had mapped out her exact route.
He always arrived before her, and it was difficult for her to blame him.
There was no way she could get angry because he showed up somewhere before her, otherwise she would look like a stalker.
Annoyed, Tilia glanced at Ilex before looking down at the book in his hand.
"An Introduction to the Ethics of Theology?"
Seeing the title of the book he held in his broad hands, Tilia was puzzled.
The first final exam was already over, so why should he study the basics of theology again?
"No way."
Tilia's slightly bowed head straightened.
“Is he preparing for the second exam in advance?”
While the first final exam was a written essay, the second was a discussion-based oral test.
Students were given topics to discuss that required assessments of values, either in individual subjects or across complex subjects, and had to defend views within their group.
Although topics were usually taken from advanced textbooks, introductory books sometimes appeared in the discussions.
"It's been a while since I last watched the introduction."
Seeing Ilex with the main text, Tilia became serious.
“Now is not the time to relax. I should start reading it today.”
When Tilia was about to go and get the books she needed, she heard someone whispering in the distance.
-Have you heard about this? Gregory Myers, he's finally caught.
She froze, listening to the conversation.
If this was the news of Gregory Myers' punishment, Tilia had already heard it a few days earlier.
According to the information brought by the worried Judy, the teaching assistant involved in the information leak problem confessed everything. The incident went beyond simple fraud and even affected the dean of the academy.
“Everyone is in turmoil. Apparently, the conspiracy had been going on since the entrance exam. People say that this won’t end with expulsion - he could be taken into custody.”
Judy said this, proudly giving Tilia a thumbs up and declaring that her suspicions were correct.
Unlike her roommate, who was simply glad that Myers would no longer be a graduate, Tilia felt strangely uneasy.
She should have been happy. The incident went beyond her intended revenge, so it had to be pleasant.
“Why admit it now? For what?"
The assistant must have accepted the deal, intending to take the blame in exchange for something of equal value.
She had a feeling there was something more behind this. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was another deal she didn't know about.
“...What does it matter?”
Tilia quickly dismissed the thought and simply enjoyed the fall of Gregory Myers. She even whistled to herself as she watched his dejected figure drag his luggage out of the dorm.
No matter what dirt might be lurking behind the scenes, his complete fall was exactly what she wanted.
- Yes. Of course he will be investigated. His family was involved with the dean from the very beginning.
The naive whispers of the freshmen continued in the quiet library.
Tilia's gaze turned to them again.
- No, that’s not why he was detained.
- Then why?
- Looks like something was found in his dorm room...
In his dorm room? What was found in Gregory Myers' room?
As Tilia took a step forward, straining her ears to catch the muffled voices, she forgot that she was in the old library.
Oh.
The toe of her old shoe caught on a broken piece of marble.
She lost her balance in an instant and missed the chance to grab the shelf...
Knock.
A large hand grabbed her shoulder as she began to fall to the floor.