[...For this reason, I want to do my best to fulfill the duties assigned to me and establish myself as an excellent consular officer.]
Tilia said her last sentence and, with a slightly nervous expression on her face, put her hand in the large pocket of her coat. Her fingertips touched the crispy wrapper. It looked like it was a wrapper from the chocolate he'd brought for her.
Feeling this, she remembered how awkward it was for her to refuse the snacks he offered during class. After she took one just once, he started bringing her sweets in his pockets every day.
Sometimes it was candy, sometimes jellies, and sometimes even small bottles of drinks. Today it looked like it was chocolate.
Even without looking, she knew what it was - it was probably a department store brand that she had eaten once and which had impressed her so much that she couldn't help but look at the wrapper.
Considering how busy he was, it was surprising that he never forgot to bring them. It just confused her.
Tilia fiddled with the chocolate wrapper in her pocket, sneaking glances to the side. Ilex, who was pondering his answer, did not seem to notice her sidelong glance at all. Encouraged by this, she began to observe him more openly.
Over the past few months of nights together, Tilia had inevitably learned a lot about Ilex Davenport, whether she wanted to or not. Among the recently updated information there were many unexpected features.
For starters, he turned out to be less talkative than she thought, and surprisingly meticulous. But most of all, he was zealous, a quality she found especially surprising. His diligence was confirmed by the fact that he had not been late for a single meeting in the past few months. Not only was he never late, but he always arrived at the meeting place before her and waited.
One day, she became curious about how early he arrived and arrived at the meeting place thirty minutes before the appointed time, only to find that he was already there waiting for her.
"You're early."
The indifferent expression on his face as he uttered these words was so absurd that it was vividly imprinted in her memory.
“...When exactly did you come here?” - she asked, half annoyed, half annoyed.
“I slept here,” came the even more puzzling answer.”
However, not all of the updated information about him was surprising. As expected, Ilex Davenport was physically strong. What she didn't expect was how big the gap between them would be in this regard.
Tilia looked at his smooth profile with a slightly sullen expression. Like her, he juggled final exam preparation and interview classes. However, in contrast to her pale and tired face, his skin looked smooth and glowing, as if he were on a luxurious vacation. Sometimes it even seemed to her that his appearance was improving every day.
“Some of us can’t even get a good night’s sleep and end up with nosebleeds...” she thought bitterly, rubbing her dry cheek and glancing sideways at his hand.
Among the unexpected facts she learned about him was one more: the always studious and physically strong Lord Davenport carried a white handkerchief in the pocket of his school jacket, which was even scented with perfume.
“Bend over. Don't swallow the blood, spit it out."
The day she overdid it and her nose began to bleed, Ilex's face turned pale and he hurriedly pulled a hand-embroidered handkerchief from the inside pocket of his jacket.
Amidst the metallic smell of blood, the faint scent of lily from the handkerchief pressed to her nose inexplicably confused her. When she tried to turn her head away with an awkward expression, his hand held her head firmly in place.
"Don't move."
He spoke almost reproachfully, and then sighed in disappointment.
"If you're overworked to the point where your nose is bleeding, you should have said so. Cut your classes short from now on. At this rate, you'll be down before your final exams."
Although Tilia immediately protested that she was fine, her protests were of no use. From that day on, her Ontario language classes were limited to three times a week. Feeling unfairly wronged, she tried to sulk and act distant for several days, but she could do nothing in the face of his unwavering behavior.
After all, these lessons depended entirely on his goodwill.
“Now that I think about it, I think Ilex took the bloody handkerchief with him that day.”
Did he throw it away? It must be. Blood stains on such white fabric would be difficult to remove. And it's not like Ilex Davenport was the kind of person who skimped on the cost of the handkerchief...
Then Tilia's gaze, furtively glancing at the long fingers pressed to her nose, suddenly stopped at his little finger. There he wore an elegant ring set with an antique amethyst. It was a butterfly shaped ring that appeared on his hand at some point.
She couldn't say exactly when it first appeared, but one thing was certain: it appeared completely out of the blue.
The exquisite butterfly ring, which seemed to belong to a noble lady, was not on his hand before they began their secret lessons.
The ring, which was hidden during training sessions but appeared at night, may have been a little old-fashioned, but its radiant color indicated its undeniably high value.
It was only natural that, upon seeing the clearly feminine amethyst ring, Tilia's thoughts turned to the woman he was rumored to be preparing to marry. It was supposed to belong to Cecelia Clayton.
On the day when she first saw the bride’s ring on his hand, Tilia for some reason could not sleep and tossed and turned all night. Despite complete exhaustion, her eyes stubbornly refused to close, as if they had forgotten what fatigue was.
All she could picture in her head as she lay on the pillow was Cecelia putting the ring on her fiancé's hand. And Ilex Davenport's face, smiling as he kisses Cecilia's forehead.
- …Great.
Lost in her thoughts, Tilia belatedly raised her head when she heard a voice next to her.
- What?
- I said it's great, Tilia.
Her heart suddenly froze at the carefree words of the man looking at her. Blinking in confusion, Tilia stared at Ilex, who tilted his head slightly, curiously watching her reaction.
- What? Don't you like it?
-……
- You're acting strange. You used to be so obsessed with reviews.
He chuckled quietly, as if he was amused by her behavior, and took a step closer.
- What? Isn't just saying it's great enough? Do you need me to praise you more?
Only then did Tilia understand what Ilex was talking about: the response to her interview. Embarrassed, she quickly pulled herself together and took a step back.
- No, everything is fine.
- Then why are you acting like this?
-...I'm just not used to compliments. This surprised me.
- Is this really so surprising? Even if I don't say it often, you're doing great. People won't believe you started learning Ontario so late.
Placing her hand on her unevenly beating heart, Tilia glanced sideways. Ilex's face, now devoid of a playful smile, did not look like the face of a liar.
- Congratulations. Now all that's left is to submit.
Hearing his calm praise, Tilia's expression began to soften.
Pass... The joy from his first compliment and positive prognosis began to come late.
If Ilex, of all people, said that, then it must be true. He was a much stricter teacher than she had imagined.
Hand over... Hand over...
As Tilia began to imagine her future in detail, her steps became easier and easier.
It seemed as if she was walking on soft clouds rather than on cold ground. In her imagination, she could already see the building of the Ontario Consulate of Foreign Affairs. Through its windows she saw herself eating her favorite ice cream.
The long-desired dream now seemed so close that she could almost reach out and grab it. Just the thought of my future warmed my whole body, filling me with courage to face it.
If she could really go to Ontario... If she could finally leave this boring, false life behind...
Before she knew it, her lips twitched upward, just like when she was hiding under the covers.
-Are you that happy?
Ilex's voice, full of laughter, came from her right, where he was walking along the shore of the lake.
“That’s the happiest expression I’ve ever seen on your face in class.”
“Oh, I’m happy,” Tilia answered quickly, rubbing her cheeks that were red from the cold, not paying attention to the mocking tone in his voice.
“I’m so happy that my heart is literally pounding with excitement.”
Without realizing it, she began to express feelings that she had never been able to share with anyone before.
- Do you think they will immediately give me a certificate as soon as I pass it? If so, I'll frame it so it doesn't get damaged and look at it every day. I will definitely display it at home...
For the first time in her life, Tilia talked to someone about her dreams. Uncontrollably excited, she chatted incessantly without realizing it. She sounded like a child bragging to her mother about her first field trip.
Some time passed, and Tilia noticed that she could not hear any answer next to her. Turning her head slightly, she saw his calm blue-gray eyes quietly watching her in the soft darkness.