I'm Being Raised by Villains (3) - 자은향

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<Side Story 1>

Got married.

So, to be exact, they got married a year after Enosh and Lilian,
who became emperor, got married.

This was because Enosh got married first, as if it wasn’t a joke.

Lucillion had been going in and out of Enosh’s office every day for
a while, and I heard that Enosh’s eyes were quite dull for a while.

I didn’t know what happened and neither did Lillian.

Because neither of them told me.

Anyway, getting married didn’t mean the world changed much.

Should I just say that it feels like sharing a room with someone,
rolling around in the same room, having someone’s warmth always
by my side, and having a strong ally who will never leave me?

Only….

“Anyway, it seems like the man is enjoying being unemployed too


much. I’m worried that my son-in-law is going around with all his
internal organs removed.”
“No way, my wife is so outstanding that I decided to just do my best
to support her behind her back. There is no need for men to take the
lead and do the work, father. Are you listening to the news going on
in the world?”

Erno Etham…, that is, except that my father and Lucillion started
fighting often.

When her father pointed out that she was no different from a pillar,
Lucillion smiled brightly and told her not to show her age.

I burst into laughter at the now familiar table sight.

I thought that no one would ever defeat my father in my lifetime,


but Lucillion was a formidable enemy.

I tried to maintain the same nobility and dignity as my father,


without giving up on even one word of what he said.

For my sake, Lucillion has decided to continue to be a follower of


the god Arma.

It became like a demigod.

In the future, even if the person I gave my heart to dies, I will just
watch it happen. So, I’m sorry about that…That was upsetting.

I was always desperate because I knew this time would never


come back, but even so….
Sometimes, when I thought that one day my father, brothers,
grandfather, grandmother, uncles, Enosh, Lillian, and Richard would
all be gone, I felt like I would burst into tears.

“What are you going to do today, Dad?”

“I will be by your daughter’s side.”

Dad glanced at me and answered calmly. I raised my head with


sparkling eyes.

“…then! Why don’t we go somewhere today? Picnic, family trip,


anything!”

So, I was desperate to do my best and make as many memories


as I could now.

And other people seemed to know this too, so they hung out with
me as much as possible.

“Today? I think it’s too late to prepare.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Wouldn’t it be okay to just pack a light lunch and go? When I made
a strange face, my father smiled and stretched out his hand to stroke
my hair.

“After all, we need to start with forming a knighthood, we need to


take care of food ingredients, and besides, we need servants to
carry the luggage.”
“…Ugh, I just want to go on a picnic for a moment. Three.”

“Three?”

“You mean not two?”

“That’s what I have to say, daughter. I thought you wanted to go


with me.”

Did I say it was a family trip? You didn’t ask me to go on a date,


right?

When I looked at the two people hesitantly, they grinned.

I don’t know why their smiles are so similar.

‘I think I can understand the word homophobia for the first time
today.’

Thinking about that, I laughed out loud.

“Yes, three! Brother, Sister Sharnae, and other family members are
all good when they have time!”

What I want to go to is literally something like a picnic with family.

So, when I smiled brightly to tell them not to fight, Dad and
Lucillion, who burst out in laughter, lightly shrugged their shoulders.

“Yes, if your daughter wants to, we should do it.”

“Yes, if my wife wants it, I have to do it.”


“….”

The two people who spoke words with similar nuances at the same
time looked at each other with smiles.

They’re clearly both smiling, but why does it feel like sparks are
flying everywhere?

“But it would be better to go tomorrow instead of today. It was


almost time for lunch, so it was late.”

At my father’s words, I showed my agreement by nodding my head


obediently while sticking out my lips.

“Tsk, I understand.”

Although I grumbled a little with my mouth.

I also knew that if I wanted to become the head of the Etham


family, it wouldn’t happen all at once.

‘Of course, since it’s a dragon, the risk of dying is low….’

Still, it seemed like my dad was always worried.

Actually, not only my dad, but everyone is overprotective of me.

And everyone always comes to me when they have free time.

Even now, I’m just trying to make more memories.


Still, I liked my family, who accepted me without any hesitation
when I acted foolishly like that.

It meant so much to me to be by your side even when you were


expecting, complaining, or having a hard time.

As I was thinking about that and laughing brightly, my father, who


was eating, raised his wine glass and opened his mouth.

“Daughter, what are you smiling so happy about?”

“Was the reason I was unhappy in my past life because I wanted to


meet my father, Lucillion, and other family members?”

Dad, who was tipping his wine glass, paused.

“…I thought so!”

My father laughed lowly, as if he was very surprised at what I said.

I liked the feeling of the big hand stroking my hair and touching my
cheek. And then Dad shook his head with a benevolent expression.

“No, daughter. The reason you were unhappy in your past life is
because your family in your previous life was garbage.”

“…Oh, that’s right.”

The emotion was completely shattered and I returned to reality. I


nodded without realizing it.
“That’s right, wife. It’s because they were trash with no
conscience.”

Are you an apostle of God?

I couldn’t bring myself to say that much, so I smiled awkwardly and


nodded.

“Uhm, okay….”

I nodded quietly. What can I say, I felt like I had met a cruel science
student who shattered the sensibilities of a liberal arts student.

“Now that I think about it, why do you want to go on a picnic? Did
you have any plans today?”

“Yeah, I’m not there today.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“There is tomorrow…. If I want to go on a trip tomorrow, I’m just


going to do it today.”

“Let me help you.”

Lucillion smiled and said at my words. I quickly nodded, thinking it


was a good thing for me.

“Daughter, are you very busy with work?”

“No, it’s okay. Everyone is helping…Is Dad okay?”


“Of course, there’s no problem, except for the idiots not being able
to properly assist me.”

What are you talking about when you make that face that says
that’s the biggest problem, Dad?

As I was looking at my dad in awe, he looked at me in silence for a


while and then slowly opened his mouth like always.

“Now that I think about it, it would be nice to go on a picnic together


tomorrow.”

Dad quietly looked down at the wine glass, shook it lightly and
spoke.

“If we’re all together….”

“Kalan, Cillian, and your favorite Charnay too.”

“Wouldn’t it be busy?”

Dad laughed lightly at my words.

“Well, even if I’m busy, wouldn’t I make time for you?”

“Because then it would be unreasonable….”

I didn’t want to go that far, if possible.

“We can all go together next time when we have time.”


So, I didn’t want to put a burden on them by forcing them into an
urgent schedule.

Dad looked at me, put down his glass, smiled, and opened his
mouth.

“But they’re also going to get busier. From what I heard, it seems
like he has a girl in mind….”

My shoulders stiffened at my father’s words.

“Ah….”

Now that I think about it, I’m old enough to do that.

And when they get married, those who are not heirs…I had no
choice but to leave the mansion.

It was a rule that had been handed down for a long time in the
Etham family. Of course, I could force the change, but….

‘I guess older brothers have their own lives too.’

It was a natural desire to create a happy home with my family.

Creating a new family was natural. Because I can’t ask you to


accept my foolishness forever.

Dad is telling me that.

Before you get busier in the future, make sure to make plenty of
memories.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t make any sound, just pursed
my lips, then slowly smiled and nodded.

“Then, I have to tell you!”

When I exaggeratedly clenched my fists and spoke, my father


smiled and gently rubbed the area around my eyes with his thumb.

“Daughter.”

“Yes?”

“It’s okay, I’ll stay by your side.”

“I will be there too, father.”

Lucillion quickly intervened. Unlike usual, instead of sarcastic or


retorting Lucillion’s words, Dad nodded lightly and opened his mouth.

“Yes, this son-in-law will also be by your side.”

“….”

“So don’t think about sad things that didn’t happen, just enjoy the
moment and enjoy it.”

The time we spend together is too precious to think sad thoughts.

Hearing the sweet voice he added, I nodded and hugged my dad


tightly.

Dad seemed to know.


They say I’m a dragon, but the truth is that I’m not at all ready to
live eternal life.

“Yes, I understand.”

In response to my answer, my father quietly stroked my head.


Lucillion held my hand tightly.

Did you know that the more you are in a sweet and cozy embrace,
the more anxious you become?

I took a hard breath and smiled brightly.


<Side Story 2>

Erno Etham sat down at the empty table and tilted his teacup as he
watched the child walk away with Lucilion.

“…Time flies.”

I didn’t know what the child was worried about or thinking. I was
always a more mature child than I thought.

Even though there were many reasons behind it that he kept to


himself, he was an affectionate child.

“Does it resemble Dahlia in that it is often lonely?”

His one and only wife, whom he wanted to make as his lifelong
companion, blossomed brilliantly in her prime but quickly withered
away.

I don’t blame the child for that. There’s no reason for that.

Dahlia died after living the life she had chosen without any regrets.
To get angry or question it was to insult her.

Still, Erno Etham sometimes thinks. A vain hope of what it would


have been like if she had been there.
“…Dahlia, I don’t know what to say to a child who will be left alone
from now on.”

To think that that child, who suffers from loneliness a lot, will be left
alone until the end as he sees the people, he gave affection to die
one by one….

Erno Etham pressed his fist to his chest.

Nevertheless, he could not promise to live eternal life together.


Although he loved children, Erno Etham also loved Dahlia just as
much.

Living eternal life was never an easy task.

I daresay, it must be something so heavy and difficult that you can’t


even imagine.

The child will live like this for a long time to come. You will meet
someone, break up with them, and be left alone again.

That made me feel even more heartbroken.

Erno Etham slowly closed his eyes and opened them.

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met her. It was a meeting


that I never thought would lead to marriage.

The corners of Erno Etham’s lips drew a thin line as old memories
came to mind.
***

“Oh, are you the monster new junior from the Etham family who
came in this time? It’s rumored to be hard and scary, but it looks like
it can cut up monsters with its face.”

“….”

Erno Etham frowned at the red hair shaking before his eyes.

It was famous for being a berserker at a young age and destroying


several ducal houses.

Erno Etham was well aware that people called him behind his
back, calling him the monster of the Etham family and all.

It wasn’t a new call, but it had been quite a while since I’d heard it
so openly.

“I didn’t want to be paired with a woman who was so stupid that


she couldn’t even tell the difference between construction and
construction.”

“Oh, how did you know? My grades are worse than yours.”

“…My head was just a flower garden.”

“I know that my hair is as pretty as a flower field. I received a lot of


compliments that the color was like a gorgeous blooming rose.”
Erno Etham’s face cracked as he saw the woman in front of him
interpreting what he wanted to hear and saying what she wanted to
say.

Erno Etham opened his mouth with a sad look on his face.

“How are you going to keep up with the class with me when the
topic is so stupid that you can’t even understand what’s being said?”

“Oh, you are surprisingly polite. I am your senior.”

Despite the sarcastic remarks, she blinked, grinned, and lowered


her head with a somewhat proud expression.

She was truly a woman who did not even listen to what others said.

Just as Erno Etham was feeling dizzy from frustration, she smiled
brightly and opened her mouth.

“I am Dahlia. Dahlia Roarnan! For your information, the family went


bankrupt and only the family name is left, so even if you worry, you
won’t know.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Erno Etham answered half-heartedly.

Even so, I was tired because there were so many people interested
in me as soon as I entered school.
I couldn’t skip classes because my father, the current head of the
family, threatened to select me as his successor if I didn’t graduate
from the academy at the top of my class.

This is because Erno Etham did not want to become the head of
the family and had no desire to be tied to the Etham family.

‘I was hoping he would be someone who listens well or just does


his job.’

I ended up on the same team as some annoying woman.

The academy had a mentee and mentor system, and to be precise,


Erno Etham’s mentor was Dahlia Roarnan.

‘What kind of advice should I get from a stupid woman?’

Erno Etham opened his mouth with an expressionless face,


thinking that he would have to kick out the teacher who thought of
such a composition once he graduated.

“Please be kind to me from now on and please don’t pretend to


know anything except when doing assignments.”

“Etham is very shy.”

“….”

Erno Etham, who answered coldly, was just about to turn around
when he heard something that made him startle.
“Do you mind if I introduce you to the congressman?”

“Are there any good lawmakers? I’ll tell you later when it hurts.
You’re kind.”

“….”

It was a moment when Erno Etham looked down at her with a truly
horrified and appalled look as she tiptoed and patted her shoulder.

“Dahlia! What are you doing here? It’s class!”

Someone ran up and grabbed her by the back.

The woman, who was floating in the air with her backside held up
and naturally laughing, scratched her cheek and smiled as if she was
very used to the unexpected situation.

“Oh right. Sorry, sorry. Are you here to pick me up? After all, he is
my best friend. I love you~!”

“Why do you have dozens of best friends? What on earth were you
doing?! I know you’re merciless about the professor’s tardiness
today!”

The woman, who was grumbling and complaining that she didn’t
like nagging, smiled without being disgusted and pointed at Erno
Etham with her palm open.

“I was saying hello to my junior here. My mentee, Aden. Isn’t this


junior extremely handsome?”
At her explanation, the brown-haired boy turned his head to look at
her and widened his eyes.

At that familiar reaction, deeper wrinkles appeared between Erno


Etham’s brows.

“Eh, Erno Etham? Hey, no matter how fearless you are, in front of
someone right now…. Oh, it’s okay. Come quickly. Today’s potion
making practice!”

“Oh, I understand.”

Dahlia said, breaking free from the boy’s grasp. She came in front
of Erno Etham and smiled.

“Etham, I met my first senior and it’s a shame we couldn’t talk for a
long time, but we have to part ways.”

In response, Erno Etham wrinkled his face with an expression that


made him look at the crazy person.

‘Who on earth would say that it’s a shame?’

I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but when I said one word, they
responded with ten words, so I didn’t even want to open my mouth.

Either way, she waved her hand with a very shameless, nonchalant
expression.

Everything he said seemed not to have reached her ears.


“Then I have class, so I’ll just go. If you have any difficulties, come
talk to your senior at any time!”

“….”

“Please!”

“Dahlia, come quickly!”

At her friend’s urging, she strengthened her legs and quickly ran to
her classmate.

“Wow, it’s already time…Hey, I’ll go first.”

“Huh, wa, wait…!”

Erno Etham was speechless as he watched the woman disappear


in a flash, abandoning her friend who had come to pick her up.

“Hey, uh…Hehehe, hehehe…, Dahlia Roarnan! This is a good


man!

It was considered an established fact that all members of the


Ministry of Magic had weak physical strength, but Dahlia did not look
like that at all.

She literally jumped like a monkey and disappeared in front of him


in an instant.

The only person who screamed as he watched her walk away was
the man who came to pick her up.
‘She’s really tired.’

She was also a woman I never wanted to be associated with in the


future.

Just looking at it made me exhausted and tired. Erno Etham lightly


rubbed his temples, still feeling like his ears were tingling.

***

“Hello, Etham.”

“Yes, senior.”

The mentoring time I never wanted has come back. In other words,
it was a mentoring time, but it was a time when mentors and
mentees gathered together to work on joint tasks.

The mentor needed evidence that he had improved the mentee’s


grades or provided advice to help him grow, and the mentee needed
evidence that he had received advice from the mentor.

And the academy’s cumbersome system was to jointly write and


present research or papers every semester.

In other words, whether Erno Etham wanted it or not, they had no


choice but to see each other face to face once or twice a week.

“You still have a handsome face today. Good morning, Etham.”

“It is afternoon now.”


“Morning or afternoon, that’s it.”

Erno Etham clicked his tongue as he looked at his hair, which


looked as if he had just woken up a little while ago.

It was surprising how humans could live so roughly, as they


wanted, and as they wanted to, without even looking at the opinions
of others.

Wasn’t it okay to just touch the head?

“It looks like you can’t see that the sunset is already setting.”

“It was originally said that youth begins at night.”

“…Okay, let’s decide on a topic.”

Erno Etham, who had given up on talking to Dahlia, who was


arguing without logic, sat down with a sigh and spoke.

“As expected, honor students are different~”

“….”

Erno Etham really wanted to change his mentor.


<Side Story 3>

“Hello, Etham….”

“….”

Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she hurriedly walked over and sat
down in the seat where Erno Etham had already been sitting.

Erno Etham’s expression was frowned upon by his messy hair,


unkempt clothes, and tired face.

“What on earth do you do every night that you end up like this
when it’s a holiday?”

Meeting once or twice a week to conduct research and write


papers was usually a holiday for the academy.

And for the past half a year or so, she has never looked fine.

“Hey, I stopped reading romance novels all night~ but I wasn’t


late.”

She laughed jokingly at Erno Etham’s blunt dissatisfaction.

As she put down all the materials she was carrying in her arms,
she gave me an apology with a sly smile on her face.
Erno Etham’s heart was shaken again. It was extremely annoying
to see that no matter what I said, I was the only one who smiled and
slyly ignored it.

Erno Etham also disliked being bound by the customs of nobles,


but not having even the slightest dignity was a different story.

“If you’re a noble, can’t you at least come out as sane based on
common sense? Tsk. I’m not a street bum.”

Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were swollen from how much
sleep she had had. In addition, the academy uniform, which seemed
to be worn loosely, was loose compared to her physique and looked
like she had gotten it from somewhere, making her look like a street
tramp.

Normally, he would have added, ‘Hey, he’s being harsh again’, but
today he was quiet.

Erno Etham, who was unfolding the materials he had found, looked
up and saw her scratching her cheek and smiling awkwardly.

“…Ahaha.”

Dahlia Roarnan was a person with an iron plate on her face.

It’s also a very thick steel plate that doesn’t break easily even if you
hit it with a hammer.

At least Erno Etham thought so.


So, Erno Etham never thought that she would make that kind of
expression when he said something out of the blue.

He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Oh, I’m being too harsh on a senior like Haneul. Etham. Come on,
let’s hurry up and go get some rest.”

As Erno Etham was looking at her, unusually a little embarrassed,


Dahlia waved her hand with an innocent look on her face and her
usual smile appeared on her face again, as if it had never happened
before.

Erno Etham narrowed his eyebrows, clicked his tongue and


nodded.

“I will look into this.”

“Ah, then I’m this way.”

As Erno Etham nodded lightly, Dahlia Roarnan quietly


concentrated on reviewing the data.

‘….’

Erno looked at Dahlia with narrowed eyes. The face is not much
different from usual.

Contrary to her acting like a screw was missing, she was more
sincere than I thought and was smarter than I thought.
The only thing I learned over the past six months was that she was
a better person than I thought.

Of course, Dahlia wasn’t a bad person to deal with, except that she
was a free-spirited person who was full of fuss, smiled stupidly no
matter what was said, and rarely got angry, so she had no
constraints.

I felt like I knew why there were always so many people around
her.

Listen carefully to other people’s stories, but do not talk about your
own.

Regardless of the appearance of the assigned task, he was sure to


complete it perfectly and not cause any inconvenience, and his head
was not bad either.

Even though he had to get good grades and had a very difficult
topic for his mentoring assignment, he was able to follow along much
better than expected without complaining.

And compared to my initial interest, she was very calm.

Erno Etham objectively knew that he had an appearance that was


attractive to others.

In addition, since he had wealth and a family title, it was strange


that people were not attracted to him.
Whether it was a group task or something else, he calmed down to
a certain extent after stepping on each and every one of the people
who messed with him.

But Dahlia didn’t give him a headache from the beginning.

He didn’t come any closer than scheduled, didn’t ask me anything


personal, and didn’t even mention anything related to my family.

When I met him on my way to the academy, he greeted me first


and started talking as if I was friendly, but other than that, I never
approached him personally.

Moreover, there was no need to deliver letters or anything that


other people had requested.

The time he spent with her was as quiet as being alone, so to be


honest, Erno didn’t think the mentoring time, which he thought was
the worst, was that bad.

However, what can you do if it arrives just in the nick of time or


appears as if it has just woken up?

However, the problem was that it was too quiet.

Erno Etham glanced around. There were other mentees and


mentors around me.

Among the people who chatted amicably and had personal


interactions, they were somehow heterogeneous as they only met
and said hello and looked at books and documents and did not have
any conversation.

“….”

Erno Etham, who narrowed his eyes, also immediately lowered his
head and began to organize the data needed for research and
thesis.

After concentrating on organizing the data for a while, Erno Etham


looked at the time.

It’s already been three hours since they started the task, and the
two haven’t said a word.

In fact, Erno Etham gave off a hint that he did not want to share
personal chats, and Dahlia only fully reflected his wishes.

Dahlia didn’t tend to do things that others didn’t like, and Erno
Etham wasn’t the type of person who was very pleasant to talk to
first.

Still, I felt uncomfortable somehow and couldn’t concentrate.

“Erno.”

For some reason she called him.

Erno Etham, who had his arms crossed, looked at Dahlia.

“Yes.”
“This data. How about organizing the paper like this and attaching
an excerpt at the back to add explanation? Or should I just add an
explanation before going in?”

“I think you’re both okay. Please make yourself at home.”

Erno Etham relaxed his arms and answered bluntly.

Dahlia nodded, as if she was very familiar with that long


conversation.

“Okay, then I’ll do it here next time. Are you done?”

“I did almost everything.”

“Ah, then let’s sort it out quickly. Go in carefully~”

I got up from my seat and started packing my luggage.

‘You really don’t seem to have any regrets.’

In fact, it almost felt like I didn’t want to be with him anymore.

Erno Etham frowned for a moment at my thought.

‘What if you don’t have regrets?’

Do you want it to get muddy?

Just imagining it made my face crumple. That was when Erno


Etham got up from his seat in frustration.
“Then next week….”

When I looked up, the woman was no longer there.

“….”

A deep furrow appeared between Erno Etham’s eyebrows as he


suddenly became a human being who greeted the air.

***

“Erno, Ray. What did you guys plan to take next year’s class?”

“This is the class you are not taking.”

“It’s the same, Your Majesty.”

“…No matter how much you say you are the next duke, aren’t you
doing too much to the next emperor?”

It was the moment the crown prince narrowed his eyebrows and
asked.

“…Stick to…It seems like you can do anything…?”

A new voice came from the backyard of the academy, a place


where people don’t often go.

The crown prince narrowed his eyes at the extremely excited voice.

“You took the wrong route. Anyway, it seems like there are people
everywhere who are muddying the waters.”
The crown prince pointed to another path.

“It’s a hassle to get involved, so go over there. There’s nothing


good about us getting involved.”

“It would be best to inform the professor and security.”

Michael Colin, the heir of the Colin family, calmly responded to the
crown prince’s words.

Michael Colin, Erno Etham, and the Crown Prince were all the eyes
of the academy’s storm.

Because I stood out in many ways, I didn’t know what kind of


annoying rumors or issues I would get caught up in if I got involved
in such a small, private commotion.

Erno Etham was also about to turn away, as he was not in the
mood to interfere in other people’s affairs.

“Wow, what could happen if you stick with Etham? Seniors.”

Erno Etham stopped in his tracks when he heard that bright, yet
innocent, familiar voice.

“You’re probably targeting a duchess or something! I don’t even


know the topic.”

“Oh, you too, senior. If I were to be specific, my preference would


be a handsome man with masculine charm whose breasts make you
feel full when you massage them with your hands.”
For a moment, Erno Etham’s face turned pale. Anyway, it’s
because I didn’t know he would say something like that out loud.

“Of course, Etham has a handsome face, but he looks more like a
younger brother than a man, and he doesn’t have big breasts….”

“Wow, what family’s daughter is that hot?”

The crown prince widened his eyes and spoke in an excited voice.

“What, what, what kind of vulgar words…! What I’m saying is,
you’re no different from a lowlife, so don’t lash out like a fox!”

“Oh, did I look like a fox? Thank you for your kind opinion. But
actually, I’ve heard a lot of people say I look more like a dog than a
fox.”

Erno Etham swallowed a laugh without realizing it. This was


because I could clearly imagine the other person holding the back of
his neck.

“Who the hell is it?”

It was the moment when the crown prince hid himself in the corner
of the building with a curious look on his face and peeked his head
out.

“Dahlia Roarnan! You, you, your family is ruined and your parents
who left home died suddenly and tragically on the street, so there’s
nothing to see!”
“….”

Among the women gathered together, the red hair of a particularly


short woman could be seen.

“…Roarnan? That family’s blood is still at the Academy.”

The crown prince narrowed his eyes and muttered softly.

Erno Etham glanced at the crown prince saying something


meaningful and then saw Dahlia surrounded by several ladies.

They were all circling around, aiming for the beans that fell from
Erno Etham.

‘…Ah.’

Erno Etham’s eyes widened slightly.

“I thought you would be angry.”

The woman with the stiff face did not have the bright and gentle
face she always had.

Eventually, she walked through the crowds to the bushes on one


side of the backyard and lifted a rock half the size of her upper body
from between the bushes. It was truly a fleeting moment.

“Have you ever tried eating a rock? senior?”

She lifted the rock above her head with both hands and asked in a
bright voice with a bright smile on her face.
<Side Story 4>

“What are you talking about…. Roarnan, put down that rock right
now!”

As the young lady who was shooting at her turned pale, the other
young girls who followed her shouted with tense faces.

Well, it didn’t seem funny to Dahlia because it was so far away.

“Well, if you throw that away, you’ll have to pay a settlement fee!
How can you attack someone when you’re broke and have no
money at home?!”

“Yes.”

Dahlia said, smiling brightly.

The other ladies paused at the splendor. Because she showed no


hesitation at all.

“Ah, it’s okay to be expelled from the academy! If you mess up on a


topic that doesn’t have tuition, you will definitely be expelled…!”

“Yes, of course. What would I do if I got the same academic


background as my seniors who had nothing but rocks in their
heads?”
Bang-!

As soon as she finished speaking, she threw a rock in front of the


ladies and smiled brightly, turning her arm as if showing off.

“Aaaah!”

The young lady, who almost got her foot stuck on a rock, jumped
and screamed and fell to the floor.

She smiled brightly, looking at this crazy bitch.

If he had been angry, crying, or holding a rock in anger, it wouldn’t


have been so scary.

But she really smiled brightly without any shadow. She pulled out
another rock from inside the bush and still had a bright expression
on her face.

“As you can see, I am strong and as cute as a puppy, right? Even if
you are expelled without a title, you will not starve to death. Unlike
seniors who only have pretty faces…!”

Bang-!

Another rock flew at them. Fortunately, I missed both times,


probably because I didn’t intend to hit it.

“You, just wait and see!”


“I’m going to report this to the school as a violent incident! You are
finished, you are finished!”

“Yes~! Cheer up! Seniors who all they have is a family name and a
pretty face!”

“That crazy…!”

“Go, go. If we deal with them any longer, we’ll be stupid!”

“Well, that would be a good idea. Let’s go. I avoid it not because
I’m scared, but because it’s dirty!”

Erno Etham quietly watched the ladies, leaning against the corner,
as they quickly walked away, spouting out the usual lines of a third-
rate villain.

“With really temperamental people.”

As soon as the ladies disappeared, Dahlia sat down on the small


rock I had thrown and muttered angrily.

“Etham is handsome, but is he really that good?”

She muttered softly and suddenly buried her face in her palms.

It was somehow strange to see a woman who always smiled


without a trace, but with an expressionless and sad face. Erno
Etham stared at the scene in silence.

“…But what if I really report it?”


There are times when I quickly regret something I have already
done.

Erno Etham, who saw Dahlia muttering with her hands clasped
together with a serious expression, laughed.

“Ho….”

Erno Etham’s expression quickly hardened at the exclamation of


the crown prince next to him.

“You’re laughing too. I think I should at least give this to Lady


Roarnan as compensation for showing her something precious.”

“You talk nonsense so seriously.”

“Do you have no intention of being polite to the royal family?”

Hearing the crown prince’s dull voice, Erno Etham silently turned
his head and looked at her again.

“Still, Lady Roarnan is quite courageous. It was four months ago


that Viscount Roarnan and his wife, who fled at night, died
suddenly.”

The prince said with his arms crossed.

Erno Etham’s expression became subtle. Four months ago?

It was a time when I had a particularly hard time coming to my


senses during the mentoring assignment.
It was around that time that Erno Etham chastised her for staying
up all night reading romance novels and calling her a tramp.

That day was particularly strange.

“…Sudden death, you mean?”

“Yes, Viscount Roarnan has bad hand habits. I got into gambling
and had a lot of debt.”

“….”

Erno Etham kept his mouth shut as he remembered her always


coming home neat and tidy after complaining about him being a
vagabond.

“Lady Roarnan went through a lot of trouble. Not only did I go


bankrupt not long after entering the academy, but my parents even
ran away at night to avoid their demands because of the money I
couldn’t repay. It seems he was recently found dead in a not very
good way.”

“What if it’s not good?”

Michael Colin, who had been listening quietly, narrowed his


eyebrows and asked cautiously.

“It looks like we were attacked. I heard that the corpse was not a
good idea. I think it was probably the work of one of the debt
collectors, but there is no evidence or witnesses. Lady Roarnan also
said that we should finish it so we don’t have to find the culprit.”

“….”

Erno Etham saw her unconsciously sitting on a rock and sighing as


the story told by the crown prince was darker than expected.

Finally, as if she had finished thinking, she slapped me hard on the


cheek a couple of times, then stood up, picked up the rock, returned
it to its original place, and grinned with an expressionless expression
on her face as always.

‘There’s no way you wouldn’t know.’

He wears a mask like that so well, who would notice?

If you look at her bright and thoughtless expression, doesn’t she


look like the most loved and precious child in the world?

In fact, until this day, Erno Etham thought she was.

Even when Erno Etham often talked about her personal life, such
as how her family was annoyed or her father was angry, she never
mentioned anything about her personal life.

When I complained about my parents, they would smile and


sympathize with me by saying that I didn’t like it….

‘You make people look very funny.’


I was speechless when I remembered the things, I had said to a
person who had barely had a funeral without knowing the
circumstances, calling him a vagabond and other thing, and freely
expressing my dissatisfaction with his family.

“From the time I entered school until now, I have maintained my


academic life at the academy with scholarships and allowances from
professor assistants….”

Erno Etham has never thought of himself as having a good


personality, but he has never thought of himself as trash.

But today, for the first time, he thought about his careless words.

To her, she is trash…, I think it’s probably not, but it could be


somewhere around that.

“What…The most surprising thing is seeing the body in person,


taking care of it, holding the funeral in just five days, and then
returning to the academy for the exam. It seems like he didn’t have
much affection with his parents.”

“Probably not that.”

Erno Etham looked at the crown prince and slowly answered, then
turned his head.

Before she knew it, she was walking in the direction where they
were, with her expression showing no signs of worry or concern, as
usual.
“This….”

The difference was only a few steps, but it was the moment when
the crown prince quickly turned around to avoid meeting him.

“Uh? Etham? What are you doing here?”

She had already discovered them, including Erno Etham.

“I was on my way to the dormitory.”

Erno Etham spoke calmly and calmly.

“Oh, by the way, the men’s dormitory was this way?”

“Sir, what were you doing here?”

“Me? I played with a fox~! It’s really cute what this cute thing does.”

She shamelessly dismissed the ladies of noble families who


flocked to her as ‘foxes’, took one look at Colin and the Crown Prince
behind Erno Etham, then widened her eyes and bowed her head.

“Etham, how come you make so many friends?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“They all look good. It’s perfect for refreshing your eyes. But the
person in the back is a senior. Hello, I’m Dahlia Roarnan!”

“Ah…, okay. Nice to meet you.”


The crown prince paused for a moment and nodded at that bright
greeting.

“Yes. Then have fun with your friends, we’ll see you at the next
mentoring!”

She waved her hand with a look on her face that didn’t show a
single trace of worry or concern, and was about to turn away without
any hesitation.

Widely-

Erno Etham grabbed Dahlia’s wrist.

“Why?”

Dahlia blinked and tilted her head.

Erno grabbed her other wrist and lightly turned it so that the palm
was facing upward.

“You’re hurt.”

Perhaps because he was holding a rock, his hand had several


small scratches and a solid red line.

“Oh, really? It’s okay, it’s okay. This kind of thing gets better if you
put saliva on it~”

“It doesn’t get better, it becomes an infection. Let’s go to the


infirmary properly.”
“Ugh, I understand~”

It was obvious that she was annoying, so he sneered and


answered while avoiding eye contact.

“It looks like you don’t understand at all.”

“Hey, even though I was like this, I grew up to be strong and not
prone to minor illnesses. This is a scar from the glory of tidying up.”

Erno Etham took out his pocket watch, took a look at it, then let go
of one of her hands and opened his mouth.

“I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

“Uh, thank you, but that’s enough. If I play with you, the foxes will
get jealous so I can’t do it. Let’s not meet except during our
mentoring time~”

He speaks beautifully to people’s faces.

As Erno Etham let out an annoyed look on his face at the absurdity,
she squirmed and tried to pull her wrist out of his hand.

Nevertheless, Erno Etham did not let go. The crown prince looked
at them with a very interested expression.

“Etham likes me so much that he calls me Tal. But what should I


do? I like men with big chests and muscles, so I think it will be
difficult for me to receive your love….”
Dahlia smiled brightly after spouting the words that Erno Etham
would hate the most.

“So let it go.”

At that obvious provocation, Erno Etham grinned, bent down,


brought his face close to Dahlia’s nose, and kissed her.

“Nope.”

Dahlia’s mouth dropped open.

Meanwhile, Erno Etham dragged Dahlia and headed to the


infirmary.
<Side Story 5>

Bang-!

Attention was focused on the wide-open classroom door.

Dahlia, who strode into the classroom with water dripping from her
lusciously red and voluminous hair, smiled brightly.

“Hello, Etham.”

“Yes, senior.”

“It’s the middle of summer, but I suddenly have to play in the water
even though I had no intention of doing so. Can you lend me your
shirt and jacket?”

Dahlia spoke with a more cheerful expression than usual.

Erno, who was looking at her blankly, nodded obediently and


handed her the jacket he had placed on the chair.

Erno frowned as the inside of her thin school uniform was visible.

He stood up, draped the jacket over her shoulders, and opened his
mouth.

“Do you have any extra clothes?”


“Okay, I’m going to go to the dormitory and change.”

“But why here….”

Dahlia smiled brightly at Erno Etham’s words and looked at him.

Why would you come, you bastard?

For the first time, Erno Etham felt like he understood the meaning
of cursing with the eyes.

“I wanted to take a look at my junior’s proud face. I’m glad you


looked good today!”

Dahlia snatched Erno Etham’s jacket and left the classroom.

“Big….”

Erno let out a small laugh.

After being aggressive by holding a rock the other day, the bullying
started to get more serious, and she was often seen doused with
water or dragged to the backyard every few days.

Of course, if you were to say that Dahlia was just suffering, that
wasn’t the case.

When she got wet, she would come to Erno and borrow clothes
from Erno like she did today, and she would spoil the girls who were
bothering her. When she was taken to the backyard, she would
trample them all with her horse’s feet.
Unlike the other ladies who bowed their heads and gave in after
being bullied a few times, Dahlia behaved quite fiercely, as if she had
nothing to lose.

However, he always had a smile on his face, so it seemed like he


was a bully who made me feel defeated.

Thanks to that, the other young ladies who had developed aversion
took a stronger stance, and now, for some reason, Dahlia has
become quite an outsider in the entire school.

Of course, she herself didn’t seem to care much, and some of the
people she was close with also seemed to still be there.

“Aren’t you tormenting Lady Roarnan too much?”

“…Do you mean me? I have never bullied you.”

“If you think about it, it’s happening because of you, but I’m only
saying this because you seem to be enjoying it too much.”

Since that day, when Erno Etham took Dahlia to the infirmary, their
relationship had been quite sluggish for almost half a year until
today.

“If you are interested, how about being more supportive? Erno.
Haven’t we passed the time when we thought bullying was
something we didn’t care about since we were no longer children?
Then you will be hated.”
Erno’s expression wrinkled at the prince’s words. Because I
couldn’t understand at once what he was saying.

“I don’t care if I’m hated. I’m not particularly interested.”

I just think it’s a little fun.

Erno answered with a frown. The crown prince shrugged his


shoulders as if he were an immature child.

“If that’s you, well, it’s something like that. Don’t regret it. I’ll just go
to class now.”

The Crown Prince waved lightly and soon left Erno’s classroom.

Erno, who was born with the talent of a wizard but was forced to
enter the swordsmanship club, snorted.

‘There is no way he would be interested.’

It’s not boring if you just look at it, so it’s just fun to touch it once in
a while.

It was amazing that, unlike other weak women, she never


supported or broke down despite being dealt with every time.

Okay, thinking that was all, Erno Etham checked the timetable and
went out to the training hall where the next class would be held.

***

“Yes, thank you for taking me. Raiden!”


“No, I’ll come pick you up when the mentoring is over.”

“Huh.”

Dahlia smiled shyly, hugged the green-haired boy and gave a small
wave.

Erno Etham, who was about to say hello, paused for a moment.
The green-haired boy looked at Erno for a moment, narrowed his
eyes, and then turned around.

“Hello, Etham!”

After greeting Raiden, the green-haired boy, Dahlia greeted him


with the same facial expression as always.

There was no longer any feeling of shyness on her face as she


looked at Erno Etham.

Rattling-

Erno Etham frowned as he felt like he had heard a strange sound.


When he saw her sitting across from him, he opened his mouth
instead of greeting her.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, lover.”

“…Lover?”

“Yes, you look good.”


Dahlia, who grinned mischievously, nodded and spoke proudly.

“Your muscles are big too.”

Dahlia’s expression was very bright as she spoke happily.

Yes, he was definitely a boy with thick lines. This means that to
some extent, he matched up with the ‘handsome man with a big
chest’ that Dahlia talked about when she was bored.

Erno Etham frowned and rubbed his forehead, feeling shocked for
some reason.

“Is it okay to do this while studying?”

“Yeah, what do you think? It doesn’t matter as long as you have the
ability. I have the ability to kill two birds with one stone.”

“…But does it make sense to suddenly date like this? What kind of
person do you think you are?”

“We’ve been dating for two weeks. And since we’ve been in the
same class for two years, I know roughly their personalities. He is
the count’s second son.”

Dahlia said, taking out the materials she had brought.

Mentoring was also slowly coming to an end. When the winter


vacation season came this time, there was no mentoring anymore.
The mentoring system lasts at least 3 years. It was a kind of safety
device to help first-year students adapt to academy life, which would
last at most four years if they took the advanced course.

Now in his second year, Erno Etham will act as a mentor, not a
mentee.

Dahlia will be preparing for her graduation exam. Since there was
no scholarship system for advanced courses, there was little chance
that she would remain at the academy until the fourth year.

“…Why? Is it really that surprising?”

“Yes, I was a little surprised that a normal relationship was


possible.”

“…Wow, you speak beautifully. you.”

Dahlia narrowed her eyes at Erno Etham’s hellish snout, gave a


disapproving look, and shrugged her shoulders.

“But thanks to you, I was able to enjoy it very luxuriously for a year
without the foxes being jealous. Have a good time at school next
year too.”

Erno Etham simply shrugged his shoulders instead of answering


Dahlia’s added voice with a slight smile.

“Come on, let’s finish this quickly.”

“Yes.”
“This is my part. Is this yours?”

“Yes, I think the two of us can look at it and make it with just the
bridge part in the middle, and then submit it.”

After working on finishing the paper for about three hours, Erno
and Dahlia were finally able to finish writing the paper that had been
going on for a year.

“Ugh!! Good job!!”

Dahlia suddenly stood up, stretching.

“Good job, good job! Oh my, thank you for your hard work Etham.”

Dahlia grinned and messed up Erno’s hair.

Erno Etham’s face scrunched up.

“What is it?”

“School will be on vacation a week after I submit this! You have to


watch it a lot.”

“I guess we’ll see each other again in a month anyway. Even if it’s
not mentoring, it will come and go.”

At Erno Etham’s words, Dahlia looked at him and giggled like a


child.

Erno looked at her blankly.


‘He’s a person who laughs really well.’

There hasn’t been a time when I haven’t laughed in the past hour.
If you walk around with a smile on your face no matter what
happens, isn’t the bullying getting worse?

In the past year, she has not made him uncomfortable even once.

“What…I had fun too.”

Erno Etham responded a little bluntly. Then Dahlia shrugged her


shoulders and responded lightly.

“I’m glad you did that~”

“How did you suddenly find a lover?”

“I had a lot of work to do this year. You helped me a lot during a


time when I was losing my senses. Thanks to you, I finished my
school life well. It was hard, but it was worth it because I had
someone by my side.”

She said with a slight smile on her face. Erno Etham’s expression
became subtle.

“Was it difficult?”

“…What is that rude thing to say! Do you think I’m some kind of
hard tree?”

“No, there was a time when I thought he was a tough guy.”


“….”

At Erno’s words, the smile on Dahlia’s face became even brighter.

Erno, who saw her trying to lift the chair at any moment, quickly got
up from her seat.

Dahlia sighed heavily and opened her mouth with a slightly


embarrassed expression.

“Etham, it’s not like I don’t have any hard times. However…That’s
right. If I show off that I’m having a hard time, the people around me
will also feel bad.”

Erno’s eyes widened slightly at those words. I knew it when I was


writing my thesis, but surprisingly, I thought that she also takes many
things into consideration in her life.

“I want my friends to always treat me the same way. Without pity or


pity.”

“…Did you?”

“huh. In that sense, I’m glad that you haven’t changed at all since I
first met you!”

“….”

Erno Etham narrowed his eyes in awe at Dahlia’s bright words, not
sure if they were a compliment or an insult.
“Anyway, Etham. My problem is not your fault, so keep that in
mind.”

“…Yes?”

“No, have a nice vacation. Thanks to you, this year was fun.”

“Yes, you too, senior. I’ll see you after vacation.”

Dahlia roughly waved her hand at Erno and then ran off to the
green haired man who had come to pick me up.

“….”

Erno’s expression darkened a little as he watched that scene.

And as soon as Erno Etham returned to the academy after the


short and long winter vacation, the news he heard was that Dahlia
had fallen in third place in the previous exam and that she had
dropped out.
<Side Story 6>

“What do you mean, dropping out?”

After returning from the winter vacation, Erno Etham asked back
with a slightly foolish expression after hearing the answer the crown
prince gave to the words he blurted out since he had not seen his
face for a few days.

‘Oh, I thought you could make an expression like this?’

The crown prince rubbed his chin, thought, and then slowly opened
his mouth.

“What are you talking about? Just saying it like that. You know that
Lady Roarnan is in a bad situation in many ways. I had to maintain
second place to be able to attend, but I heard that my grades were a
little lower and I ended up in third place.”

“….”

“It seems like the difference was only a few points….”

It’s a shame.

The crown prince added and shook his head.


I thought it was okay in many ways, but I didn’t know that I wouldn’t
have even told Erno Etham, who I’ve been with for a year.

“Why….”

“Well, I guess it was just bad luck.”

Erno Etham frowned at the crown prince’s insincere answer and


turned around.

He went straight to the third-grade classroom.

Since the grade went up as soon as the new semester started,


those who were in the second year would have become third years.

He began searching for Dahlia Roarnan’s lover in the third-grade


classroom.

He opened and closed the classroom door in silence, but


eventually opened his mouth when he saw the person he had found.

“Are you Mr. Raiden?”

At Erno Etham’s call, he turned his head and frowned with


disapproval.

He sighed and answered by nodding his head.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

He nodded at Erno Etham’s recommendation. Erno Etham, who


followed him to the rooftop and changed places, opened his mouth.
“I heard that senior Roarnan dropped out. What is the reason?”

“My grade dropped to third place.”

“…Is there a reason?”

Raiden’s face fell at that seemingly innocent question and he


glared at Erno Etham.

“It’s because of you.”

Still, the hostility that had been suppressed for being a senior came
out.

Erno Etham’s expression became strange.

“…What does that mean?”

“You neglected the girls who said they liked you because it was fun
to play with dahlias.”

“….”

For a moment he paused.

It’s not that I didn’t have those feelings, but saying it was only
because of those feelings made me feel a little dirty.

However, since they said it was my fault, I wanted to hear the


reason until the end.
“I was bullied every day under the pretense of pranks. Even when I
was sick, I kept coming out and thinking that the notes I had taken
were gone, but they were all torn and drowned in the water. My
textbooks were also stuck in the toilet. I even caught a fever because
I got wet every time. That healthy kid.”

“….”

“I haven’t seen you suffer from a minor illness throughout the first
year, but do you know how many times you got sick just in the
second year?”

I didn’t know.

I didn’t even know I was sick because I never showed it. Erno
Etham felt his mouth going dry.

“He said he had a hard time even though he didn’t show it. Do you
really think that because she’s smiling, she doesn’t have any
thoughts?”

Raiden clenched his fists and got angry. Erno Etham also had
nothing to say.

At least he didn’t think of himself as trash.

But today, I couldn’t stop thinking that at least the woman named
Dahlia Roarnan was the worst kind of trash.
It’s true that I thought it was fun. Still, I didn’t intend to make the
situation this serious.

“No matter how immature you may have been because you grew
up as the youngest member of the dukedom, aren’t you being too
reckless?”

Raiden snapped and kept his mouth shut.

This was because Erno Etham, who was always blunt or


expressionless, was looking genuinely embarrassed, which made
me a little embarrassed.

“…I didn’t know that was the case.”

“You probably didn’t know. Dahlia is a girl who doesn’t show


anything. If you don’t look closely, it’s barely noticeable…I’m the type
of person who can endure alone no matter whether it hurts or is
difficult.”

Raiden sighed, crossed his arms, and nodded.

“Anyway…I told Dahlia not to worry if she came to visit because it


wasn’t your fault.”

“….”

Erno Etham frowned.

It was because I remembered hearing similar words from her


before vacation.
[Anyway, Etham. My job is not your fault, so keep that in mind.]

I had no idea that this was what he was talking about. From then
on, Dahlia Roarnan knew that she would drop out.

So, I said something meaningful like that, and that’s why I didn’t
answer when he asked me to meet him after vacation.

When I thought about it that much, I burst into tears. Are you
saying don’t worry about what you are?

“…I would like to apologize, but do you know where it is?”

“I’m sorry….”

Raiden scratched his head and sighed.

“Dahlia said she doesn’t want to meet you. They said they don’t
want to see me again.”

He took a quick look and spoke quickly. It was a very


uncomfortable expression to convey.

“Then I made it clear! I’ll go!”

Raiden glanced at Erno Etham, who was frozen in his seat, and
quickly ran away.

“….”

After a long pause, Erno Etham let out a deep breath, wiped his
face with his large palm, and walked towards the classroom.
‘You don’t want to meet me?’

Anyway, why do you say this out loud?

Well, that could be because she ended up quitting the school life
she had been holding on to for so long.

“…Foolish woman.”

I’d rather talk.

It was because of you, so if you had told me to ask for money or


something like that, I could have helped.

I foolishly held on to it until the end, keeping my mouth shut, and


eventually fell away like that.

“What are two rabbits….”

I guess I couldn’t catch a single one properly.

‘There’s no way I could say that with that personality.’

I should have realized from the time I went through the funeral
alone and didn’t say a word that I wasn’t okay with being bullied.

‘I feel uncomfortable.’

However, I didn’t want to force myself to meet someone who didn’t


want to meet me.

But honestly, it was shameful to keep it like this.


Erno Etham sighed and walked back to the dormitory from the
classroom.

It was Erno Etham’s first absence as he was aiming to graduate at


the top of his class.

***

“…Not in this country?”

“Yes, it looks like he went to another country.”

“Where in another country?”

Erno Etham frowned as he looked at the people who brought the


data a month after ordering the investigation.

From that day on, Erno Etham, who became bothered by


everything, including classes, gave up all his efforts as a model
student for a year and suddenly became lazy.

Erno Etham, who started going to school once in a while when he


wanted to warm up, lay down on his dormitory bed again today and
listened to the report leisurely.

“It’s a kingdom right next door.”

“Are you saying you settled in the next country? How did you get
over it? There must have been a title….”
“Well, according to imperial law, women cannot receive titles
without an academy diploma….”

When you drop out, your family name disappears.

Certainly, from her perspective, this was something she didn’t want
to see.

Erno Etham pursed his lips.

In fact, he himself is aware that he has behaved like a brat.

Normally, or if it were other guys, they would have solved the


problem by cutting him off or not giving him any more room.

‘But you always pretend to be fine like that….’

How can you exhaust it without touching it?

‘I guess you’ll meet your lover well.’

I only just found out where this place is. He nodded.

“Let’s find out more.”

“Uh…. What do you mean? Since most of the necessary


information has been written down….”

“Tsk, if you want to apologize, you need to know what the other
person likes. Be sure to check out your hobbies and what you do on
a daily basis.”
Those who heard the order paused for a moment as the order was
uncharacteristic of Erno Etham.

Who is he?

Aren’t people who say that gifts in kind are best, and who give
money or gold ingots? Aren’t they the kind of people who only send
gifts as long as they suit the other person’s taste or their own taste?

“Answer.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Erno Etham bobbed his head as he was lying on the bed.

The Etham family’s intelligence agent, who had been under orders
to leave immediately for a month, eventually had to go on a business
trip again.

‘What on earth do you want to do when you meet?’

I couldn’t figure it out myself at all.

“You’ll know when you meet.”

Erno Etham clicked his tongue lowly and closed his eyes. The
sound of training flowed through the slightly open window.

***

“Welcome…. This. Uh, Etham?”


“Wow, I didn’t know you opened a flower shop.”

“Uh…, huh. Haha.”

She scratched her head with a rare expression of embarrassment.

“….”

Erno Etham, who was momentarily offended by the act of not


making proper eye contact, narrowed his eyes, smiled innocently,
and then opened his mouth.
<Side Story 7>

“I think I asked to see you after vacation, but it was difficult to see
you, so I came to see you in person.”

“Hmm….”

She rolled her eyes once, rubbed my cheek once, and sighed.

He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t smiling like always.

He just looked so embarrassed that he didn’t know what to do.

After looking around for a while, Dahlia carefully put up the vacate
sign and closed the door.

“Have you heard anything from Raiden? Prince Etham.”

“…Suddenly what?”

“Because I don’t have a title anymore. It’s not an academy, and I’m
not in a position where I can speak carelessly to Confucius, who is a
nobleman and a commoner.”

“….”

Erno Etham silently looked at Dahlia with his mouth shut.

‘…I dropped out.’


Without an academy diploma, the title cannot be inherited.
Naturally, the title would have been confiscated.

“Are you angry with me?”

“No, didn’t you get it from Raiden? The letter clearly stated that it
had been delivered properly….”

“Oh, you also exchanged letters with that guy. Well, since he’s my
lover, I guess that could be the case.”

Dahlia frowned at the words of Erno Etham, who seemed


somewhat offended.

“Do you have any other business?”

Erno Etham’s eyebrows twitched at Dahlia’s question. He opened


his mouth with a fierce look on his face, filled with frustration.

“Please come back. It was because of me, so I talked to the


Academy Dean….”

“No, it’s okay because forfeited titles will not be returned. I want to
do something after going there.”

Dahlia scratched her cheek.

“If you have nothing more to say….”

“I have a lot to say.”

“…I don’t have time.”


“Yes, take it easy. I’ll talk about it on my own.”

The corners of Dahlia’s lips twitched at Erno Etham’s shameless


words. Her smile became brighter.

“Go.”

“I don’t like it.”

“What more do you have to say?”

“There is this and that.”

Dahlia, smiling brightly, walked forward with great strides, opened


the locked door, and nodded.

“Get out.”

“I don’t like it.”

“…I don’t like it.”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, I heard the sound of teeth grinding from somewhere.

That was the moment when he, who had been ignoring Dahlia,
turned his head in the direction from which he heard the sound.

“…I see.”

Dahlia lifted the pot with the seedlings in it with her teeth clenched.
“…Seniors?”

“Who is your senior, Confucius?”

With a bright smile on her face, she trembled and lifted a heavy
vase containing saplings that were larger than her upper body.

“If I go out….”

Her cheek twitched.

“Get out!”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Erno Etham, embarrassed, quickly raised his hand. I was just


wondering if I should go out and talk to her like she wanted.

Dahlia never gave Erno time to think.

“Get out!!”

Clink-!

With the sound of a sapling breaking, Erno Etham’s feet instantly


became dirty.

Erno looked fed up as he looked down at the countless dirt and


broken flower pot fragments rolling around on the floor.

“…You’re crazy.”
I could hear the surprise in the low muttering voice.

“As I said, I have nothing more to say, so please leave quickly.”

“…Great. Well said, Dahlia.”

Dahlia was startled by the soft voice and turned her head. She
quickly put a smile on her face.

The president, with a fiercely distorted expression, opened his


mouth coldly, glaring at her with a razor-sharp look.

“Yes, boss.”

“I don’t think I have anything more to say, so I think you can just
turn around and leave as is.”

“….”

“Go ahead, get out, and never come back. I’m going to file a claim
for damages, so don’t even think about running away.”

Dahlia closed her eyes tightly.

‘Oh, that’s going to kill my personality.’

This time, she was so upset that she bit her lower lip and was
about to slowly bend down.

Erno Etham grabbed her shoulder.

“What is the problem?”


“…Who are you? Are you a guest? Or lover? Anyway, wouldn’t you
be angry as the owner for leaving the store in such a mess? And it
was an expensive seedling that wasn’t even sold!”

“I bought it.”

Erno Etham snorted and said. The store owner narrowed his eyes
at that.

“…What?”

“Is it a problem if I break something I bought?”

Erno Etham clicked his tongue after taking out the money and
throwing it to the store owner.

“It seems like there are a lot of problems with firing an employee
without even asking what happened.”

Dahlia buried her face in her palms at Erno Etham’s actions. Erno
frowned as he saw that even his ears were red.

To say she was happy was because her shoulders were shaking.

Erno, who helped her out even though she couldn’t walk properly,
stopped for a moment in a deserted place and frowned.

“Are you crying?”

“Hehehe….”

Dahlia, whose shoulders were shaking, suddenly raised her head.


“Ahahaha! I’m embarrassed! What, I thought something like this
only existed in novels, but I never thought there were people who
actually do it…. Phew….”

She burst out laughing, almost crying, holding her stomach, and
eventually collapsed and squatted, leaning against the wall of the
building.

“Ha….”

Dahlia, who burst out laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes,
waved her hands.

Erno Etham looked down at her with an expression that made her
wonder what kind of person this was.

“Oh, by the way, I lost my job, so where did I get it? If you get
caught up, I feel like I’ll lose everything.”

Dahlia, who complained, grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

“…I’m sorry.”

“what? Ah, no. are you okay. I told Raiden. It’s not your fault, don’t
worry about it. and…I would have told you that I didn’t want to see
you again.”

Dahlia, who smiled meaningfully, squatted down and glanced up at


him and said.
“Still, I thought I should apologize. If there is a compensation plan
you want, that too….”

“Etham.”

Dahlia sighed and said.

For the first time, deep fatigue appeared on his always smiling
face.

Erno paused for a moment at that expression and pursed his lips.
yes.” Seeing him answer briefly, Dahlia opened her mouth.

“Let’s stop now. Even if you don’t do that, I’m adapting to this life in
my own way and making enough money to live on my own.”

“…Yeah, it doesn’t look like it.”

“And honestly, I’m uncomfortable with you.”

“….”

Erno Etham stiffened for a moment, as if shocked by Dahlia’s


honest words.

He looked at Dahlia with a puzzled expression and frowned.

“Where am I uncomfortable?”

Honestly, what does he lack?


Looking at it objectively, Erno Etham thought so. Dahlia opened her
mouth with a dry expression.

“Your identity. Your position.”

“….”

“So, I can’t accept your feelings.”

Erno Etham paused at Dahlia’s words. It was because I had no


idea what she was saying.

“I originally wasn’t planning on saying this. You didn’t seem to


realize it either…I thought I might have misplaced my distance. I’m a
bit weak at that kind of thing. I’m sorry if I misunderstood you.”

“…What on earth are you talking about? When someone hears it,
it’s as if I like my senior….”

“Otherwise, you’re lucky. Yes, there will be someone better suited


for you.”

Dahlia lightly raised her squatting body and said.

As if she had been expressionless for some time, she put on a


bright flower-like smile again and tapped Erno Etham on the
shoulder without hesitation.

“Hey, sorry for saying something weird! Anyway, go back carefully.


Let’s not look at his face.”
She turned around.

Erno Etham instinctively reached out and grabbed her. I felt like if I
sent Dahlia away now, I would never be able to see her again.

Either run away again or disappear forever.

“Why?”

Erno Etham pursed his lips. It’s because I didn’t think about what I
was going to say.

“…That is.”

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll go. I’m tired.”

“…Raiden, I think it would be best for you to break up with that


man.”

Erno Etham bit his tongue as he spoke.

‘How stupid!’

I inevitably brought up the worst topic in this situation.

“Okay, I understand.”

“The wedding will be coming soon…yes?”

“I understand! Etham, can’t you hear? Ugh, can you tell Raiden for
me that we’re breaking up? I’ll just go! Good job~”
Dahlia spat out words like a rapid fire and quickly ran away and
disappeared.

“…What?”

Something is strange.

Erno Etham frowned and soon ran after Dahlia.


<Side Story 8>

As soon as Dahlia turned down the alley, Erno Etham grabbed her
arm and stopped her.

“Ouch!”

Dahlia, perhaps startled, reflexively screamed, opened her eyes


wide, and looked at Erno Etham.

She looked at him blankly and laughed.

“…Why?”

She asked cautiously, pressing down on her heart with her free
hand.

Erno Etham briefly fell silent and wiped his face as if there was
something wrong with his expression.

“Today, I have nowhere to sleep.”

He said calmly.

“There is a small but inn here.”

“Please let me sleep for one night.”

“He’s saying some nonsense….”


She had an expression on her face that asked whether it made
sense for a grown man and woman to sleep under the same roof.

In fact, Erno Etham was right to use force. Originally, women and
men of marriageable age in noble families rarely spoke to each
other.

Otherwise, you will quickly become a social media sensation and


all kinds of scandals will arise.

Erno Etham’s proposal was also extremely rude to Dahlia,


especially since women’s scandals last longer than men’s.

That’s all.

Erno Etham was very sensitive and could not sleep anywhere.

Fortunately, I had my own bed in the dormitory and had spent


some time there, so I got used to it and was able to sleep now, but it
wasn’t someone else’s house.

So, he was planning to return to his dormitory or home even late at


night today.

“Why do you keep doing this?”

Dahlia asked, not even smiling anymore.

“….”

And to that question, Erno Etham could not answer either.


This is because Erno Etham himself could not clearly understand
why.

I just didn’t like everything about this situation and was just
following my body’s movements.

“Etham, I don’t know why you keep doing this. It’s not like there
was anything between us…It’s not like we were really close enough
for me to let you sleep.”

“…There is no place to sleep.”

Erno Etham repeated the same words like a parrot.

This was because it took time to decipher, think about, and come
up with a conclusion to the question that was first recognized.

“It’s not wide enough for you to sleep….”

“It doesn’t matter because I tend to sleep well anywhere.”

If someone who knew Erno Etham had seen him, they would have
called him crazy, but fortunately, there was no one nearby who knew
Erno Etham’s sensitivity well.

“If I let you sleep today, you won’t come back again?”

“I do not know.”

“Then I can’t let you sleep.”

“Then sleep at home, I’ll sleep outside.”


Erno Etham is now starting to get angry.

Dahlia’s mouth fell open as she had never known him to be this
childish.

She couldn’t figure out why he kept giving her this attention.

“Etham, you don’t like me, right?”

“…Yes.”

Erno Etham frowned briefly and then answered very slowly, a beat
late.

“So you can’t continue to like me in the future? If you say that, you
can go to sleep. It’s because I’m really tired of being involved with
you.”

“….”

“I’m sorry for saying this. However…. Honestly, I don’t blame you,
but I’m not in a good mood to happily flirt with you.”

Dahlia spoke briefly with a slightly cold expression and turned


around, removing her wrist from Erno Etham’s hold.

Erno Etham’s mouth twitched at the warmth escaping from his


hand. He frowned.

“Yes, my house is pretty shabby, but I don’t have a place to sleep,


so let’s go sleep. But I hope we don’t see each other after tomorrow.”
Dahlia said with a slight smile, then turned around and took the
lead.

She strode forward without a word. Erno Etham walked slowly


behind him.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to be rejected this much.

Rarely in my life have things not gone the way I wanted, and rarely
have I been rejected so blatantly by someone.

“Here.”

Erno Etham frowned as he looked at the extremely small house.

Moreover, it was located in a quite deserted corner.

‘Roarnan Mansion must have been quite big though.’

Until the business failed, Roarnan Merchant Marine was quite


famous.

Because his business failed, he had a lot of debt, and he spent


money here and there to solve it, but ended up falling into gambling,
which ruined his family.

Still, at one time, Dahlia would have grown up as an aristocrat


without lacking anything.

“Oh, the house isn’t clean. Don’t take it seriously and pretend not to
notice.”
“Yes.”

After saying that, she checked the mailbox like she was used to,
took out a letter, and went inside.

“…Is this a garbage dump?”

And Erno Etham could never turn a blind eye to the inside of her
house.

“…I told you it would be messy.”

Dahlia glanced at Erno’s startled voice and cautiously opened her


mouth.

In fact, her room was beyond filthy and was no different from a
trash dump that had barely been maintained.

There was no laughter as I looked at the trash rolling around on the


floor, the hard baguettes piled up like a mountain on the table, and
the clothes lying around.

For Erno Etham, who tends to keep his dorm room neat, Dahlia’s
house was literally the pit of hell.

After passing through the small living room with a two-seater sofa,
there was a room inside.

Erno Etham walked forward with long strides and opened the door.

“hey! what are you doing?!”


“…Do you grow mushrooms by any chance?”

“What….”

“What on earth do you do to make your house look like this?”

“It’s because I haven’t cleaned in a few days!! Argh! Do not do it Do


not do it!”

As Erno Etham tried to enter, Dahlia turned pale and shook her
head.

“Oh, you can sleep on the sofa over there!”

“…Is that the sofa in the middle of that dump?”

“Oh, then wait a moment. I’ll make the bed for you….”

“Are you telling me to grow up with a pile of trash?”

“Ai, I told you to go to the inn!”

Erno Etham burst into laughter when he saw her fluttering her arms
and then chasing him away with her face turning red.

He went inside, turned on the light, looked around the room, and
eventually stopped when he looked at the top of the nightstand.

“….”

He narrowed his eyes and frowned when he saw the medicine


cabinet lying on the nightstand.
“Oh, I’ll clean it up, so just leave for a moment!”

“I will clean up here, so please clean up the living room.”

“What? You know that I’m a lady….”

“So you’re telling me to clean up that pit of hell?”

Dahlia shook her head at Erno Etham’s words.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it all, so just sit on the sofa for a moment! I’ll bring
the broom, so just wait!”

Ouch! Dahlia, who ran away screaming, looked no different from


before.

Erno Etham reached out and grabbed the medicine bottle. There
was nothing written on the pure white medicine cabinet.

He quietly looked through the medicine, took out a few pills, put
them in his pocket, and put the container down again.

“Sit outside!”

Dahlia, who had finally kicked out Erno Etham, slammed the door
shut and began to move around busily.

Meanwhile, Erno slowly looked through her house and gathered


the scattered clothes to one side.

The kitchen sink showed almost no signs of use. The only thing left
is a mountain of baguettes.
At least when I bought it, it seemed very hard.

‘Do you only eat baguettes for food?’

It was fortunate that there were traces of use of a bread knife.

Other than that, there was really nothing else in the house.

‘It’s not just about chewing bread….’

There was no common butter or jam, and not a single piece of


meat could be seen.

He looked at the medicine he took out of his pocket and frowned.


This is because it was a drug that was also in Erno’s memories.

“…Sleeping pills?”

The sleeping pills that had been urgently prescribed at the


academy looked like this.

“It’s done!!”

Meanwhile, Dahlia came out with a very proud face and pulled
Erno Etham away.

When I opened the door, a cool breeze came in and I saw a bed
with curtains fluttering.

It was a bed so calm and rough that it was hard to believe it was
hers.
“What if I do it too?”

“….”

Erno Etham narrowed his eyes at the voice full of pride, slowly
looked around, and silently grabbed her wardrobe.

“Etham, what are you doing? for a moment…!”

It was the moment when the closet door opened.

pop-! An explosion sound was heard from somewhere, and all


kinds of clothes and trash fell out of the closet.

“Ahahaha….”

Under Erno Etham’s gaze, Dahlia slightly turned her head and
smiled awkwardly.
<Side Story 9>

Dalkak-

Someone quietly opened the front door and slipped out.

Dahlia let out a short breath and covered herself with her robe.

‘I can’t live any longer.’

Dahlia trembled at the behavior of Erno Etham, who came to her


house every day and started to live in isolation.

“Are you going for a walk on a moonlit night?”

“What is a walk, an escape…?”

Dahlia, who was reflexively responding to the voice she heard,


stopped. She raised her head with a slightly tired look.

“…Etham. Why are you sitting on a tree?!”

“I watched him squirming for a few days because it wasn’t


funny….”

“Aren’t you speaking too harshly to a senior like Haneul?”

“You quit the academy, right?”


Etham spoke in a not very polite tone.

She shrugged her shoulders, glared at Etham with a dissatisfied


expression, and sighed.

“Why on earth are you chasing me around?”

“Sleeping pills, I don’t think they are good ingredients. How about
quitting them?”

“Then you will die from lack of sleep.”

Dahlia buried her face in her palms and pretended to cry.

Last month, after learning that Dahlia’s personality was not as


bright as it should have been, Erno Etham shrugged off her hateful
words and jumped from the tree.

“Raiden, you weren’t dating that guy.”

“….”

Dahlia’s shoulders trembled.

She turned her head to look at Erno Etham with a puzzled


expression, then closed her mouth quietly.

Erno Etham, who had already come close to us, looked down at
Dahlia.

“I rejected his confession and asked him to pretend to be dating….”


“….”

“Why do such a useless thing?”

Dahlia’s expression crumpled at the relaxed voice as always.

She averted her gaze, and Erno looked down at her, who was
avoiding his gaze.

“Why, don’t you see what I’m like? Since I’m being bullied because
of you, I have nothing to do with you….”

Erno lightly grabbed Dahlia’s wrist. Dahlia flinched.

She bit her lower lip lightly, then grinned as if she had never done
that before and continued speaking.

“…I just wanted to let you know.”

Erno’s thumb, holding my wrist, slowly rubbed my wrist. Dahlia’s


shoulders twitched one after another.

She narrowed her eyes and slightly twisted her body, but Erno did
not let Dahlia go.

“And I told you, I thought you liked me so I tried to cut it off.”

“Why?”

She took a step back. Erno took a step back and maintained his
distance.
“Really, why did you keep….”

As Dahlia, who was in tears, lifted her head, Erno suddenly bent
down.

His golden eyes shined particularly brightly under the night sky.

“…Why, why? If you like me, it’s a nuisance, right? What if I can’t
meet my handsome prince because of you? You must be so
famous.”

“If you’re that scared and can’t come, you’re not even a prince.”

“…Anyway, my preference is to have big chests, muscles, and a


much more masculine person than you, so it’s a nuisance if you
keep flirting next to me….”

Erno Etham looked down at her, who was kissing her lips rapidly
without making eye contact, and then slowly swept her wrist.

“But why can’t we make eye contact?”

“Hey, it’s hard to make eye contact with anyone at this distance
because it’s burdensome, isn’t it?”

Erno Etham looked at her silently as she glanced at him and


muttered, asking if she had a conscience.

After watching closely for about a month, Dahlia becomes more


talkative and more reserved when she is embarrassed or scared.
It means pretending like nothing is wrong, keeping your head
upright, looking at the other person, and randomly throwing out
words that don’t even sound like words.

“I know I’m pretty, but honestly, I think being exclusive is too much.
A man who keeps clinging like this isn’t cool. I know you’re here
because you’re in love with me, but I’m a waste to you, so it’s better
to give up and go back….”

“Why?”

“Why again?”

Dahlia’s face contorted. Erno slowly looked at that tearful


expression.

Even though his expression was calm, his eyes seemed to be


shaking busily, as if he couldn’t do that.

“What am I lacking? Wealth, fame, family, face….”

The gaze of an expressionless man with an extremely arrogant


face turned towards her.

Dahlia, who was momentarily speechless at those calm yet


shameless words, opened her mouth.

“Hey, do you have a conscience?”

“Is there a problem?”


“Personality!”

As Dahlia shouted and pointed, Erno Etham paused for a moment.


He narrowed his eyes briefly and then smiled.

“That’s something the other person can handle if it’s this perfect.”

“…Well, it’s not my taste anyway. No matter how you look at it, it
looks like you’re going to fall out of bed first!”

She pursed her lips and screamed with a completely white face,
then turned around.

“…Aha.”

“Let go.”

The hand that was holding Dahlia’s wrist, which turned bright red at
the roughly uttered words, gained some strength.

A fierce smile appeared on Erno Etham’s lips.

When Dahlia saw that face, cold sweat ran down her back. It
looked like it was going to chew off the head and swallow it at any
moment.

“If you prove otherwise, you will marry me.”

“…You crazy bastard!!”

At the sound of Erno Etham’s voice, Dahlia let out a rare curse.
“So, you have my taste…!”

“I guess that’s right.”

Erno Etham’s face reached Dahlia’s nose.

Last month.

Erno Etham was sure of one thing while she was with her.

“You like me, right?”

“…!”

The fact that she, who had drawn a line from the beginning saying
she didn’t like my face, surprisingly likes my face.

“What….”

Thump-thump-thump, I could feel her heartbeat beating much


faster than usual on the wrist she was holding.

“What are you talking about…? There’s no way I like you….”

“I have one thing to apologize for…. That day, the day you were cut
off from the flower shop.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize.”

Dahlia quickly stretched out her free hand and covered Erno
Etham’s mouth.
Erno Etham opened his mouth and lightly licked her palm, then bit
the tip of her startled index finger.

“What on earth did you really do earlier…!”

“I will correct what I said then. I think that’s what you like.”

“Don’t be weird….”

Dahlia, whose face was red, frowned. Erno Etham stared at her
and narrowed his eyes.

‘Why didn’t I know this?’

She was always particularly tense in front of him. So I thought that


was my personality.

‘I never would have guessed that you have a brighter personality


when you’re nervous.’

He slowly lowered his gaze.

I never thought there would be a person in the world who would not
force their greed if they liked it, but would rather give up their greed.

‘It’s a life of only losses.’

As Erno thought, he stretched out the arm that was not holding her
hand and wrapped it around her waist.

“If you really don’t like it, push it away.”


Erno Etham leisurely handed her the hilt of the sword and pressed
his lips against Dahlia’s, who was gaping in embarrassment.

Sure enough, he looked down at her with her eyes tightly closed
and kissed her briefly before slowly parting his lips.

“Now…All you have to do is prove that you won’t fall out of bed
first.”

Erno said, pulling Dahlia into the house. Dahlia quickly shook her
head.

“No! I was wrong, even if I don’t check it….”

“What such a sad thing.”

“I’m not dating you!”

“You often say you should get married right away.”

Dahlia, who was being dragged back home by Erno Etham’s


shameless words, gaped.

It was about two years later that Erno Etham sent out wedding
invitations.

***

“Dad-! This way!”

“Okay.”
Erno Etham was very excited as they all went out together and
held the hand of the child who was holding his hand with a little more
strength.

The child’s pink hair fluttered and he smiled brightly. Erno, whose
expression immediately reminded him of Dahlia, paused.

[Erno, when you don’t know what to say to me, just say you love
me. I know you’re not good at it, so that’s enough.]

He walked next to Eirin and paused for a moment. Eirin looked at


him with a puzzled expression.

“Eirin.”

“Huh? why.”

“I love you.”

Even though I said something that suddenly occurred to me out of


the blue, Eirin paused for a moment, opened her eyes wide, and
soon a bright smile appeared on her face.

“Huh! I love you too, Dad!”

Erno Etham smiled lightly as he ran over to Eirin and hugged her in
his arms.

[Erno, I love you.]

[….]
[What is it? It’s really hard to hear the words ‘I love you’ from your
mouth.]

If there is such a thing as an afterlife and we can meet again….

Erno, who was thinking, slowly lowered his eyes. It was always too
late to regret.

“Let’s go, they say there are dolphins over there.”

“Okay.”

“Eirin! come fast!”

“Yes!”

“Father too!”

A faint smile appeared on Erno Etham’s lips as he saw the children


spread out on the blue sea and sandy beach.

The scenery I created with Dahlia seemed very nice.


Hello, this is Terapin Delfin.

<I Am Being Raised By Villains> side story SIDE 1 ended with a


total of 9 episodes.

After a short break, we will meet our readers again with SIDE 2 this
month.

Thank you

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