Anything But Study - Chapter 13

Melia followed her uncle’s gaze and turned her head.

And there it was.

“Ah, Alfred?”

Just as her uncle murmured, a carriage stood there, emblazoned with the unmistakable crest of House Alfred.

It was proof enough of who had arrived.

There wasn’t a single citizen of the Empire who didn’t recognize that symbol.

“I asked you what you were doing.”

Hailon’s cold voice fell low.

“Th-that’s….”

At some point, her uncle’s face had gone pale, the redness completely drained from it as if it had never been there.

His eyes darted back and forth in panic.

Then, spotting Hailon’s Erpen Academy uniform, he looked between Melia and Hailon.

“Haha, so you had a friend like this, Melia.”

He even gave her a look that said, See? So that’s how it is.

“Ah, so that’s why you….”

Melia couldn’t hear the rest, but she didn’t need to.

So that’s why you refused to get married, huh?

His expression clearly said he was convinced the man Melia had sold herself to was none other than Hailon.

Otherwise, there was no way someone like her could be associated with the great House Alfred.

Her uncle’s way of thinking was pure filth.

“Well, well, isn’t this the young Lord Alfred? So you and our Melia are, ahem… friends, I see.”

The moment he realized who Hailon was, her uncle’s demeanor flipped. He put on a groveling face Melia had never seen before.

“Melia, why didn’t you tell me you were so close with Lord Alfred?”

Then he had the nerve to pat her shoulder in a falsely affectionate manner.

“I see, so that’s how it is. Then I suppose you’ll be able to pay off your debt soon. Good, good. I’ll be cheering for you.”

Melia felt disgusted to her core. But rather than deny it, she didn’t even want to exchange another word with him.

No matter what she said, her uncle would twist it however he wanted. He’d never believe her anyway.

She didn’t want to waste her energy on such a vile man. All she wanted was to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

“Then, I’ll see you next time!”

When Melia stayed silent, her uncle quickly left. In truth, he was running away from Hailon.

He disappeared so fast that, moments later, there was no sign of him at all.

And just like that, only Melia and Hailon were left standing in front of her house.

This is the worst.

A heavy silence hung between them. Melia couldn’t lift her head, embarrassed beyond words.

It felt like he’d seen her bare, unguarded self.

What must he have thought, seeing her nearly get hit by her uncle?

She didn’t have the courage to look at him.

But since it was a fact that Hailon had helped her, she couldn’t just ignore him.

“Wh-what… brings you here?” Melia asked, averting her gaze.

She was genuinely curious. There was no way he’d come all the way here by coincidence.

“You left this behind.”

What he held out toward her was none other than her hairpin.

Her eyes widened. He’d come all the way here just to return this?

“You use it every day.”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

He wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t exactly an important item.

They were going to keep seeing each other anyway; he could’ve just returned it next time.

But to follow her all the way here just to bring such a trivial thing back? To Melia, it was an unexpected gesture.

“…Thanks.”

Melia accepted the hairpin. Her words of thanks carried several meanings.

If not for Hailon, her cheek would’ve been burning red by now.

And though it was unpleasant to have her relationship with him misunderstood, at least she wouldn’t be forced into marriage anymore.

It was all thanks to his unexpected kindness in returning her hairpin.

In many ways, she felt indebted to Hailon.

Of course, if he ever learned how her uncle had misunderstood, he might not just be displeased; he might be furious.

“But, what was that just now?”

Melia’s heart dropped.

Honestly, she had hoped Hailon would just leave. She was grateful he had driven her uncle away, but she didn’t want him to ask about it.

Yet the shameful topic she’d wanted to avoid floated up anyway.

“Huh?”

“I heard you call him uncle. Family?”

Family?

A surge of emotion rose within her, and before she knew it, she looked up at him sharply.

“No, I’ve never once thought of him as family!”

She froze. Her voice had come out sharper than she intended, and she paled.

He wasn’t the one she should be angry at.

She had just snapped at the wrong person.

‘What do I do? That was a mistake.’

She needed to apologize. Melia’s lips parted.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that, I just….”

“Really? That’s good.”

But Hailon only curved one corner of his mouth upward, as if pleased by her reaction.

“Huh?”

His answer didn’t make sense. She’d been worried he might be upset by her tone, but instead, he seemed glad?

“Someone who tries to slap their niece isn’t family.”

Melia thought the same. But hearing it from Hailon made her feel strangely moved.

It felt like he was taking her side.

“Does he come every day, that man?”

“No, not every day. He comes sometimes, but this time….”

Melia hesitated.

Should she tell him her uncle came to pressure her into marriage?

Even when she’d first told him about her situation, she’d been too embarrassed to say it directly. She had just said she had to quit the academy and earn money.

She couldn’t bring herself to say more.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

It was as if Hailon had seen straight through her thoughts.

“That’s already enough.”

Melia didn’t understand what he meant by enough.

Hailon often said things she couldn’t quite grasp.

But strangely, those words made her feel at ease.

Whatever her circumstances were, he didn’t seem to judge her. He didn’t pity her or look down on her.

“You know I have to raise my grades, right?”

She didn’t know why he suddenly switched the topic to grades again. It was another one of Hailon’s random remarks, but she nodded anyway.

“Yeah, I know.”

“But if you get into trouble because of that man, it’ll cause problems for me.”

“Huh?”

“So you can’t drop out, right?”

Was that really how it worked? Technically, it wasn’t wrong.

“I want to keep attending the academy.”

He looked at her as if asking, You understand, right? Melia slowly nodded.

“Good. Then you’ve agreed.”

Melia didn’t fully—no, not even halfway—understand what he was talking about.

What exactly had she agreed to?

Why was the conversation suddenly going this way?

Still, she didn’t think he meant anything bad.

“Then I’ll see you at the camp.”

With a short farewell, he turned toward his carriage. Melia called out to his back.

“Thank you for today.”

“It’s nothing.”

It was a brief reply, but it felt different to her.

He had clearly noticed something she’d tried hard to hide, yet he acted as though it was nothing.

To Melia, that alone was a great comfort.

Maybe that was why….

Even after his carriage disappeared from sight, she kept standing there in front of her house, watching the direction he’d gone.

Only when the carriage was completely gone did Melia look down at the hairpin he’d returned to her.

At the same time, his earlier words echoed in her head.

“You use it every day.”

Huh? A question mark popped up in her mind.

How did he know I used this every day?

Did I always wear it when we had lessons together? No, that wasn’t it.

The delayed curiosity lingered, but Hailon was already long gone.

Hailon Alfred.

What kind of man is he?

It had only been a week since he appeared in Melia’s life.

Yet in that short time, he was already shaking her world to its core.

He could change her entire situation in an instant, and he could stir her heart however he pleased.

Why was he being so kind to her?

What did these tutoring sessions mean to Hailon?

Of course, she already knew the answer.

It was simply to raise his grades.

All of this was for his own sake, but still, Melia felt a little confused.

That night, Melia couldn’t fall asleep easily.

She told herself it was just excitement for the camp tomorrow, but deep down, she knew the truth.

He kept coming to mind.

The warmth that passed through his hand, the pleasant scent that lingered around him, and the voice that sounded so good to her ears.

The man named Hailon Alfred, again and again.