When Melina looked in the direction that Lucas was pointing, she was shocked to see Alex walking with a female elf, their arms wrapped together.

“Why?”

Who was that girl? Why was her arm around Alex’s arm? I was totally confused. He never mentioned her before, and judging by their actions, they seemed quite close.

“Melina, are you alright?” Anastasia was looking at me with a worried face.

“Do you know who she is?”

“Nope, it’s my first time seeing her too. But I'm sure that she isn't a first-year like us.”

“She is really pretty.“

I saw that Anastasia gave Lucas a murderous look and even stepped on his foot because of the remark he just made, but I realized that he was completely right. Although I could only see her back, the way she was walking was really mesmerizing. Her straight, long, violet hair was shining perfectly under the sun, and she was also wearing a cute wraparound dress that looked really expensive.

“I was certain that he was hiding something from us. It seemed that when he said he was busy with research, he was actually going on a date with a girl. But why hide her from us?” Anastasia commented on a serious note.

“Wait, let’s not jump to conclusions so fast. Let's follow them and see where they are going first.”

I immediately started following the mysterious couple, keeping some distance so that they wouldn’t notice us. Lucas was still confused by the whole situation, but he followed us quietly. Anastasia came closer to me and whispered, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to follow them. You should rest, and let Lucas and I get to the bottom of this."

"What? No, I needed to do this by myself."

"Alright, but be prepared because you could see something even worse."

I couldn’t argue back again because I knew she was totally right. What was in front of me was already really painful to watch, but I had to confirm everything with my own eyes.

It was only yesterday, after Anastasia questioned me, that I realized the nature of my own feelings for Alex. It all started during the entrance exam. When everyone was avoiding me like a pest, he was the only one who approached and talked to me. I wasn’t used to something unexpected like that. Even at home, I was never allowed to meet the guest who was visiting. I only talked with the maids who were working with me. Because of the age difference, it became hard to interact with someone my own age.

I’m sure that he realized the situation that I was in when he saw me for the first time, but instead of making fun of me like everyone else, he was kind enough to boost my morale before the exam. Thanks to that, I was able to focus better and even get a high rank.

He was someone who opened the door to a whole new world for me. That was why I fell in love with him. He was always considerate when someone was talking to him, and he always tried not to hurt anyone with his words. But it always felt as if something was missing, as if he wasn't actually enjoying himself with us. But now, it looked like he was having fun with an unknown girl. I should be happy seeing him genially happy, but there was an unexplainable pain stinging my heart. Was this what people called jealousy? It was actually the first time such emotions were suffocating me.

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***

‘Looks like she is already following us.’

The real reason why I decided to wait for Loic near his dormitory building was precisely to make my rival, Melina Sloane, see us together.

I remembered that she gave me a lot of trouble last time when I was trying to get close to Alex. Wherever Alex went, she was always accompanying him, staying by his side like glue. This time, I would need to take care of her in advance, and I should make sure not to leave any room for her to interfere between me and my darling.

I did feel a little bad since she was actually a good person, and I acknowledged her strength as a priest, but when it comes to love, I believed that everything was fair.

“President, could you please stop pressing your breast against the arm that you took from me without even asking for my permission? It's really awkward."

We stopped walking, and I looked at Alex’s face closely. Any other male would have already been on the seventh heaven if they were in his exact situation, but of course, Alex was different. Instead of being happy and taking advantage of his situation, he just remained completely emotionless about my advances. But of course, in the eyes of others, we were just a daring couple, and that was enough for me right now since my real target was someone else.

I used one of my perception skills to accurately locate Melina’s exact position, and after adjusting myself to a particular angle, I whispered in Alex's ear. “You should enjoy it instead of complaining.”

Alex just looked at me without any care for my remarks and was completely ignorant of my real intentions. Instead of seeing me whispering in Alex's ear, the trio who have been following us since earlier should have only been able to see me approaching my face really close to Alex. I’m sure they would totally misunderstand what actually happened, and that was the goal.

Afterward, Alex and I continued our walk, and I noticed that we weren’t being followed by the first years anymore. I was a little disappointed because my plan would have been secured if Melina saw Alex and me going inside the couple's cafe together. Maybe what I did earlier was a little too much for Melina.

***

“Melina wait.”

I could hear Anastasia calling me, but I couldn’t stop. Embarrassment, disappointment, and anger—I could feel a range of emotions that I wasn’t used to. I needed to be alone to process those feelings. Unfortunately, I felt a hand on my shoulder, which forced me to stop.

Without even turning my head to see who stopped me, I crouched down, and all the emotions I was trying to hold back came flowing into tears. I couldn’t stop crying, and I felt Anastasia's hand hugging me from behind.