Why did Enoch’s words feel like a punch to my chest?
Just a moment ago, I had felt relieved that our relationship wasn’t changing—but now it felt like that sense of security was being completely denied.
“So, Cherrya, you should think about it too. What it would be like to be engaged to me. Whether you could be happy. Think about what kind of days we’d have if we really got married.”
“……”
“I know you want to avoid this. But please, don’t.”
At some point, Enoch reached out and poked my furrowed brow with his finger.
“I actually like your simple-minded side. But when it comes to this, I hope you’d be a little more complicated.”*
“You…”
Even as I was flustered, I noticed Enoch’s expression was… strange.
He looked happy in a way—and yet, somehow angry too.
“Cherry! My daughter!”
That’s when I heard my dad’s voice in the distance.
He came rushing over, almost running toward me.
But something felt off. Normally, just seeing his bright face should’ve lifted my mood—but with my head tangled in chaos, I couldn’t even manage a smile.
“How did your face get so thin since I last saw you? This won’t do, let’s go back to Emblem, my darling.”
Seeing me like this broke my dad’s heart in an instant.
***
The atmosphere at the Continental Academy, which should have been buzzing with excitement before graduation, was instead heavy with swirling, ominous rumors.
“Did you hear? You know those seniors back then—the ones who were spreading rumors that the Knight Commander of Emblem and Senior Enoch went missing because of a fight? Is it true they’re getting expelled?”
“No, I heard the knight order they were supposed to join canceled their recruitment instead.”
“Both are wrong. What I heard is that their family business went completely bankrupt. They tried to expand to the central district through illegal investments, got caught, and ended up on the purge list…”
“Shh, shh. They’re coming this way.”
As the protagonists of the rumors circulating among the public appeared, the academy students quickly fell silent and began to quietly disperse.
The supposedly missing Cherrya Emblem and Enoch Gray had returned alive and well.
Instead, an official announcement declared that the King of the Pavan Kingdom had gone missing. Meanwhile, the academy’s dean, for reasons unknown, resigned from their position and left the academy in a hurry at dawn, as if fleeing.
“Didn’t they say Emblem and Gray personally dealt with the seniors spreading gossip about them?”
“No way. Sounds more like their families just got hit with a wave of problems.”
The rumored duo, now walking through the academy with ghostly pale faces, turned toward the whispering students and snapped.
“Quiet, will you? Do you even know who I am?!”
“Do you think our family would collapse over something like this?”
Their faces were tightly drawn with pride and defiance, teeth clenched in obstinance.
But there was no one left at the academy who feared them anymore.
“Still refusing to face reality, huh?”
“Tsk. I thought they were beneath us from the start, and I was right.”
“Even if their family falls, they should at least know how to preserve their honor. How utterly disgraceful.”
In the aristocratic society where strength bows to greater strength and tramples on the weak, they were now undeniably the weak. And no one in the academy was immune to this system.
“Let’s not even talk to them. Soon they’ll be erased from the noble registry and living worse than commoners.”
“They always looked down on Kane—and now look at them, same fate.”
“What do you mean same? Kane is about to receive a noble title under the Emblem family’s protection. He’s not just a commoner anymore.”
The scorn and contempt thrown at them was raw and cutting. For those who had never experienced such things, their faces paled from the shame.
“Damn it, what did I do so wrong to deserve this…?”
“Forget that, we need to find Cherrya Emblem and Enoch Gray first. The family’s been bombarding us with letters.”
They tried to compose themselves as they walked through the academy.
Their downfall had come too fast, and it was hard to believe that Emblem and Gray hadn’t had a hand in it.
‘What you need to do is simple: Just say Emblem and Gray had a competitive spat during the graduation trials, like they always do. If you can manage that one little thing, I promise you’ll graduate as the swordsmanship department’s top student.’
That secret deal had been proposed by the academy dean—who, by morning, had vanished into thin air. No one knew where he had gone.
‘At the very least, in the Kingdom of Pavan, you’ll be treated like royalty. With the king’s personal favor, no less.’
Even the King of Pavan, who had promised favor in exchange for merely framing Emblem and Gray, had gone missing. Unlike the mere rumors surrounding Cherrya and Enoch, this was confirmed as fact through an official announcement by the Crown Prince.
“What other family could take down both a continental academy dean and a king of an entire nation, besides Emblem and Gray?”
“…They must’ve had the Emperor Lutinas’ full support as well.”
Though their family was considered a rising power within the Pavan Kingdom, they were no match for the longstanding prestige of the Emblem and Gray families, whose renown spanned the entire continent for generations.
Moreover, they were aligned with factions supporting the second prince, not the crown prince. These groups had benefited from the Pavan King’s displeasure with the crown prince and his efforts to bolster the second prince’s influence.
With the Pavan King’s disappearance, the crown prince’s ascension was all but guaranteed, leaving them powerless despite their desperate efforts.
In the end, all they could do was appeal to Enoch as a former academy peer and plead for recognition from the *righteous Cherrya.
“Cherrya Emblem may know how to swing a sword, but she’s clueless about politics. And Enoch… he’s never really clashed with us before. They won’t blame us just for spreading a few rumors, right?”
“Right. Even just getting a half-hearted apology would give us some grounds to stand on…”
Even as they spoke of hope, unease flickered in their eyes.
That’s when they saw Kane walking toward them.
He wore a crooked smirk and eyed them up and down—like someone savoring a well-earned victory.
“That bastard…”
“Hold it! Don’t you get it? That guy’s being taken in as Cherrya Emblem’s adjutant. Do you really want to mess with him and get on Emblem’s bad side right now?”
“But that lowborn commoner—!”
“Not anymore.”
Kane cut them off flatly, his attitude smug and confident.
Though anger boiled beneath the surface, the two managed to keep their composure.
Kane clapped his hands once and gave a nod of mock approval.
“Very perceptive of you, seniors. You’ve always shown more talent for manipulation than swordsmanship—fitting that you’d see this coming.”
“…”
Even in the face of Kane’s blatant mockery, the two couldn’t muster a single word of protest.
“Our commander—ah, I mean Cherrya Emblem. I’ve officially joined the Emblem Knights under her command.”
“……!”
“Anyway, our commander is kind-hearted. A little too simple, honestly. She might actually forgive you if you get on your knees and cry.”
Kane had clearly seen right through their plans.
He looked back and forth between them—who stood frozen with shock—then let out a short, bitter laugh.
“And it’s partially true. She’s way too soft and overly responsible. But the thing is…”
Kane tilted his head, voice lowering into something sharper.
“Now she’s got someone beside her—me. I’m cold, calculating, and not nearly as forgiving.”
He leaned in slightly, voice almost a whisper now.
“So I’m afraid I can’t allow either of you… to meet our commander again.”
🍓; *Wish for the other person to approach the specific situation with more depth, thoughtfulness, or complexity.
*Refers to someone who is characterized by their strong sense of justice or moral integrity.
I know she ends up with Enoch but god I love Kane.