Serdin spoke with determination in every word, firmly expressing his sincerity.
“So please reconsider my confession.”
“…….”
Serdin confessed to me once again.
What is happening right now?
He knows my true identity, yet he still likes me.
He says it doesn’t matter that I’m Sherina.
Looking at Serdin’s face, it didn’t seem like he was just saying it carelessly.
“Do you even know how old I am?”
Does he not fully understand what it means for me to be the Archmage Sherina?
“I have lived for over two hundred years.”
“I know.”
“Then you should be able to do the math.”
I decided to kindly explain to him the overwhelming age gap between us.
“Even though I may look sixteen right now, that’s just my appearance. In reality, I have lived for far longer.”
“I know that too.”
Yet, Serdin responded without hesitation once again.
And then he added.
“I don’t mind older women.”
“……Huh?”
“No matter how big the age gap is, I can overcome it!”
He declared it with such confidence.
What in the world is he saying?!
I never expected this reaction.
I was so flustered that my face started to heat up, but Serdin remained as composed as ever.
In fact, he looked like he didn’t understand why the age difference even mattered.
“If you’ve lived that long already, isn’t it impossible to find someone your age anyway?”
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
Unless they had powers like mine, most people wouldn’t even live to a hundred.
But that wasn’t the point—he was just too…!
I wanted to say something to properly shut this down, but I was so shocked that I could only gape at him.
Serdin tilted his head slightly before speaking again.
“Besides, from what I’ve seen so far, Ollia is just…”
…What?
What was that pause? What did you just swallow back?
Were you about to say that my mental age doesn’t seem all that mature?!
Serdin’s gaze subtly avoided mine.
I knew it!
He cleared his throat before continuing.
“Anyway, age is not a problem. And the fact that you’re the Archmage Sherina doesn’t matter to me at all.”
“…….”
“So please, like me back.”
His calm yet straightforward confession made my heart sink.
Moreover, for some reason, Serdin’s unwavering gaze made me feel intimidated.
Why does he look so pitiful all of a sudden?
He’s making my heart waver…
***
I couldn’t recover from the emotional shock so easily.
After returning to my room, I curled up on my knees and remained motionless, feeling completely drained.
“What’s wrong?”
Hiel, who came looking for me, asked with concern after seeing my state.
But I was still too out of it to respond properly.
What in the world did I just hear?
It was even more shocking than his previous confession…
‘This is a total disaster.’
My heart was in turmoil.
Eventually, I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Hiel.”
“Yes?”
I muttered weakly, as if sighing.
“Kids these days are different.”
“…What?”
Hiel tilted his head in confusion, looking at me curiously.
But I just stared blankly ahead and murmured in a low voice.
“They’re seriously terrifying.”
To be honest, the moment Serdin confessed so boldly, I felt scared.
‘I think I might be a little afraid of Serdin now.’
He charged forward like an unstoppable bull.
“…Hic.”
Recalling it again made me hiccup.
My startled heart still hadn’t calmed down.
***
Delight was facing Serdin.
He had initially called Serdin over to compensate him for the trouble he went through.
And there was also the matter of the wedding…
“No, it’s fine.”
However, the moment Delight mentioned compensation, Serdin firmly declined.
“I’ll get compensation from Ilnord for what happened. And regarding Ollia…”
Serdin paused for a moment, then looked straight into Delight’s eyes and spoke clearly.
“This isn’t something I need compensation for. My feelings remain unchanged.”
Delight tilted his head.
Did I just hear something strange?
“What do you mean your feelings remain unchanged? The marriage was fake anyway, so there shouldn’t be any real emotions involved…”
Come to think of it, even if it was fake, he nearly ended up marrying Delight’s teacher.
‘That would’ve been absurd.’
Recalling the situation, Delight chuckled before speaking.
“Do you actually like Ollia?”
He found the idea amusing even as he said it.
It was just a casual remark, thrown out half-jokingly.
“……..”
“……?”
Delight’s brows furrowed slightly.
Serdin wasn’t smiling at all.
But he wasn’t flustered or embarrassed either.
What’s with him? Why does he look so calm?
“Don’t tell me…”
“I do like her.”
Before Delight could even finish his question, Serdin cut him off with a firm statement.
Delight slowly blinked and asked.
“Say that again.”
“I like Princess Ollia.”
Serdin declared his unwavering determination.
“What did you just say?”
“I want to marry Princess Ollia, who is both Your Majesty’s daughter and your teacher.”
…Look at this guy.
He’s saying something terrifying as if it’s nothing.
No, he even took it a step further.
“Are you serious?”
Thinking it was impossible, Delight asked stiffly.
Serdin, maintaining a straight posture, firmly responded,
“I am serious. I have already confessed twice.”
When did that happen?
Delight was shocked to realize that something significant had occurred without his knowledge.
He massaged his throbbing head, deep in thought.
After a long, heavy silence filled the air, his gaze finally settled on Serdin.
Then, slowly raising his head, he spoke.
“When we planned the fake marriage, I warned you.”
“……”
“I told you not to use that as an excuse to covet Ollia.”
Serdin clenched his fists, as if he had already resolved himself.
Seeing his determined attitude, Delight swallowed hard.
His mind was in turmoil.
Who likes who?
It doesn’t matter who likes whom?
And that person is Ollia… My teacher?
Delight stared at Serdin again.
At some point, his expression had turned grim.
***
For a moment, I was too shocked by Serdin’s confession to think straight.
Then, belatedly, I realized another fact.
‘I didn’t give him an answer!’
I should have firmly rejected him like last time.
‘Why couldn’t I say anything?’
Overwhelmed by Serdin’s intense determination, I panicked and ended up running away.
This won’t do.
Next time we meet, I need to reject him properly.
‘But how?’
I couldn’t think of a way that was both effective and wouldn’t hurt his feelings too much.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer.
In the end, I subtly glanced at Hiel, who was next to me.
“Hiel, how do you reject a confession?”
“A rejection, all of a sudden?”
“Yeah. The truth is…”
In the end, I confessed everything about Serdin’s confession.
Hiel listened silently until I finished my story.
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“I am. But I kind of expected it…”
What? How?
I looked at Hiel in disbelief, but he just grinned.
“I have pretty sharp instincts, you know.”
“……”
“By the way, how did you reject him the first time?”
“Huh? Well, back then, I told him there was no way I’d marry him. He didn’t know my true identity at the time, so that was the best way to reject him.”
“And now?”
“Now it’s different! He knows exactly who I am, and he still keeps pushing!”
“……..”
“So I can’t just say that I have no intention of marrying him anymore.”
As I vented my frustrations, Hiel just stared at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mm. I feel like I might be misunderstanding something.”
Hiel tilted his head slightly, speaking cautiously.
“Or maybe… I hit the nail on the head.”
“Huh?”
What is he talking about?
How could he figure something out that even I don’t know?
“What do you mean?”
Now I was really curious.
“Before that, let me tell you how to reject someone. It’s actually simple.”
“Really?”
My ears perked up as I asked eagerly, and Hiel revealed the method.
“Just say, ‘I don’t like you. I hate you. I don’t even want to see you.’”
What the… Isn’t that too harsh?
“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
I instinctively frowned and leaned back.
Hiel smirked, as if he expected my reaction, and continued.
“I was just giving the most extreme example. But simply saying, ‘I don’t like you’ is enough.”
“….…”
“But that response never even crossed your mind, did it?”
“……”
I was speechless.
