I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 38

In the red eyes looking at me, emotions so dense I couldn’t even begin to fathom welled up. For a moment, I was struck dumb, the color of his gaze deepening.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t ask what kind of relationship you have with Evan Bell that made you exchange that money. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t even be here.”

“……”

“I do have a sense of shame. And I know gratitude. If you want, I won’t breathe a word about Evan Bell, and I won’t lay a hand on him either.”

Stopping there, Ruad paused as if to catch his breath. In his crimson eyes, an even deeper, heavier light flickered.

Confronted with the massive wave of emotions I had never seen before, even breathing felt cautious.

Through the silence that passed like the wind, Ruad confessed his true feelings.

“Every time I see you, I think. Why do you always have to live enduring people’s scorn like this? I really don’t understand the reason.”

“……”

“And because you endure all that scorn and don’t even tell me, I’m terrified I might overlook something without realizing.”

“……”

“Lucy. I worry about you.”

“……”

“Always.”

In that last short word Ruad added, there was a faint sorrow. As if it pained him that the information he had uncovered on his own about me was something he could never hear directly from my lips, his grip on my hand tightened.

Having been struck by the wave of his emotions, I couldn’t say another word. And I thought:

‘These are words that absolutely cannot come from someone with 0% affection.’

This wasn’t something that could be explained away as deep friendship. For this level of devotion to exist between friends, I would have had to save his life three times over.

Just as there had been a past between Evan Bell and Lucia, now I could only see that there must also be some past between Ruad and Lucia that I didn’t know of.

‘What kind of past could it be that makes him act like this toward me? How is this even possible?’

Lost in confusion, I stood frozen, robbed of words, while Ruad tucked away the expression he had just shown me and smiled smoothly.

“Shall we go now?”

“…Yeah.”

Drawn along by his composure, I nodded, and just like that, walked casually toward Ruad’s dormitory.

***

The room where Ruad lived was as splendid as it was quiet.

The red and gold interior matched its owner perfectly, and with every breath I took, a pleasant fragrance lingered.

Flowers in a vase bloomed brightly where they stood, and a gentle breeze drifted through the long rectangular window half-covered by curtains.

So quiet that I could hear the curtains rustle with the wind, the room was filled with a profound stillness.

Because of the meaningful conversation we had just shared before coming here, and because this was my first time visiting Ruad’s room, I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Then, with the sound of the door closing, Ruad suddenly led me to the bed.

“……?”

Before I knew it, I was sitting on his bed.

Though I had ended up seated, my head grew muddled.

I had come to his dorm to eat together, yet he had seated me not on the sofa or a chair at the table, but on his bed. It was bewildering, to say the least.

Looking up at him, I asked, “Ruad? Why on the bed…”

My question never finished, scattering away into the air.

Because Ruad bent quietly toward me and touched my hair.

Like when he had touched the spot where I was hit a few hours earlier, the sudden closeness froze me in place.

All I could do was blink as he took my bag with his other hand, slid it off my shoulder, and carefully set it down beneath the bed.

In the space overflowing with suffocating silence, a subtle tension surged as Ruad slowly said, “About today… I’m sorry again, Lucy.”

“……”

“With the new semester starting and a flood of freshmen pouring into the Academy, every year, there are always those who thoughtlessly try to pick on you. So to spread some rumors about us, I stuck by your side every day, watching and guarding you. But this year, I guess it didn’t work.”

“……”

Today had been full of surprises, and I had learned many new things.

I had wondered why Ruad always stuck to me like glue whenever I went to the library, and now I knew why.

And now I also understood why people would glance at us in the library, startle, and quickly avert their eyes.

‘They were scared, seeing Ruad glaring with sharp eyes as he kept watch.’

And thinking that all those people would have been ready to slander and torment me at any moment if not for Ruad made my spine go cold.

In the meantime, Ruad continued calmly, “I thought the rumors had spread enough that no one would dare touch you. But apparently not.”

With those words, Ruad let out a small laugh. A powerless laugh, sounding both hollow and incredulous.

Before long, the laughter faded and silence settled in. The hand that had been caressing my hair also withdrew. My hair fell lightly against my chest.

Overwhelmed by the unusual atmosphere Ruad was exuding, all I could do was watch quietly to see what he would do next.

With his large hands, Ruad carefully held both my shoulders and, ever so slowly, languidly, slid down my body.

From my shoulders to my arms, my waist and hips, my thighs and calves, finally down to my feet.

The sound of fabric rustling was unbearably vivid, and through the cloth, Ruad’s touch was so ticklish it was hard to keep still.

“……”

My chest churned, and it felt like my heart would burst out. I shut my eyes tight, clenched my lips, and swallowed hard.

And finally, when I felt Ruad move slightly away from me, I opened my eyes to see the crown of his head.

‘His head shouldn’t be here, should it?’

Ruad was tall, and in all the time I had spent with him, I had never once seen the top of his head so close. Not even when he was seated.

My doubt lasted only a moment, for the instant I lowered my gaze, I realized why.

Ruad was kneeling at my feet like a knight or servant would, holding the shoes I was wearing as if they were a treasured jewel.

“Ruad, what are you doing right now?”

Unlike my fluster, Ruad calmly removed my shoes. He didn’t even answer my question.

“After you’ve been comforted by me today, tell everyone. Tell them Ruad Rochef has no pride or dignity left, that he gave up everything, even his guts, and became no different from your dog.”

“…What?”

“My honor, my reputation, you don’t need to worry about any of that. If I’m known as your dog, I’ll be delighted, Lucy.”

As he said this, Ruad looked up at me and smiled brightly. As if that alone made him happy.

Meanwhile, his hands naturally slipped off my shoes and peeled away my socks one by one. Before I knew it, my bare feet were completely exposed in front of him.

The feel of Ruad’s palm gripping my sole so firmly made my vision spin.

It was the first time in my life anyone had ever held my foot, and the mix of embarrassment and strange sensation left me speechless.

“Haa. Ruad, can you stop holding my foot? It feels weird.”

“……”

“We promised to eat together, didn’t we? Aren’t we going to eat?”

“……”

“Ruad…?”

I tried pleading, even tried to distract him, but it was useless. Instead, Ruad abruptly lowered his head and pressed his lips to my foot.

“Hmph…!”

At the strange touch against such an unfamiliar spot, I flinched and gasped before I could stop myself. Something was happening, but I couldn’t process what.

“What are you doing, Ruad? Ruad!”

“……”

Still, he gave no answer. After kissing the top of my foot with wet, ticklish sounds, he put my toe in his mouth.

“……!”

My big toe vanished into the warm, wet space of his mouth. At the same time, Ruad’s tongue wrapped around it and began to suck.

Experiencing this kind of play for the first time in my life, I silently recoiled in shock and quickly tried to pull my foot back.

But Ruad’s hand, which had been holding my sole, slid to my ankle and gripped tighter. He wasn’t letting me go.

“Ruad, stop it. Stop, ngh, stop.”

“……”

“It’s dirty… stop, please.”

With my leg pinned by his grip, I tried instead to push his head back with my hands, begging.

But Ruad didn’t budge in the slightest. Rather, he stiffened his neck and resisted, then deliberately began licking between my toes.

The unfamiliar, indecent sensation shot up my spine, sending a shiver through me. I couldn’t even tell if I was aroused or humiliated. I was just overwhelmed. Having my toes sucked by a capture target was insane.

At last, my patience snapped, and my voice rose without me realizing.

“Ngh, I said it’s dirty, Ruad! At least after I wash…!”

“No. You’re clean. There’s nothing dirty about you.”

Breaking his kiss only for a moment, Ruad lifted his gaze through the arms I was pushing him with and said so, his red eyes blazing.