I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 156

“What’s up, Euel? You look happy.”

Weathering tossed a casual greeting.

“Do I?”

“Yes. The corners of your mouth are up.”

Oh, I’ve heard this before.

“Did your recent worries get resolved?”

“Maybe?”

I shrugged in a nonchalant tone.

“Hmm.”

Weathering nodded and flipped through a book.

“Since the flow of magic is closely related to the heart, it’s better not to have worries.”

He quickly skimmed through the pages and placed the book in front of me.

“You’ll continue learning magic, won’t you?”

Weathering Blest. This guy seems to have a favorable opinion of me.

He kept it well hidden, and it took some time to notice, but our extended time together and the sensitivity of an elf to others’ emotions helped. Tess mentioned that he can see souls, so he probably knows everything. That’s why he tried to distance Ethyl from me in my childhood and is now doing the same with Weathering.

Is it deception?

It’s not like I don’t know, but pretending not to know is a form of deception.

But since Weathering doesn’t show any signs, is it right for me to pretend to know first? Isn’t that crossing the line?

Complicated.

“If Weathering teaches me.”

I responded vaguely, pretending everything was fine.

“But I might not be able to come as often as before. I only talked to Weathering about it, but I’m seeing someone.”

However, I didn’t forget to draw a line.

Weathering, who had stopped his hand movement, suddenly blurted out.

“Euel, you really… attract trouble.”

“Me? Why?”

“You met someone hard to handle.”

He looked normal, but there was a hint of anxiety somewhere. He seemed to realize it and clenched his lips.

I see. He must have noticed earlier.

“Before, I said His Majesty and I are like ordinary friends, right?”

“Well, if I said that you were like dating, people might become conscious of it. When Euel asked the question, it seemed ambiguous.”

Weathering, making excuses, maintained his usual complexion, but his gaze was strangely averted.

“So why did you say it like that?”

“Well, because I like you.”

“….”

“What I just said was a slip of the tongue. Forget about it.”

As he raised both hands in surrender, Weathering lowered his head. He pointed to the book he had placed in front of me, pretending as if nothing had happened.

I felt relieved that there was no change in his demeanor.

“Look there, at the top.”

Weathering’s fingertips were barely trembling, but he seemed to be hiding it. Although pretending not to know was my specialty, I didn’t want to hurt someone.

“I also misspoke. Why did I ask you? Ah, this sounds even weirder.”

My impatience led me to reveal my emotions.

“What is it, Euel? Did you know that I was interested in you?”

Weathering was trying to hide his trembling hands and clenched his fist, and his eyebrows twitched.

“Well, it’s not that long.”

“If it’s not that long, when?”

Suddenly, the situation reversed.

“Before I went on the journey?”

“It was three years ago at the earliest.”

“It’s been a little over two months for me.”

“Alright, alright, so be it. Did you have an epiphany before going on your journey?”

“When Aden…”

I took a deep breath.

“It’s hard to say exactly when, but it was around the time Aden came to the lab.”

“What? You knew exactly how I felt, yet you were so indifferent? What the heck? You were seriously fooling around.”

Weathering sighed and I seemingly said yes to it, and I couldn’t help but think I was good at lying. In fact, I had noticed Weathering’s feelings even before Aden appeared.

Silence fell in the laboratory.

I felt like I pretended to know for no reason, but I didn’t get up from my seat.

After learning that Tess had run away because he could see my soul, I reflected on myself. Would he have panicked and fled if I had given him trust?

Now that a soul that was once invisible began to appear, it might be surprising, but he probably wouldn’t be afraid to see the hatred within myself.

“Ha…”

Weathering exhaled and ran his long, slender fingers through his hair.

I was adept at making others uncomfortable with my indifferent attitude, and I excelled at avoiding situations. It may have been because this world wasn’t my priority, but now things had to change.

This was my world.

And Weathering, although not sharing the same feelings, was one of the people I liked. Tess knew about Weathering’s feelings, and since he cared about me, it was indeed unreasonable pretending not to know.

Weathering, who had been sighing deeply for a while, raised his head, and I swallowed nervously as if facing a death sentence.

The young scholar shook his head for a while and then opened his mouth with a sigh.

“I thought I hid it well, but it seems I was exposed.”

“I guess you forgot that I’m half-elf.”

“You seem so indifferent that I completely forgot.”

“Well, you might not be too happy about it, but you’re quite close to me in this world.”

Your love may not be reciprocated, but you were a person close to me.

“What an honor.”

He shrugged, returning to his usual self as if he had quickly seized the opportunity.

“I don’t plan on whining for you.”

Weathering cut to the chase.

“I consider you an excellent research partner, regardless of personal feelings.”

I was pleased. While studying magic again, I realized that I genuinely enjoyed learning.

At the moment, I was just checking my condition and starting lightly, but I wanted to start studying again if possible. I was even open to the idea of re-enrolling at the Concium and going through the same process again.

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