If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 81

Chapter 41.2

“Did you have a good meal?”

“Ung. Thank you so much for preparing it. It was an incredible feast.”

“But did you not eat properly? Why does your voice sound so faint?”

“No, I ate well… Have you had lunch?”

“Speak a little louder.”

“I’m sorry, but that would make me disrespectful. After all, addressing an imperial family member casually is considered very rude.”

“Why would you think such things? I allowed it. I’ll just order them not to pay any attention to it…”

Her heart sank at Skylar’s imperious solution—so typical of an imperial family—before she desperately grabbed his sleeve.

“Don’t do that.”

“….”

Skylar’s arm, which had been half-raised to give the command, lowered.

Only then did Ariel finally feel relieved, and she gently released her fingers from his sleeve. As she was about to pull her hand away, Skylar caught hers.

Ariel flinched, startled by his sudden action.

She looked at her hand being held by Skylar and then slowly raised her gaze. She saw his face, which appeared to be completely entranced by something as though his mind had gone blank. Without offering any excuses or explanations, he stubbornly held onto her hand.

As if trying to pull her into himself, he wrapped his hand firmly around the back of hers and applied pressure.

‘Why is this happening all of a sudden…?’

“…Skylar?”

When Ariel called his name, he flinched in surprise. The tremor was vividly transmitted through their connected hands.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

When she asked worriedly, Skylar’s hand, which had been tightening like a noose, was obediently loosened and fell away. It seemed he hadn’t even realized he was holding on.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ariel asked again.

This time, he turned his head away without saying a word. The side of his face, including his cheeks and his eyes, were flushed as he turned away from her.

“What did I just… Forget it.”

Just as Skylar gave a command that felt like a request, the professor appeared at the next moment.

The Magic Engineering class was twice as difficult as the Magic Theory class, which had already been difficult to follow. It was because the content was advanced applications that could only be understood if you had a thorough grasp of the basics.

Despite the shortened class lasting just over an hour and the material covered being less than a fraction of the Magic Theory course, Ariel was much more exhausted. Despite knowing in advance that it would be difficult and preparing herself, it was still tough.

‘If I review and prepare diligently… I might be able to get to the point where I can keep up with the progress… probably.’

Starting today, she felt like she would be facing even busier days than the past week.

‘Now that things have come to this, should I ask Skylar to help with Magic Theory class right away? He did say to ask him if I had any questions.’

At the thought, Ariel cautiously called out to him.

“Hey, Skylar. There’s something I’m curious about from the Magic Theory class earlier…”

Her voice echoed clearly in the empty classroom as the students left.

“….”

“Skylar?”

“…Huh? What?”

Even though she didn’t speak particularly softly, Skylar was slow to respond. He looked as if he had been lost in thought and was just waking up.

“Well… I didn’t hear you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. But, rather, you’ve seemed spaced out since earlier. Is something wrong?”

“…No. Nothing’s wrong.”

Even while mumbling, Skylar’s eyes were shaking vigorously as if advertising that he was lying.

Ariel decided to drop what she was about to say. It was obvious that there was something troubling him, so she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to help with her studies. Making such a request felt like an imposition.

‘Should I try to have a different conversation? Or just greet him and leave…’

While Ariel was pondering for a moment, an aide approached him.

“Your Highness, there’s less than ten minutes left until your next appointment. You need to hurry.”

“Okay.”

Skylar stood up from his chair first.

“I’ll go first.”

He left the classroom after giving Ariel a brief farewell.

“Ung… bye.”

As she said goodbye to him as he left in a small voice, she couldn’t tell whether he heard her or not.

It was only after Skylar was completely out of sight that Ariel got up from her seat. She was the last person to leave the classroom.

Her next destination naturally became the library.

Even though she tried to review Magic Theory and Magic Engineering with all her effort, it was to no avail. She needed a teacher to understand the advanced topics that upperclassmen were learning. But right now, neither Lexius nor Skylar was here.

According to what she checked on her cell phone, all the targets were at the imperial palace today.

She tried to dismiss it as nothing unusual, but seeing that all the targets were gathered in one place made her curious. From what she had observed so far, it was rare for those four to be together.

The only occasion they had gathered was for lunch under the tent on the day of the entrance ceremony.

“…Today isn’t the entrance ceremony or the first day of school, so could there be an aristocratic meeting or something?”

Ariel mumbled to herself as she looked at her phone.

Now that she thought about it, Skylar had also hurried back to the imperial palace during lunch today.

It seemed like something important was going on.

Except for her, all the targets were busy, and they were all gathered at the imperial palace. The more she realized that, the more she felt the solid barrier of status. The towering and impenetrable fence of the highest privileged class…

‘Seeing it like this, they really are people who are really far away from me.’

She had felt this every time since coming to the academy.

In reality, she was in a position where it was difficult to approach them. Although she had managed to get close to those in high positions, thanks to the influence of Skylar, who was the Prince, it was impossible for her to interfere closely. The gap was still too wide, even if she was an aristocrat.

“But why…”

Ariel recalled Skylar, who had tried to head straight to the palace without saying a word right after the Magic Theory class. He had intended to take her into that fortress of power today.

For some reason, her suspicions couldn’t be solidified and they kept scattering at the end of her thoughts.

“…I don’t know why.”

All she knew was that it was unusual.

The difference in social status was indeed a significant barrier in making progress, so finding a way to bridge it was necessary. However, approaching it by becoming almost dependent on Skylar in this manner wasn’t acceptable. Otherwise, there was a high possibility of ending up on his personal route.

It was enough to receive Skylar’s influence only up to the academy.

“No more than this.”

Having gained a position as a transfer student, Ariel had sufficient opportunity to continually interact with the targets. At least within the academy, she could interfere with them and receive equal treatment. The environment was more or less in place. Therefore, the targeting needed to end at the academy.

And the appropriate strategy for that would be…

“Friend…”

Ariel muttered absentmindedly.

The academy was, at least on the surface, aimed towards egalitarian relationships. Even if the gap in social status was significant, if you approached them as a fellow student, the academy would likely turn a blind eye.

‘How many hearts can I achieve through friendship?’

She pondered seriously. If she could fill three hearts as a friend, she wouldn’t have to worry about going down a personal route. It wasn’t unusual to have several friends, so there would be little friction if she targeted multiple people at the same time.

“Fellow student, acquaintances, friend…”

Ariel murmured the best option among her strategies to overcome the status barrier. She wasn’t entirely sure.