Chapter 106

Rose Bly kneaded her joints here and there, as if feeling sore.

When I asked if she was okay, she waved her hand dismissively and said it was nothing.

“Didn’t you say it yourself? That there’s a limit to how much cold energy a person can absorb. It’s my first time taking in this much energy, that’s all.”

“Are you sure it won’t cause any problems with your body?”

“At most, it’ll be like a light case of fatigue. Actually, after I absorb your cold energy, my skin gets more elastic and my hair shinier, so I just think of it as getting a beauty treatment.”

Rose Bly had almost finished getting dressed. She found my clothes on the floor and tossed them to me casually.

“Still, I won’t be able to wear anything that shows skin for a while.”

“If you need, I’ll call a healer.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve got a column due tonight, so I have to go. You have coffee at home, right? Let me have a cup before I leave?”

“I’ll tell Dahlia to prepare it.”

“Thanks, darling.”

Smack.

A soft touch brushed my cheek and disappeared.

Being playful, Rose Bly leaned her back against me as she put on her stockings and grumbled.

“Still, try not to let it build up so much from now on. When you didn’t come looking for me, I thought you’d lost interest. But it seems like you just hadn’t sought out anyone at all.”

“That’s right.”

As if reading my mind, Rose Bly added,

“You don’t need to feel guilty. It’s not like you asked to be sick, is it?”

Guilt, huh.

But whom should I feel guilty toward?

Rose Bly, with whom I shared my body only for the sake of my own goal?

Or my fiancée, Josephine, from whom I’ve hidden all of this?

Until now, I thought I had maintained my own standards, even while spending time with Rose Bly.

But once I crossed that line, I found myself no longer sure of what was right.

In my head right now, three things were swirling in perfect harmony:

A rationalization—“Winter Winslet was always this kind of man.”

A justification—“It was something I had to do to survive.”

And a primal, instinctive sense of satisfaction as a man.

The unholy trinity of a complete bastard had come together in a flawless collaboration.

“Don’t try to shoulder everything on your own. At the very least, there’s one woman by your side who believes in you and understands you.”

With those words, Rose Bly gave me one more light kiss and left the room.

She was truly a reliable ally.

Having someone who supports me like that… I couldn’t just sit around pathetically anymore.

I began forming my next plan in my head.

Since possessing Winter Winslet’s body, I’ve been working nonstop to clean up the messes caused by the original owner’s crimes.

And finally, I’d succeeded in breaking one of the chains of karma that had tightly bound Winter Winslet’s fate.

From the theater, I’d tracked a Longsoniere agent and cornered him.

When he attempted to self-destruct, he ended up using the Caraphine.

Now, the second point of the Heptagram Society, Sakhis Lubas, no longer had any intact ultra-concentrated Caraphine in his hands.

I had done everything I could to stop the future bombing incident.

All that remained regarding the Caraphine manufacturing case was to offer condolences and comfort to the biggest victims of the incident—

Assistant Glen and his advisor, Professor Colton.

And then there was Monastrell…

That suspicious dragon circling around me. I had to figure out what she was really up to.

Just thinking about how to deal with that insane woman already gave me a headache.

Still, I had to get started right away.

I summoned Dahlia and instructed her to heat water for a bath and prepare a change of clothes.

But then, Dahlia brought unexpected news.

“Um, there’s someone who came all the way to the house asking to see you. What should I do? I told them to wait in the living room for now.”

“Who is it?”

“I believe it’s students from your lecture. They said they came to check on you while you were ill.”

***

The living room was quiet.

That silence only made Jacqueline more nervous.

Sitting upright on the sofa, she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her hands resting on her lap.

Her throat felt parched, and she couldn’t understand how Shannon, seated beside her, remained so calm.

No….judging by the slight trembling at the tips of her fingers from time to time, it seemed she wasn’t entirely composed either.

“You look thirsty. Would you like me to bring you a glass of water?”

The maid who had let them in asked.

Professor Winslet’s maid was a girl with short, curly hair and bronze skin.

She seemed a bit younger than Jacqueline and Shannon, but she appeared calm and self-assured.

Jacqueline replied in a dry, cracking voice.

“Ah, no, I’m fine. I don’t need water.”

“Master has agreed to meet with you. He’ll be here shortly, once he’s prepared himself. But since he’s only just recovered enough to get out of bed, I ask that you refrain from making a scene or saying anything too upsetting in front of him.”

“Okay… we’ll do that.”

That’s what she said, but considering the reason the two had come to see Professor Winslet today, there was a high chance that promise would end up being a lie.

Only after the maid had left did the two feel slightly freed from the heavy pressure, and they began talking to ease their tension.

“So this is where the professor lives.”

“I’m surprised it actually feels lived-in. It’s very different from his office.”

“Jacqueline, you’ve been to Professor Winslet’s office?”

“Yeah, just once….kind of by chance.”

Jacqueline had only been to Professor Winslet’s office once, when she went to ask for help with a matter involving Student Council President Bernard.

“It’s completely empty; nothing there. It feels really bleak.”

In contrast, the mansion they were in now felt like a space cared for with affection and attention.

There was nothing especially eye-catching about it, but it was impeccably clean, and there was a gentle warmth in the air.

The only thing weighing on the guests was the air they breathed.

They say animals with keen senses of smell can detect approaching death just by scent.

And in this house, there was a faint trace in the air, like a human scent unique to someone fighting illness, that made their hearts feel heavy.

“I heard he hasn’t left the house for almost a week. Is he really okay?”

“They said he only just got out of bed, so I’m sure he’s still not in good shape. But maybe… that works in our favor.”

“Why?”

“Because people tend to show their truest emotions when they’re at their weakest.”

“……”

In a tense voice, Jacqueline asked,

“Shannon, are you still set on this?”

“Mhmm.”

“If we leave now, it’s not too late. Just like I told the maid, we can simply check in and then go.”

“I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to ask the professor about the truth. About what happened at the Academy…”

Shannon glanced at the door the maid had exited through, then continued.

“About the human experiments.”

“What worries me most is that we can’t predict how the professor will react when we bring it up.”

Shannon nodded, as if she agreed with Jacqueline’s concern.

Jacqueline went on.

“What if he flat-out denies it? Says he never did anything like that? What if he starts avoiding us afterward? If someone came to confront me about a past mistake, I’d probably run away right then and there. Or maybe I’d get angry.”

“If that happens, then that’s still an answer. I didn’t come here to fight the professor or force anything. I just want to hear his answer.”

“But if what Luke said is true, and the professor really is a heartless villain… then something even worse might happen.”

He might try to silence us or hurt us to keep us quiet.

That was what Jacqueline was trying to say.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan too.”

Jacqueline wanted to ask what that plan was, but she couldn’t.

Because just then, the sound of slow, shuffling footsteps came from the hallway outside the living room.

A man bearing the name of winter appeared, like a bell tolling the end of their wait.

“So it was you. The students who came to visit.”

It was Professor Winslet.

***

Professor Winslet was dressed in nothing more than a gown and slippers.

Perhaps because he had been battling illness for days, his skin was paler than usual, and his emaciated face was sunken in at the cheeks.

Between the loosely fastened front of his gown, his marble-white collarbone was exposed, with violet veins faintly visible, adding a strange sense of mystique.

For a moment, Jacqueline and Shannon nearly forgot the reason they had come.

It was, in a word, irresistible.

While the two took a moment to gather their swirling emotions, Professor Winslet broke the silence first.

“I assume you didn’t come all this way just to gawk at a patient. What do you want?”

“O-Of course, we came to check in on you. We saw the notice that this week’s lecture was canceled. Um… and we also heard a rumor that your class might be permanently canceled? If that happens, what happens to our credits…? Oh, not that we’re more worried about that than your health, of course—”

Before Jacqueline could stumble any further, Shannon took over.

“How are you feeling?”

“As you can see, much better.”

“That’s a relief.”

“This week’s lecture will remain canceled as planned. But starting next week, classes will resume as normal. So go back and focus on your studies.”

With that, Professor Winslet stood up, as if their business was finished.

But Shannon stopped him.

“No.”

“……?”

“We’re not going back. The truth is, we lied about coming to check on you.”

Professor Winslet frowned.

“Don’t play games with a professor, Shannon Quinlivan.”

“What I’m about to say is no joke.”

Shannon looked straight up at Professor Winslet as she spoke.

“Are you aware? There’s someone within the Academy who’s trying to harm you.”