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Chapter 65: The Main Heroine's Love and Hate

I quickly ran to Sharin’s side and supported her, leading her to the nearest restroom.

“I should probably get her some water.”

Judging by her state, she didn’t seem to know her drinking limits.

She was bound to regret it with a hangover tomorrow.

I went downstairs to the lodging’s lower floor to fetch some water.

Just as I grabbed a bottle of water stored under a freezing spell, I noticed a familiar face.

“Oh.”

The person recognized me too and let out a short exclamation.

Her honey-blonde hair framed her slightly flushed cheeks.

A sweet scent of alcohol wafted from her, tickling my nose.

As Sharin had mentioned earlier, Isabel seemed to have had quite a bit to drink.

‘At least she looks more composed than Sharin.’

At that moment, Isabel covered her face with her hands.

“Oh, I-I only drank because it fit the mood.”

She looked flustered, and her reaction gave me an odd feeling.

‘This isn’t really about affection, is it?’

I suspected it was something else entirely.

“Isabel.”

When I tossed her the bottle of water, Isabel caught it in her hands.

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

Isabel widened her eyes in surprise, likely not expecting me to initiate a conversation.

“But first.”

I pointed upward.

“Let’s deal with the drunkard first and get her to her room.”

We had to settle Sharin, who had turned into a dolphin in the restroom.

* * *

After safely escorting Sharin to her room, I stepped out to the terrace of the lodging with Isabel.

The summer night was alive with the sounds of insects chirping.

In the distance, the blue ocean glittered under the starlight.

Swish—

The sound of waves carried on the breeze calmed my mind.

Taking in the sight of the sea, I turned my gaze to Isabel.

There she was, seemingly sobered up a bit, enjoying the summer breeze.

Dressed casually with a cardigan draped over her, she looked as picturesque as a painting.

As expected of the main heroine, her beauty was striking.

But Isabel avoided meeting my eyes.

Or rather, she was intentionally looking away.

I watched her quietly before speaking.

“Isabel.”

“Yes?”

Her reply came a beat too late.

After a moment of silence, I asked,

“Why do you keep watching my reactions?”

Isabel’s shoulders flinched.

She wrapped her hands around her arms—a defensive gesture people often make without realizing.

“...Watching your reactions? Who, me?”

“Even just today. At the beach, while drinking, and afterward.”

Her lips moved as if to speak but stopped.

Embarrassed that I had noticed everything, her face turned as red as a tomato.

I leaned against the terrace railing and looked at her.

“Tell me. If there’s a reason, I’ll listen.”

“...”

Normally, she might have walked away, but thanks to the alcohol, Isabel stayed.

She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, words struggling to come out.

Finally, she managed to speak, though faintly.

“...I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Disappoint me?

I looked at her curiously, puzzled by her words.

Isabel, her face redder than before, turned her head away.

The night breeze blew again, scattering golden strands of hair like the Milky Way across the sky.

The scent of the sea tickled my nose, mingled with Isabel’s sweet fragrance and the faint trace of alcohol.

“...To be honest, I used to think of you as my rival.”

She was confirming what I had already suspected.

“I hate how you criticize Lucas, but I’ve always respected your determination. Honestly, I sometimes wished I could move forward like you.”

Alcohol has a way of loosening lips and revealing truths.

“But now, being here, playing with the kids, I started wondering if this is okay.”

Isabel gave a bitter smile.

It was a kind of guilt.

Isabel survived and lived because she became my rival.

Relaxing and playing around didn’t sit well with her conscience.

“What a pointless worry.”

I dismissed it outright.

Isabel looked at me, somewhat irked.

“I’m here relaxing just like you, aren’t I?”

She blinked.

While Isabel was resting, so was I, here at the same resort.

“Isn’t that enough?”

“...But I’m falling behind.”

“Even if you trained all day, you wouldn’t catch up to me.”

Not that I particularly thought I was ahead—it was just how Isabel perceived it.

“Isabel, people need to rest sometimes. I don’t know what’s going on in your mind, but don’t you think taking a moment to reflect on the path you’re walking is worthwhile?”

“...”

As she mulled over my words, Isabel suddenly let out a small laugh.

When I frowned, she waved her hands apologetically.

“No, it’s just... You’ve never been this kind to me before.”

“...I only said it because watching you overthink is irritating.”

“Right, right, of course.”

With that, Isabel turned back to gaze at the night sea.

“...Well, you are dating Hania, so I guess I’ll just have to close the gap during that time.”

Her alcohol-tinged smile was laced with bitterness and loneliness.

“Sorry to disappoint, but that’s not going to happen.”

I decided to break her assumption.

“My relationship with Hania is fake.”

“What?”

“It’s just a situation. Do you really think Hania and I are actually dating?”

Others might misunderstand, but it seemed better to clarify things for Isabel.

If she had her sights set on me, then I needed to become a goal so high she couldn’t possibly reach me.

That way, we could maintain a rivalry moving forward.

"Above all, I have no intention of dating anyone."

After all, I wasn’t truly Hannon.

The idea of dating someone in this form felt deeply disrespectful.

Isabel blinked her large, luminous eyes.

Then, after a brief silence, she smiled faintly for some reason.

"Ah, I see."

It was a smile that, oddly enough, seemed to carry a sense of relief.

My eyes widened slowly.

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Unconsciously, I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

‘This…’

To someone like Sharin, it might appear as love at first glance.

Isabel had been in an unstable emotional state, brought on by losing Lucas, the person she relied on.

I had filled that void with anger and resentment.

Isabel had clung to that anger and resentment to get through half a semester.

And in the process, she leaned on me, the very object of that anger and resentment.

It was as if my idea of becoming a moon to replace the sun that was Lucas had hit the mark.

"Still, you…"

But at this point, something unexpected happened.

There’s a word: love-hate.

A state of having both affection and hatred for someone at the same time.

It illustrates how surprisingly thin the line between love and hate can be.

Someone filled with affection for another could one day harbor hatred.

Conversely, someone filled with hatred might one day harbor affection.

"You seem like someone who wouldn’t leave and would always stay by my side."

Emotions, after all, are complex.

"Oh, I mean staying by my side in the sense of acknowledging me, you know."

Isabel had no choice but to lean on me emotionally.

Even if those feelings were built on the terrible foundation of anger and resentment, she had to lean on me to survive.

And in the process, I had become deeply embedded in Isabel’s heart.

‘The inherent possessiveness and desire for exclusivity in people.’

Even the feelings that should have been directed at Lucas had, at some point, shifted toward me.

‘So, this is what Sharin meant when she said Isabel sees me as overlapping with Lucas.’

Isabel wasn’t healed yet.

She was merely enduring by seeing Lucas in me.

If I were to leave her disappointed and abandon her, she wouldn’t be able to handle the sense of loss again.

So, she had been desperately holding on until now.

‘When she heard that Hania and I might be dating.’

The anxiety Sharin sensed in Isabel wasn’t jealousy.

Whether as a lover or anything else, her fear was that I might lose interest in her and leave.

‘That day, when the Card jokingly asked her about relationships and she flew into a rage.’

It might have been her subconscious emotions surfacing.

Isabel’s gaze met mine once more.

Her eyes were laughing brightly.

"I feel like I’m talking too much today. Must be because I’m a little drunk, so don’t take it too seriously."

Was that smile truly bright?

I felt as though there was no light in her eyes.

Still, there wasn’t a clear way to resolve things with Isabel right now.

Was this really the right path?

Her smile was so bright that it made me wonder.

When she finally realizes I’m not Lucas, will she be able to endure it?

I didn’t know.

Whoosh—

The sound of the waves on the night sea echoed in my doubts.

* * *

The lingering image of Isabel’s smile kept me up all night.

“Yawnnn…”

Groggy with exhaustion, I sat up slowly.

As I did, Iris’s arm, which had been draped around me as she slept, slid off gently.

I tucked her in carefully to make sure she wouldn’t get cold and quietly left the room.

On the other bed, Hania was sleeping with a face full of resentment.

Judging by her expression, she must’ve been bitter about losing the spot next to Iris.

I wondered if Hania might stab me out of jealousy someday.

Stepping outside, I was greeted by the crisp morning air.

As part of my daily routine, I lightly stretched my body and started running.

Skipping a day of running now left me feeling unsettled.

As I ran along the coastline, I noticed a few others jogging too.

Well, it made sense.

The people here were students of Zerion Academy.

They were all used to training as part of their lifestyle.

‘This feels refreshing.’

A morning run always helped clear my mind.

Even the frustration from my conversation with Isabel last night seemed to ease a bit.

Tap, tap—tap.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps keeping pace beside me.

Someone else who had been jogging in the morning had caught up with me.

Impressed by their energy, I stepped slightly to the side to give way.

However, instead of passing, they continued to run alongside me.

Realizing this, I turned my head with a hint of curiosity.

There, I saw a boy with short black hair.

Seeing his face, my eyes slowly widened.

"Hello, this is the first time we’ve met in person, isn’t it?"

He smiled faintly as our eyes met.

Damn it.

‘I’d figured someone from the First Prince’s faction would be sent.’

But I hadn’t expected this guy to show up.

The person running alongside me was none other than Hannon Irey.

Not me, but the real Hannon Irey.

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