I Start with a Bad Hand!

When I showed her the hair I had hidden in a drawer, Agnes’s face contorted even more. She tentatively touched the neatly arranged hair and eventually shivered.

“It looks creepy like this.”

“You’re being too harsh on someone’s hair.”

After tentatively touching it a few more times, Agnes asked me,

“Hey, but are you okay?”

“What?”

Seeing her concerned expression, I couldn’t help but admit something I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

“I was… scared too.”

I nodded, trying to speak as calmly as possible. Honestly, who wouldn’t be freaked out if something they had discarded came back to them? Especially if it was visually grotesque like this. After hearing my answer, Agnes thought for a moment before asking,

“Where did you say you sold this?”

“Lymus Street.”

“…The place that burned down?”

Her expression made it clear she found this highly inconvenient.

“But did someone actually bring it back?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you. I’m sure I sold it, so… unless someone stole it, couldn’t we find out who bought my hair?”

“To be honest, I don’t know all the details of our trading company’s operations… and I’m not sure if Lymus Street is even within our market area.”

Still, I’ll ask my brother. Agnes carefully wrapped the hair in a cloth again, looking relieved as she plopped onto my bed.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I saw someone who looked a lot like your mother.”

“What?”

I was picking up fallen hair strands when Agnes said something baffling.

‘If she means my mother… did she see someone who looked like the Baroness Degoph?’

What was she talking about? I tried to sort out my thoughts.

“…How do you know what my mother looks like?”

Agnes answered as if it were obvious.

“She’s your mother, so she would look like you.”

“What?”

“But she said she doesn’t have any children and didn’t know your name. She looked exactly like you. It was weird.”

Well, then she must just be someone who looks similar. I dismissed it casually.

“But I was adopted, so I don’t look like my parents.”

“What?”

“So you probably can’t recognize them by their faces.”

Agnes didn’t respond for a while after my last words. Curious, I looked over at her and saw she had a slightly sulky expression.

“You know, I’ve always felt like you never talk about yourself.”

“Hey, you never asked.”

“Even if I didn’t ask! I always tell you everything. It’s not fair.”

Unfair. Unfair. Agnes rolled around on my bed, not looking very upset despite her words. I didn’t quite understand what she felt was unfair, but I decided to play along.

“I told you about this first, right? There aren’t many people I trust as much as you.”

“…Fine. Then promise you’ll tell me everything first from now on.”

Goodness. Her pouting face made me laugh as I answered.

“Sure.”

***

It was 9:30 PM when I checked the clock. I closed the book I had been reading. I no longer stayed up late. Instead, I focused more on maintaining my physical condition by increasing my exercise. I tried not to overexert myself, ensuring I could last as long as possible. I couldn’t afford to be weak.

“Condition management is crucial.”

A year was a long-term battle if anything. Overexerting myself and failing to achieve my goals because my body deteriorated unpredictably would be the worst outcome.

“If I suddenly collapse like last time, it’ll be a disaster. What if I get a concussion and no one’s around to help?”

Good sleep, proper rest, and nutritious food. By trying to keep myself in the best possible condition, I seemed to be doing okay.

But something strange was happening. At some point, I lost control over my emotions. Without any particular reason, my eyes would fill with tears. Like a puppy unable to hold its bladder, I started tearing up at random moments.

“It’s so frustrating….”

Even at this moment.

“What’s up, Degoph?”

Once again, tears welled up inexplicably, and this time, I met Aiden’s gaze at that exact moment.

“Why are you looking at me with such teary eyes?”

Aiden looked at me with a deeply suspicious expression. The fact that I knew what he was probably suspecting was the most infuriating part.

“It’s because the air is dry. Just go.”

“Why do your eyes get teary when it’s dry?”

“To protect my eyes from drying out. Ah, just leave and stop annoying me.”

“Your temper is getting worse.”

Aiden grumbled as he left, but the sudden anger that surged up when I saw him dried my tears.

‘Tears are best fought with anger.’

“Hmph.” I wiped away the now dried tears and thought to myself, “I got through it this time, but….”

I really need to stop this. The most troubling part is that I can no longer discern why I’m crying. Is it because of Dietrich’s emotions, a physiological reaction, or my own real emotions? I had no idea.

‘Ah, it’s happening again.’

It was the same that day. I was doing an assignment in the library when suddenly, tears started welling up again. Was this going to happen even while I was studying? I could just keep wiping away the tears and continue, but it seemed like when Dietrich cried, snot came along with the tears. My nose was getting clogged, making it hard to breathe. After sniffling a few times, I left the building and went to a secluded spot to let the natural light dry my tears.

“Hey, what do you think about the upcoming friendly match?”

…Isn’t that Aiden’s voice? What’s he doing here in this secluded place? I heard the sound of several footsteps and laughter coming my way.

‘Ah, this is annoying. Of all times…’

Where should I go to avoid running into them? Just as I was about to move, something lightly fell over my head, completely obstructing my view. The sudden darkness startled me, and I couldn’t move easily.

‘What is this?’

It felt like some kind of fabric… a jacket?

‘What’s up with that? Why is he just standing there?’

‘Must be exam season. Everyone’s half-crazed….’

Then I heard Aiden’s bewildered voice and the sound of the group moving away. Well, it was good to avoid the bothersome situation, but… Once the surroundings were quiet, I pulled the jacket off my head.

‘Where did this come from?’

Naturally, I looked up. From the window of the building I was standing by, I heard a voice,

“A crow….”

Someone’s voice came through, but their face was obscured by the glaring backlight. I ended up shading my eyes with my hand to look up.

“A crow seemed to be targeting you.”

With a ridiculous excuse, our eyes met.

“But it seemed like a crow you didn’t know.”

“…Klaus.”

When those green eyes filled with amusement narrowed, it felt like the scent of grass was pouring over me.

***

“…Degoph has been giving me subtle looks lately.”

“Degoph? ‘That’ Dietrich Degoph?”

“Yeah, we keep making eye contact and all.”

Hearing the name that put everyone on edge, Klaus turned his head. Standing there was the eldest son of the Douglas Count family. With a somewhat boastful tone, Klaus stared at him for a long time. Sensing the gaze, Aiden and some of the swordsmanship club students slowly backed away.

‘He should really leave her alone.’

Every time Klaus saw people gossiping about Dietrich, he wanted to say that. Especially when Dietrich would silently skip classes for days and then suddenly return with her leg healed, always walking straight ahead with unwavering posture, the rumors trailing behind her like a shadow.

It happened again. Devon from the Hillrat Count family, who had tried to approach Dietrich in an outdated manner, said,

“I almost ruined my life trying to mess with that girl. I thought she was just a pretty, sickly girl, but if I had known she was this crazy….”

When Klaus heard Devon talking about Dietrich like that, he lunged at him before anyone could stop him. When Irene found out about it, she demanded an explanation furiously, but Klaus kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to add to the burden of words that seemed to exhaust Dietrich’s daily life. He didn’t want to contribute to it.

That didn’t mean Klaus wasn’t curious about Dietrich. He was always curious about her.

“Even if I asked what happened, she wouldn’t tell me.”

One day, Dietrich had cut off her long, shimmering hair without hesitation. Klaus had felt a pang of disappointment. He absentmindedly touched his own long bangs.

“Now that I look similar to them, maybe they’ll give me some leeway. When I can play with my teeth, I’ll invite you to a concert at our estate.”

“I hope to join that orchestra someday too.”

“Your hair has to be that long.”

At a joke Dietrich had once made, Klaus had stubbornly grown his hair despite Irene’s complaints about it looking messy. The feeling of giving more than receiving, this was what it felt like. Klaus, who had always exchanged equal amounts of feelings with others, found this moment unfamiliar.

‘Dietrich might have cut it just because she wanted to.’

So Klaus didn’t know much about Dietrich, but he was certain of one thing.

Someone like Dietrich needed time alone to cry. Like now.

“Uh….”

Looking through the window, he saw Dietrich standing in a secluded spot with her head held high. At first, he thought she was soaking up the sunlight, but that wasn’t it. She was holding back tears, keeping her head up and trying not to let the tears in her reddened eyes fall.

Dietrich, who did her best in everything, was now striving to the end not to cry. Even this effort was so like Dietrich that it reminded Klaus of the day he had seen her smile slightly. That very private moment of Dietrich he had glimpsed.

Klaus was certain of another thing.

Someone like Dietrich hated showing weakness to others.

So he knew it was polite to pretend not to notice and look away. Yet, Klaus couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Not until the sound of a group approaching reached him from afar.