“It appears autumn will soon arrive. Don't you think so, Louise Sweeney?”

As the Crown Prince spoke, the two officials behind him wrote down his words. Neither Ian nor the court officials seemed to get tired. It had already been three days, and they hadn't slowed down one bit.

“Yes, it'll be autumn soon, President.”

Louise was getting tired of his pretentious way of speech, so she gave a modest answer and shoveled a large heap of soil.

“And what are you doing?”

“The caretaker asked me to help her.”

“Shoveling?”

“Yes, we need to restore the soil that's been washed away by the rainy season.”

“You're covering the tree roots, correct?”

He spoke haughtily so his eminent words would be recorded in history.

‘If you're not helping me, could you please disappear?'

As Louise thought that she ended up making a profane face, and Ian chuckled quietly with his hand covering his mouth. It turned out that this man was a pervert who was quite happy to see that kind of expression on her.

“Then do your best.”

He turned around. The court officials, a.s.suming that the conversation was over, put their pens down and gazed elsewhere. At that brief moment Ian turned back and brushed Louise's cheek with his fingers.

“Don't push yourself too hard.”

He frowned lightly.

“The president is the one–“

As Louise tried to answer, she turned her head towards the sound of shoveling towards the flower bed. Louise shouted before she even realized it.

“Professor Wayne Hill!”

When he turned towards the sound, Professor Wayne Hill caught his foot on a tree root and tripped.

"I'll see you later, President!"

Louise gave a hurried farewell and ran to the professor.

“It's okay, Miss Sweeney! I just fell! Don't run!”

The professor, who was still on the ground, shook his hand to stop Louise, but she ran towards him right away to help him up. She brushed off the wet soil clinging to his clothes.

“Really, Professor Hill. Are you sure you're sleeping well at night?”

“Well, it's hard to change one's habits. I tried, but…”

Ian looked at the exceptionally friendly-looking pair.

‘What kind of relations.h.i.+p is that?''

He knew that Louise had long admired Professor Hill, but he didn't know they were personal enough that she would check up on his sleeping hours. However, it was supposed to be beneficial for the professors and students to have good relations.h.i.+ps. 

…Ian didn't know why something that was supposed to be good seemed bad in his eyes.

“If Professor Hill's hands got hurt, the rest of the academic field would be saddened.”

Now Louise was stamping her feet and worrying over him. 

No, why are you stamping your feet so cutely! Why! Just worry about it in a normal way!

“I-I don't know about that, but I'll be careful because it's what Miss Sweeney says.”

He corrected his crooked gla.s.ses and smiled. Ian's face was outright uncomfortable.

‘Because it's what Miss Sweeney…says?'

Ha, if another student heard the same line, it would sound very misleading. Of course, Louise's strong mental psyche would not budge from such an accusation. Ian knew it better than anyone. However, his opponent was Wayne Hill, and he couldn't let his guard down around him. 

‘I think he's a little cheap.'

Professor Hill was just a 25-year-old with the ability to make Louise worry over him. His face was only okay behind those gla.s.ses.

‘He's not just cheap, he's a fraud.'

“You're not seriously hurt, are you? Shouldn't you be treated?”

“Oh, it's okay. I'm used to it.”

Professor Hill rubbed his palm over his white coat, causing streaks of blood from his hand to smear onto it.

“Professor!”

Louise grabbed his arm in surprise, and Ian was near breaking point. She had always been so brazen, but she really had no sense of awareness. Even in the Academy, she didn't care about going in and out of Ian's room. He could let her stay at the capital late at night and give her a bed. She wouldn't really fall asleep. He would hold her hand and…

Stop. Ian halted the daydream at once. It wasn't the time to think of this. He tramped over to the flower bed.

“h.e.l.lo, Professor.”

He approached Wayne Hill with a princely smile.

“President Audmonial…H-h.e.l.lo.”

“I'll take you to the infirmary.”

“I'm perfectly fine.”

Of course no one would agree with those ragged palms of his. Louise Sweeney was right to be worried about it.

“It looks like there's a splinter in your finger. Wait a moment.”

Louise held out her hand as if to grab Professor Hill's wrist. Ian's eyes flashed. At the same time, all the combat skills he learned from Count Freya burst from him. Because of that, he succeeded in capturing the professor's wrist before Louise. 

Be proud of your disciple, Count. 

Ian briefly thanked his combat master, then stared at the professor with a heavy gaze taught by the Count.

“I'll take you to the infirmary.”

He didn't forget to give strength to each syllable.

“I will feel better if you go, Professor.”

Luckily, Louise also supported Ian's idea, so he was able to keep the professor and Louise apart without any problem. 

As Ian dragged Professor Hill's slender wrist on the way to the infirmary, he fell into a sudden thought.

‘…What the h.e.l.l am I doing?'

The other day he wanted to have a proper meeting with Louise to the point that he avoided the court officials. He just wanted to hold her hand without anyone knowing. But now he was holding the thin, soft wrist of a twenty-five-year-old man!

“You're going too fast, President Audmonial…"

Ian halted and looked back at the professor.

“You're holding on too tight and it hurts. Please slow down.”

Why was he saying that while blus.h.i.+ng? He indeed was a professor full of misunderstandings.

Before he knew it, the officials behind Ian were writing about "The Crown Prince, who admired the professor."

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