Fate (2)
…Fate or whatever, I was currently facing a tremendous problem.
“Desk or drawer, that is the question.”
Having arrived at work at 6 a.m., I had been agonizing in front of Grace’s desk for nearly an hour.
The dilemma: How should I give this ring to Grace?
It was an absurdly trivial concern—but to me, it was incredibly important.
“A gift given secretly goes best in the drawer.”
Resolving myself, I opted for the time-honored tradition passed down by my forefathers: the ‘drawer drop.’ But the moment I opened the drawer.
“……”
An enormous pile of gifts greeted me.
All from Grace’s fans.
How could everyone think the exact same way? What unoriginal people.
…Not that I had any room to talk.
Maybe I’d gone too traditional with this.
Step, step.
Just then, the sound of footsteps reached my ears.
Careful but steady, each step carried a clear, direct cadence.
Without a doubt, they belonged to Grace.
Clack.
“Good morning, Rohan.”
“Welcome, Professor Grace. Did you rest well last night?”
In that split second, I snatched the coffee cup on the table and rushed to the window, striking a pose like a New Yorker greeting the morning sun over the East River.
Grace, responding with a calm nod, started to take her seat but paused.
“Rohan?”
“Yes, Professor?”
“Do you need some candy?”
“…Pardon?”
I looked into the cup—sugar cubes were stacked like bricks.
Trying to play it cool, I picked up one and popped it into my mouth.
“I’ve been using my brain a lot lately, so I was replenishing my glucose.”
“I see.”
“Would you like one, Professor?”
“Sure.”
Then she stepped closer and held out her hand.
Caught off guard, I placed a sugar cube onto her palm.
“Thanks.”
…She actually bought it. Maybe Grace’s heart was just too sweet—because I couldn’t taste anything at all inside my mouth.
“Oh, right. I saw the article yesterday.”
“Which article do you mean?”
Grace, still nibbling on the sugar cube, looked at me as if she were proud.
“You donated a lot of money.”
Ah—the royal auction.
Well, 13.6 billion is enough to buy a few buildings in prime locations.
“That must’ve been a difficult choice. Thank you for doing it for the people.”
…If hearing just a single word like that from you is the reward, I’d make that decision a hundred times over.
“Yes. It was quite a difficult decision.”
If I could earn just a sliver of your heart with that, even hundreds of billions would be a ridiculously good deal.
“I also realized just how hard it is to give away a lifetime’s fortune to someone else. It made me respect you all the more, Professor.”
Because your heart—can't be bought with even a single millimeter of money.
“You’ve always made those difficult decisions as if they were nothing.”
“……”
Grace, expressionless and silent, looked back at me. But her fingers, clasped around her index as she sat with both hands folded, showed she was slightly surprised.
“What time did I say today’s lecture was?”
“Ten o’clock. Today’s session will be held in the annex for advanced study.”
“Right. Thanks, Rohan.”
“Just fulfilling my duties. Ask me anything, anytime.”
With a nod, Grace tied her hair up into a ponytail and immersed herself in her materials.
I returned to my seat and slipped the ring case quietly into my drawer.
After agonizing so much, I had missed my window to give the gift.
Well, it’s not like today’s the only chance.
Someday, I’ll get to give it to her.
Yeah. Someday.
***
“You may begin.”
Grace’s voice spread across the entire practice hall. Unlike the other students who were preparing their incantations, Ellis just stood there blankly, staring at Grace.
“Ah… I can’t believe Lady Grace is my professor.”
It felt like a dream. A fantasy she’d often imagined before going to sleep had now come true, and she didn’t know what to do.
Just then, Susan—who stood nearby—grumbled.
“Ellie! Elllliiiee—!”
“Ugh, what?”
“Why are you spacing out? The assistant professor is watching you!”
“Huh?”
Turning her gaze away from Grace, Ellis spotted Rohan with his arms crossed, glaring at her like a drill sergeant waiting for a mistake—not a hint of the friendly older-brother vibe remained.
Ellis had graduated from Hartsdown Academy before enrolling at Springwind, so she knew just how terrifying instructors could be.
But she scoffed.
“So what? He’s way over there. I’ll be fi⸺”
―Because I believe in you.
“……”
―The Ellis Éclat I know has always been like that.
Someone believes in me. Remembering that, Ellis activated her aura.
“…Tch. Guess I have no choice.”
And then, she began to visualize her incantation.
Wuuuung.
As she moved her hands, the aura she released began forming the spell of Four Seasons·Spring.
‘So that the string connecting wind and fire doesn’t misalign—this part needs to be handled delicately and slowly.’
Thanks to relentless study and training, her casting—while still a little rough—was nearly perfect.
Ellis had always had a knack for spellcraft.
‘Composite elements? Please, too easy.’
Moments later, flower petals started drifting toward Ellis, just like the other students.
Compared to what Grace herself had demonstrated, the result was lacking—but for a student, it was decent. But as always, what came next was the problem.
Crackle.
“Huh? Huh?”
The moment the spell manifested, the flames dancing among the petals fizzled out.
And then—Spring vanished.
Ellis quickly examined her formation. Most of the strings and curves forming the spell were a mess.
Not again…
Just last night—no, even early this morning—she had succeeded. But Ellis didn’t realize that her success had been a one-off fluke out of thousands of failed attempts.
Why…?
Just then.
“Wow.”
Gasps of admiration erupted around her.
Raising her head cautiously, Ellis followed everyone’s gaze—her eyes trembled.
“That’s Ariel Lippenstein, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. As expected of Professor Lippenstein’s sister.”
“She’s really beautiful… Compared to her spell, mine looks pathetic.”
In the middle of a blooming spring, Ariel gently caught falling petals, handling flames as if they were dancing in her palms. Her movement uncannily resembled Grace’s original demonstration.
Ellis was filled with jealousy.
Not because of superior talent—she knew her own limits better than anyone. And she viewed the talented not with petty resentment but as models to emulate.
What made her burn with jealousy was the fact that that superior person had to be from the Lippenstein family.
Lippenstein. Even hearing the name made Ellis grit her teeth.
“Show-off.”
Her voice was loud and biting. Attention turned toward her.
“She’s just screaming, ‘Look at me, I’m a Lippenstein.’ Am I wrong, Susan?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah! Total show-off… that professor…”
At that moment.
“……”
Ariel’s eyes, too, finally turned toward Ellis.
But she merely glanced—then returned to her spell.
A subtle dismissal.
As if to say, You’re not even worth my attention. Complain all you want.
“That b⸺”
Ellis’ temper flared.
Her forehead flushed red, she put her hands on her hips and raised her voice to the surrounding students—or more precisely, loud enough for Ariel to hear.
“Well, guess she has to be good at something. I wouldn’t want to be thrown away again either. Right, Susan?”
“Huh? Uh—maybe, but isn’t that kind of harsh? That’s not really like y⸺”
Susan couldn’t finish.
Ariel had stopped her spell and was walking toward them.
And then, with Susan stuck in the middle, Ariel faced Ellis.
Fixing her eyes on Ellis, she asked Susan.
“You. What did she just say?”
“Well, that is… she said… your spell was pretty. Very pretty. H-ha ha ha…”
Then Ellis, with a smirk, said to Susan,
“Susan. Be honest. When did I say that? I said, ‘Even I wouldn’t want to be thrown away again,’ remember?”
“Ellie…”
Caught between them, Susan looked like she might cry as she glanced desperately at Ellis.
But seeing Ellis unwavering, she had no choice but to face Ariel.
“What Ellis said was…”
“Step aside.”
“Huh?”
Ariel, eyes lowered, stared down at Susan like she was looking past her.
“I said move.”
In that hair-raising moment, as Susan froze in fear, Ellis gently brushed her shoulder.
“Susan, could you give us a moment? Sorry.”
Ellis’ voice was calm and soothing, as if the outburst had never happened.
Relaxing slightly, Susan stepped away, full of worry.
Ellie’s not usually like this…
The Ellis she knew was always cheerful, outgoing, sometimes kind—a good friend.
That’s why others followed her.
But right now, Ellis was nowhere to be found.
“What makes you think you can intimidate our Susan? You think you can act tough just because you’ve got Professor Lippenstein backing you?”
“Don’t butcher our family head’s name. You’d best act according to your noble Éclat name. Don’t behave like some animal in heat.”
“What? Animal? You b⸺”
For a moment, Ellis nearly slipped into Bonnington slang—the dialect of the slums. But there were too many eyes watching. For the sake of her image (which most students already knew was shot), she swallowed it down.
“Animal in heat, huh? That’s a bit low-class. For you to even say that, your Lippenstein family must not be as refined as they pretend to be. I can just tell what kind of life you’ve lived.”
“You know nothing.”
“It’s obvious. Don’t you all agree?”
Ellis looked around smugly, raising her shoulders.
The students nodded.
They were all Ellis’ friends. And none of them were on Ariel’s side.
With her hands behind her back, Ellis took a step forward and glared up at Ariel.
“Ariel Lippenstein. You’d better lay low from now on. If I hear your name come out of anyone’s mouth again—I’ll tear the rest of your campus life to shreds.”
“…Are you sure about that?”
Ariel took a step forward too, eyes locked on Ellis’.
“If you want to ruin someone’s life, you’d better be ready to bet your own.”
“Guess you dropped the honorifics now? Finally getting interesting. So who’s gonna go all-in first? Wanna bet? Call?”
As their confrontation neared open war, students reached out to stop them.
Just then.
“Enough.”
Unlike the shadows retreating from Ariel’s face, a new one loomed behind Ellis.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Turning around, Ellis met the growl of a jaw-clenched Rohan.
“…And during Professor Grace’s lecture, no less.”