NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39: Curious
Chapter 39: Curious
"The crest of House Bladesworth..." the girl whispered, her voice trembling as recognition dawned on her.
The boy leaning against the desk stiffened, his bravado faltering. "Wait—you're the son of the Duke of Bladesworth?"
Sevi gave a faint smirk, his calm demeanor exuding confidence. "That's right. Sevi Bladesworth."
"And as much as I don't enjoy pulling rank, I'm willing to make an exception when dealing with people who can't seem to mind their manners."
'People here really value rank, I'm loving my household now,' Sevi thought after seeing the effect of using his family name.
The weight of his words hung in the air like a storm cloud. The group looked at one another, their arrogance now replaced with unease.
The girl, flustered, tried to recover her composure. "W-We didn't mean anything by it. We were just... joking around."
"Funny," Sevi said, his tone icy.
"Because I didn't hear anyone laughing."
"Whatever. Let's go," The boy who had sneered earlier clenched his fists but ultimately looked away.
The group shuffled toward the door, their earlier confidence shattered. As they exited, the girl threw one last glance over her shoulder, but Sevi's steady gaze made her quickly look away.
Once the door clicked shut, silence filled the room again.
'Ah, that felt good,' Sevi thought to himself, a satisfied grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You didn't have to do that,"
Sevi shrugged nonchalantly, walking closer to him.
"Maybe not. Besides, they were asking for it."
"Well," Sevi said, pulling the prince's ID card from his pocket and placing it on the desk, "Here's your ID card,"
Carion's eyes shifted to the ID card on the desk, his brows furrowing in confusion. He reached for it, his fingers brushing against the cool surface as he turned it over in his hands.
Carion's lips twitched slightly, as if a smile threatened to form. He picked up the card, turning it over in his hands. "Thank you. I thought I'd lost this for good."
Sevi leaned against the desk, a casual smile on his face. "No problem, you dropped it this morning when we bumped into each other in the hallway."
A flicker of relief passed through Carion's eyes as he tucked the card into his pocket.
"I see. Thanks."
Sevi studied Carion for a moment, noting the prince's quiet demeanor as he placed the ID card in his pocket. He couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity.
"Hey," Sevi began, leaning in slightly. "Why didn't you fight back?"
Carion's eyes flickered briefly to Sevi, and for a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared at his desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface. The silence hung between them for a few moments before Carion spoke, his voice soft but steady.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out at first, as if he were wrestling with an internal conflict. Then, after a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice quiet, almost hesitant.
"I don't really know how to respond to that," Carion admitted, glancing briefly at Sevi.
"It's not that I don't want to fight back, but..." He trailed off, unsure of how to finish his thought.
Sevi raised an eyebrow, curious. "But what?"
Carion shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing his nose. "I guess I just don't know how. I've never really been the type to act out. Not here, not in the palace, and not in this academy."
"Well," Sevi said, offering a small shrug,
"I guess you'll figure it out when you're ready." He was still curious but didn't want to press further.
Carion gave him a small, thankful nod, clearly relieved the conversation had shifted.
"Anyway," Sevi continued, "take care." He turned, heading for the door.
[Prince Carion's Favorability unlocked!]
[Prince Carion's Favorability increased!]
[Prince Carion's Favorability: -30 --> -28]
Sevi stopped at the door, his hand resting on the handle as confusion swirled in his mind.
'Prince Carion's favorability? What does that even mean?'
'Don't tell me I can also capture the Prince, the original protagonist of this game. I mean, there's more unknown people in the capture profile,'
Before he could continue his train of thought, the system chimed in with a response.
[It depends. Your actions and choices will determine the outcomes. Best of luck, Sevi.]
'So, it's like... I could potentially go down a route with Prince Carion, too?' Sevi blinked at the words, trying to make sense of it all.
'Hey system?'
[...]
'HEYYYY'
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