The Smiling Death

The three of them continued walking through the lively streets of the royal city.

The previous awkward silence gradually faded as the bustling atmosphere around them distracted their minds.

Merchants enthusiastically called out to passing customers, colorful banners fluttered gently in the afternoon breeze.

And the delicious aroma of roasted meat and sweet pastries drifted through the crowded streets.

After walking for several minutes, Selena suddenly stopped.

"Well... I think we should try eating that."

She pointed toward a nearby food stall where the owner was grilling chicken skewers over glowing charcoal.

The savory aroma instantly spread through the air.

Amon followed her gaze.

The moment he smelled the grilled meat, his stomach growled in protest.

He smiled.

"Yes. Let’s eat there. I’m actually getting a little hungry."

Adelia smiled softly.

"I don’t mind either."

The three of them walked over to the stall.

The elderly vendor greeted them with a cheerful smile before Selena ordered three freshly grilled chicken skewers.

While the vendor prepared the food, Selena stepped aside to pay.

That left Amon and Adelia standing next to each other.

A brief silence settled between them.

Amon scratched the back of his head before speaking in a slightly apologetic voice.

"...Professor Adelia."

She turned toward him.

"Hmm? I’m sorry. Everything happened because of me. I ended up putting you in such an embarrassing situation." Amon said.

Adelia looked at him quietly. A faint blush slowly spread across her cheeks.

After a brief moment, she gently shook her head.

"I should be apologizing as well. I wasn’t blameless. I only wanted to give you a small hug to cheer you up..."

She paused halfway through her sentence.

"But..."

Unable to continue, she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

Amon couldn’t help chuckling softly.

"I... I actually enjoyed it. So... I don’t regret it."

Adelia’s face became even redder.

She hesitated for a few seconds before finally answering in a quiet voice.

"...Me too."

The admission left her feeling incredibly embarrassed.

At that moment, "It’s ready."

Selena returned while holding three freshly grilled chicken skewers.

She handed one to Amon and another to Adelia before keeping the last one for herself.

"Here eat before it gets cold."

"Thank you, Senior."

"Thank you."

The three of them resumed walking while enjoying their food.

Compared to before, the atmosphere had become much lighter.

The awkwardness that had lingered between Amon and Adelia gradually disappeared.

This time, Amon naturally walked between Selena and Adelia.

After taking another bite of the skewer, he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, Professor Adelia."

"You know... I’m going to write a book soon."

Her emerald eyes widened with surprise.

"Really? What kind of book will it be?"

Amon smiled proudly.

"A romance novel. A sweet romance story."

Adelia looked genuinely excited.

"Really? I’m looking forward to reading it. I’m sure you’ll write something wonderful."

Amon rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

"I hope so."

Selena glanced at him.

"So...Have you already started writing it?"

Amon nodded.

"Yes. I started writing it on the same night I told you about it, Senior."

"That’s faster than I expected."

Selena smiled faintly.

Adelia became even more curious.

She unconsciously moved a little closer to him as they walked.

"Can you tell us a little about the story? Just a brief summary?"

Amon thought for a moment before answering.

"Sure. It’s about a young man of twenty years old...who falls in love with a woman older than himself."

Selena immediately smiled knowingly.

"Oh? So it’s basically you and Scarlett?"

Amon laughed awkwardly.

"...Kind of. But not really."

Selena looked at him suspiciously.

"I thought you told me you weren’t writing your own love story."

"I’m not. The plot will be completely different."

He paused dramatically before adding,

"I’m thinking of making the female lead... the male lead’s professor."

"H-Huh?"

A cute, surprised sound escaped Adelia’s lips.

Her beautiful yellow eyes widened.

"A-Amon...What kind of novel are you writing? A student... falling in love with his teacher?"

Amon nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. That’s the idea."

Selena looked at him with obvious amusement.

Meanwhile, Adelia looked completely stunned.

"Amon!"

She exclaimed in disbelief.

"That’s... that’s wrong! How can you write about a relationship between a student and his professor?"

She shook her head repeatedly.

"That’s forbidden. It’s... it’s taboo."

Amon simply smiled.

"Maybe. But love is still love."

He looked ahead as they continued walking through the lively streets.

"When people truly fall in love...age, status, profession, or social rules don’t decide their feelings. In the end... Only love matters."

Adelia fell silent.

She looked at Amon with slightly widened eyes.

For some reason those simple words lingered in her heart far longer than she had expected.

It was not her first time hearing about this kind of lines.

Adelia had heard those kinds of words before.

Many romance stories revolved around impossible relationships, and a student falling in love with his teacher wasn’t exactly unheard of.

Normally, she would have simply smiled and treated it as nothing more than fiction.

But things were different now. Only a short while ago, inside Princess Selena’s chamber.

She had embraced Amon.

Not only that she had enjoyed it. The memory alone caused her cheeks to warm once again.

It was a shameful thing. She enjoyed hugging her own student.

Now, hearing Amon casually mention that he was planning to write a romance novel about a student and his professor.

It unintentionally reminded her of herself.

Although she served as the Head of the Academy Infirmary, she also taught first-aid classes and occasionally conducted special lectures for students who wished to become healers.

In that sense she was also one of Amon’s professors.

And Amon had always addressed her respectfully as Professor Adelia.

Yet she had hugged her own student.

Worse still she hadn’t disliked it.

Her heart began beating faster.

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside her mind, Amon continued explaining the story with an enthusiastic smile.

"The female lead will be a gentle and compassionate woman. She’ll always treat her students kindly. Especially male lead."

He smiled as he imagined the scenes in his head.

"But...That very kindness will gradually make the male lead fall in love with her. It’s a slow-burn romance.There won’t be love at first sight."

"Instead, they’ll experience many different events together."

"Little by little they’ll begin understanding each other. And before either of them realizes it... They’ll have fallen in love."

Selena listened with interest.

"Interesting."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"I’m looking forward to reading it, Sir Amon. I might even become your biggest fan."

Amon grinned confidently.

"I know you will."

Adelia looked at him speechlessly.

A gentle professor. A student. A slow-burn romance. Falling in love over time.

Each sentence struck her heart like an arrow.

She lowered her gaze before quietly muttering under her breath,

"Amon...You’re such a bad boy."

"Hmm?"

Amon turned toward her.

"Did you say something, Professor?"

Adelia immediately shook her head.

"N-No. It was nothing."

She hurriedly forced those dangerous thoughts out of her mind.

’Enough, Adelia. Stop overthinking. Just enjoy the da—’

Her thoughts suddenly froze.

’...Date?’

Her yellow eyes widened.

’W-Why did I think of this as a date?! It’s just a trip to the capital with my student... and Princess Selena! What is wrong with me today?!’

Her face instantly turned crimson.

"Professor?"

Amon noticed the sudden change in her expression.

"You don’t look well."

Concern filled his voice as he instinctively stepped closer.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant.

His handsome face stopped only inches away from hers.

His dark eyes were filled with nothing but genuine concern. His black hair was short and messy. He didn’t bother combing them.

Yet she liked them this way.

"Are you feeling sick?"

For a brief moment Adelia simply stared at him. ’He’s really cute.’

The thought appeared naturally. Realizing what she had just thought, she immediately turned her face away.

"Y-Yes! I’m fine!"

She hurriedly pointed toward a random shop nearby.

"L-Let’s go over there! I... I want to do some shopping."

Without waiting for a response, she quickly walked toward the shop, almost fleeing the scene.

Amon blinked in confusion as he watched her leave.

"...Did I say something wrong?"

Selena watched Adelia’s retreating figure before glancing at Amon.

A faint, knowing smile appeared on her lips.

"...No. I don’t think you did."

Although neither of them said it aloud. Both had a rough idea why Adelia had reacted that way.

Still neither chose to mention it.

Some things were simply better left unspoken.

The thrip continued their small trip before going back to academy.

---

Later that night, Amon returned to his dormitory room.

He took a bath and wore normal clothes.

Then he sat down at the desk and pulled out a notebook.

Holding a pen in his hand, he smiled.

"Good thing pens exist in this world. At least I don’t have to write with a quill."

Then he began writing his novel.

---

[A/N: Guys!! Adelia hasn’t fallen in love with Amon yet, but she has started to feel something for him. Slowly, those feelings will turn into love... I hope they will. It’s the first time she’s ever felt doki-doki because of a man.]