I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 103

 

Leen sighed as she walked back into the dormitory after Carson.

 

“…Phew. I almost got caught.”

 

“Hey.”

 

Jane, who was cleaning her nails, smirked at Leen.

 

“I saw you on the way in, and you were holding hands with Carson, and the mood was pretty good.”

 

“It wasn’t so much the atmosphere as the fact that he was crying.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you could have said no. You’re usually pretty good at saying no, but what’s your excuse?”

 

“…I don’t know.”

 

Leen set her bag down with a thud and loosened her tie.

 

“Oh, I left your letter on my desk. There were two of them, and one came with a small package.”

 

“A package?”

 

She loosened her tie, shook it out of her hair, and walked over to the desk to see the letter that had arrived with the package. It was from Arcandus.

 

Leen smiled slightly, pleased to see it. His letters weren’t something she saw often.

 

With anticipation, she took a paper-knife and opened the letter.

 

《Congratulations in advance on your graduation, Leen.

 

I wish I could have congratulated you in person.

 

The package I sent you is a gift for you. But don’t open it now. The time will come when you will need it.

 

And when that day comes, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. So don’t throw it away.

 

And this… is my last request of you. 

 

I want you to live selfishly. Don’t pity anyone, don’t give up what’s yours.

 

Be healthy.

 

From your teacher and friend, Arcandus.》

 

Leen blinked as she finished reading the letter.

 

The parcel was about the size of her fist. It was light enough that it shouldn’t be difficult to carry.

 

But…

 

‘What does Arcandus know, and what is he hiding?’

 

It was written as if it was his last letter to me. I was disappointed, but not surprised, since he had acted like he could leave at any moment.

 

I guess I was expecting it to happen one day.

 

‘…Is it because of Professor Walter that you’re cutting off contact with me?’

 

The parcel from Arcandus was also suspicious. Even though I knew he wouldn’t do anything to harm me, I was really curious at this point.

 

Leen rolled the package around in her hands.

 

‘…Shall I open it?’

 

But then she shook her head and put the package down on the desk.

 

In novels, people get punished for doing things they’re told not to do.

 

I wonder if Pandora’s Box happened because she did something she was told not to do.

 

Besides, the time would come someday, so it wasn’t indefinite like Pandora’s box.

 

Resolving to forget about it, Leen picked up another letter from.

 

This one was from a stranger. Leen opened it, hoping it wasn’t from Rex Begonia under a different name.

 

Fortunately, it wasn’t from him.

 

But Leen’s face darkened as she read the letter, as if she had expected to receive it from him.

 

When she finished reading, her expression sank and her mouth dropped open.

 

“Jane.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I’m in trouble.”

 

Jane, who had been painstakingly polishing her nails, stopped in her tracks at the sound of Leen’s voice.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Leen stared at Jane, her face half-crazed.

 

“The previous landlord won’t sell me the house.”

 

Jane’s eyes widened instantly as she exclaimed in disbelief.

 

“What? What do you mean, didn’t we already have a contract?”

 

“I’m paying as I move, so technically it’s not my house yet.”

 

“What about the penalty? Will they charge a penalty?”

 

“They’re going to double it, and they apologized in a letter.”

 

Jane’s face relaxed a bit at that and said, “Double? At least they have a conscience. Let’s just take the penalty and buy another house.”

 

But Leen’s face didn’t soften.

 

“Well… I guess all the houses in that neighborhood are sold.”

 

“What? No way. I’m sure there’s one left if you look hard enough.”

 

“I heard that after I came to look at the house, a big man suddenly appeared in town and bought up all the buildings in the neighborhood.”

 

“Huh? Did they find a vein of gold nearby, or is the empire developing something?”

“I don’t know.”

 

Leen tugged at her hair as if everything was ruined.

 

“Where am I supposed to go now that I’ve graduated? Shit, I don’t want to…”

 

“Hans found you a place, too, didn’t he?”

 

“…Uh, yeah. I only found the town to live in, Hans did the rest.”

 

Jane jumped to her feet.

 

“Wait a minute. I’ll go ask Hans what happened.”

 

“No. What does he know? If he knew it was going to happen, he would have told me first.”

 

“But I’ll ask him anyway. It’s important, Leen, and you can stay here for a while to clear your head.”

 

Jane patted Leen on the back a few times, and then she did indeed leave the dorm. She ran to the boys’ dormitory and grabbed the first person she could find.

 

“Hey, I need a favor.”

 

“What the hell?”

 

The kid she grabbed threw a tantrum and shoved Jane roughly. She didn’t care what the kid said, she asked for a favor.

 

“I need you to fetch Carson.”

 

“What?”

 

The kid’s mouth dropped open. She was nuts, asking him to fetch Carson, a temperamental maniac.

 

“I won’t. I can’t!”

 

Jane picked at her unkempt nails.

 

“Do you think it’s better to brave a bit of fear and go now, or do you think it’s better to be beaten to death by Carson because you didn’t hear the news I brought in time?”

 

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Choose.”

 

A moment later, having successfully summoned Carson, Jane greeted him with open arms.

Her demeanor was a far cry from when she’d worked for Carson.

 

As soon as he recognized her, he squinted and asked, “Is something troubling Leen?”

 

“I’ll be blunt. She’s graduated and has nowhere to go.”

 

Carson tilted his head in confusion.

 

“And the Count of Armeria?”

 

“He can’t go there, for reasons of some sort. Same reason why she’s been staying in the dormitories instead of going to the count’s every vacation.”

 

Carson was silent for a moment, as if pondering something, then spoke.

 

“Are you here to tell me that?”

 

“No. I’m here to give you a chance.”

 

“…A chance?”

 

“Listen, Leen was going to graduate and leave for a place where she didn’t know anyone. She said she was going to cut off contact with everyone and disappear, including you, of course.”

 

Carson’s face stiffened and asked, “…Is that true?”

 

“It’s true. Fortunately, Leen’s plans to move in after graduation have been thwarted, so now’s your chance.”

 

Jane chewed on her lip as if to make sure she understood.

 

“I’m telling you this in case Leen is disappointed in me and turns her back on me. Do you understand?”

 

If she’d lied about going to Hans, if she’d come all the way to Carson, it was to get Leen.

Part of him didn’t want to send her away, but he wanted her to be happy.

 

Leen loved Carson, and Jane knew that was a feeling that could not be easily dispelled.

 

Did she really think Carson would care about her status?

 

He would marry her anyway, even if the Duke of Lysianthus frothily objected.

 

Leen claimed that status was not the only reason she wanted to leave, but it was not convincing.

 

Status was the least of the problems between Leen and Carson.

 

If that could be resolved, what could go wrong?

 

She would be the Duchess of one of the most powerful dukedoms in the Empire.

 

The only problem was that Leen was overly devoted to those who fell within her boundaries.

 

She would have preferred to give up Carson herself than to see him harmed.

 

Just like now…

 

Jane warned him, “You’d better hurry before Leen finds another place to stay.”

 

Carson glanced at Jane, then spoke quietly.

 

“How much do you want in compensation?”

 

“I don’t need any of that, just so long as you keep our Leen safe, and I’ll storm the duke’s house and turn the place into a pile of shit.”

 

“A declaration of war, that’s funny.”

 

Jane snorted as Carson raised his brows in interest.

 

“Kill me if you want. I wonder how angry Leen will be for me.”

 

It was time for Carson to open his mouth to say something, offended at having used Leen as a threat.

 

Jane spoke up, her eyes suddenly moist. Her voice sounded desperate.

 

“…I’m begging you, please keep my Leen. I don’t know anyone else who can take care of her but you.”

 

🍃

 

“Caon, I’m going to punch you in the face.”

 

“But I’m dating Leen, and it’s you. Who the hell else should I look at?”

 

We were now at a nearby café with him. I had been caught yesterday for darting out of the dorm without kissing him.

 

‘Urgh, I don’t have time for this.’

 

She bit her lip, unable to focus on her nerves.

 

Graduation was the next day, and I needed to find a place to live as soon as possible.

 

Not just any house.

 

It had to be in a corner where Rex Begonia would have a hard time finding me, or somewhere he wouldn’t expect.

 

I’ve been thinking long and hard about where I’m going to live, and I had no idea how things would turn out.

 

I sighed heavily, unable to bring myself to finish my tea, when Carson spoke up.

 

“Right. Leen, I have a favor to ask of you…”

 

Forced to clear my mind, I looked up at him. Carson, the man who could do anything, would ask me a favor.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Will you listen?”

 

From the twinkle in his eye, I had a pretty good idea of what he was going to ask.

 

Hold his hand, maybe, or do something he couldn’t do yesterday.

 

“Listen.”

 

When I didn’t give him a definitive answer, Carson’s expression turned sour.

 

“Then I won’t tell you.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“…Are you sure you won’t listen?”

 

Ugh, not again. That face attack. I sighed and decided to give in just this once.

 

“I’ll try to look at it in a positive light.”

 

Carson’s face broke into a beautiful smile. His eyes narrowed as he tucked the corner of his chin.

 

“I think we should live together, Leen.”