The Choice to be Greedy

“How can a person act on emotion alone?”

Ensi stared quietly into Lily’s eyes. When her body flinched, he tilted his head to the side.

“I didn’t intend to get this deeply entangled yet. I see you guys didn’t realize that.”

Is it my fault for not saying anything?

In Ensi’s mind, the current distance between him and Agniell was just right. He was satisfied with a level that could be dismissed as the impulsive sparks of youth.

However, if the group camped out in the capital to find a cure as the three of them suggested, the story would change instantly. There were no eternal secrets in this world. Ensi could easily imagine the process: they would enter the capital, continue the social activities they couldn’t ignore while searching for a cure, eventually get caught, and have their entire situation exposed. And, of course, they would fall into becoming a laughingstock.

His head began to throb, and Ensi rested his forehead in his hand, looking down.

‘He didn’t intend to get deeply entangled?’

Shocked by Ensi’s words, Lily chewed on them for a long while before suddenly bolting upright. Taking a step toward him, she spoke as if pleading her case.

“B-but he’s a good person! He’s too good to just give up on!”

“Which makes him a prime target for gossip. A perfect excuse for Count Allemier to harass me.”

“Ah…”

Lily, who hadn’t considered Count Allemier, bowed her head with a short gasp. Following Lily’s lead, Luke slowly stood up, his brow furrowed at the mention of the Count. He spoke up for Lily, who stood dazed and speechless.

“I don’t think it matters how Count Allemier acts. He is already someone unrelated to you. You were the one who decided to draw that line.”

“I wish it were that simple, but marriage is a union between families. It means I can’t completely ignore Count Allemier—especially if the other party is the Lacius family.”

The Lacius and Allemier families shared similar political paths. While their ultimate goals differed upon closer inspection, they appeared to stand together on the surface.

Therefore, the concern regarding Count Allemier was a legitimate problem. If it became known that Ensi was dating Agniell, the Count would undoubtedly try to interfere. It would be one thing if they were rival families; he could simply sever ties. But the Allemier and Lacius families were on friendly terms. Even if told not to meddle, there was no way the Count would listen to Ensi.

Just thinking about it was stressful, and Ensi leaned his head in his hand again.

“Even so, Ensi. I believe that when it comes to choosing a partner for life, nothing is more important than emotion. You said you don’t intend to get deeply entangled ‘yet,’ right? That sounds like there’s room for your heart to change.”

“—Donovan.”

Donovan pointed out the detail the others had hesitated to mention. Of course, he didn’t forget to slowly stand up, just like Luke had.

“Whatever the social reputation, however Ensi’s father acts, or whatever the Lacius family expresses—those are all secondary issues. They’re problems that can be solved with a bit of wit.”

Lily silently cheered for Donovan, who was pouring out words like a flowing river. Donovan, who usually grumbled that romance was hard to understand, was doing a magnificent job today.

“So, what I want to say is: don’t hide your feelings for external reasons. Can’t you just do what you want for once? Ensi, you’ve spent your life acting based on logic; it’s okay to let yourself be led by emotion for once. We know all too well that the world won’t collapse if you do.”

“You…”

Lily marveled at Donovan’s clean finishing touch. She wanted to applaud him but held back to maintain the atmosphere. Ensi, silenced by Donovan’s persuasion, pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed hard.

His sharp eyes were tilted upward, reflecting his displeasure. Even in the prolonged silence, Lily, Donovan, and Luke did not look away. Their expressions were firm, signaling they wouldn’t back down easily. After a long stare-down, Ensi’s expression suddenly crumbled.

“I wonder who taught you all that.”

The meaning hidden behind his sigh was an admission of defeat—he would give in to their stubbornness. No one in the room failed to understand that. The moment his glossy lips parted to take back his pipe, they let out sounds bordering on screams of joy.

“No take-backs! What’s done is done, okay?!”

“Geez, I wonder who it was that told me to follow my heart?”

“Oh, that’s obviously fine! I’m talking about, you know, us camping out in the capital to find the cure!”

An excited Lily rattled off her words. Ensi finally burst into a chuckle, thinking that Lily would probably float even if she fell into a river because her mouth was so full of hot air. The icy atmosphere thawed instantly. Donovan, who had been clutching his racing heart for fear he’d said too much, smiled along in relief.

“But Ensi, we’ve solved our Academy issues by getting permission from our families… but what about you?”

“Me? I’ll just quit. Donovan said he’s quitting too.”

“Right, you should…? Huh?”

Lily, who was about to nod at Ensi’s casual answer, suddenly realized what he meant. As she turned back to him with eyes as wide as saucers, Ensi met her gaze and tilted his head slightly.

“Yes, exactly. I knew you hadn’t thought that far.”

It wasn’t the first time they’d rushed into something without looking once they were fixated on an idea. Looking at Luke and Donovan, whose faces had turned as pale as Lily’s, it seemed their vision had also narrowed while being swept up by her. Ensi wore a fresh smile, having expected this reaction.

“W-we’re sorry.”

“Really? At least you know you messed up… but Lily, isn’t your gaze a bit high for someone apologizing?”

At Ensi’s subtle pressure, Lily knelt back down without hesitation. Though unintentional, they were back to square one.

Click.

The sound of the administration office door closing was the same in this life as it was in his previous one. Ensi rubbed his eyelids in fatigue and let out a soft sigh.

He was quitting the Academy. Shortly after expressing his intent to the staff, he was summoned by a professor. And not just one professor—the department head and even the president had stepped in. It was a testament to the sheer amount of money he had poured into the school as “donations.” A benefactor like him was hard to lose. They had even offered to create a special exception clause if he just needed more time.

Of course, his mind didn’t change.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the diploma… but reaching this point had left him feeling a sense of skepticism. There was something he had been promised from Dalia along with that diploma at graduation. He had endured tedious debates and entered the Academy for that very reason, yet here he was, quitting like this.

It felt a bit hollow. And perhaps because of that, a question arose: was what he sought truly worth throwing all that money away and wasting the precious time he already felt he lacked? At first, he felt it was. He felt it was worth more than that, and he wanted it. That was why he had half-heartedly entered the Academy and maintained a social life despite his failing health.

He was sure of it back then… but now, he wasn’t so sure.

His mind was a mess of unanswerable feelings. His loose, unbundled hair tangled around his arms. Annoyed by the tickling sensation, he shook his arm irritably.

“Ensius.”

“Agniell?”

Ensi, who had been roughly brushing his hair back, reacted to the voice calling him from behind. As he slowly turned his head, Agniell was already striding toward him.

“Departure is tomorrow. Has the Academy not accepted it yet?”

“It seems it will take more time… but the schedule won’t change.”

No matter how much the Academy tried to hold onto him, he could simply leave for the capital. What could they do if the person involved just left? If he cut off the donations, they would eventually expel him on their own. Expulsion would carry a worse stigma, so withdrawal was better, but either way, he’d be leaving with a bit of a mess.

Rather than struggling to end things cleanly, he found it easier to just ignore them. More accurately, the attitude the Academy had shown until now convinced him that ignoring them was the better path. At Ensi’s indifferent answer, Agniell’s eyes briefly flickered toward the administration office. His gaze soon dropped as he followed behind Ensi, who had begun to walk away.

“What about you, Agniell? Did the Duke give his permission?”

“He said this one year is time given entirely to me. Thanks to that, the agreement was quick.”

“I’m glad to hear it ended smoothly.”

When Agniell said he wanted to leave the Academy for a while, Duke Lacius had burst out laughing, saying it was later than he expected. Then, he had immediately granted the request. Agniell had braced himself for a lecture, but the Duke only told him to do as he pleased. Consequently, the Duchess standing next to him had turned as pale as if she were about to faint. But even she only swatted the Duke’s back and didn’t oppose it. She had read that much sincerity in Agniell’s eyes as he calmly delivered the news and sought permission.

“Ensius.”

“Yes?”

Agniell, who had been recalling that day, cut off the thoughts swirling in his head, remembering a more important matter.

“Even if you return to the capital… may I come to see you?”

The sight of him swallowing hard and asking cautiously was unlike him. Sensing the clear tension in the call, Ensi wondered what he was going to say this time and listened intently, only to curl his lips into a smile at the question.

“Were you planning on not seeing me once we return to the capital?”

“No. It’s not that. It’s not that, but…”

“But?”

Agniell’s lips trembled at the mischievous glint in Ensi’s eyes.

“I might be a disturbance if I visit—”

Agniell once again failed to finish his sentence. Ensi blinked in confusion at the lack of confidence. Disturbance? To what? The sentence without a clear subject confused him. But one thing was certain: there was no way Agniell visiting would ever be a disturbance.

“I don’t know why you would think that.”

So, Ensi reached out and gently cupped Agniell’s cheek.

Agniell’s shoulders gave a slight jolt at the sudden touch. Since he had recently heard from Ensi’s close friends that he disliked physical contact with others, the surprise was doubled. And perhaps, if Agniell’s memory served him correctly… this was the first time Ensi had reached out to him first without a specific reason.

Since Agniell had always been the one to approach, he suppressed the mixture of surprise and joy while meeting eyes that held the color of a clear sky.

“Don’t worry and come as you please. There’s no way I would ever reject you, Agniell.”

With a bright smile, Ensi lightly stroked Agniell’s cheek before pulling his hand away without lingering. He told Agniell he had to go finish some tasks and left him behind.

Left alone, Agniell dazedy placed his own hand on the cheek Ensi had touched. Since Ensi’s body temperature was cooler than most, the touch should have only left a chilly sensation—yet, for some reason, his cheek felt as hot as if it had been burned by fire.