Chapter 21

‘What… no way. There must be something wrong with me.’

I let out a hollow chuckle and shook my head back and forth.

Then, to explain Frey’s presence to Theo, I looked back and forth between the two of them.

“…”

“…”

I snapped my mouth shut.

‘Wait, no. It is right. Why on earth is this kind of background music playing between the three of us?!’

The atmosphere was unmistakably that of a love triangle.

I widened my eyes in sheer disbelief and observed Frey and Theo.

Without anyone needing to say a word, the two of them were glaring at each other as if they were ready to eat each other alive.

‘No, seriously, why is this kind of atmosphere forming?’

Whatever the reason, it didn’t seem like the mood would improve anytime soon unless I stepped in.

“Ahem!”

As I let out a loud, fake cough to break the heavy silence, both of their gazes snapped to me.

“Theo, this is Priest Frey. The one I briefly mentioned last time who agreed to tutor me.”

“……”

“And this is my friend, Theo.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Amidst the silence, Frey was the first to offer a greeting.

Frey wore his usual, gentle smile.

‘Was he just startled earlier?’

Then again, it was definitely out of character for Frey to glare at anyone.

Even though I hadn’t fully figured him out yet.

“……”

The problem was Theo.

Standing with a crooked posture, Theo was silently glaring daggers at Frey.

“W-well! It seemed like you didn’t want to, Theo, so I was just going to take the tutoring lessons by myself…”

“I didn’t?”

Theo turned to look at me with a vicious expression.

‘You literally didn’t!’

A wave of injustice welled up inside me, and I barely held back the urge to shout it out loud as I slowly nodded my head.

“No, I want to take them too.”

“Huh?”

What kind of nonsense was this now?

After clearly fighting with me because he hated the idea of the three of us studying together, Theo was now completely changing his tune.

“I’ll take them together with you. The tutoring.”

It looked like he gritted his teeth so hard they might shatter when he said the word ‘tutoring’…

“Ah, ahahaha…”

Laughing awkwardly, I turned my back to Theo and looked at Frey.

And moving stiffly like a broken marionette, I asked for Frey’s opinion.

“Um, if it’s alright with you, could my friend join the lessons too? He’s planning to take the entrance exam with me…”

Frey smiled at me as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Seeing that smile, I let out a sigh of relief.

Given Frey’s personality, I figured he wouldn’t refuse this request.

“What should we do? I think that might be a bit difficult.”

…But once again, my expectations were ruthlessly shattered today.

At this point, it seemed better to just stay quiet from the start instead of rashly trying to predict things.

“Why?”

Theo’s brow furrowed at Frey’s answer.

However, Frey didn’t seem to care about Theo’s reaction in the slightest.

Maintaining a smiling face the entire time, he spat out words that completely rubbed Theo the wrong way.

“Well… because I feel like it?”

“…….”

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop my jaw from dropping open in shock.

Was it really okay for someone who called himself a priest to be so childish?

‘Ah, come to think of it, Frey is only seventeen, too.’

It was, in essence, a battle of pride between a child and an even younger child.

Even from Frey’s perspective, it was understandable that he wouldn’t be fond of a random boy who was acting hostile toward him right from the start.

He was a priest, after all, not a saint.

Whether out of sheer disbelief or a lack of logic, Theo didn’t say a word.

Then, perhaps deciding that bickering with Frey was a waste of time, he turned to speak to me instead.

“Why does it have to be that guy giving you lessons?”

“Theo. Don’t call him ‘that guy’ when you’ve just met him.”

Since I didn’t unconditionally consider Frey a good person either, I didn’t heavily scold him on that point.

Still, I definitely didn’t want Theo to let his pride get in the way with Frey.

No matter how you looked at the situation, we were the ones in need of help.

I didn’t even expect him to be friendly. I knew Theo’s temper well enough.

But I hoped he would at least keep basic manners.

“I apologize on his behalf for his rudeness. Could you please reconsider?”

Instead of reprimanding Theo, I apologized to Frey.

Because I knew better than anyone that Theo’s social skills were still lacking.

“He might speak harshly like that, but he’ll study hard. He won’t be a nuisance…”

“…….”

Listening to my plea, Frey fell deep in thought for a moment. Then, with a small sigh, he nodded.

“Well. If you put it that way, Iris, I suppose I have no choice.”

“…….”

“Thank you so much!”

Theo still seemed unhappy with the situation, but he didn’t step forward to stop me.

He likely knew that if he opened his mouth again here, Frey might change his mind once more.

“That’s great. I’m glad you changed your mind.”

I purposely spoke to Theo with exaggerated enthusiasm, trying to soothe him.

“Don’t even think about being alone with him.”

Theo muttered to me in a low voice.

Hearing those words, I immediately understood why Theo had suddenly changed his mind.

It seemed Theo was worried that I might be taken away from him by someone else.

And he was expressing that anxiety through negative emotions.

‘I just need to keep reassuring him that I’m not going to disappear from his side.’

Thinking that, I stroked Theo’s hair.

“Get off.”

Although I sheepishly pulled back right away as the foul-mooded Theo swatted my hand away.

‘He’s so sensitive.’

Taking advantage of the moment Theo looked elsewhere, I enacted my petty revenge by glaring at him sideways.

“Shall we start the lesson then?”

Frey, who had been quietly watching Theo and me, asked with an awkward smile.

Thus, the lesson that started later than expected proceeded as smoothly and naturally as water flowing, reflecting Frey’s skill.

‘Could Frey have been a teacher in his past life?’

I seriously pondered that thought while diligently jotting down notes.

“Uh…”

Just then, I noticed that my ink bottle had run out.

I had completely forgotten to bring an extra bottle of ink with me.

‘What should I do…’

Biting my lip, I subtly peeked at Frey’s reaction.

Setting aside whether I liked Frey or not, this was entirely my fault, so I had no excuses.

“Looks like you’re out of ink?”

Seeing my hand stop, Frey perceptively caught on to my situation.

I looked up at him and offered an apology.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your explanation. I tried to prepare for the lesson in my own way, but…”

“It’s fine. Do you want to quickly stop by your room?”

At Frey’s words, Theo’s head shot up and he grabbed me.

“Just share mine, why would you go all the way back?”

I looked back and forth between Theo and Frey.

This might actually be a good opportunity.

We would have to study together all the way until the exam, so they couldn’t just keep growling at each other every single time.

I gently pried Theo’s hand off my clothes and said.

“No, I’m more comfortable using my own. You two chat for a bit.”

“What? You’re usually not like that.”

“I’ll be right back!”

The ink Theo and I used wasn’t any different anyway.

But if I didn’t artificially create a chance for the two of them to spend time together like this, it would never happen.

Worried that Theo might stand up to follow me, I hurriedly stepped out of the lounge.

***

Once Iris left the room, a suffocating silence fell between Theo and Frey.

Frey wore a dry, emotionless expression, completely erasing the gentle smile he had worn just moments before.

‘So fake…’

From the very first moment he saw him, Theo hadn’t liked Frey.

And the moment that feeling amplified was when Frey had approached Iris while she was by the flowerbeds.

It was the moment a crack formed in Theo’s peaceful routine of claiming a spot by the lounge window to watch Iris whenever she tended the garden.

‘He was grinning so well in front of Iris…’

Although he couldn’t yet figure out what his ulterior motive was, Theo was certain that Frey had approached Iris with some sort of hidden agenda.

As proof, he was acting like a completely different person in front of him right now.

Feeling Theo’s persistent stare, Frey turned his head to meet his gaze.

Frey’s blue eyes were laced with a thorough, chilling coldness.

“……”

“……”

As if by prior agreement, neither of them avoided the other’s gaze, resulting in a prolonged battle of nerves.

Perhaps finding the staring contest tedious, Frey was the first to speak.

“The two of you. What a fascinating combination.”

“……”

What a predictable guy. That’s what Theo thought.

To think he would use their appearances to pick a fight—Theo, who had expected a much more profound attack, was practically drained of all his energy.