As the group split up, Soren Halloway and Sora Winslow headed off to order their food.
Meanwhile, Hyacinth Chua and Aurora Perish found an empty table and sat down.
Aurora Perish's eyes darted around the cafeteria. From the outside, the place looked marvelous—and it was just as impressive inside. Designed like a modern Korean-Japanese fusion cafeteria, it featured polished wooden tables, sleek hanging lanterns, and a clean, minimalistic aesthetic. Steam rose from rice bowls, and the scent of miso soup and grilled meat filled the air.
As she observed her surroundings, Aurora Perish noticed something odd—Hyacinth Chua hadn't said a word to her. At first, she thought it was normal. After all, the main character was known to be aloof, and Aurora Perish herself wasn't exactly talkative. That's probably why she didn't immediately realize that Hyacinth Chua had been staring blankly into space for quite some time.
The student sitting in front of Hyacinth Chua didn't dare look back. Her stare was too intense—unblinking, almost suffocating.
"Huhu, I've been a good student for years... Why am I being targeted now?"
the poor student muttered under their breath, visibly sweating.
Aurora Perish, still distracted by the cafeteria's layout and the food choices—bento boxes, kimchi stew, tonkatsu—didn't notice that the person beside her was in the middle of intimidating someone.
Hyacinth Chua—the person who started all of this—was thinking about her again.
No matter how hard Hyacinth tried to avoid it, she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to her.
After all, that woman had once promised to marry her as soon as senior high school ended. But she broke that promise—again and again, like a cruel loop Hyacinth couldn't escape.
Even though Hyacinth Chua was surrounded by friends, she still felt lonely. Lonely in a way no one seemed to understand.
Of course, how could they? She never told anyone she had been in a relationship with Rose Sallow. To others, it must have looked like a simple schoolgirl crush. But it wasn't. They had been together since Hyacinth Chua turned seventeen.
And now, almost a year had passed—her eighteenth birthday was just around the corner.
Hyacinth Chua clearly remembered the day they started dating. It was the first time she'd ever felt that kind of happiness.
Back then, she was excited and glowing with joy—after all, her long held crush had finally become hers.
Their first date took place in Hyacinth Chua's backyard, surrounded by a garden in full bloom.
They were afraid that if anyone saw them dating in public, their real relationship would be exposed—and everything would fall apart. So, they disguised it as a casual hangout between friends in the privacy of her yard. Fortunately, no servants were around at the time.
They sat together, chatting happily about anything and everything.
Rose Sallow's smile stood out like sunlight breaking through petals—it was even more vibrant than the flowers around them.
That moment burned itself into Hyacinth Chua's memory. It played on repeat in her mind, vivid and fleeting, like a scene pulled straight from a romance novel—where the main character and the heroine share something quiet and beautiful.
What once was a happy memory for her had now become something painful—slowly breaking her apart, piece by piece.
"Why had she been so foolish back then?"
Why didn't she notice that Rose Sallow always suggested they stay indoors instead of going out in public Why hadn't she questioned it?
"Was she just a fool? Was she being played all along?"
Now, Hyacinth Chua understood why people say love makes you blind. She used to mock at people like that people who lost all sense of reason because of love. But in the end, she had become one of them.
If her younger self were reading this now, she would definitely mock her—for being so brainless when it came to love.
"It was too much."
Hyacinth Chua was on the verge of breaking when an elegant hand—speckled with faint white freckles calmly set a tray of food down in front of her.
"Haya, I got your favorite food!" Sora Winslow said with a cheerful smile from across the table.
"You didn't get it with your short arms—I was the one who got it!" Soren Halloway cut in, pinching Sora Winslow's nose with a teasing grin.
Aurora Perish, who had been quietly observing Hyacinth Chua, noticed earlier that she seemed downcast. Without saying anything, she had texted the other two to bring Hyacinth Chua's favorite food. Now, she gently slid a cold can of cola toward Hyacinth Chua without a word.
Hyacinth Chua was stunned. She parted her lips, but no sound came out at first. Forcing herself to speak, a soft whisper finally escaped. "...Thanks." Then she lowered her head.
Sora Winslow and Soren Halloway didn't hear it—it was too quiet—but Aurora Perish, sitting right beside her, caught it clearly.
Aurora Perish didn't glance at Hyacinth Chua. Instead, she silently pretended to focus on her meal. Across from them, Sora Winslow and Soren Halloway began digging into their food. The two had already figured out something was wrong with Hyacinth Chua, so they chose to stay quiet.
The table was silent, but the atmosphere was calm and comforting.