The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 32
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Surprised, she looked up as Radant whispered those words and smiled as if asking if she understood. At his clean smile, Hasa’s ear tips turned red as she nodded. Radant said that was good and told her to ask if there was anything else she didn’t understand.
Hasa asked one by one as if she had been waiting for this.
“Then are insomnia, vomiting, and high fever side effects that most ability users experience?”
“No, those are more like constitutional symptoms.”
“Are there many other side effects?”
“Of course, though they differ from person to person. In severe cases, using abilities itself can become difficult. We call it trauma – when fear accompanies ability use, causing self-suppression.”
Hasa thought of Dayan. The side effects that accompanied great power. He feared touching people without his gloves.
Looking back, it wasn’t just Dayan. Everyone Hasa had seen who carried a blessing experienced side effects. Her father who experienced similar symptoms, and in her past life, Wolfgang also had anxiety.
At the end of her thoughts, Hasa suddenly remembered that Radant, who was smiling peacefully before her, was also the eldest son of a family that inherited a blessing.
The fact that the Grand Duke had died meant that all succession had already passed to Radant.
While it was common to inherit power gradually over time like Dayan, when the parent who was the previous successor dies, all power is transferred to the next generation at once.
That pain was indescribable, and some successors could go mad or die from being unable to endure it.
But no matter how she looked at the man before her…
Hasa looked up at Radant.
‘He seems perfectly fine.’
Radant took his eyes off his book and smiled as he met Hasa’s steady gaze. At this, Hasa’s ear tips turned red again and she hurriedly returned her eyes to her book, when he asked.
“I tried my best to explain, did you understand well?”
“Yes… Very much. When my brother explains, he just tells me to memorize, so I never understood what it meant.”
When Hasa answered while pouting her lips, Radant brushed back his fallen bangs and chuckled softly. Somehow even that gesture seemed perfectly beautiful, as if choreographed.
Hasa moistened her dry lips, wondering if she had always been this weak to men’s faces when Radant made a suggestion as if he’d just had a good idea, accompanied by a short exclamation.
“Then how about this? I’ll help you study for the exam. In exchange, could you teach me ancient language?”
“What?”
Hasa’s face stiffened for a moment at the fact that he knew about her ancient language skills. To this, Radant continued nonchalantly.
“I heard that Dayan’s older sister’s ancient language skills are already famous among the upper-class students.”
Ah. Looking back, it would have been stranger if he didn’t know, given how conspicuously she had acted there. Hasa pressed her warm cheeks in embarrassment as she answered.
“Well, they’re not that exceptional…”
“No need to be modest. The academy’s high school students especially have high pride, and it’s very rare for them to praise someone. Especially an outsider who isn’t even a student.”
It wasn’t flattery. Radant’s eyes were firm as he said this. Hasa wondered why he was being so serious about such praise. It was enough to make the listener embarrassed.
Hasa fiddled with her fingertips for a moment. When she had tried to start conversations before, they hadn’t gone well, but through teaching each other, they might naturally grow closer.
Moreover, he was actually good at teaching. There was no reason to refuse this opportunity to catch two rabbits at once – ones she thought would be difficult to catch.
Yet somehow she hesitated. Whether it was because of the strange sense of disconnect from this man who seemed perfect as if painted in a picture, or because of his overwhelmingly handsome appearance that felt burdensome, she wasn’t sure.
Hasa made a small “hmm” sound as she considered, then met his gaze. When their eyes met, Radant smiled prettily, like someone who had been waiting long for her to look at him.
Hasa swallowed dryly and answered softly.
“Alright. Let’s do it, be each other’s teachers.”
Radant’s eyes curved at Hasa’s answer.
“Each other’s teachers, I like that.”
He murmured this and extended his hand across the table.
“I’m Bertolph Radant. Please call me Berl.”
Just as Dayan had said, as if there could be anyone in the empire who didn’t know that name, Berl politely introduced himself. In response, Hasa carefully took Berl’s large, long white hand.
“I’m Hartbisa Cellie. People around me call me Hasa.”
“Alright, Hasa. Looking forward to working with you for the next month.”
“Me too.”
***
After that, Berl would wait for Hasa at the same time, in the same place every day. Although Hasa always arrived earlier than their appointed time, Berl never made her wait.
Even when taking out a book, Berl never lets Hasa exert herself. He said he could handle any tasks that required strength or caused sweating.
So being with him always made one feel like being treated specially. Hasa was used to always being the one to consider and adjust to others’ feelings first, so having someone do this much for her felt both unfamiliar and precious.
She had thought that the term ‘gentleman’ was just a fancy word used to decorate the empire’s nobles. But now she wondered if perhaps she had simply never met a real gentleman before. Berl seemed to truly embody that word.
“Shall we wrap up for today?”
The sun was already setting outside the window. Hasa looked up in surprise, not realizing how much time had passed.
“I think we’ve covered all the exam material now. Hasa, you’ve worked hard.”
“It’s all thanks to Berl.”
“Not at all, I learned a lot too, thanks to studying with Hasa.”
They would gather at the library in the morning. From morning until afternoon, Berl would help with Hasa’s exam studies, and for an hour or two before sunset, Hasa would help with Berl’s ancient language studies.
They spent several weeks like this. Hasa had never experienced such peaceful days in her life.
And that tranquility passed in an instant – now only a week remained until the fall entrance exam.
“Ah, these are some practice questions I prepared. Look them over before the exam.”
Berl handed over a thick stack of papers. Hasa felt awkward about accepting them.
“Even this much…”
Berl insisted on letting him fulfill his teacher role until the end, placing the papers in her hand before shouldering his bag.
“Shall we go then?”
They had an unspoken rule that their lessons ended at sunset. At that time, they would naturally go their separate ways.
Hasa’s movements slowed, hesitant to part ways as Berl acted somewhat like it was their last meeting. As he watched her lingering, Berl opened his mouth.
“Hasa, if you don’t mind…”
“Bertolph?”
A sharp voice cut between the two. Hasa turned toward the familiar sound to see her brother Dayan standing there askew. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Dayan!”
Dayan frowned as he grabbed Hasa’s wrist and pulled her behind him as if to hide her. Though Hasa was still slightly taller and couldn’t be completely hidden, Dayan didn’t seem to mind as he showed his hostile face to Berl.
While Dayan growled like a young beast, Berl smiled kindly.
“Ah, Dayan. I’ve heard a lot about you from Hasa. Is this our first time talking?”
As if bothered by the casual use of “Hasa,” Dayan twisted his lips as he answered.
“We saw each other at the training grounds last year.”
“Ah, right. You were the swordsmanship specialist student. I won 2-0.”
At Berl’s answer full of mirth, Dayan growled that there was no need to mention that and demanded:
“Never mind that, why are you with my sister?”
“Because I’m helping Hasa with her studies.”
“What?”
“And Hasa helped me with my studies too. Right, Hasa?”
Berl asked as if seeking her agreement. Until now she had thought his face was just innocently bright and radiant, but that expression was actually quite good at provoking people.
Indeed, Dayan seemed properly provoked, his eyes practically blazing.
Dayan turned to her as if demanding an explanation. Somehow feeling guilty, Hasa awkwardly smiled as she spoke.
“It’s exactly as he said, we met by chance in the library and he’s been helping me study.”
Since Dayan usually waited for Hasa outside the library, there had been no chance for them to run into each other. Though it wasn’t intentional, Dayan’s eyes became hurt, as if he’d discovered a traitor.
“Is this why you refused when I offered to help you study?”
