Chapter 335: Legal Stalking (2)

    Once a damaged mind breaks, it cannot be fixed.

    Looking at soldiers suffering from PTSD or certain individuals, it’s clear what that means.

    Just as physical wounds leave scars when not treated promptly or when healed poorly, the same applies to the mind.

    Especially if scars are etched onto the mind, they won’t disappear unless fully covered.

    While some relief can be found through something like Mora instead of Luminous, if it becomes part of one’s ‘personality,’ there’s no saving it.

    This also applies to Cherry.

    She’s someone who has already fallen into despair and barely clawed her way out.

    Her crushed dreams were nurtured once again, and the fundamental issue—the pressure from Count Letish—was resolved.

    There’s nothing binding her anymore.

    The problem now is her self-esteem, which hit rock bottom and has only slightly risen.

    During the exhibition, she told me:

    “I’ll do anything, just please don’t abandon me.”

    A phrase that instantly conveyed her psyche and her feelings toward me.

    I couldn’t ignore Cherry’s desperate plea, so I accepted her with an open heart. Fortunately, Marie and the other women didn’t mind much.

    But perhaps because I’ve been so busy, since I slapped Hiriya on the cheek, my interactions with Cherry have naturally decreased.

    This has understandably made her feel more insecure.

    Currently, Cherry is like a piece of porcelain that was shattered and carefully glued back together.

    One drop to the floor, and it will shatter irreparably.

    And I’m the one holding that porcelain delicately.

    A single mistake, and it’s as though her life depends on it.

    She’s even been auditing every class I attend.

    At least the symptoms aren’t severe yet, thankfully.

    If it worsens, she might resort to self-harm to grab attention.

    “Does it taste good?”

    “Yes.........”

    To discuss future plans and retrieve her manuscript, I decided to meet her separately.

    Of course, I finished all my classes first.

    We’re currently at a cafe? we’ve often visited before.

    Visiting a cafe? isn’t an issue since academy bodyguards follow me wherever I go.

    Not direct escorts like Adelia and Kate, but other guards.

    They’re probably checking for suspicious individuals outside the cafe? right now.

    And with a Reaper dispatched from Helium, like Gartz, observing from afar, I feel reassured.

    “What were you doing while I was away?”

    I took a sip of coffee with a round ice cube floating in it and asked Cherry.

    With all the sugar I added, the sweetness lingered more than the bitterness.

    In the meantime, Cherry slowly raised her lowered head in response to my question.

    Her eyes remain as dark as ever.

    Is there no way to fix that gaze?

    I wonder if it’s because Count Leticia shattered her self-esteem or if she’s always been this way.

    “...I was just waiting for you, senpai.”

    Cherry’s pink lips, which had been tightly closed, opened.

    Her response was filled with such a deep sense of apology that it stabbed at my heart.

    I wanted to make excuses about being busy recently, but it felt too petty, so I didn’t say anything.

    What I need to do now is apologize.

    “I’m sorry. I can’t make any excuses. No matter how busy I was, I should have paid attention to you...”

    “I-It’s okay. I understand.”

    Cherry, startled, waved both hands as if my sincerity reached her.

    Even with her gloomy eyes, she could make such expressions.

    She’s somehow cute.

    “Even if you drift away, senpai, I can just follow behind. Hehe...”

    “...”

    Cherry said that with a goofy smile.

    If it were anyone else, it might’ve sounded like a confession, but coming from Cherry, it sounded eerie.

    As if she were confidently declaring her intent to stalk me.

    I quickly scanned my surroundings after hearing her words.

    First, Adelia.

    Surprisingly, she was looking at Cherry with a face full of sympathy and pity.

    I’d already told her who Cherry was and her circumstances.

    Since learning about her tragic family history, Adelia must feel a sense of kinship.

    Perhaps that’s why she’s genuinely feeling sorry for Cherry rather than being wary.

    ‘And Kate...’

    I then shifted my gaze to Kate.

    Unlike Adelia, I hadn’t told her much about Cherry, and she seemed indifferent, wearing a calm expression.

    Maybe she didn’t sense anything unusual.

    “I thought as much. In that case...”

    “If you start spouting weird nonsense to Cherry, I’ll send you back to Savior.”

    I quickly cut Kate off before she could start her usual talk about seeds.

    The embarrassment I’d felt after she brought that up with Elena and Cindy was still fresh in my memory.

    But contrary to my expectations, Kate shook her head.

    It seemed she wasn’t about to go down the “seed” route this time and had another topic in mind.

    “That’s not it. Sir Isaac is a man of great generosity.

    Lady Rosemary, you might not know, but Sir Isaac has welcomed not just his fiance?e, but also the Princess of Helium and even Lord Cross, who is currently by his side.”

    “...”

    How could she dress up the word “womanizer” so elegantly?

    Hearing it from Kate somehow made it sound mystifying.

    Even though I knew exactly what she meant, I couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.

    I just avoided Adelia’s sharp gaze by looking away.

    While I struggled to process Kate’s words, she continued speaking without pause, saying only what she wanted to.

    “However, Lady Rosemary, you seem to be hovering around him rather than approaching directly. Sir Isaac seems to have an interest in you as well.”

    She trailed off, but her meaning was clear enough.

    Stop lurking like a stalker and step forward confidently.

    It’s obvious he’ll accept you, so why not just make a move already? T

    hat’s essentially what Kate was telling Cherry.

    And Cherry...

    “Someone like me?”

    “Excuse me?”

    “How could I possibly?”

    Cherry’s response startled not just Kate, but also Adelia and me.

    What was even more concerning was that Cherry genuinely seemed confused, tilting her head as if she truly didn’t understand.

    “As long as Sir Isaac doesn’t abandon me, that’s more than enough. Like a pine caterpillar eating only pine needles, I have no intention of asking for more.”

    “...”

    “I don’t care if he uses my body as he pleases or enslaves me. It’s far better than being abandoned. Being abandoned is worse than death.”

    While everyone else was at a loss for words, Cherry smiled faintly.

    It was a smile so genuine that it made her look even gloomier.

    “I’ll be content with this.”

    No one dared to speak.

    No, it was more like no one could. Cherry’s mental state was that severe.

    I could understand why, given how her self-esteem had already hit rock bottom and barely managed to climb back up.

    The problem was that I had become her “center.”

    This showed all too well how people with low self-esteem operate.

    They base their worth entirely on someone else, rather than themselves.

    This wasn’t something even Mora could fix.

    Short of completely destroying her personality, it would be impossible to restore her mind.

    Even for a normal person, her words would have been impossible to respond to. Yet...

    “So, to Lady Rosemary—or rather, Cherry—Sir Isaac is light itself?”

    Our dear Kate was completely oblivious, or perhaps she understood all too well. Either way, she made such a remark.

    And if that wasn’t enough, Cherry fully agreed, nodding emphatically and clasping her hands together as if in prayer.

    “Yes. He is my light, my hope, and the one I wish to give everything to. He helped me realize my shattered dreams and even granted me true freedom.”

    “That’s wonderful. But you need to build a little more confidence. Why not try getting closer to him?”

    “If you get too close to light, you’ll go blind. So I’ll just watch from afar.”

    The two of them had a conversation that was incomprehensible to me.

    Their words flowed naturally as if they were on the same wavelength, leaving me completely out of the loop.

    Kate, slightly off-key as always, tried to persuade Cherry to regain her self-esteem, while Cherry firmly rejected the idea.

    The two seemed caught in an infinite loop.

    And yet, I remained the central figure in this mess.

    I had no idea what was even happening anymore.

    “It seems you lack faith. Cherry... may I call you that?”

    “Of course, Your Eminence. You may call me whatever you like.”

    “Then, I must help you build confidence. Until then, feel free to continue following Sir Isaac.”

    Kate outright encouraged stalking.

    Dumbfounded, I confronted her.

    “And what about my opinion?”

    “Are you going to reject her?”

    If I said no, she’d probably break down completely.

    I glanced at Cherry, whose pleading eyes silently begged me not to reject her.

    Unable to refuse, I sighed and shook my head. Kate smiled brightly at my reluctant acceptance.

    ‘Why does this feel like everything’s falling perfectly into place...?’

    What a bizarre combination.