TDKSR 06

Chapter 06

“But the thing is, I didn’t even know who I was supposedly making eyes at.”

Making eyes at?

How old was Livga right now?

Also, from what Jonathan had observed, Livga was a very straightforward and cool-headed girl.

“What kind of crazy people would do that…”

“A senior male student who I supposedly made eyes at came to the scene and explained that it wasn’t true, though. But my feelings were… quite…”

“Oh…”

“And after that gang left, that senior confessed to me. But I had no reason to date someone I was seeing for the first time.”

‘What? He confessed right at that moment?’

Jonathan couldn’t hide his contorted expression.

“A confession I received out of nowhere, in the middle of an unpleasant memory—of course I refused. But after that, rumors spread that I had high standards.”

“That shouldn’t count as having high standards.”

Jonathan, who had been sighing, quickly interjected into Livga’s words.

“If something like that happens again, tell me right away. Got it?”

“Well, even though I felt bad about it, it just fizzled out like that, and because I became known as someone with high standards, no one bothers to confess unnecessarily anymore. It’s actually easier to study.”

“Right. You shouldn’t accept confessions from people like that anyway.”

Jonathan nodded in agreement with Livga’s words. But at her next words, Jonathan couldn’t believe his ears.

“There was also an older man who came all the way to my house.”

“What?”

“I mostly stay at the academy dormitory and only go home a handful of days… but suddenly, in front of my house, he said he fell in love with me at first sight.”

‘What? Livga is a Star—why hasn’t this kind of information reached me?’

“That crazy bastard…”

“Pfft!”

A laugh burst from Livga’s mouth.

“Cursing doesn’t suit you.”

Livga covered her mouth with one hand and laughed, her eyes curving beautifully.

Jonathan had been genuinely angry, but it seemed that sight was refreshing to Livga.

Apart from Livga’s lovely laughter, Jonathan felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Livga is only sixteen right now, right? So when did that incident happen? She said it was in the past—was she even younger back then?’

In a short while, Livga cleared her throat a few times and tried to calm her laughing face. But since she couldn’t quite manage it, she turned her head, shook her shoulders, and then spoke with a still-lingering smile.

“But still, my older sister Sara happened to see that scene and kicked that man right between the legs.”

“What?”

“These days, I wear a hat whenever I go home. You know it too, Your Highness? That having too good-looking a face is also tiring?”

Livga asked in a clearly teasing tone.

“Livga, but at that point, you were exposed to a crime…”

While Livga kept laughing, Jonathan remained serious. Because Livga’s story had been too shocking.

“I suppose it was like that?”

“If you’re okay with it, I think it would be good to assign someone to you.”

“Pardon?”

“Since you’re a Star anyway, if you want, I’ll assign people right away.”

He was genuinely worried. It had started out as something he listened to lightly, but as he heard more, hadn’t it gone beyond the level of just receiving confessions because she was pretty?

“I’d appreciate it if you could assign someone. At the academy, it might be difficult… Um, I only go home once or twice a month, so I’d like to ask for help then.”

“No, I think it’s better to assign someone at the academy too.”

“Pardon?”

“You were dragged away by an unknown group at the academy, slapped, and forced to receive a confession. That male student was just brushed aside and let go, but if he had been a more dangerous person…”

He didn’t even want to think about what might have happened.

Livga was only sixteen years old.

“Your Highness.”

“For now, I understand that you agree.”

“How are you planning to assign someone inside the academy?”

Livga shook her head.

“Anyway, there’s a rumor going around that I’m a weird girl who talks to ghosts, so no one bothers me.”

“That just means you don’t have friends.”

“I do have friends I hang out with.”

“Don’t walk around alone.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I should have kept it in mind when Yona said you were the prettiest among the new students that year.”

“Pardon?”

“Livga.”

Jonathan grabbed Livga’s shoulders and spoke with a serious face.

“Listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

“There are complete scumbags in this world.”

“Yes.”

“No matter what your age is, just because you’re beautiful, because you’re young and weak, they’ll use force…”

As he was speaking up to that point, he caught sight of Livga’s eyes as she listened intently to him.

What more could he say to this young child? Why bring up things she didn’t need to know?

“Never go around alone. It might even be better to let it be known that I’m protecting you.”

Jonathan wrapped up his words appropriately.

“I don’t like that.”

“As something like a national scholarship.”

“Something of that level is…”

“By the way, have you become less wary of adult men because you spend time with me often?”

“I don’t think so. Your Highness doesn’t really seem like an adult anyway.”

Livga shook her head as she spoke.

“I don’t seem like an adult? What do you mean by that? I’m already twenty.”

“Perhaps because you’ve been wearing the academy uniform lately, I keep forgetting that Your Highness is an adult. You just seem like a senior student.”

“I was wearing this on purpose so that if I happened to run into another Star like you by chance, I wouldn’t be caught as Duke Kusakov!”

Of course, Jonathan had never attended the academy, so pretending to be a student by wearing the uniform was a bit fun for him.

Even if others couldn’t see him.

“I did think that might be the case.”

“Wait a minute. Even if I feel like a comfortable academy senior to you, you still need to be careful because of the physical difference between men and women.”

“Yes.”

At Livga’s calm reply, Jonathan felt frustrated.

“You have no sense of danger at all.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t just stay in the dormitory and not go anywhere just because I’m scared.”

“……”

Livga was right.

He just hadn’t realized she was this popular.

“Besides what happened earlier, have you received many confessions or similar experiences?”

“Hmm, what do you mean? Does it include things like when I leave my seat at the library and come back to find notes, drinks, and snacks left on my desk?”

“……”

As Jonathan froze with his mouth slightly open, Livga smiled and pulled down his hand, which was still holding her shoulder, and said,

“Your Highness said you’d assign people to me, right? Then it should get better. I don’t go around alone even now—I walk with my friends. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Right now, you’re alone with me.”

“Your Highness is hiding with your aura, so I can’t be with anyone else.”

‘I’ve been ruining this child.’

While spending time with Jonathan, she had more time alone, but she hadn’t thought it was strange. Neither Livga nor her friends.

“No, I knew you were pretty, but I didn’t know you’d be a frequent target of crime…”

“It’s not quite a crime yet.”

“It’s not impossible for it to happen in the future either. I shouldn’t have visited you so often just because I was curious about the Star.”

“I didn’t mind Your Highness visiting me either.”

“What?”

“It sparkles, and it’s fascinating. The aura is really pretty. That’s also why when I first saw Your Highness, I wondered if you were an angel. A faint light radiates from you.”

At Livga’s carefree words, Jonathan let out a sigh.

‘I shouldn’t meet Livga anymore.’

No matter how much he wore the uniform and spent time with Livga, he himself was not an academy student.

Jonathan decided to wait until Livga graduated from the academy. If he brought Livga into the information department, it would actually be easier to both monitor and protect her.

Now was the time to be careful, even for Livga’s sake.

“For now, I’ll assign someone as a precaution.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“It’s only natural. And don’t go around alone. I won’t come looking for you like this anymore either.”

“Oh…”

Livga seemed a little flustered by Jonathan’s words.

“I’ll take my leave now…”

Just as he was about to say he should leave, Livga was faster.

“Ah, I have an exam soon. I’ll head back in now.”

“Oh? Yes. I was about to head back too.”

Livga bowed politely toward Jonathan and walked away with measured steps.

Jonathan stared blankly at Livga’s retreating figure, then ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

An inexplicable sense of suffocation rose up to his throat.

After that, Jonathan truly did not seek out Livga.

In fact, even during that time, he didn’t necessarily need to meet her in private. It would have been enough to leave it to his subordinates to look after her—he had just been visiting frequently on a whim, under the pretense of monitoring the Star.

When he told Yona to assign someone to Livga’s side, Yona said he had already done so.

“Did you know that Livga was nearly exposed to a crime?”

When he asked in anger, Yona answered nonchalantly.

“Often, the situation is resolved before our assigned agent can even move.”

“I only found out after hearing it from Livga herself. She’s a Star—why didn’t you tell me she was being subjected to such threats?”

“Reporting things of that level seemed… I’ll be more careful from now on. But there has been no major incident so far.”

“Assign someone at the academy too.”

“Yes.”

“I won’t go anywhere near the Star from now on, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jonathan decided to focus on what was important right now, feeling that he was getting lost in useless thoughts.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t have other things to do anyway.

In fact, it was strange that he had been idling around with Livga all this time. There were pressing issues even at the state council meetings that needed fierce attention.

Jonathan began tackling whatever came his way, as long as it served to solidify the imperial authority.

He even reached the point where Yona said, “It seems you’ve become completely work-addicted.”

“I have to solidify my brother’s reign.”

Yes. That was why he had come this far.