Soren Arden POV
The sound of hooves clattering against stone echoed through the courtyard of the Arden estate.
The morning sun had barely risen, its pale light spilling over the manor's marble walls as a sleek carriage waited by the gates.
Soren Arden stepped out first, dressed simply in his academy uniform.
His crimson eyes darted briefly toward the massive building behind him, the place he had been forced to call home for the past two weeks.
Even now, standing outside its walls, he could feel the weight pressing against his chest.
He wasn't going to miss it.
Not the suffocating air of formality, not the cold stares of servants who whispered behind his back, and definitely not his family; the indifference of Osric, the mocking of Alice, and indeed not the venomous words of Sofia, the woman who called herself his mother.
Esper Rupindolf followed behind him, humming softly as she adjusted her dress, her long ginger hair gleaming in the sunlight, and despite the early hour, her expression was bright and cheerful.
"You look like you're escaping a prison, not leaving for a trip," she teased.
Soren didn't respond right away, his gaze lingering on the mansion's front doors.
He could almost feel Sofia's eyes watching him from behind them.
"You aren't wrong…" he muttered finally, standing next to the carriage steps.
Esper tilted her head, but didn't press.
Instead, she gave the driver a small nod before taking Soren's hand and climbing into the carriage, Soren following behind soon after.
The door closed with a solid click, shutting out the estate and all the hateful things there.
As the carriage began to move, Soren leaned back in his seat, his shoulders visibly relaxing for the first time in weeks.
The rhythmic rocking of the vehicle was almost soothing.
Through the window, the lush countryside stretched endlessly, a vibrant sea of green and gold beneath a clear blue sky.
Esper crossed one leg over the other and looked at him with a curious expression.
"So… where do you want to go? We left so fast that you never told me."
Soren's crimson eyes flicked to her for a moment.
"Ingrid," he said simply. "The capital."
Her eyebrows rose slightly.
"Why? I expected you to say the academy."
"I'm going to register with the Adventurers' Guild."
"Ahh~" Esper leaned back with an amused smile, her earrings jingling softly. "That's surprising, you seemed to hate fighting."
Soren hesitated, his eyes drifting toward the passing scenery.
"Well, let's just say I realised that I need to get stronger."
His words seemed playful, but Esper could easily sense the quiet resolve behind them.
Esper hummed, clearly intrigued, but didn't ask further.
"Fair enough. It'll only take half a day to get to Ingrid."
Soren blinked.
"Half a day?"
She chuckled.
"Yeah. Surprised?"
His lips twitched into a bitter smirk.
"A little. It took me five days to get from the academy to the estate."
"Five days? What kind of snail carriage were you in?"
"The one she sent for me," Soren said dryly, the faintest trace of amusement in his voice.
Esper let out a light laugh.
"Your mother really loves you, doesn't she?"
"Yeah," he murmured. "She really does…"
For a moment, silence filled the cabin; only the steady sound of wheels turning on the road remained.
Esper studied him quietly, noting the faint dark circles under his eyes and the sluggish way he blinked.
"You should get some rest, you know," she said softly. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine," he replied automatically.
Esper didn't buy it.
"You haven't been fine since the moment we met, Cutie."
He looked at her for a moment, about to reply, but then sighed, leaning his head against the cushioned wall of the carriage.
"...Fine. You were right, I am tired."
"Of course I was," she said with a playful grin. "Go on. Sleep. I'll wake you up when we're there."
Soren gave a faint nod.
The gentle rhythm of the carriage lulled him easily.
For the first time in two weeks, there were no prying eyes, no whispered insults, no veiled hatred.
Just the soft clatter of hooves, the cool breeze through the open window, and the quiet presence of Esper sitting nearby.
'It's quiet,' he thought hazily. 'Finally quiet…'
His body relaxed fully, his breathing evened out.
Within seconds, he was asleep.
And for once, his expression was peaceful.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Esper Rupindolf POV
Esper watched Soren sleep in silence, her playful expression slowly fading.
He looked calm now, almost angelic, with his snow-white hair brushing against his cheek and his lips slightly parted.
But even in rest, she could see the faint lines of tension in his face, as if his body had forgotten how to relax.
She sighed softly.
'You really can't catch a break, can you?'
Over the past months, she had heard the stories from his friends.
The whispers about how Soren Arden had nearly died not once, not twice, but three times before the midterms had even ended.
The first was during the first two weeks of classes starting, when he was found in an awful state by Lilliana.
The second was when he had explored Rena Forest not long before the first mock duels, and was almost killed by a hobgoblin on his way back, only to be saved by Lilliana once again.
And the third, when he and Felix had been gambling and were chased down by thieves who almost murdered the two of them for a few gold coins.
And that was all before she met him.
Since then, there have been two additions to his near-death experiences.
His duel with Ivan Olfram, where he almost had his neck sliced clean off.
Then, the final exam.
Esper had only heard retellings, but even those were enough to make her shiver.
One of the infamous Seventy-Two Demons had infiltrated the exam grounds, and students had died.
And according to those who were there, Soren himself had lost himself for a while after witnessing it.
She glanced down at him, at the faint rise and fall of his chest.
'You've really been through hell, haven't you?'
Then came summer break, and he returned home.
A return that, from what she had seen, had been nothing short of another nightmare.
She had been there when Sofia publicly humiliated him, the way she tried to use him as a pawn in her political games.
She had seen the way Soren's gaze turned cold every time his mother was mentioned.
And even though he never said anything about it, Esper could see the exhaustion beneath his calm facade.
The kind of weariness that didn't come from lack of sleep, but from living too long on edge.
"It's almost like you've been cursed never to rest," she whispered to herself.
For a moment, she just sat there, quietly watching him.
The faint sunlight streaming through the window painted his hair gold, and she couldn't help but smile faintly.
She didn't know why she kept getting involved with him.
At first, it had been curiosity mixed with a subtle jealousy.
The "commoner-like" noble, about whom the higher nobles whispered.
The boy with a face too pretty for his own good, who didn't act the way a noble should.
The one who somehow managed to attract Amelia Einhardt's attention and Lilliana Roseblood's company without even trying.
He was strange, intriguing, fun, and a little envious.
And for someone like Esper, whose life had always been boring, Soren Arden was like a sudden burst of colour in a grey world.
Her father expected her to be the perfect noblewoman: graceful, intelligent, proper.
Every movement, every word, every smile had to be calculated.
She had lived that way for as long as she could remember.
It was only when she enrolled in Stellaris Academy that she finally gained some form of freedom, the ability to look the way she liked, to talk the way she wanted, to be herself.
But even then, it was difficult.
The other nobles would still wear masks, hide their intentions, and were never honest, making it hard for Esper to connect with any of them on more than a surface level.
She thought that maybe she would stay trapped in that dull world forever, unable to escape.
But then Soren entered the diner where she was volunteering under her father's recommendation.
He didn't care what people thought of him.
He didn't act noble or refined.
He didn't follow the script.
He just… lived.
Esper found it refreshing, liberating, even.
And maybe, just maybe, a little bit contagious.
She leaned forward slightly, studying his sleeping face closely, then let out a small laugh under her breath.
"You're insane, you know that?"
Soren, of course, didn't answer.
Her gaze softened, and before she realised it, her hand had moved on its own.
Gently, she brushed a few strands of white hair away from his face, her fingertips lingering against his skin.
The boy didn't stir.
For some reason, that made her smile.
"...Thanks, Soren," she whispered quietly. "For making things a little more interesting."
Her smile grew into a faint grin as the ring on his finger caught her eye.
"If you really were the one I had to marry someday… I guess I wouldn't mind too much."
She chuckled to herself, shaking her head.
Then she sat back up in her seat, watching as the distant outline of Ingrid began to rise over the horizon.
The carriage continued on its steady rhythm down the road, carrying them both toward whatever awaited.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Soren Arden POV
By the time Soren woke, the sun had shifted high in the sky.
The carriage was still rolling steadily, but the landscape outside the window had changed; the hill of emerald green had given way to the first signs of civilisation.
The faint outline of Ingrid, capital of Fialova, loomed in the distance.
The grand city was surrounded by high stone walls and dotted with countless spires that shimmered under the sunlight like polished ivory.
Even from afar, Soren could see the banners of the royal crest waving atop the tallest towers.
He blinked away the haze of sleep, his crimson eyes adjusting slowly to the brightness.
"...We're almost there?"
Esper turned her head toward him, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
"Morning, sleeping beauty. You were out for quite a while."
"How long?"
"About five hours," she answered after looking at her pocket watch. "You must've been really tired."
Soren rubbed the side of his face, a faint smile painting his lips.
"Guess I needed it."
"'Guess'?" Esper arched an eyebrow. "You definitely needed it. You looked half-dead when we left the estate."
He huffed quietly but didn't deny it.
His body still felt heavy, but there was a strange lightness in his chest, like some of the tension had finally drained out of him.
It felt nice.
Esper leaned against the window, her gaze on the approaching city.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked lightly. "You could just take it easy for a while. Maybe come back home with me or something, it's a vacation, you know."
"Sorry, I'm too scared to meet your dad right now." He said half-jokingly.
Esper shivered, as if she hadn't even thought about it.
"...Me too. Let's wait until winter break or something."
"Sure."
The two fell into silence again as the carriage crossed through the outer gate.
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