BDBM | Chapter 11

“Se, Shelly?” Tenev blinked wide-eyed, utterly flustered.

Shelly, equally frantic, hovered nearby, unable to even lay a hand on her while anxiously assessing her condition.

“Yes, it’s me! I heard you weren’t feeling well! They even canceled class because of it—I was so worried!”

“I, I’m fine now. Calm yourself.”

It seemed Shelly’s reactions had only intensified in the short days since they last met.

Just as Tenev managed to soothe Shelly and settle into her seat…

“…Huh?”

Her eyes accidentally locked with Cheylia’s—the same Cheylia who had explained the creation myth on the first day of class.

But Cheylia, as if on cue, huffed loudly and turned her head away with a snort.

“Hmph!”

‘What’s her problem?’

The petty squabbles of children were truly perplexing.

Hadn’t the Holy King subtly hinted at her to stop any bullying? Why was everything so complicated again?

At that moment, a girl with a head full of soft, curly hair tapped Tenev on the shoulder.

“Cheylia admires Teacher Shelly.”

“Admires…?”

“Yeah. Teacher Shelly is famous for becoming a senior priestess at the youngest age in the last fifty years.”

“Didn’t know that.”

“They say she’s a genius.”

A genius?

Tenev squinted suspiciously at Shelly, who was now smiling sheepishly.

‘So, she’s super smart, huh? Maybe she’s acting this way just to make me let my guard down before dealing me another big blow.’

Another misunderstanding to make Shelly jump in indignation later.

After lunch, Shelly guided the children to tour the Holy King’s palace and the heir’s residence.

“In front of the main palace where His Majesty resides, sunflowers bloom year-round. Similarly, lilies are always in bloom before the heir’s palace. That’s why the main palace is often called the Sunflower Palace, and the heir’s palace is called the Lily Palace.”

Since Renard had ascended the throne, the position of heir had been vacant for quite some time. Except for Tenev, it was the children’s first time seeing the heir’s palace up close.

“This symbol is also frequently seen in the temples and this palace.”

Shelly pointed to a design of many overlapping circles, resembling a flower.

“It represents the ‘Flower of Life,’ born from the union of Sebirot, the Light, and Arkut, the Darkness, into one being—Sefira Alkut.”

“…It looks like it has a ton of eyes.”

“Exactly! It also means to keep watch so that the divine flame within doesn’t extinguish. Isn’t it brilliant, Agi-nim?”

Shelly clapped exaggeratedly.

How did she even hear that? Tenev, who had mumbled the comment under her breath, looked embarrassed.

While no one dislikes compliments, Tenev had heard so many all morning that she was beginning to feel stuffed.

‘Could this be her way of teasing me?’

The intense glare from Cheylia at her back was so sharp that her scalp tingled.

“Teacher, I need to speak with you.”

Unable to endure it any longer, Tenev dragged Shelly a little away from the group.

“You should also consider the feelings of the other kids, don’t you think? I appreciate the compliments, but wouldn’t it be better to ease up a little?”

“You’re so thoughtful. How can someone be so cute, intelligent, and considerate at the same time?”

“L-Like I said, just stop….”

Tenev’s face, now thoroughly exasperated, made Shelly chuckle despite herself.

Even so, her heart ached a little. It wasn’t Tenev’s fault; she just wasn’t used to receiving compliments.

‘The kids here were all raised like treasures, showered with love.’

Maybe not the imperial prince from the Empire, but the other children came from prestigious families closely associated with the nine archbishops.

Unlike Tenev, who had grown up without such luxuries, they wouldn’t even flinch at a single compliment from someone like Shelly.

‘Agi-nim needs to be showered with all the love and compliments she’s missed out on.’

But if this is what she wanted, Shelly had no choice but to comply.

“Of course, I’ll follow your orders.”

“…I’m just a student. What kind of student gives orders to their teacher?”

The way Tenev said it, with such decorum, was so adorable that Shelly had to clench her fists tightly to suppress a squeal.

Cheylia bit her dry lips.

After Tenev’s private chat, Teacher Shelly began treating everyone equally, spreading her attention and compliments evenly.

‘That’s fine, but the fact that Tenev said something first bothers me.’

Jealousy simmered inside her, and Cheylia wasn’t one to bottle up her feelings.

She preferred clear, straightforward answers—just like her studies.

“Hey, Tenev.”

Cheylia called out as soon as class ended.

Tenev, slightly wary, turned around.

‘…Should I have called her Agi-nim?’

But before the vow ceremony, she wasn’t technically the heir yet, or so the adults said. Cheylia decided against it.

“You seem close to Teacher Shelly?”

Fortunately, Tenev didn’t care much about what she was called.

“I wouldn’t say close… before I came to the Holy Land, I was sick, and she took care of me for a few days.”

Tenev’s reply pricked Cheylia’s conscience a little.

‘Come to think of it, she was sick recently too.’

Most people believed that the heir had briefly fallen ill from an overpacked schedule.

‘I’m older than Tenev. What am I doing picking on someone younger?’

Feeling slightly pathetic but already having started the conversation, Cheylia resolved to finish quickly.

“Teacher Shelly seems to like you.”

“Are you curious why she likes me?”

“Well… yeah.” Shelly was her idol.

If her idol liked Tenev, Cheylia could follow suit, regardless of their sibling-like dynamic. But the answer left her dumbfounded.

“She says I’m cute.”

“She called me cute.”

“What?”

“She says I’m cute.” Tenev repeated herself matter-of-factly.

Cheylia’s eyes narrowed, her expression sharpening.

‘Is she bragging about being called cute? Why repeat it twice?’

Her annoyance flared, and her voice came out sharper than intended.

“Must’ve felt nice to hear that.”

“Do you want to be called cute too?”

“…What?”

“Being called cute isn’t bad, but wouldn’t you rather be called smart?” Cheylia blinked, momentarily stunned.

Even when she challenged a teacher on the first day, Tenev hadn’t seemed like a kid four years her junior.

The words of the adults replayed in her mind.

“Our precious daughter.”

“Cheylia is practically the jewel of Valier.”

Though praised by her parents, her relatives’ words always lingered.

“She’s too frail. Unsuitable as a paladin.”

“She doesn’t even show promising divine power… better lower expectations now.”

Cheylia worked hard to prove herself, but her accomplishments went unnoticed by those fixated on physical strength.

But Shelly was different—a senior priestess with a similar background to her own. How could she not admire her?

“…Yeah, I’d like to be called smart.”

“Good thinking. Inner qualities matter more than appearances.”

Divine power might slow aging, but it couldn’t prevent it entirely.

Long-term, being smart was far better than being just pretty.

“That’s… true.” Still, Cheylia’s face was tinged with regret.

“Do you want to hear both?”

“…Yeah.”

Tenev chuckled. How honest.

“Then I’ll say it.”

“What?” Cheylia panicked.

“That’s not what I meant!” But Tenev ignored her and continued.

“I’ve been watching you, Cheylia.”

“You’ve been watching me?”

“When you focus while reading, your face looks really cute.”

Cheylia stumbled back, her mouth twisting in disbelief.

“And when you’re thinking hard about how to explain something clearly…”

“Ugh!”

Unable to endure it anymore, Cheylia yelled, “That’s not the kind of compliment I want from you!”

She bolted before Tenev could say another word, leaving Tenev laughing quietly to herself.

“Hoo. She’s really clear about her preferences.”

It was obvious Cheylia now thought of Tenev as an oddball, but at least it seemed like she’d stop wasting her energy on petty jealousy for a while.

“Haa… but still.”

Tenev sighed, her thoughts wandering again.

“This whole ‘cute’ thing… it’s really starting to get on my nerves.”

For some reason, every time the word left her lips, that boy came to mind.

“Hope they catch him soon. I need to give him a piece of my mind.”

Living with this face, avoiding being called cute was impossible.

“I’ve gotta deal with him fast and shake off this weird feeling.”