Chapter 6: Kraut von Wurzel
SHOCKED exclamations greeted me as I lugged the bear into camp.
“Where’d you get the bear?”
“Bernstein downed it,” I answered, and everyone went wild.
“Little bear downs the big bear!”
“Meat for dinner, baby!”
“Attaboy, Bern!”
They anticipated jerky for dinner, hence the excitement. Felzen, however, stalked up to Bernstein disapprovingly.
“Felzen looks mad.”
“Oh, he’s pissed.”
“Bern can fend for himself. Why so overprotective?”
“The man’s a beast in the wilderness.”
“You can say that again.”
Everyone watched curiously as Felzen harangued him. I found it unfair that Bernstein had to suffer due to my actions. I tried to explain what had happened but was interrupted by Bernstein pressing his index finger to his lips, telling me to zip it.
He’s shushing me. The same guy who just took down a bear. How adorable. My heart jumped in my chest, my face boiling hot.
“That first year, he…”
“Ah, he’s a total goner now.”
“Ooh, Felzen just snapped.”
“He’s got reason to.”
“My condolences, Bern.”
The peanut gallery clamored, my head spinning.
Total goner? What does that mean? Why would Felzen snap? I wondered as Bernstein rose on his tiptoes, bringing his face to Felzen’s cheek. For a moment, I almost thought I saw rose petals scatter in their vicinity. Felzen fell silent, his face pink.
D-Did they just kiss? No. No way. No. I knew they were good friends, but they’re not a couple…are they?
“Did you see that?”
“Bern just went right in.”
“For a k-kiss?”
“Felzen’s reaction says it all.”
“Felzen, world famous ‘womanizer’—”
“Blushing.”
“Well, that shut him up quick.”
“Bern, what’re you doing, man…”
“I’ve always thought he looked kinda hot though.”
“I-I guess. He is the Lunar Ice Knight and all.”
“But still!”
“How come we’ve never noticed his…his—”
“Devilish allure?”
“I don’t know, man.”
“It’s definitely something.”
The crowd was astir, and so was my heart. The other men sneaked glances at Bernstein. Prying, lustful glances. I’d known there were gay students at the military academy, but to think that Bernstein had been one all along…
I might have a chance after all.
I felt weirded out by my own thoughts. I wanted him to kiss me too. So what if he was my upperclassman? So what if we were both boys?
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I had once hated Bernstein.
Why? Because he was overly familiar with Prince Sternchen considering he was only the second son of a shut-in marquess and rarely visited the royal capital.
I lived in the capital and was also the son of a marquess. Yet I was prevented from growing up alongside Sternchen by the one-year age gap between us. It was frustrating, especially given that I, the top-scoring first year, was objectively more deserving of his companionship.
We Wurzels had reverently served the royal family for generations. Father had been classmates with the king, Mother was childhood friends with the queen, and Brother was close friends with the crown prince. And then there was me, born two days too late to be in the same school year as Prince Sternchen and unable to form a natural connection as a result.
It devastated my family. I nonetheless persisted, working tirelessly on myself, hoping for a miracle. And yet, Sternchen had chosen Bernstein over me.
I challenged Bernstein to every duel I could. I thought Sternchen would recognize me if I proved superior, but I never did. Time after time, I fell just one step short. It drove me crazy: I was basically already on par with Bernstein as a mere first year, yet he had Sternchen’s favor and I didn’t?
Felzen, on the other hand, made perfect sense. His grades were second only to Sternchen’s, and his swordsmanship better. He was tall, well-built, handsome, from a respectable background. A man’s man, looked up to by many.
But Bernstein was short, dainty. His “elegant demeanor,” as some called it, perhaps befit a bureaucrat but certainly not a knight. Both his sword and bowmanship were lacking. Bernstein’s only saving grace was his riding ability, but that was to be expected from an Eisberk. Of course he’d be good at it.
He wore a permanently blasé expression, immune to even princess Marlena’s unparalleled beauty. Some thought him “cool,” whereas I thought that such a coldhearted man didn’t belong by Sternchen’s side…or I had until the little incident with the bear.
I witnessed firsthand Bernstein’s familiarity with the forest, his wilderness survival skills, his capability for making split-second decisions. His swordsmanship truly shone in actual combat. He’d instantly recognized that Sternchen was supporting him from behind and defeated the bear without the use of magic.
I was stunned.
My actions warranted a verbal lashing, but instead of nagging me endlessly, Bernstein gave me a simple slap on the wrist. When Sternchen remarked that Bernstein seldom angered, my admiration for him grew even more.
Sternchen ordered me to carry the bear, and so I did. It was the least I could do, after all. As I dragged the heavy body along, I realized exactly why Sternchen and Felzen respected Bernstein so much. Not just anyone would fling themselves in front of a massive, hulking beast for some sharp-tongued underclassman. I knew I wouldn’t.
I was developing feelings for Bernstein, but after his “kiss” with Felzen I wasn’t sure if they were dating or not. If they were, then I might as well have thrown in the towel then and there, so I asked as much. Bernstein and Sternchen vehemently denied it, which made me wonder if they weren’t going out instead. I asked again; they denied it once more.
The knowledge that Bernstein wasn’t with anyone filled me with relief. That trio had always felt just a little too close for comfort. But if they insisted there was nothing between them, then what choice did I have but to take their word for it?
It meant I had a chance, no matter how small, and I wasn’t going to let it slip out of reach.