After the match, Jilk was the most injured among the prince's group. His body was covered in numerous bandages, and he could only move with the help of a cane. Despite this, he had no desire to be around people. As soon as he regained consciousness in the infirmary, he immediately decided to leave and take a walk to clear his mind.
During his walk, he learned that Julius had lost to Leon. This news triggered a whirlwind of emotions within him. His first instinct was to use his influence and connections to the royal family to make Leon regret his actions. However, he quickly remembered the compromising material that Leon had acquired. That information could either lead to his death or deal a serious blow to the royal family's reputation. Neither of those outcomes was acceptable.
Jilk tried to think of a way to resolve the situation, but the more he pondered, the more he realized that he was cornered. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh.
And then…
Someone suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner. Jilk flinched from the unexpected touch and swiftly turned his head to see who it was. However, the moment he saw the person's face, his eyes widened in shock.
"Bartfort?!" he blurted out.
Standing before him was Leon, smirking as if there was no hostility between them.
"Oh, how's life? Not too badly injured, I hope?" Leon asked in an overly concerned tone.
Jilk glared at him with pure disgust. He knew full well that this man wasn't genuinely worried about him. By now, he had a clear understanding of who Leon truly was.
"What do you want, Bartfort? Don't act friendly with me. Or are you just here to gloat?"
"What?" Leon feigned surprise. "I would never mock you!"
"You lie as easily as you breathe," Jilk retorted coldly.
"Just get to the point. You wouldn't have approached me without a reason."
Leon simply chuckled.
"What kind of person do you take me for?" he said before dropping the act. With a sly grin, he added:
"Alright, alright, you got me."
"That wasn't hard," Jilk scoffed.
"Ahem…" Leon cleared his throat, then leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice:
"You remember what we agreed upon before all of this started, right?"
Hearing this, Jilk fell silent, his expression turning thoughtful. He tried to recall the events that had happened not too long ago. After a few seconds, his face lit up with understanding, and he responded:
"Sorry, Bartfort, but I don't think I can live without Marie…" his voice sounded unexpectedly soft. "I'm willing to renounce my title and noble status for her."
Leon snorted and waved a hand dismissively.
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Jilk blinked in surprise, his eyes widening again.
"What?"
"I already knew you guys wouldn't honor that agreement to stay away from Marie," Leon said, shrugging. "I'm talking about something else. Each of you owes me one favor. That was our deal before the match."
Jilk let out a heavy sigh as he recalled that conversation. He knew he had no choice, so he nodded and said:
"I did promise, so I'll do it… Just don't go overboard. Ask for something reasonable."
"Relax," Leon smirked. "Come with me. I'll explain on the way."
An Unexpected Encounter
Reluctantly, Jilk followed him. As they walked down an alley, they spotted two girls ahead—Angelica and Olivia. They were standing nearby, clearly waiting for Leon.
When Jilk saw them, he let out an annoyed huff but didn't say anything. Unlike him, Angelica and Olivia didn't bother hiding their curiosity.
"Leon, why are you with him?" Angelica asked, eyeing Jilk with suspicion.
Without slowing his pace, Leon calmly replied:
"He has to fulfill one wish. And, in a way, it will serve as atonement for his mistakes."
Jilk frowned.
"What?" he asked, not understanding what Leon was getting at.
Leon stopped walking, turned to face him, and looked him directly in the eyes.
"You're going to apologize to Clarice."
Jilk froze. He swallowed hard, feeling a cold chill run down his spine. He had no idea how to respond, so he simply started pacing in one spot, deep in thought.
He didn't want to face his former fiancée. Their breakup had been messy, and he had no desire to revisit those memories. But… he had no alternative. He could refuse, but then he'd have to deal with Leon, and that wasn't a battle he could win.
Weighing his options, he let out a long sigh.
"Ugh… Fine," he muttered. "I'll do my best to apologize."
Angelica's Displeasure
Angelica, watching Jilk's reaction, crossed her arms irritably. She didn't like how he treated this as nothing more than an unpleasant but necessary task. His words made it clear—he just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
"So that's how it is…" she mumbled under her breath, casting an evaluating glance at him.
For the rest of the walk, Angelica kept a close eye on Jilk, as if trying to gauge just how sincere his apology would be.
---
Happy 100th Chapter Anniversary!
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me — without you, we wouldn't have made it this far. I also want to express my gratitude to all those who have been with me since the very beginning of this fanfic.
Every single comment from you brightens my mornings when I wake up.
It hasn't even been half a year since I started this fanfic, and we've already achieved so much. I honestly thought I wouldn't reach Chapter 100 until early summer at best — but here we are, ahead of schedule, and that makes me really happy.
The total word count has already surpassed 90,000 words. In my entire life, I've never written as much as I have in just these few months. It's significantly improved my writing skills and how quickly I can think through ideas.
At the beginning, I mostly relied on ChatGPT for writing, but now it mainly helps me correct grammar mistakes — the rest is all me.
Now, back to the topic — unfortunately, there won't be any more chapters.
. . . .
There won't be any more chapters until next week 😁
But after that, I'll make it up to you with lots of new content!
Well, that's all for now.
Once again, a huge thank you to everyone — see you in a week!