After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 07.2: Talking to the Dorm Matron About My Fake Fiancée

Chapter 07.2: Talking to the Dorm Matron About My Fake Fiancée

“I see.”

I’d been guided into the dorm matron’s room.

Sitting awkwardly in a chair, feeling weird about being in a grown woman’s private space,

I explained everything to her—

And after listening quietly, she let out that small murmur.

When I looked up, she was taking a slow sip of tea, lightly moistening her lips.

Then she closed her eyes thoughtfully for a moment,

Before opening them again and meeting my gaze.

“…So, this is what people call bragging about your girlfriend, yes?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Is that so?”

I denied it immediately—clearly and firmly.

But the dorm matron didn’t look convinced at all.

I had no idea how she could listen to my explanation and somehow think I was showing off.

“Until yesterday, Miss Yuliana was always holding your hand or clinging to your arm, But today, she didn’t do either of those things. Even your conversations were shorter than usual. And now you’re worried something’s off, right?”

She tapped the table gently with her finger—tap, tap—

Then gave me a very flat, unimpressed stare.

“That definitely sounds like relationship drama to me.”

“…Even I’m starting to feel that way now, but it’s not like that.”

When she laid it all out like that, I couldn’t help but think…

Is this actually just me bragging without realizing it?

“They say even dogs don’t bother with a married couple’s quarrel… But I wonder how that applies to engaged couples?”

“She’s not my—”

“Yes?”

The denial got caught in my throat.

I panicked and swallowed it down.

“S-She’s… technically my fiancée! But only sort of!!”

“You sound like you’re struggling quite a bit.”

I barely managed to steer the conversation back on track without tripping over my own words—

And now she looked at me with concern.

Whose fault is this?

Whose, really?

I wanted to complain… but yeah, it was definitely mine.

I clenched my teeth in frustration.

I got caught up in the moment and ended up venting to the dorm matron.

But when I leave out the whole “fake engagement” part,

It really just sounds like I’m bragging about my relationship with Yuri.

Since I couldn’t give her the full picture,

I probably shouldn’t expect any helpful advice in return.

“Sorry… I’m not explaining this very well.”

“That’s fine. But hmm… this is a tricky one. I’m not very good when it comes to matters of love, you see.”

“Wait, really? You’re not?”

“Yes.”

That was unexpected.

With her long, silky hair that looked like strands of gold,

And her elegant beauty that made half the boys in the dorm fall for her…

It was hard to believe love troubles were foreign to her.

Honestly, I always figured she had a ton of experience.

“Is that just modesty?”

“I appreciate the compliment, but… Truthfully, I’ve rarely had anyone express romantic interest in me.”

Way too surprising.

Though now I was wondering…

Maybe the reason no one makes a move is because of that rumored ‘no-jumping-the-line treaty’ in the dorm.

Or maybe, from her perspective, younger guys like us didn’t even count as proper romance material—just childish games.

Then, out of nowhere, she tilted her head and looked up at me with a blank expression.

That expression alone was already dangerous.

“…Would you like to test it out?”

“…That’s not funny.”

“Hmm. Jokes are more complicated than they seem.”

I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or just messing with me.

Watching the dorm matron rest a finger along her elegant jawline, deep in thought, I let out a quiet sigh and took a sip of tea.

My throat felt unusually dry today.

“To be honest, without a clearer picture, it’s hard to say anything for sure. But if I try to put myself in her position and think about why she’d act that way… Maybe she’s mad at you. Or worse—maybe she just doesn’t like you anymore?”

“Bwah!”

I choked—hard.

Tea dribbled from the corner of my mouth, and the dorm matron calmly pointed it out.

“You’re dripping.”

But I couldn’t even close my mouth in shock.

I wiped myself off with the handkerchief she offered,

Then somehow managed to get out a reply.

“I… I don’t think that’s the case…”

“Is that so?”

I wanted that to be the case.

But I couldn’t quite say it with full confidence.

Still—

It wasn’t like I had no reason to believe it.

For one, Yuri didn’t have any real reason to suddenly start disliking me.

Sure, sleeping in the same bed the night before was… a massive incident in my book.

And if rumors ever got out, I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.

It was definitely a scandal-worthy event.

Enough to make any girl want to keep her distance.

But still—

Yuri was the one who started it.

And knowing her, she didn’t seem like the type to push the consequences onto someone else.

She was arrogant, yes—

But she had a certain pride about her.

A kind of dignity.

Arrogant, but dignified.

“I mean, if she really hated me, she’s the type who’d just say it straight up—like, ‘I don’t like you,’ right to my face.”

She had no problem saying blunt things to Prince Lionel, even calling him spineless coward without a second thought.

There’s no way she’d sugarcoat her words just for me.

That’s exactly why…

Even though I kept telling myself she didn’t hate me,

There was still a small, nagging doubt buried inside me.

“…In that case, I’m afraid I haven’t been much help. Even though I offered to lend an ear, it seems I’ve fallen short. I’m sorry.”

“No, not at all! Just having someone listen already helped a lot.”

Even if we hadn’t solved anything,

That heavy feeling in my chest had lightened a bit.

I guess no matter the problem, bottling it up never helps.

Talking about it—even just a little—made it easier to breathe.

The tea was gone.

So was the conversation.

…Though, to be fair, I barely drank the tea at all.

Brushing off the tea-stained spot on my knee,

I stood up and bowed politely to the dorm matron.

“Thank you for your time. I think I’ll try to sort through the rest of this on my own.”

“—Crule.”

Just as I turned to leave, the dorm matron called out my name.

When I looked back, she had raised her face—

And in those golden eyes of hers, I saw my own uncertain reflection staring back.

“I can’t say for sure why Miss Yuliana is keeping her distance from you. But even if we don’t know the cause, we can still figure out a way to deal with the result.”

“…And what kind of method would that be?”

When I asked, the dorm matron gave me a firm, serious nod.

“—A date.”