Amyra smiled when Alden said yes.
Not too much. Just enough. Anything more would've looked suspicious.
But inside, her lungs had stopped burning for the first time all morning.
He actually… said yes.
She wanted to jump around right at this moment. But she controlled herself.
She kept her gaze forward and didn't look at him again. If she did, she might've broken the mask.
Because the truth was, she hadn't slept last night.
She had rehearsed that line "Are you free this weekend?" so many times it had stopped sounding like words.
If it was too direct, he would have suspected something.
If it was too vague, he might've brushed it off.
And even now, she didn't know if she said it right.
She didn't know if he said yes because he wanted to…
…or because he felt guilty.
Her hands were folded neatly on her lap.
But her nails were digging into the fabric of her skirt.
She didn't look at him. She didn't dare.
Because if she did and saw doubt, hesitation or regret, she might've done something stupid.
Said something stupid.
Like "Please don't leave me again."
She took a quiet breath.
This wasn't manipulation. This wasn't control. She had promised herself that long ago.
If she ever had the chance to love him again… it would be clean, real and earned.
Not stolen through schemes.
She hadn't lied this time either. It was indeed her father who had forced this predicament on her.
To make Alden appear before him.
Her father wasn't a cruel man, he was too overprotective of her. So, when he heard about the rumours, he was furious.
But somewhere in the corner of his heart, he felt doubt. What if my daughter loves him? What if some of the rumours are true?
And finally those doubts expanded to create the current situation.
But Amyra didn't care.
Even if it cost her everything, she would still choose this.
She would always choose Alden.
She turned her head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye.
He was staring at the front of the classroom. His expressions were unreadable as always.
What are you thinking, Alden?
Do you regret agreeing?
Do you remember the kiss?
Her cheeks flushed at the thought.
Gods. That moment. That stupid, accidental kiss.
It haunted her far more than any nightmare. And yet… sometimes, she dreamed about it. On purpose.
She hated herself for it.
Loved herself for it. Wanted to believe it meant nothing and everything all at once.
She closed her eyes for just a second.
If I tell you the truth…
If I tell you I've lived this before…
That I watched you die, would you still smile at me the same way?
She didn't know. So she stayed quiet.
Because right now, she had something precious.
And tomorrow, even if it was just for a few hours, she'd get to stand beside him — not as a noble, not as a yandere girl clinging to her second chance but just as a girl.
A girl who loved a boy.
A boy who smiled like he meant it.
Let me have this one thing.
She thought, folding her hands a little tighter.
Alden leaned back in his chair.
Amyra wasn't looking at him anymore.
Not that she had to. She'd already roped him into going to the banquet and all.
He wasn't sure what to make of her expression from earlier. It wasn't the usual embarrassment she wore when things got awkward.
He was confident in reading her face. He had nearly spent a year within the academy now. And Amyra was one of his closest friends.
So, he had his fair share of knowledge on how to read socially awkward ice princess's inner emotions.
And this time… it felt different.
Her emotions were much calmer and more serious even when she didn't show it on her face.
It was almost like she was afraid of something.
But that didn't make sense.
This was just a school rumor cleanup, right?
"I don't mind if it's you haunting me."
Her line stayed in his mind.
He smirked. Content sourced from * – *.
But then again, who wouldn't want to be haunted by someone as handsome as me?
She was sitting perfectly still, hands folded neatly in her lap, like a student waiting for an exam. But her nails were tense. Digging into the fabric of her skirt.
He was probably overthinking again. Or maybe he was finally starting to notice things he used to ignore.
Gods. What did I just agree to?
I hope I won't die in that banquet.
There wasn't any mention of a banquet in the novel.
Fuck that novel. It was never accurate anyway.
He saw Aziel entering the class with Cecilia.
Hmm, Nyx still isn't here.
Nyx had started to arrive earlier recently so her being late seemed weird to Alden.
Come to think of it, she wasn't in training with Jeremy yesterday.
Did she take some mission or something?
Jeremy had officially started teaching Alden after the banquet. He mostly taught about Mana Manipulation and Efficiency.
And even if Alden didn't want to accept it, his lessons were useful. He almost wanted to trust the guy. But that made him even more dangerous.
Alden had even tried to master the Space Element tome Jeremy had given him.
But unfortunately he didn't understand shit about it.
Unlike The Eclipse Codex, the space tome wasn't immediately spoonfed to his mind. So, he had to understand and practice with it.
But he hadn't even managed to form a single space spell.
He even considered, maybe he was just not suited to the space element.
Still, he wasn't one to give up.
Alden leaned forward slightly, watching Aziel and Cecilia talk as they made their way towards him and Amyra.
They looked like they were arguing again or maybe just debating something with too much intensity.
His fingers tapped the desk again.
First Amyra being serious. Now Nyx vanishing?
This week just kept getting stranger.
I know some of you might be thinking, "Bro, where's the plot? Where's the trial? Why are we in feelings land again?"
And yeah... I get it. Slowing down the progression to dive into emotional POVs might not be everyone's favorite thing.
But these quiet moments matter. The broken thoughts. The pauses. The unspoken things.
And honestly… I haven't even been writing that many POV shift chapters lately, right?🫡
The trial's around the corner and the inter academy stuff's about to pop off soon.