The room was quiet except for the faint creak of the wooden floorboards beneath Ariana's shifting feet.
I sat in a chair near the center of the room, my head bowed.
Fingers laced together as if in prayer, though nothing about my mood was pious.
I let out a low breath and, without looking up, said.
Ariana fidgeted, clutching the sides of her skirt tightly.
"I… I said… I told them..."
She murmured, her voice trembling.
I asked, though I already knew.
I just wanted her to say it again, to let the weight of her words settle into the silence.
She swallowed hard, her voice coming out in a stammering rush.
"I accidentally blurted out to Clara and Eliza that you're alive...
That you're not missing.
I—I'm really sorry, Noah!
I tried to keep it in, I swear, but it just slipped out, and—"
I raised a hand to cut her off, finally lifting my head to meet her gaze.
She looked utterly miserable, her eyes darting nervously around the room as if searching for an escape route.
I could see the guilt etched across her face, the way she clenched her skirt tighter as if grounding herself.
She was apologizing profusely, fumbling over her words, but it was all… predictable.
Ariana was terrible at keeping secrets.
I'd known that from the start.
This was just the inevitable outcome.
Still, I couldn't let her off that easily.
I repeated slowly, leaning back in my chair.
My voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it that made her flinch.
"The one thing I explicitly told you not to do, and you did it."
She said quickly, her voice rising with desperation.
"I know, and I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, it just… came out!
Clara and Eliza were asking questions, and I panicked, and—"
I held up a hand again, silencing her.
Her mouth snapped shut, though her wide, pleading eyes stayed locked on me.
I let the silence drag on for a moment, then shifted my gaze toward the doorway.
Old Man Wilfred was standing there, arms crossed, watching the exchange with a bemused expression.
When my eyes landed on him, he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you go looking at me like that, boy."
"I didn't say a word to anyone. This is all on her."
I stared at him, unimpressed.
"Then why are they here?"
I gestured toward the faint sound of voices coming from upstairs, undoubtedly Clara and Eliza hovering around, waiting for Ariana to come back.
"Because I had to let them in.
They were poking around, asking questions, and I'm not about to have them causing a scene in front of the shop.
You lot have already gotten me into enough trouble as it is."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
Or it was, until you dragged your sorry self in here and started squatting.
I've barely had time to catch my breath since."
I rolled my eyes and waved a dismissive hand.
"Right. Blame me for your lack of foresight."
Wilfred huffed, clearly annoyed.
"Foresight? I'm not the one gallivanting around, faking my death and dragging innocent girls into my mess."
He jabbed a finger in my direction.
"This is on you, boy. You deal with it."
With that, he turned and walked off, muttering something under his breath about
I turned my attention back to Ariana, who was still standing there, looking like a scolded puppy.
She glanced at the door where Wilfred had disappeared, then back at me.
"I'll talk to them and make sure they don't tell anyone.
I interrupted, standing up.
I walked toward her, stopping just a foot away.
She tensed, probably expecting another lecture, but I surprised her by keeping my voice steady and measured.
"You won't fix it. You'll make it worse."
Her face fell, and I sighed.
"Look, Ariana, I already knew you couldn't keep a secret.
This isn't a surprise to me.
The damage is done, so we'll just have to deal with it."
She started, but I cut her off again.
"No buts. You can start making up for it by making sure those two don't blabber to the entire academy.
Think you can manage that?"
She nodded quickly, her face lighting up with a mix of determination and relief.
"Yes! I'll make sure they don't say a word. I promise."
I stepped back, running a hand through my hair.
"And next time? Think before you speak.
It might save us both some trouble."
She nodded again, clutching her skirt even tighter.
I could see the guilt still lingering in her eyes, but at least now she had something to focus on.
"Good now let them in... "
Clara and Eliza were let into the cellar below the shop by Ariana.
Clara, ever the blunt one, pointed a shaking finger at Noah.
"You're actually alive?!
You! The walking disaster everyone at the academy is losing their minds over!"
Eliza was quicker to recover.
She crossed her arms, her brow furrowing.
"Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you've caused?
The academy is in an uproar looking for you.
They're trying to keep it from your family, by the way.
The House of Ashbourne."
She emphasized his family name like it was a warning bell.
Noah finally looked up at them, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh, is that so? How considerate of them to keep my disappearance under wraps.
I'd hate to inconvenience anyone with the news of my untimely demise."
The academy is turning upside down, and now we have to cover for Ariana..."
Eliza nodded, jumping in.
"Do you know the Princess went missing the same day as you?
The guards found her at the eastern forest entrance early this morning.
She was questioned and all she could say was that she didn't how she had gotten there.
Most people thought you were involved with her to say less."
Noah said lazily, flicking invisible dust off his sleeve.
"As much as the academy loves to pretend otherwise, the Ashbournes are the most prestigious family in the empire.
If I had to guess, they're probably terrified of my family finding out and throwing a tantrum.
They'd rather set the academy on fire than admit they lost me."
Clara threw her hands up.
"And yet, here you are, hiding in some back alley shop!"
Noah's smirk grew wider.
"Guys, can we not do this right now? We're supposed to be keeping things quiet."
But Clara wasn't done.