"Hey, look!"
"It's him!"
"Edward Falkrona!"
"How dare he show his face here?"
"I can't believe the Heads are still letting him attend!"
Leaning casually against a tree outside the academy, I shut my eyes, sighing in quiet exasperation. Even in monts like this, peace remained impossible reach.
Couldn't they talk about sothing else for once? It was always the sa thing, the sa accusations, the sa outraged whispers. At this point, it was just background noise.
Fortunately, I didn't have to endure it for long. A familiar figure caught my attention—Alicia. But she wasn't alone. Walking beside her was Roda.
Huh. They seed closer than before. Well, I suppose it wasn't that strange. They were both first-years, after all.
"You'll see! You're going to love it," Roda said, flashing Alicia a bright smile.
"I don't know…" Alicia hesitated. "I've never been there before."
"Then all the more reason to go! I'll show you the best spots, so just leave it to ," Roda said confidently, smiling.
Alicia gave a small nod. "If we have ti."
"We will," Roda assured her. "The trip is mainly for the second-years anyway. They have a written exam on it afterward."
Wait, what?
"An exam?" I spoke up, blinking.
"Hyaa!" Roda let out a startled yelp, nearly jumping out of her skin.
Alicia flinched as well, visibly surprised.
Roda imdiately turned to glare at . "Senior! You can't just sneak up behind people like that and start talking out of nowhere!"
"I wasn't sneaking," I replied. "I was just curious. There's an exam at the end of the trip? That's real?"
Roda grimaced. "Senior, are you even taking the academy seriously?"
"He isn't," Alicia answered for without missing a beat.
I sighed. "I do take it seriously, but I don't recall hearing anything about this. Either I missed the mo, or the professors are deliberately keeping information from … and that would be really concerning." I frowned, crossing my arms. "What kind of immaturity would it take for them to hide exam details only from ?"
"You're being too self-centered, Senior," Roda said, shaking her head. "I doubt the professors would be that petty."
"Maybe," I conceded with a shrug. "Now, can you give us a mont? I need to talk to Alicia."
"Why?" Roda asked, her eyes narrowing as she glanced between and Alicia, suspiciously.
"Oh, I just have a lot to discuss with my favorite junior," I said casually before flicking my hand in a shooing motion. "Now, you should hurry up and go pamper Victor before he loses interest in you."
Roda's face turned a deep shade of red. "Y-You…!" She let out, mouth opening and closing as if struggling to form a proper response.
I tilted my head. "What? If he spots you hanging around with , he might misunderstand our relationship—so you'd better get going."
She looked completely flustered, and I couldn't help but chuckle. Had no one ever thrown the truth in her face like this before?
Then a thought struck . My eyes widened slightly. "Wait… don't tell you actually thought no one had noticed you've been crushing on Victor this whole ti?" I asked, utterly dumbfounded.
Was she really that naïve?
Roda froze, her expression sowhere between horror and embarrassnt.
"Well, good luck," I said, patting her on the shoulder as if offering my condolences. "And be careful of Selene. She might actually kill you in your sleep if she gets jealous."
With that, I grabbed Alicia's arm, intending to pull her away before we drew even more unwanted attention. But just as I was about to leave, Roda suddenly called out.
"Wait!"
I stopped, raising an eyebrow. "What? Are you about to confess your love for him right now?"
I wouldn't mind helping her out, honestly. If she was serious about Victor, I could at least lend a hand for Yanis' niece.
Roda's face twisted into a look of pure disgust. "I would never confess to a guy like you!" she spat, quickly looking away.
"I wasn't talking about …" I groaned.
She huffed before crossing her arms. "Uncle Rodolf wants to see you."
I blinked. "Rodolf? And why exactly is your uncle sending you to pass the ssage?"
"Because you're always disappearing after class! He asked to say to you if I see you," She said. "Now, do whatever you want with that information!"
With that, she spun on her heel and stomped off.
Well… I guess she had a point.
Rodolf was in another class, and the only ti we could et was during lunchti—which I usually spent in the library—or after class. But since I always made sure to be the first one out the door, we barely ever saw each other.
Now that I thought about it… I still hadn't even gotten his number.
Turning to Alicia, I asked, "Do you have Rodolf's number?"
She gave an icy stare, her gaze flickering down to my hand, which was still grasping her arm.
I let go imdiately.
"Do you have it?" I repeated.
"Why would I have Senior Rodolf's number?" She asked still upset.
"Ask Roda to send it to ," I said.
"..."
"Or better yet, why don't you ask your new handso fiancé to send his number?" I added with a smirk.
Alicia shot a glare. "And then you wonder why everyone in the academy hates you, Senior—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze following mine. But my attention was no longer on her.
It was on Percy Moonfang.
He moved with a quiet grace, his aloof expression only adding to his allure. Every step he took seed to draw the eyes of every girl around him, their hushed whispers trailing in his wake. His black hair frad his sharp face, and his yellow eyes held a certain calmness.
"Percy Moonfang," I called out, raising a hand in an exaggerated wave.
Alicia's grip on my arm tightened instantly. "W-What are you doing?"
I ignored her, calling out again. "Percy Moonfang!"
This ti, his eyes flicked toward us, briefly assessing the situation. His gaze lingered between and Alicia before he finally approached. Up close, he was even taller than I had expected.
Alicia's grip on my arm was vice-like now, her nails digging so hard into my skin that I was fairly certain she'd drawn blood.
It was almost amusing—despite being in the sa academy, I had never actually spoken to Percy since the start of the year. This was the closest I had ever been to him, and his presence was undeniably different from Rodolf's. Rodolf was arrogant and aggressive, but Percy... Percy was more silent and seed unreadable.
"Do you know ?" I asked just in case.
"Amael Idea Olphean."
Huh. So he did at least.
"Congratulations on your engagent to Alicia," I said, keeping my expression neutral. "She's a little shy, but she's actually a really good girl."
Alicia's nails drove deeper into my arm.
Yep. Definitely blood now.
Percy's gaze shifted toward her, lingering for a second on the way she clung to . Alicia, who was usually composed, looked uncharacteristically awkward as she greeted him.
"Senior…" She mumbled, barely making eye contact.
Percy didn't even blink. "Is that all?" He asked flatly, already turning to leave.
"I just find it strange," I said casually to make him pause mid-step. "Out of nowhere, Cyril suddenly decides to arrange your engagent to Alicia."
Alicia shot a glance, her brows knitting together in confusion.
"I've never seen the two of you this close before," I continued, my smirk fading as I scanned Percy's reaction. "It almost seems like you've been planning sothing together."
"Senior?" Alicia called confused.
But I wasn't looking at her. My eyes stayed locked onto Percy.
For a brief mont, silence stretched between us. Then, finally, he turned his head slightly, regarding with that sa unreadable expression.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Do you love Alicia?" I asked, completely out of nowhere.
Percy's brows furrowed slightly, his yellow eyes narrowing. That definitely wasn't the question he had been expecting.
Alicia stiffened beside before yanking on my arm, hard. Then, as if trying to disappear, she pressed her face against my back, completely hiding from view. At this point, she was probably too embarrassed to even exist.
"The engagent is a political arrangent between the Raven and Moonfang Houses," Percy answered.
"I figured as much," I said. "But I'm more curious about the politics behind it."
Percy's gaze sharpened, the irises flickering dangerously. "You should watch your tongue and your behavior, Falkrona. Luck and odds won't always be on your side."
"Maybe," I said with a slight shrug. "But when I have nothing to lose, I think I have the right to push my luck."
Maybe it was the Prophecy. Maybe I had just stopped caring about appearances. Obsessing over the so-called 'Happy Ending' was nothing more than a slow march toward death. If that was the path laid out for , then I'd carve my own instead. I'd act as I pleased and change things in my own way.
Percy stared at before finally turning away.
"One last thing," I called out before he could walk off.
He paused, glancing over his shoulder. His voice was noticeably colder this ti. "What do you want?"
He asked again.
I smiled.
"Rodolf's number."
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