The solemn breeze and the low ambience of the night were Finn’s only sources of comfort as he walked alone through the streets of the barracks, his head lowered while he pondered the encounter.
The strange man in the darkness had said a few things that seed rather compelling to Finn, yet he remained wary of it all.
An easy life in the academy, where he could rise to the very peak—that was what he wanted.
But the thods of obtaining everything he desired through this man left far too many questions unanswered.
’He even threatened to kill if I don’t do his bidding. This is real trouble,’ Finn thought.
"What’s trouble?"
Estes’ voice cut through Finn’s tension like a knife.
He turned toward the source of the voice and this ti...
He actually found her.
Estes floated casually in midair beside him, her usual alluring stare fixed on him. Her pretty face carried a hint of concern, while her outfit had changed entirely. She now wore skin-tight leather trousers and a white crop top that left far too much for the imagination to ignore.
At the sight of her, Finn imdiately glanced around at the recruits still wandering through the vicinity, checking whether anyone else could see her.
After confirming they couldn’t, he turned back to Estes and recounted everything that had happened during her absence.
By the ti he finished, the worried look on her face had deepened.
"I see."
Finn raised a brow.
"What? Do you have any idea what this is about? What I should be looking out for? What I should avoid?"
Estes remained silent for a mont before slowly rolling in the air as though she were lying on an invisible bed.
Facing upward, she let out a sigh.
"Whoever this person is, he is certainly one of the high-ranking officers. Perhaps even a General of the Grey Knights. This is going to be a very, very difficult situation for you."
Finn groaned.
"A General? No. But certainly one of the officers. That’s the problem though... how am I supposed to hold my own against an officer?"
That was a particularly difficult question.
Even Estes rely shrugged.
"In due ti, we’ll find out how. But for now, let’s just be careful, okay?"
Finn nodded.
Still...
The thought of an academy officer attempting to recruit him into so secretive organization made him wonder how much of his academy life had actually been coincidence.
Or whether it had all been planned from the beginning.
His thoughts drifted toward Terrence and the shy boy.
Could they also have been planted?
Finn wondered.
As though reading his mind, Estes spoke once again.
"Terrence isn’t a spy for the officer. You should be more wary about his lineage."
"His lineage?"
Estes chuckled.
"If I were you, I’d be asking him a lot of questions."
Finn wanted to continue the discussion, but by then they had already reached the door of his cottage.
He glanced at Estes one last ti and gave her a tired look.
"We’ll continue this discussion later."
Estes rely shrugged and giggled.
Finn grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the door open.
What he saw next made his jaw slacken in shock.
His mind struggled to process the sight before him.
All he managed to say was—
"The hell?"
Right before him was a spectacle he had never expected to witness.
The first thing that struck him was the sll.
Food.
Hot.
Savory.
Mouthwatering.
The aroma washed over him in waves, rich and inviting, making his stomach imdiately cry out in protest as though demanding he dive into the nearest plate and devour everything in sight.
The second thing that stunned him was the number of faces inside the room.
Terrence.
The shy boy.
And strangely enough...
Artemis Bryce.
All three seed to rise from the beds they had been sitting on the mont he entered.
Terrence was the first to move, racing toward him with a broad smile.
anwhile, the shy boy—Doram—simply offered a small wave.
Terrence reached him first, imdiately throwing an arm around Finn’s shoulders.
"Ohhh, Finn! I’m glad you’re alright."
Terrence ruffled Finn’s hair aggressively.
Finn attempted so resistance, but it accomplished absolutely nothing.
With a groan of defeat, he turned away from the handso blonde and looked toward Artemis Bryce.
The beautiful young woman stood beside a large wooden table covered with the source of those heavenly slls.
She wore...
’An apron? Wait. She cooked all this... for ?’
Estes grinned from ear to ear.
"That’s great wife material. In my day, there would’ve been a proper bedding ceremony about now."
’Shut the hell up,’ Finn grumbled internally, rubbing his temples. ’I take it back. I wish you’d stayed locked in the library for another day.’
Her laughter only grew louder.
"Vaywill."
Artemis’ voice cut through Finn’s ntal suffering.
"Oh—sorry. Thank you for everything. For the al... the, uh... appearance. It’s very much appreciated."
The mont those words left his mouth, Finn felt the overwhelming urge to squeeze his own throat.
’Why the fuck am I stamring? Get it together, you bastard.’
Artemis simply smiled.
Removing the apron, she folded it neatly and let out a small yawn before walking toward the door.
"I’ll be off now. I don’t want to get caught outside during curfew."
With that, Artemis waved at them before stepping outside.
The door clicked shut behind her.
The instant it did, Terrence pulled away from Finn and let out a deeply frustrated groan.
The sudden shift startled both Finn and Doram.
The handso blonde had barely seed capable of losing his cheerful mood.
"What?" Finn asked.
"Nothing. I’m just disappointed. If you would’ve asked, we would’ve excused ourselves and given you both so privacy."
"What?! No! It’s not like that—"
"Aren’t you both dating?" Doram asked, his voice low but perfectly clear.
Finn shook his head imdiately.
"No, we’re not."
Doram fell silent.
Then he calmly walked over to the table and picked up the plate of at.
"We don’t give at to scared n."
With that, he carried the entire plate back to his bed.
Finn blinked.
Several tis.
"What?! Are you crazy? She made that for ! And I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast—"
His protest died instantly as Terrence picked up the bowl of ran and headed toward his own bed.
"Hey! Give back my food! Or at least share so with !"
Both boys shook their heads simultaneously as they began digging into the dishes.
"Our food. Our companion... our food. Your girlfriend... your food."
Doram replied bluntly before taking a savage bite out of a large piece of roasted chicken.
"Damn you both."
Muttering under his breath, Finn walked over to the table and picked up the final remaining plate.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he groaned.
A plate of soft-boiled eggs.
Finn picked one up, shoved it into his mouth, chewed, and forced himself to swallow.
’Mum did say I needed more protein... Ugh... who am I kidding? It tastes terrible. And it’s cold.’
Estes giggled again.
"This is perfect for your diet. More of this and I’ll be able to shape you into a real man."
Finn felt his skin crawl at her response.
Not entirely out of irritation.
Sothing else lurked beneath it.
Sothing he refused to think about.
Finn groaned once more.
"I’ll need therapy after this."
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