"Ready?" Ariana asked as she climbed in through Adrian’s window.
"I thought we were eting at the gate?" he replied, though the smile on his face showed he wasn’t the least bit annoyed.
"Well, bla for being impatient," she said with a grin. "Have you packed your bags?"
Adrian nodded and casually tossed his bags into the Ti Chamber. "What about yours?"
"They’re already in the carriage."
He nodded again, then paused. "I was wondering... are you planning to tell the others about our engagent?"
"You an... the school staff?" she asked.
Adrian gave a small nod.
Ariana shrugged. "I don’t really see a reason to hide it. I’m not going to announce it or anything—especially since I’m the one who banned workplace relationships—but if soone asks, I won’t deny it."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn’t mind even if you lied about it."
Ariana smirked. "And let other won try to snatch you away? No way. This is the perfect chance for to make it clear—this man’s already taken."
She rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it... maybe I should make an announcent—"
"Okay, that’s enough." Adrian quickly began nudging her toward the door before she could say anything more outrageous. "We’re leaving. Now."
Ariana grinned from ear to ear as she followed Adrian out of the room.
While he took the usual route down the stairs, she, true to her style, jumped out of the window without a second thought.
Not long after, they t up again at the main entrance and boarded the carriage waiting for them.
As the carriage began to move, Ariana let out a long, satisfied sigh.
"Finally... a whole week off," she murmured, leaning her head gently against his shoulder.
Elana had been curious about Adrian’s sudden week-long break. But after seeing how Annabelle reacted to the news of their engagent, he figured it was better to keep things quiet for now.
Adrian gently took Ariana’s hand in his, his fingers wrapping around hers.
"Do you think Uncle Victor’s still mad at ?" he asked.
Ariana scoffed. "If he were, he wouldn’t have taken it upon himself to decorate the entire house."
Adrian chuckled softly, a wave of relief washing over him.
"Well... I just hope he gives us his blessing this ti."
Silence settled between them like a soft blanket.
Ariana felt completely at peace.
Her hand in his. Her head resting on his shoulder. The gentle creak of the wheels as the carriage rolled downhill.
It was perfect. She could stay like this for hours—still, silent, and content.
Adrian glanced at his bride-to-be.
The quiet smile on her face, full of happiness and calm, was so precious that—for a mont—he hesitated.
He didn’t want to ruin it. He thought about holding it in.
But... he couldn’t.
"Okay," he said softly, shifting slightly.
Ariana blinked as she opened her eyes and noticed him pulling sothing out of thin air. A small artifact, which he placed against the inner wall of the carriage, across from where they sat.
"What’s that?" she asked, watching him move to the opposite seat, now facing her.
"A soundproofing artifact," Adrian replied, his tone a bit more serious now. "I’m going to tell you sothing... sothing only you can know."
Ariana could feel the shift in the air. The seriousness in Adrian’s voice, the way he looked at her—it wasn’t sothing light. She straightened up, nodding silently for him to continue.
Adrian paused, gathering his thoughts.
"Aria... the magical staff you’ve kept hidden all these years," he began slowly. Then, with a wave of his hand, the familiar staff materialized in his arms. "It’s with ."
"...!!"
Ariana’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her mouth opened slightly, but no words ca out. She stared at the staff like it was a ghost from a forgotten past. Adrian didn’t rush her. He let the silence stretch, giving her ti to process.
"Adrian... this...."
"I betrayed you, Aria," he said quietly. "I was the one who stole it."
He didn’t dress the words up. No excuses. No softening.
Ariana brought a hand to her forehead, struggling to grasp what she’d just heard. The staff—the one she had guarded under her teacher’s orders, the one she’d lost sleep over for years, fearing it would fall into the wrong hands—was here, in Adrian’s possession.
So many nights she had laid awake, terrified that one day, teleportation portals would rip open the skies above the academy and enemies would storm in, hunting the students.
And if that ever happened, the bla would fall squarely on her.
Because she couldn’t protect what she was trusted to guard.
And now... it turned out he had it all along.
"Why... do you have this?" Ariana finally asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
"First," Adrian said calmly, "I believed it was going to get stolen. Second..." —he paused— "I can use it."
Ariana blinked. Her mind skipped over the first part entirely, caught on the second.
"What did you just say?"
Adrian didn’t answer imdiately.
Instead, he gave the staff a light tap on the carriage floor.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished—only to reappear right beside her.
"As I said... I can use it."
Ariana stared at him, frozen. She genuinely considered punching herself just to check if she was dreaming.
This... isn’t possible.
The staff was bound to independent magic. A kind of magic only accessible to those devoted to the fallen God.
Adrian gently took her hand, looking her straight in the eyes.
"You trust , right?"
Without hesitation, Ariana nodded. "Yes, I do. Which is why I need to know—" her voice tightened, "why the hell can you use independent magic?"
She never once believed that he had turned. Never even considered that he might have joined the Fallen God.
But that only made it more confusing.
Adrian slowly told her everything that has been happening.
About how he first got to know about this anomalous side of his. And also, how Abraham found out about this.
He also added how he could feel his magic growing each ti he uses it.
Now, it all depended on her how she would react to this discovery.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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