Lia and Asier are like oil and water. They never mixed. Every time their paths crossed, it ended in disaster. Fights broke out nine times out of ten, and now we were walking straight toward another one.
Someone needed to avert this crisis before it endangered everyone nearby.
Lia wouldn't happen to know that Cassian was close friends with Asier. She definitely didn't know that I'd been hanging out with both of them after our fight.
"Lia," I said carefully, "I don't think we should disturb Cassian while he's training."
As if that would ever work.
"There's no reason he'd be distracted just because we're there," she replied flatly. "And if he gets distracted, that just means I didn't drill it into him well enough."
Great. She completely missed the point. I know she's definitely doing it on purpose because if her goal was to drive me insane, it sure as hell is working.
I tried again. And again. I suggested detours, excuses, anything to make us turn back.
She didn't budge.
By the time I realized it was hopeless, we were already inches away from catastrophe.
All I could do now was pray they didn't kill each other.
"Cassian," Lia called out, waving as we approached.
I, on the other hand, immediately scanned our surroundings, desperately checking whether Asier was anywhere nearby.
Cassian turned, clearly startled. "Cecilia… Vivian?" His gaze flicked between us. "You're both together?"
"How—?"
"One thing led to another," I said cheerily. "And we made up."
It was strange how calm Lia was right now.
Normally, by this point, she would have already sensed Asier the moment he entered her radius. There would have been a sharp turn of her head, a disgusted look, a biting remark ready to be unleashed.
But there was nothing.
No tension. No irritation. Not even a flicker of annoyance.
"So," Cassian said slowly, clearly trying to process this, "you two made up during the expedition… and you didn't bother telling me?"
"I thought you already knew," I replied. "Our seniors posted a notice asking for volunteers." Then I glanced toward Lia who was apparently being suspicious, "Lia, what are you doing over there?"
"Me?" she answered lightly. "Nothing. Just putting together a small picnic."
Cassian and I exchanged a look.
"Are you feeling well?" we asked in unison.
She turned toward us and smiled.
An actual smile.
Cecilia Florence, who only smiled when it was absolutely necessary, was smiling now. Softly. Calmly. Like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Something was very wrong.
She'd been stubbornly insistent on coming here ever since we left the headmaster's office, and now, somehow, in the span of a few minutes, she had everything neatly arranged. A blanket. Cups. A kettle, already steaming.
"Come," she said gently. "Sit down. Have some tea."
She never spoke that sweetly. Not to us. Not to anyone.
We watched in uneasy silence as she poured tea into the cups with deliberate care, her movements unhurried, almost… serene.
That was when footsteps approached from behind.
"Sorry," a familiar voice said, slightly out of breath. "I'm late."
Asier had arrived.
"You're here too, Vivian," Asier said, sounding mildly surprised.
I braced myself. There was no way this wasn't going to turn into a fight.
But then something entirely unexpected happened.
"Cassian," Lia asked as she rose to her feet, her expression soft, gentle unlike her usual, "is he your friend?"
The words didn't register at first.
"…Lia?" I said slowly. "You don't remember Asier?"
Silence fell.
All three of us stared at her in shock. She had been perfectly fine this morning sharp, aware, unmistakably herself.
Asier studied her face, then smiled, clearly entertained. "You really don't remember me, do you?"
"I… don't think so," Lia said, tilting her head. "Were we friends too?"
Asier burst out laughing, the sound sharp and incredulous.
"Friends? The cold-blooded witch called me her friend?"
"How ru—" Lia started, but her words cut off abruptly. Her body went slack, as she collapsed without warning.
"Lia!"
"Cecilia!"
We lunged forward at the same time, panic crashing down as she fell.
Whatever calm had lingered was shattered completely.
I gently lowered her onto the blanket, careful not to jostle her. The moment I reached for the buttons of her coat, a sharp gust of wind snapped my hand back as if the air itself were swatting me away. I tried again. Same result. Invisible resistance, precise and deliberate.
"…What just happened?" Cassian asked, clearly shaken. "She was smiling one moment, acting strange and now she's unconscious."
I straightened and turned to Asier. "Can you check if something's wrong with Lia?"
"No."
He refused without hesitation.
"Asier—"
"Tell them she's sleeping."
"I said no," he cut in flatly. "She's fine. She's just sleeping."
A dry voice echoed in Asier's mind.
"Seems like you do treasure your life," Nox remarked.
"Like hell I'm helping her when she's cursed," Asier added internally, irritation bleeding through. "What kind of curse was it, anyway?"
"Curious, are we?" Nox replied, amused.
"I'm not," Asier snapped back mentally. "I just want to know what kind of curse for future reference."
"It wasn't the curse," Nox said calmly. "It was the antidote. That's what knocked her out. Think of it as… magical intoxication. You can ask her what the curse was when she wakes up."
"As if I'd ask her," Asier scoffed under his breath.
Nox chuckled. "She's your soulmate. There's no shame in asking your other half about something you're curious about."
"She's not my soulmate," Asier replied coldly. "And she never will be."
—
"Will you two kindly shut up," I groaned, pushing myself upright.
I pressed a hand to my temple. I'm never drinking potions or antidotes in the morning again. My head feels like it's spinning.
I reached out instinctively to grab Nox only to latch onto someone else's wrist instead.
"…What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, staring down at my hand wrapped around his.
I yanked my fingers back as if they had been burned. "Why are you standing here instead of Nox?"
"You're the one who grabbed me," he shot back. "Don't you dare try to spin this on me."
"Look at this," I muttered, scowling. "The vermin think he can talk back now."
Another wave of dizziness hit me, my vision tilting. I would've face-planted if an arm hadn't steadied me.
"See?" Nox said, amused as he held me upright. "If you'd only listened to me, this wouldn't have happened. I wonder where did my little puppy disappear to?"
"She's right there," I said with a grin. "But that puppy's all grown up now."
"Grown up?" Nox scoffed. "More like being a rebellious teenager."
We both laughed, the sound easy and familiar completely forgetting we weren't alone. A pointed cough cut through the moment.
"What?" I snapped, already irritated.
He had turned his face away, jaw tight. "Close your buttons. Will you?"
"Huh?"
I frowned, instinctively looking down. My uniform was always properly fastened, I was meticulous about that. Except… it wasn't sitting the way it usually did. Somewhere between unconsciousness and antidotes, things had… shifted. More like had gone a size up again.
I glanced at him. Then back at my chest.
My face heated instantly. I crossed my arms, mortified. "You—bastard. If you noticed, you could've said something earlier," I roared. "Instead of standing there ogling like a pervert."
"I have no interest in that flat chest of yours," he shot back coolly.
"Excuse me?" I scoffed. "I am not flat. Let me tell you, I've been blessed by the heavens."
"As if," he muttered.
"Oh, I get it," I said sweetly. "You have a preference for much larger sizes. I bet you got up to all sorts of things despite being raised in a temple."
"The fuck did you just say?"
"You heard me."
Nox's laughter echoed in my head, utterly delighted.
"Alright, you two, break it up before you start fighting and your little ducklings are coming back," Nox said, smoothly wedging himself between us, his expression far too amused to be taking any of this seriously.
"We'll settle this later," Asier muttered, eyes still locked on mine.
"Like hell we will," I shot back coldly. "I'd rather die than see your stupid face again."
"What—"
"Cecilia!—Lia!"
Vivian's and Cassian's voices cut him off at the same time. The moment they saw me standing, they rushed forward and latched onto me from either side without warning. The sudden weight made me stumble, and before I could regain my balance, we toppled backwards, taking the vermin, who was standing right behind me, down with us.
There was a very brief moment of silence.
Then—
"Seriously," I said flatly, staring up at the sky, "we're doing this again?"
"Yes," Vivian said brightly, completely unapologetic. "We're doing it again."
"Get off me, you fat witch," Asier snapped from beneath the pile.
My head turned slowly in his direction. "What did you just call me?"
"I said, get off me, you fat witch."
I smiled. Sweetly. Dangerously. "Make me."
"Don't start fighting both of you," Cassian said quickly, scrambling up and offering me his hand. "Are you feeling okay now?"
I took his hand and stood, brushing the dirt off my skirt with deliberate calm. "I was fine to begin with," I said. "It was all the three hours of sleep catching up to me. That's why I fainted."
There was a pause.
"YOU WERE SLEEPING?!" Cassian and Vivian shouted in perfect unison.
"Of course I was," I replied, unimpressed. "What did you think happened, that I lost consciousness and went to fetch someone?"
They both fell silent, exchanging guilty looks.
I sighed inwardly. Why would they rush off without properly assessing the situation? It wasn't as if I were made of glass that I'll shatter from the slightest touch.
Honestly, I worry about their futures.
After a long time, we all ended up sitting together. The vermin was clearly planning to leave, but Vivian insisted he stay and have tea with us. And just like that, for the second time today, I found myself brewing tea.
In the short span it took to prepare it, I discovered something deeply unfortunate my ducklings were friends with him. Of all the people in this academy, of all the possible companions they could have chosen, it had to be that vermin. Honestly, couldn't they have found someone else?
"Alright," I said, setting the cups down one by one, "freshly brewed tea."
I nearly gave the vermin a chipped cup. The thought was tempting, extremely tempting but I decided against it. I was better than that.
They all took a sip.
Immediately, their faces lit up.
"It's so good," Vivian and Cassian said simultaneously, eyes shining.
That jerk, on the other hand, said nothing. He just kept drinking. Still, I saw the slight softening in his gaze, the way his shoulders relaxed. He wouldn't admit it, but his eyes told me everything.
"Thanks," I said briskly. "Now then who wants cake?"
"We do," they answered without hesitation.
I reached into my item box and pulled out several slices of chocolate cake. One of the many perks of it was that I could bake as much as I wanted, store it away, and it would never go stale no matter how much time passed.
They devoured the cake in record time.
All except the vermin.
He didn't touch a single piece, not until Nox silently nudged a plate toward him.
"She didn't poison it," Nox said casually.
Only then did he take a cautious bite.
"…It's good," he admitted.
Cassian's eyes widened. "Asier, you actually tried it?"
"He really did," Vivian added, grinning ear to ear.
"I did, Why are you two grinning like idiots?"
"Because," they said together, barely holding back laughter, "the cake you just ate was made by none other than Cecilia."
He stared at them in disbelief as they laughed at him.
"Enough, you two," I said, not bothering to look at him. "Even if we fight, I'm not going to stop anyone from eating something I made."
Why should I?
There was no reason for me to be unnecessarily cruel just because the world had been cruel to me. I hated the fact that he came from the temple and hated it more than I cared to admit but that didn't mean I would deny him something as simple as food.
Just because I suffered didn't mean someone else had to suffer too.
"Did you eat something weird today?" he asked, staring at me in disbelief.
"Wipe the chocolate crumbs off your face before you say anything to me," I shot back coolly.
As I lifted my cup and took a sip of tea, Cassian suddenly clapped his hands together. "Oh! I just remembered something interesting."
"You two won't believe what happened," he said with a grin, glancing at the vermin sitting beside him.
"Tell us," Vivian urged, leaning forward. "Is it something juicy?"
"Oh, it definitely is." Cassian's grin widened. "You see, our dear friend Asier here was reading a letter a few days ago, when a girl suddenly threw a piece of chocolate at his face and ran away."
I promptly spat out my tea.
"Lia! Are you okay?" Vivian asked, quickly handing me a handkerchief.
"Yeah—fine," I coughed, dabbing at my mouth. "The tea was just… a bit hot."
My heart, however, was doing something far less dignified.
How did Cassian know that?
That day, my most shameful, humiliating, deeply regrettable moment was supposed to be buried forever.
"Oh, that is indeed juicy," Nox said, laughing openly in my head. "Who knew someone witnessed your embarrassing little crime?"
Vivian's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Do you know who it was?"
"No," Asier replied. "But once I find out who did it, I won't let them off the hook so easily."
Nox snorted. "Who's going to tell him the culprit is sitting right next to him?"
I clenched my teacup, staring resolutely into it. Nox was enjoying this far too much while I was dying inside.
Cassian and Vivian kept chatting, their voices light but I had heard enough. Before Vivian could open her mouth and say something she definitely wasn't supposed to, I grabbed her by the wrist and forcibly dragged her away.
"Lia—!" she protested, nearly tripping.
We walked back in silence for a while. Until she broke the ice. Of course, she was going to with the exact question I had been dreading.
"So… who do you think it was?" she said casually, far too casually. "Honestly, after your and Asier's mana synchronization, I thought no one would go after him anymore. I mean, everyone thinks he's your soulmate, but apparently, there's still someone after him."
Stop.
Please stop.
I am begging you.
"I don't care who's after him," I said flatly. "And he's not my soulmate. I would rather die alone, surrounded by cursed artifacts and bad decisions, than be with someone like him." I glanced at her sideways. "Whoever's interested in him is none of my concern."
She hummed thoughtfully. "Still, wouldn't it be fun to find out who she is?"
I stopped walking.
"Vivian," I said, smiling.
The problem was that my smile didn't reach my eyes.
"If you have the time and energy to worry about other people's romantic prospects," I continued sweetly, "then I think you need to be taught a lesson."
All the colour drained from her face.
"Anything but that," she said quickly. "Please. I beg you."
She knew exactly what I was implying. I'll do anything to forget that humiliating night.
I took all of last night's frustration out on Vivian and Cassian.
To be fair, it started as Cassian's fault for dredging up the single most humiliating incident of my past with that stupid grin of his. Vivian, unfortunately, chose to be present and vocal, which made her an accomplice by association.
Now both of them were sprawled on the ground, half-dead, groaning. I'd beaten them to within an inch of their lives.
I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders.
"That felt so good."
"Why wouldn't it," Vivian muttered, attempting and failing to push herself off the floor. "After beating us like some kind of thug."
I glanced down at her, mildly offended.
Thug. How adorable.
On the battlefield, I had been known by many names, most of them whispered, none of them were kind. One of my favourites was Demoness. Somehow, "thug" felt like a downgrade.
"Don't be dramatic," I said dismissively. "I didn't beat you that hard."
Cassian let out a weak, incredulous laugh from where he lay. "Right. To you, we're just… playthings."
I clasped a hand to my chest and gasped theatrically. "Oh? You figured that out already?"
They both groaned.
"Stop whining," I added, stepping back. "Get up. Both of you. You're going to miss your classes."
Vivian finally managed to sit up, glaring at me through dishevelled hair. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"Nope." I waved lazily. "I've got somewhere else to be. I'll attend Instructor Cael's class later."
I turned to leave, pausing just long enough to glance over my shoulder.
"See you," I said lightly.
"Are we going there today?" Nox asked.
I nodded, my expression solemn. Yes. I would make it a quick trip. I had to. I needed to smile to look composed, untouchable. I couldn't afford to show even a crack, not when I was walking back into that place. Not when every wall there still remembered my name in whispers.
This time, I won't sneak in through shadows or back corridors.
This time, I would walk through the front gates proudly with my head held high.
I am the rightful heir of the Florence household.
"Come here," Nox said.
I glanced at him sideways. "Why?"
"Because," he replied smoothly, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I'll be carrying my little princess."
I scoffed, though the corner of my lips curved upward.
"Since we're going there… how about we do it the way they wanted you to be?"
My smirk sharpened. "You want me to become the villainess they painted me as."
"Damn right," Nox said without hesitation.
A low laugh escaped me. "You'd better have some popcorn ready for the show I'm about to put on."
He chuckled, pride unmistakable in his voice. "I expect nothing less from my student."
Since Nox carried me there, it didn't take long. I still had to return to the academy. I couldn't afford to linger, no matter how tempting it was to drag this out. It was almost a shame. I would only have a few minutes of fun here.
A few minutes would be enough.
I stood before the iron gates of the Florence household, towering and familiar, every curve of wrought metal etched into my memory. The moment my presence registered, chaos erupted inside. Knights scrambled, boots pounding against stone as they rushed to alert their masters, moving in a frenzy as if they had seen a ghost risen from the grave.
Perhaps they had.
I, on the other hand, walked forward unhurriedly.
My heels struck the ground in steady, deliberate clicks, each step echoing like a verdict. I didn't rush. Didn't hesitate. I claimed the path beneath my feet as though it had always belonged to me, because it had.
The servants noticed first.
Those who had served during my childhood froze, eyes widening before softening with something dangerously close to relief. Some bowed instinctively, hands trembling. Others simply stared, as if afraid I would vanish if they blinked. The newer staff, the ones hired under my uncle's rule looked confused, uneasy, sensing the shift in the air without understanding why.
By now, everyone would be gathering in the foyer.
I could picture it clearly: stiff postures, forced composure, masks hastily pulled into place. The same people who had sold me away, who had watched me be discarded like a burden too troublesome to keep.
The thought sent a slow, dark thrill through me.
I reached the doors.
My hand settled against the cold wood, and for a brief moment, the estate seemed to hold its breath. No Killing intent leaked from me. I didn't need it. My presence alone was enough, cold, absolute. Like a blade resting against the throat, unmoving, yet certain.
Then I pushed the doors open.
"I'm back," I said.
My voice was smooth, unraised, carrying effortlessly through the grand foyer.
And in that momet, as every eye turned toward me, Cecilia Florence stood in her full glory not as a child they had sold, not as a shadow they had buried, but as something far worse.
A demoness who had come home to reclaim what rightfully belongs to her.
To be continued....