Arvin leaned his back against the chair, looking at Allen with a gaze that was hard to decipher. It was a mixture of the firmness of a mentor and the tenderness of a lover.
"Allen, if I accept you now," Arvin said slowly, emphasizing every syllable, "your dormant power will never awaken. You will continue to hide behind my back, feeling safe, and forgetting the massive potential sleeping inside you."
Allen's brow furrowed. "Dormant power?"
"Yes. There is something inside you that you must dig out. And comfort is the greatest enemy to the awakening of that power."
Allen fell silent for a moment, digesting the information. He didn't fully understand what power was being referred to, but he grasped one important point: this rejection was a test.
"If I succeed in awakening it..." Allen swallowed hard, gathering the courage to ask, "Will you be willing to be my husband? Will you accept me fully?"
Without a shred of doubt, Arvin nodded in agreement. His gaze was so convincing that it made Allen's heart race.
Allen's spirit was reignited. "Tell me!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "What must I do to awaken it?"
Arvin snorted with amusement, then shrugged nonchalantly. "How should I know! That is your power, not mine. You have to be able to awaken it in your own way! Find the trigger and dig into your emotions."
Allen immediately stared at him with a flat expression. His enthusiastic face faded instantly. The look he gave seemed to say, "Are you kidding me? You give me a mission but don't give me a map?"
Ignoring the protesting look from Allen, Arvin raised his hand, summoning a waiter standing not far from their table.
"Bill!" Arvin said briefly.
The waiter came hurriedly, showing the bill details on a silver tray. Without looking at the amount, Arvin placed several gold coins whose value far exceeded the price of their meal.
"Keep the change!" Arvin said as he rose from his seat.
He turned to Allen, who was still sitting like a statue, thinking about the 'dormant power.'
"Instead of zoning out like that thinking about uncertainties, you'd better follow me. We're going to the room now!" Arvin ordered.
Allen flinched. "To the room?"
"Yes. Put your things in the room where I'm staying!"
Allen's eyes widened perfectly. His face turned crimson again. "You... you're telling me to sleep with you? In one room?"
"Of course!" Arvin answered lightly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Where else are you going to sleep after taking leave from the dorm? You surely don't have money to stay at an inn, right?"
Allen couldn't answer. Arvin's words were true, but his heart wasn't ready for the situation to escalate this quickly. Sleeping with the person he liked, who had just rejected him but promised to marry him, was truly a complicated situation. He felt uneasy, afraid that he would only be a burden.
Seeing Allen hesitate and reach for his large bag lying on the floor, Arvin immediately took the initiative. He knew Allen's reserved character.
"Don't touch that!" Arvin prevented him. "Leave your things! Let me carry them myself!"
Allen was confused. "But it's heavy..."
However, instead of picking up the bag and shouldering it, Arvin just waved his hand casually in the air.
Zip!
In the blink of an eye, the large bag containing Allen's clothes and belongings vanished into thin air. Arvin had just stored it into his magical dimensional storage space.
Allen gawked. He knew Arvin was strong, but he didn't expect the person he liked so much could use such rare dimensional space magic.
Before Allen could comment, Arvin had already grabbed his wrist. His grip was warm and firm. Without warning, Arvin pulled him toward the magic elevator.
"Eh? Wait! Let me go! Why are you dragging me!" Allen protested, half-running to keep up with Arvin's long strides.
"If I don't do this, you'll never listen! You think too much!" Arvin replied without looking back, continuing to grip the hand tightly as if afraid Allen would run away.
Allen had no other choice. His strength was far inferior to Arvin's. He could only resign himself to following where Arvin stepped, passing through luxurious red-carpeted corridors until they finally arrived in front of a large double door.
Click!
The door opened. Allen held his breath as he stepped inside. The room was immense, the floor paved with marble, a fireplace crackling warmly, and a king-sized bed that looked very soft in the center of the room.
Arvin waved his hand again, and Allen's bag reappeared, landing neatly beside the large wardrobe near the window.
"Allen, I will wait for you." Arvin said suddenly, his voice sounding softer now that the setting was private. "Strive to awaken your dormant power. I'm not going anywhere."
Allen stared at Arvin's back as he took off his special academy uniform. But there was one question that had been nagging at his heart since earlier.
"I want to ask you something..." Allen squeaked softly.
Arvin turned. "Hm?"
"Since when... since when have you liked me?"
Arvin smiled faintly, a sincere smile he rarely showed. "Since the first time I saw you! Are you not aware of what I've been doing for you all this time?"
Those words were like a key unlocking a memory box in Allen's head. Fragments of past events swirled back. How the nobles who used to bully him suddenly stayed away in fear. How Arvin's sharp gaze always watched over anyone who intended him harm. The subtle threats Arvin had hurled at other students. Even the potion he gave him last time, although the gift was brutal.
Now Allen understood. It wasn't a coincidence. Arvin was always there, protecting him from the shadows. Protecting him without asking for recognition. And he was the person who hoped for him to become strong soon.
Emotion swelled in Allen's chest. His eyes heated up, and unable to hold it back, tears of happiness trickled down his cheeks. He felt incredibly relieved.