"Ryan…" was all the young man said before taking his seat. Many in the room, including Ariana, frowned as they recognized him. Why did he change his name? she thought, unable to fathom his motive. In noble circles, a public declaration of a new name only meant one thing: the person had disowned both their family and title.
"Hey, Isa, what do you—?" Ariana reached for her friend seated beside her and Rizel but stopped mid-sentence when she saw the expression on Eloisa's face.
"Isa!" She shook Eloisa's leg vigorously. Eloisa jolted back to awareness, gasping for air.
"Haa… haa… hah…" she panted, squeezing her eyes shut to calm herself.
"…What's wrong, Isa?" Ariana frowned, concern etching deeper lines into her face. She couldn't deny it anymore—something was definitely wrong with her friend.
"I've just… been feeling weird lately," Eloisa admitted, taking a deep breath before regaining some composure.
That amulet… why does he still have it? she thought, her eyes narrowing on the trinket that had slipped out from beneath his cloak while he dozed off.
"Weird in what way? Does it have something to do with… him?" Ariana asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"…I just need some fresh air. It's nothing, really," Eloisa said as she stood, taking a moment to steady herself before asking permission to leave. She quickly stepped outside.
"Pardon my prying, but… what exactly went on between them?" Rizel asked, unable to hold back her curiosity as she watched Eloisa's retreating figure.
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that—it's… sensitive," Ariana replied, casting a sharp glare at the young man who now sat with a nonchalant expression. The sight of his indifference only fueled her irritation.
He doesn't even care, Ariana thought bitterly. But that was fine.
She was definitely going to make him feel what she had felt back then.
And she knew exactly how to do it.
Let's see how you react to this, she thought wickedly, a sly smile creeping onto her face before turning her attention back to the teacher.
Meanwhile, Rizel remained fixated on the mysterious young man. With each passing second, an abnormal, growing need gnawed at her—a need to know who he truly was and what secrets he carried. Though manageable now, she feared what this compulsion might become in the days ahead.
I have to find out everything I can about him before the urge intensifies, she thought, already formulating a plan. If she didn't find a way to suppress or eliminate this growing curiosity, things were bound to get ugly—for someone.
And that someone wouldn't be her.
It would be him.
...
...
"Um… Why are you sitting here?" Lorelle—or rather, Ryan—asked, narrowing his eyes at the green-haired young man who had introduced himself as 'Silver.'
"…Because I want to?" the man replied, raising an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by Ryan's questioning.
Ryan studied him for a moment longer. "You said your name was Silver. You're Pariceon, right?"
"Yeah."
"I never knew of any son in the Pariceon family. They only have two daughters, so where the hell did you come from?" Ryan asked.
Silver's expression darkened. "Are you… flirting with me?"
"Wait… What?!" Ryan spluttered, taken aback. "What kind of question is that?! And what does that have to do with what I asked?"
"I don't know. The way you're interrogating me kind of feels like it," Silver replied with a shrug.
Ryan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Are you stupid?"
"No, of course not. And I definitely don't swing that way, just so you know," Silver said, smirking annoyingly.
"Are you serious right now?" Ryan asked, bewildered.
"Of course. Why would I be interested in a fellow male?" Silver laughed.
This bastard...
"…Just tell me, who are you really?" Ryan asked, now a bit wary. He couldn't recall such a character from the game.
"Me? I'm human, of course. What else would I be? A shape-shifting Gyrod spy working for the vampires? Definitely not," Silver added, laughing nervously.
WHO IS THIS FOOL?
[.... That, I also want to know.]
So he's not human?
[No, he is. And absurdly powerful, I can feel it. It's just… something seems off about him.]
Ryan stared at him for a moment, then chose to ignore him completely.
"…You're pretty smart," Silver said after a while, perhaps releasing Ryan wasn't falling for whatever he was cooking.
"Just shut up and save some brain cells," Ryan muttered, not looking at him anymore.
[Was that… supposed to be an insult?]
What?
[…Nothing.]
"Lucas Macendial," said a voice, and Ryan's head snapped toward a young man seated with a shy-looking girl. She had long, lustrous purple hair adorned with a matching flower and eyes of the same hue.
[Let me guess, the protagonist and the main heroine?]
Close…
[Huh?]
"The main protagonist and the major antagonist of the third volume."
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