章節 17: small encounter
Cior rushed out of her room, her hair flowing messily, arms full of books and supplies. She had overslept and was already late. Spotting Amias in the hallway, she called out in desperation, "Amias, can you help me tie a man bun? My hands are full!"
Amias raised an eyebrow, amused. "Alright, come here, Ceo."
"Ceo? What's with the new nickname?" she asked, stopping in front of him and turning her back so he could reach her hair.
"Just turn around," Amias said, brushing aside her question.
He began tying her hair, his fingers working swiftly, but a strange feeling crept over him. As he secured her bun, he noticed his heart beating faster than usual. His hands lingered for a moment before he snapped back to reality.
"Why does it feel so weird to do his hair? And why am I blushing?" Amias thought, glancing at Cior's oblivious expression. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought, but the awkward warmth in his cheeks refused to fade.
"Thanks, Amio!" Cior said with a bright, cute smile before dashing off down the hallway, her books and supplies precariously balanced.
Amias stood frozen for a moment, staring after her. His hand subconsciously went to his face as he felt the heat rising in his cheeks again. "Get back to your senses, Amias," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "You're a mature boy, and he's just a feminine-looking, shorty boy."
To snap himself out of it, he lightly slapped his own face and muttered again, "Focus, Amias. Focus." But the image of Cior's smile lingered, much to his dismay.
Cior dragged herself into class, slumping into the seat next to Ziven.
"So, Cioro, what's up? Why so late?" Ziven asked, smirking.
"Woke up late," Cior replied with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Late just to sleep in class again?" Ziven teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Whatever! I won't sleep today," Cior declared confidently, though her drooping eyelids betrayed her.
"As if," Ziven said with a snort, leaning back in his chair.
Twenty minutes later, Cior was already slumped over her desk, softly snoring.
"I said so," Ziven muttered, shaking his head with a grin. Unable to resist, he poked her cheek.
"Cute," he thought, watching her scrunch her face like a pouting child.
Then his eyes widened. "Wait, what am I thinking?!" he whispered, sitting bolt upright and smacking his own forehead. "I need to get my brain checked!"
Cior woke up exactly one minute before the lecture ended, stretched lazily, and immediately teleported to the next class—sword training. It was the only class where she actually paid attention.
"Mateo, I can't correct my stance!" Cior whined, struggling to hold her sword properly.
"It's easy," Mateo said, not even looking up from his own practice.
"Easy for you! Come on, help me, pleaaase?" Cior pleaded, her eyes wide with mock innocence.
"You're such a baby," Mateo said, rolling his eyes but stepping over to assist.
He moved behind her, placing his hands over hers to guide the sword's angle and adjust her footing. "Is it okay now?" he asked.
"Yah, now it's perfect!" Cior said enthusiastically, immediately practicing the move with surprising precision.
Mateo noticed how close they had been for a moment but shrugged it off, focusing back on his own training.
Later, while Mateo was in the middle of his practice, Cior surprised him with a playful hug from behind, laughing. "Thanks, bestie!" she chirped before running off to continue her drills.
Mateo froze, flustered by the unexpected contact, his face slightly red. After class, when Cior had already left, he approached Arven with a serious expression.
"Hey, can I hug you?" Mateo asked.
Arven blinked, confused. "What? Why?"
"Just stand still!" Mateo insisted, giving him a brief, awkward hug. He stepped back, crossing his arms and thinking.
"Anything?" Mateo asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Uh, no? Why are you hugging me, weirdo?" Arven teased, smirking. "Wait, don't tell me... Were you flustered when Cior hugged you?!"
Mateo groaned and covered his face. "Shut up."
Arven burst out laughing. "Oh, this is too good. You're doomed, buddy."
Cior, bored out of his mind, decided to sneak into the kitchen. After a bit of chaotic mixing and experimenting, he managed to whip up his version of ice cream. On his way back, he ran into Arven, who was wandering around aimlessly.
"Want some?" Cior said, casually holding out his ice cream.
Arven leaned in and took a lick. "Yummy! Give it to me!" he exclaimed, promptly grabbing the cone and eating the entire thing in one massive bite.
Cior froze, his eyes wide in disbelief. "MY ICE CREAM! MY ICE CREAM!" he wailed dramatically, throwing his hands in the air like he'd just lost his life's greatest creation.
Arven, completely unbothered, handed him a bag of novels he'd been carrying. "Here, take this instead."
"Yo!" Cior said, his mood flipping instantly as he grabbed the bag and walked off like nothing had happened.
Arven watched him leave, suddenly pausing mid-step. "Wait... I ate the same ice cream he was licking. Does that count as an indirect kiss? Nah, it's just Cior—he's a boy. Nothing weird...right?"
He shook his head to clear the thought, smirking slightly. "Well, whatever. The ice cream was tasty."
Late at night, the boys assumed Cior was fast asleep, so they casually started chatting among themselves.
"Isn't Cior too girly sometimes?" Ziven said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I guess so," Mateo replied, shrugging.
"He kinda looks like—" Amaias started, but before he could finish, Cior appeared out of nowhere, startling everyone.
"What's up, guys?" Cior asked, looking at them suspiciously.
"The ceiling," Arven said with a smirk, earning himself a subtle snort from Mateo.
"Good one," Cior said sarcastically. "But really, what were you guys talking about?"
"That you look too girly for your own damn sake," Arven teased, leaning back lazily.
"Hey, I am a fully flushed male! A true alpha male!" Cior said dramatically, puffing out his chest for effect.
"As if," Arven muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.
"Stop teasing him, Arven," Amaias chimed in, although even he seemed amused.
"Okay, okay, jokes aside," Ziven interrupted, his tone shifting to something more serious. "Let's talk about something important."
"And what's that?" the rest said in a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"Do you guys ever, you know, have a crush or an unrequited love? Cuz let's be real—you're all single losers till now, so it's gotta be one of the two."
"Not this topic!" Mateo groaned, already regretting his life choices.
"Come on, it's fun! Tell me about your crushes!" Cior said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Who's first?" Ziven asked, looking around.
"You, since you brought it up," Amaias said bluntly.
"Ahhh, fine," Ziven said, dramatically sighing like he was about to reveal some tragic tale. "So, my crush…I met her six weeks before Cior's ball. It was in a shop. She was wearing a mask, had the most gorgeous long white hair, and eyes as blue as the sky."
"Wait, wait, WAIT," Mateo interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "Did you just say she was wearing a mask, had white hair, and was maybe a little dramatic like Cior?"
"Uh…yeah, why?" Ziven asked, confused.
"And she didn't tell you her name, saying her father would kill her if she were recognized?" Amaias added, leaning forward.
"Exactly! How do you know this?!" Ziven exclaimed, looking suspicious.
"Because we met that girl too," Amaias said, shaking his head. "And guess what? She won both our hearts."
"Heh, guys, your descriptions of her sound awfully similar to the mermaid I met," Arven said, stroking his chin. "And…wait for it…the girl I saw at Cior's home!"
"At Cior's home?" Mateo asked, his eyebrows shooting up.
"Yeah," Arven replied with a dreamy look. "She was dancing under the moonlight in this stunning dark blue gown, her white hair flowing around her like magic. It was love at first sight. She was just perfect."
"Did you see her face?" Mateo asked, trying to connect the dots.
"Yeah, but it was dark, and I was far away. I even made a portrait of her. Wanna see?" Arven said, pulling out a surprisingly detailed portrait.
The moment they all saw it, their jaws dropped.
"It's her!" they said in unison, except for Cior, whose face had turned pale as a ghost.
"Hey, wait a second," Amaias said, narrowing his eyes at Cior. "She kinda looks like you, doesn't she?"
All heads turned to Cior, who now looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?!" Arven asked, suspicion growing.
Cior's mind went blank, panicking as all their expectant stares bore into him. He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Well…actually, she's my fiancée!"
"WHAT?!" they all shouted in unison, voices echoing through the room.
Cior's heart sank as they stared at him in shock. Why did I say that?!
每周推薦票狀態
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