Chapter 111

“Sleeping like a bear in hibernation? And you call that ‘just a little’?”

“Forget about me. What do you want?”

At that, Lexius, who had been speaking so freely, suddenly closed his mouth and flashed a strange smile.

“Ariel… Oh, wait. You wouldn’t know who I’m talking about, huh?”

“….”

“The girl you said was pretty. The one Skylar brought around.”

“I know who she is. Just tell me what this is about.”

“She’ll be visiting the annex soon. I’m giving her a key.”

“….”

“When she comes, just cooperate with her a little.”

“…Ha.”

Instead of answering, Racine let out a long, weary sigh. He could already tell this was going to turn into a troublesome situation. Pressing his heavy eyelids down, weighed down by sleepiness, he thought of Ariel.

‘I personally went out of my way to warn her to stop, but she didn’t listen.’

He was already exhausted. Even though he had gone out of his way, sacrificing sleep, to warn her it had been a complete waste of time.

Frustration bubbled up inside him.

Racine was currently in a state of temporary mana depletion, leaving him completely defenseless against Lexius. That was why he had gone out of his way to warn Ariel, something he normally wouldn’t do. He had figured that if she weren’t involved, Lexius wouldn’t have a reason to bother him. But now, that same variable had come back to haunt him, bringing exactly the kind of trouble he had been trying to avoid.

“Why the annex?”

“She said she wants to see it.”

“This isn’t some sightseeing spot.”

“And it’s not your private property either.”

“I should’ve bought it when I had the chance.”

“Come on, don’t be so stingy. Just let one person take a look around.”

“What are you up to, anyway?”

“That’s a secret.”

“….”

“I’m just joking. It’s not something hard for you, so relax.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“You don’t need to do anything else. Just let her into the annex.”

“You’re telling me to disable the barrier?”

“No, leave it as it is. Just let her in.”

“Then she’ll get hurt.”

When Racine asked, his expression confused, Lexius just gave him a cryptic look without responding. His dark gold eyes glinted beneath his red hair, mysterious and unreadable, as if revealing his intentions, yet not quite. Then, out of nowhere, he smiled.

It had been a while since a smile from Lexius had made Racine’s skin crawl like that.

 ︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

「 Friday
2 PM — Art and Appreciation (Special Hall, Exhibition Room 3) 」
 

Ariel sat by the window, staring outside. The warm, golden sunlight felt heavy, making her even sleepier. She rubbed her tired eyes, still carrying the remnants of last night’s exhaustion.

After spending most of the night overthinking, she decided it was best to keep things as they were. She still had her scheduled meetings with Lexius on Thursdays and Saturdays, and avoiding him would only hold her back, especially since she still had so much to learn from him.

Above all, the chances of him bringing up something as serious as an engagement were low.

During the duel, Lexius had mentioned “princess consort” and “grand prince’s wife.” That was likely because he knew about Skylar’s situation. He probably also knew that Skylar had asked her to be the princess consort and that she had refused. There was no way someone as central to the nobility as Lexius wouldn’t be aware of such a major imperial matter.

So, it was unlikely that Lexius would make the same mistake as Skylar.

Ariel had lived her whole life sheltered within her family’s estate and was only now starting to step into society. It was obvious that something as serious as an engagement would pressure her, and she would turn it down. That was exactly how she had managed to dodge Skylar’s proposal, by saying it made her feel awkward and burdensome.

Lexius wasn’t oblivious enough to try the same failed engagement move twice.

‘Still, you never know how he might act.’

Ariel felt uneasy because she couldn’t predict anything when it came to him. Unpredictable people were the hardest to handle, and the scariest.

In comparison, Skylar was the easiest for her to figure out. His actions and intentions were simple and easy to read, but just because she could predict him didn’t mean he was easy to handle. For her, Skylar’s behavior was still incredibly troublesome and awkward.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to push away the spiraling thoughts from the night before.

The carriage made its way around the artificial lake and stopped in front of a large beige building. Four towering columns supported a triangular roof, and on either side of the entrance stood enormous statues of heavenly horses. Among the academy buildings, this one was by far the most imposing. Even the main auditorium in the central wing seemed less impressive in comparison.

Ariel stepped out of the carriage in front of the massive entrance to the special hall, feeling incredibly small.

As she walked through the wide-open doors, sunlight poured through the towering skylights in the high ceiling. The place was completely silent, and the beams of light felt almost sacred in the emptiness. Ariel paused for a moment, taking in the vast space that seemed almost reverent. She slowly scanned the room from top to bottom, letting her eyes wander across every detail. Her gaze eventually landed on a guide map placed at the entrance. It was set up like an easel, with the interior layout of the special hall mapped out in white chalk on a blackboard. The building was massive and complicated, the kind of place where you could easily get lost if you didn’t know your way around.

She walked up to the map, carefully memorizing the path before moving forward. The hall was so vast that each step she took echoed softly.

After passing through several large halls, her destination soon appeared.

〈 Exhibition Room 3 〉

After confirming the sign, she pushed open the ornate mahogany double doors. Despite their size and weight, they opened surprisingly smoothly.

A strong, earthy scent of wood greeted her as she stepped inside.

The walls and floor were made of dark-toned wood. At first glance, it almost seemed like the room was unlit. A ceiling fan spun slowly, gently stirring the air in the large space. Sculptures and paintings were scattered haphazardly throughout, giving the room more of a cluttered attic feel than a formal gallery. Ariel moved cautiously through the room, careful not to bump into any of the art pieces.

The thick carpet underfoot absorbed the sound of her steps.

As she entered the central area, where several sofas were arranged, she looked up and noticed a second floor that extended around the walls like a balcony. Stairs on both sides of the hall led up to the second floor, but velvet ropes blocked the way.

‘Is this a restricted area?’

Curious, Ariel stood on her tiptoes and craned her neck to get a better view of the second floor. It was about 2.5 meters up. Through the wide gaps in the railing, she could see the same dark wooden flooring as below, covered with a deep green carpet embroidered with silver thread.

Dark walnut furniture was arranged throughout, and amidst it, she noticed a pair of legs clad in a white school uniform.

“You’re here?”

A sudden voice startled Ariel, causing her to almost lose her balance and fall backward. She flailed her arms, quickly leaned forward, and steadied herself. Just barely managing to avoid toppling over, she let out a relieved sigh.

That was when a soft laugh echoed from above.

She recognized the person immediately from the sound of the laughter.

“Senior Lex.”

“Come up, Ariel.”

His voice, sounding unexpectedly gentle, called out to her.