Morning arrived before Emily was ready for it.
The sky outside her window was a pale mix of soft colors. The room was quiet. The whole house felt still. She lay awake for a moment, letting her eyes adjust, letting her mind return to the real world.
She stretched her fingers first. Then her legs. Then she sat up.
Her head felt clearer than yesterday. No dizziness, No pressure on her chest. Only the calm weight of another school day waiting for her. A normal day. Or as normal as her new life could be.
She climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. The water was warm when she turned on the shower. She washed slowly, letting the steam clear her mind even more. She tied her hair back and studied her face in the mirror. Nothing special. Just her. But her eyes looked different, sharper, more awake.
She got dressed and went downstairs.
Timothy was in the living room, leaning against the arm of a chair with his phone in his hand. He looked up the second he heard her footsteps.
"You're ready," he said.
Emily nodded. "Let's go."
He didn't ask how she slept. He didn't lecture her about yesterday. He didn't even give her one of his usual warnings. But she could see it in the slight tension in his jaw. He was watching her closely. He always watched her closely.
Outside, the morning was crisp. The air smelled clean. She got into the car, and he walked around to the driver's side.
They drove off.
The road to the school was the same as yesterday, but it felt different to Emily today. She paid attention this time. The shops opening. The students walking in groups. The city slowly waking up. Her life had changed so fast in such a short time that paying attention felt like the only way to stay grounded.
The car was quiet. She could hear the faint hum of the engine. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. She looked out the window and tried not to overthink the day ahead.
Timothy glanced at her several times. He didn't speak, but the silent question lingered between them: Are you okay?
She didn't answer it out loud.
When they reached the school gate, he parked.
He tapped the steering wheel once, thinking. Then he looked at her with a serious expression.
"Call me if anything feels wrong."
Emily frowned. "It's school, not a war zone."
His gaze sharpened in that quiet, heavy way of his. "Emily. You know what I mean."
She swallowed and nodded. "Fine."
He got out of the car, walked around, and opened her door. Students nearby stopped what they were doing. Their eyes traveled from the car to Timothy, and then to her. Whispers rose almost instantly.
Emily stepped out then paused.
Stephanie stood right in front of her.
Stephanie's eyes widened. She stared at the car, then at Timothy, then back at Emily again. She looked confused. And jealous. And shocked. All at once.
"Y-you… who drove you here?" Stephanie asked. Her voice shook a little.
Emily looked at Timothy. "Someone."
Stephanie let out a small laugh that didn't sound natural. "Emily, I was calling you. Didn't you hear me?"
"I heard," Emily said. "I just have nothing to say to you."
Stephanie flushed bright red. She looked around and noticed other students watching. Some whispered behind their hands. Some stared with interest. Some smirked. Stephanie hated being watched like this. Emily could see it.
Emily walked past her.
Her steps were steady. Her shoulders relaxed. She looked like someone who had made a decision and wasn't willing to look back.
A few seconds passed before Stephanie snapped out of her shock and hurried after her, but she kept a distance.
Inside the school grounds, students kept staring. Some looked impressed. Some confused. Some annoyed. Emily ignored all of them.
When she got to her classroom, she went straight to the same seat she used yesterday. She placed her books on the desk and sat down.
She let out a slow breath. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
She could still picture Timothy at the gate. His protective stare. His warning. His unspoken promise that he was close, even when she pretended she didn't need him.
Stephanie entered the class a few minutes later. Her steps were stiff and sharp. She pretended she wasn't bothered, but her face gave her away. She sat in the front row and kept adjusting her hair. She looked back at Emily several times.
Emily didn't look at her. She didn't even lift her eyes.
Two boys near the window whispered to each other. A girl from the back passed a note to her friend. Someone else kept glancing from Emily to the door as if expecting a dramatic scene.
But the drama stayed in their imaginations.
Emily simply opened her notebook.
A few moments later, the homeroom teacher walked in. He carried a stack of papers and placed them on the desk.
"Good morning," he said.
The class responded in a scattered, tired chorus.
"Before we begin," he continued, "there is an announcement."
Students shifted in their seats.
"Next week marks the official start of the semester. Before that, we will conduct the annual resumption assessment."
Groans filled the room. Some dramatic, some genuine.
"This test determines your academic standing for the term," the teacher said. "I will provide practice questions. Study them well."
As he scanned the class, his gaze paused on Emily. Only for a moment. But the students near her noticed. A few eyes turned to her again.
She kept her expression calm.
The teacher moved on and began discussing schedules, class rules, and what to expect in the coming weeks.
Emily listened quietly. She wrote a few notes. But most of her attention drifted to the thought in the back of her mind: A test next week. It wasn't a problem. She had faced worse in her old life. Tests were easy compared to surviving a kingdom crumbling around her.
When the bell rang, students stretched, packed their things, and rushed out. Emily took her time. She closed her notebook slowly and stood.
She didn't notice the ripple of curiosity that followed her. She didn't notice Stephanie's glare from the door. She didn't notice two girls whispering about the car that dropped her off.
She stepped into the hallway and brought out her phone to call her best friend Chiang Tiang.
At the same time, far from school, Timothy's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His father.
He answered, expecting his usual demand: Bring the girl. But today, the voice on the other end was different, less impatient, more tense.
"Your cousin will arrive in Country F tomorrow," his father said. "Be alert. And be careful."
Timothy stood still, eyes narrowing as he listened. The morning that seemed simple a few minutes ago no longer felt simple.
His father continued speaking, but his mind was already racing.
Not because he feared his cousin , in fact it was quite the opposite.
He fears no one but his cousin's arrival was never a small thing. It meant movement.
And Emily was right in the center of everything.
The call ended.
Timothy stared at his screen for a moment, then slipped the phone into his pocket.
His mind, already calculating on how to keep him away from her.
But he knows it won't be easy.
The only thing possible now is to make sure that Emily is prepared for whatever happens.
He saw the way she defended herself against the bully, but that won't be enough when facing his cousin.
He had told Emily to call him if anything felt wrong.
But something already felt wrong.
And it had nothing to do with school.
He picked up his phone and dialed his assistant's number
"Come to my office, now!"