No, no, no—this wasn't the time to sleep. Pushing aside the frantic pounding in her chest, Leci quickly swept Kieron's arm away and forced herself upright. She needed to understand what was happening.
Her gaze landed on the analog clock hanging on the wall. Four in the afternoon.cSoft amber light filtered through the curtains, painting the room in a muted golden haze. A faint frown tugged at her brow.
How long… had she been asleep?
"What is Mr. Kieron doing in my room?" Leci demanded, her tone bordering on interrogation. She shook Kieron's shoulder insistently, but the man remained silent — deliberately pretending to sleep. Why is he sleeping in my room as if this is his house? she thought in disbelief.
"…"
Kieron stayed maddeningly quiet.
With growing irritation, Leci pinched his nose, blocking his breath. "Answer me!" she snapped, patience steadily wearing thin.
At last, Kieron opened his eyes — heavy-lidded, sleepy, and inexplicably adorable. "You didn't come to school today. Your cousin said you had a fever," he murmured, effortlessly taking the hand that had been pinching his nose, then pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.
Leci's heart skipped, stumbled, then twisted in confusion.
She didn't know how to handle her own emotions anymore. One part of her trembled in fear — still haunted by the monstrous version of Kieron she had seen yesterday. But the other part… the other part was beginning to feel strangely safe in his presence.
It unsettled her.
Also, she hadn't realized she was sick. Or that she'd slept this long. A whole day had passed since the incident.
Kieron watched her absentmindedly staring at the flower arrangement on her desk. He sat up straighter, studying her face from up close. "Are you still sick?" he asked softly.
Before Leci could answer, he leaned forward, brushing his forehead against hers. "Your fever's gone… but why is your face still so red?"
Startled, Leci jerked her head away, her pulse spiraling. She must have lost her mind — gazing at Kieron's face from that close, secretly admiring him. There was no denying it: this man's charm was dangerously disarming.
Why? Why does he have to be this handsome?! This should be illegal! Her inner voice shrieked in protest, mortified by her own wavering resolve.
Noticing her flustered reaction, Kieron's lips curved in quiet satisfaction. Of course. Winning Leci's heart required slow, careful steps — and a gentle touch. Acting sweet came naturally to him.
"What's wrong, Leciara? Does something hurt?" he asked casually, though he clearly knew she was fine. He reached out, taking her chin with one hand, guiding her face back toward his. This time, his gaze held genuine concern.
"If you're unwell, you can rely on me. I'll do anything for you."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
This is insane… my heart, stop overreacting! Leci shoved his chest with both hands and scrambled away to create distance.
"That's not important!" she blurted, cheeks burning even hotter. "More importantly — why did you just walk into my room and sleep here like it's nothing?!"
Kieron caught her hand gently, stopping her retreat. He intertwined their fingers with deliberate tenderness, his thumb brushing her knuckles before bringing her hand to his cheek.
"I came to check on you," he murmured. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"…"
Leci didn't answer. She was too busy trying to calm herself. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it, Leciara. Just because he was acting sweet today, she couldn't forget the terrifying figure she saw yesterday.
Inwardly, Leci wondered — does he treat other girls at school like this too? And why didn't the Ancient Guardian Spell affect him at all? If he behaved like a normal person, resisting him wouldn't be this hard.
"Why are you quiet?" Kieron asked again, stepping closer to where she now sat. "Which part hurts, hm?" His voice dipped lower as he studied her face, still tinged with crimson.
"I'm not sick," Leci muttered while trying to pull her arm free.
But instead of letting go, Kieron tightened his grip just a little. Then, boldly — almost playfully — he linked their hands together and pressed a kiss onto the back of her arm, right in front of her eyes.
"Don't be shy," he whispered. "I'll make sure you feel comfortable."
Leci flinched when Kieron's other hand rose to touch her face again. There was something unbearably strange about it — how she couldn't push him away. How she couldn't even move when his thumb brushed softly across her pale lower lip.
Why… why was it becoming harder and harder for her to resist the simple skin touch of this man?
Her heart felt as though it might leap out of her chest when Kieron smiled. That gentle curve of his lips — sweet, intoxicating, almost sinful — held the dangerous pull of a drug. It made Leci dizzy, drunk on something she did not want to name. This was wrong. So, so wrong.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound shattered her daze. Startled out of her thoughts, Leci jumped backward so abruptly that she stumbled and collided with the wardrobe behind her. Pain shot through her back, but she ignored it.
She quickly grabbed Kieron's arm, trying desperately to make him leave the bed — leave the room — leave her. Her small hands pushed against his solid frame with frantic urgency, guiding him toward the window.
"For now, you needs to go!" Leci whispered sharply. Her voice trembled with panic. Forcing the window open, she gestured repeatedly for him to climb out, completely forgetting her room was on the second floor.
"You're so cruel," Kieron murmured — but he still obeyed, doing exactly what she asked.
Once she felt he was safely gone, Leci hurried to open her door.
Standing there was Norris — wearing that annoyingly innocent expression he always put on whenever he saw her. "We came to visit," he said, pointing behind him with his thumb.
"Leci!" Taryn popped out from behind Norris's back, waving a fruit basket as if presenting an offering.
"Ahem… sorry to intrude," said someone behind Taryn. Leci blinked in shock when Jayden stepped into view. She had truly thought that whatever connection she had with him ended the moment the field trip was over.
What was going on? Hadn't he already lost interest in her? Why would he come here — with her two closest friends — and act as if nothing had happened?
Even though confusion clouded her thoughts, Leci still forced a polite smile. "Please, come in."
Because the three of them had arrived so suddenly, Leci hadn't had the chance to tidy her room. She could only dread what they might think of the mess.
"Just sit anywhere. Make yourselves comfortable. I'll get some water," she said quickly.
But Taryn stopped her. "No need! We came to check on you, not inconvenience you," she insisted, sounding oddly convincing.
Leci hesitated. She glanced at Norris and Jayden, who were already seated comfortably on the long sofa. Both nodded at her in unison. "Just rest," Norris said.
"That's right. Don't worry about us," Jayden added.
Reluctantly, Leci sat on the edge of her bed, letting them do as they pleased. "Thank y—"
"Eh? What's that?" Taryn suddenly yelped, pointing toward the window.
Instantly, Leci remembered — Kieron. She whipped her head toward the window, heart plummeting—
But Kieron wasn't there.
Instead, a black crow perched delicately on the leafy branch right outside her window.
"Kwak!"
All attention snapped to the creature. "Did it come from the forest?" Jayden asked, remembering how the entire area was surrounded by dense woodland.
But Norris shook his head. "I rarely see crows around here. Don't tell me someone sent it to curse our family?"
With that bizarre thought, Norris moved to chase the bird away. But the crow flapped its wings and resisted fiercely, refusing to leave.
"What's with this crow? Shoo! Go!" Norris shouted in frustration. He grabbed its leg and pulled it downward toward the open window.
"Norris, don't be rough with the animal," Leci warned.
"No! This crow is weird! I have to chase it out!" Norris shot back, clearly irritated. Both of his hands were now gripping the crow's body, while the stubborn creature continued to fight back, determined to stay right where it was.
"Kwak!"
"Krauk!"
"Aaargh!" Norris cried when the crow bit his hand. The moment his grip loosened, the bird hopped onto his head — stomped — and then shoved him backward until he hit the window frame.
"Hahaha! I told you not to be rough with it," Leci teased, laughing as her cousin suffered. On the sofa, Jayden also struggled to hold back his amusement.
"He's holding a grudge against you now," Taryn commented, biting her lip to keep from laughing.
"Kwak, kwak." The crow cawed again, almost as if mocking Norris.
Infuriated, Norris tried to grab it once more — but the bird was too fast. It darted inside the room, then landed gracefully on Leci's shoulder.
"Kwak!"
"Damn it! It's so skilled," Norris muttered, embarrassed. As he lunged forward again, Taryn stopped him.
"Leave it. It doesn't seem hostile."
Because of that one line, everyone now focused on the crow perched calmly on Leci's shoulder. The crow spread its wings once — slow, languid — then folded them neatly again, settling comfortably beside her.
"Kwak!"