Aria's pulse thundered helplessly in her chest. Her fingers trembled on her lap. Her lips were tingling from a kiss that didn't even happen.
What… what was that?
What was he going to do?
Why did I—why did I almost let him—?
Her thoughts tripped over themselves, tumbling uncontrollably until—
"Hey, Aria."
She jolted. Two classmates, girls, had approached her desk, their eyes sharp with interest.
"What was that about with Elion?" one of them asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
Aria's face went scarlet. She gripped the edge of her desk so hard her knuckles whitened.
"Oh, um, nothing," she stammered, the words falling apart in her mouth. "He just… wanted to talk about something for class."
The second girl raised a brow, crossing her arms.
"For class? Really?" she pressed, leaning in. "Then why were you looking like you were about to faint? And why did he look like he owned the place?"
Aria's throat tightened. She shook her head quickly.
"No, seriously! It was nothing! Just… a misunderstanding."
The two girls exchanged looks, the kind that said We know you're lying.
Aria's cheeks burned even hotter, and she quickly changed the subject. "S-so, did you guys finish the reading assignment?" she asked, her voice slightly too high-pitched.
The girls exchanged a glance, but let it drop. "Yeah, we did," one of them said. "It was pretty interesting, actually."
As they discussed the assignment, Aria's mind kept drifting back to Elion. His touch, his scent, the way he had looked at her... it all sent waves of desire crashing through her body.
She tried to focus on the conversation, but it was no use. All she could think about was him and what he had whispered in her ear.
Aria shivered at the memory, her body aching with need. She couldn't believe how much she wanted him, how much she craved his touch.
...
By the time the door opened and the next group of students shuffled in, Aria had already buried her face deep into her notes, hoping desperately that no one would notice the way her ears were still pink and how flustered she looked.
Elion, meanwhile, exhaled quietly through his nose and turned another page in his book.
His expression didn't shift, calm, unreadable, almost bored, as if he hadn't nearly kissed someone moments earlier.
Then William entered.
As always, his crew of lackeys trailed behind him like shadows. But something immediately caught Elion's attention:
Mira.
She stuck close to William's side, walking naturally, smiling faintly… looking perfectly normal.
Did it not work?
Elion wondered, eyes narrowing slightly.
When William stepped inside, his gaze drifted across the room, then locked onto Elion.
For a heartbeat, a violent, simmering look flashed in his eyes.
Elion met it head-on.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't look away.
He simply held William's stare, calm and unmovable, almost daring him to try something.
A quiet ripple of curiosity went through the room as a few students watched the silent confrontation unfold.
The tension spiked instantly; everyone more or less knew what had happened yesterday.
Everyone was waiting, excited, anxious, hungry, to see how things would escalate.
But William only snorted, lips pulling into a smug smirk, before turning away and taking his seat.
He's planning something, Elion thought. I have to be careful.
Moments later, the homeroom teacher, George, stepped in, greeting the class with his usual polite smile.
The students snapped into routine as he began announcements, and soon enough, the day's classes rolled on.
Elion listened quietly, as he always did.
He was diligent, almost alarmingly so, but he still knew he was behind compared to the others.
He hadn't grown up surrounded by wealth, noble tutors, or libraries filled with information.
Before coming here, he'd been a nobody. He'd only begun truly learning about the world after arriving at the academy.
His foundation was thin, and he knew it.
So he absorbed every word, every lesson, every detail like a sponge.
When the clock struck twelve, George dismissed them and stepped out, leaving the students to chatter before lunch and their afternoon classes.
The room erupted into life almost instantly.
Elion glanced around.
There, near the window, Isolde sat in her usual place, calm, composed, elegant. Her eyes were closed, one hand supporting her head as she rested her chin lightly against her palm.
The sunlight framed her face, highlighting the soft, serene lines of her expression.
She is so beautiful.
Isolde had a petite frame, though tall for a girl, but her presence was something else entirely.
Her chest might not have drawn attention like other girls'; it was almost non-existent, a tiny swell on her uniform was the only indication that she even had tits.
But everything else about her face did. Her long silver-blonde hair framed her pale cheeks perfectly.
Her lips were naturally plump and red, always carrying a serene softness.
Thin brows arched above her pearly green eyes, giving her a quiet, mysterious composure. Her jawline was delicate, her nose small and neat.
In terms of beauty, she had no competition.
But beauty alone wasn't what made her untouchable.
Isolde was the class's distant star, admired, respected, and impossible to approach.
There was an air around her, something calm yet unyielding, that made everyone tread carefully.
Looking at her made something warm unfurl inside Elion's chest, and it awakened a heat between his legs.
It stirred him.
And yet…
His eyes drifted, almost involuntarily, back to Aria across the room.
And the heat inside him shifted, sharper, brighter, dangerously alive.
A completely different kind of warmth.
This is dangerous.
Students trickled out for lunch in small groups, the room gradually emptying.
"I'm so glad we don't have combat training today," Lyra groaned loudly enough for half the class to hear. "We won't have to see that demon instructor."
A wave of relieved agreement swept through the room; everyone felt the same.
Afternoon classes alternated between combat and spellcasting, and today was spellcasting day.
Their instructor for that class was gentle, patient, and encouraging.
Nothing like Selene.
William got up. Before leaving, he shot Elion a smug, knowing smile, one that clearly said, Watch your back.
Elion didn't respond. He didn't need to. He simply watched William leave with narrowed eyes.
By the tenth minute, the classroom had nearly emptied. Benches scraped, voices faded into the hallway.
But to Elion's barely concealed satisfaction…Aria was still sitting there.
Alone.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He waited, patiently, casually, until he saw her begin to pack her things.
Then he rose from his seat, moving down the aisle with calculated timing so that their paths would meet perfectly.
Aria noticed him.
Unfortunately for her heart.
Her pulse spiked instantly, panic flaring for reasons she absolutely refused to admit.
Why now!? Why again!?
He was definitely doing it on purpose. There was no way he wasn't.
The soft smile on his face, too warm, too inviting, only confirmed it.
That handsome face… why is he allowed to look like that?
Her chest warmed, the same fuzzy feeling from before spreading through her body.
She blinked, dazed, and before she realized it, he was standing right in front of her.
Startled, she fumbled her notebook.
It slipped from her grip and fell to the floor with a quiet thud.
"A-Ah!" Aria gasped, reaching down quickly.
But Elion knelt at the same time.