Aurelia watched as the three people stepped through the crowd. Aston, always confident, could turn heads no matter where he went. As was the case here.
Eve, a beautiful girl in her own right, strutted with confidence as well.
Kaelen, his face a mask of indifference, appeared to be in a world of his own. Locked away where no one can touch, but still able to exude a kind of dominance that makes it hard to look away.
At least, this was the case for her. She noticed some students shied away from him as if they were afraid.
"Sis," Eve called, speaking as though they had the best relationship. "This is Aston, and this is Kaelen. I happened to meet them when I was leaving my dorm earlier. Do you want to have lunch with us?"
A flash of something flickered in her eyes. Aurelia wasn't sure what she expected her to say. If she refused, who knows what kind of stories she would come up with in her absence. If she agreed, who knows what kind of bullshit she might say when she was actually there.
Aurelia gave a small smile. Rather than make the decision herself, she left it to the two men accompanying her.
She looked between both men, "Would you like me to join you? I'm not sure if my sister asked, so I'll take the chance to ask now."
"We don't mind," Aston answered nonchalantly. "It's good to make new friends. You never know who you'll have to do dungeon training with."
Kaelen didn't respond, only gave her a nod.
Aurelia sighed inwardly. She was hoping they would say no. As much as she would like to get to know Kaelen, she hoped it would be on her own terms.
It's barely the first day, and Eve, with her heroine halo, has already started gathering the most powerful people in the school.
They walked to an empty table. The two boys sat on one side while she and Eve sat on the other.
Aurelia was glad it wasn't the kind of seat where everyone had to sit on the same side. Everyone can see each other's faces. There is no confusion as to who is talking to whom.
Eve began the introduction.
"Aurelia, this is Aston Cardinal. His family works in politics. This is Kaelen Nightengale. His family works with the military."
Then she pointed to Aurelia, "This is Aurelia, the adopted sister I told you about."
If Aurelia hadn't already swallowed her food, she would have choked.
To introduce her as her adopted sister means they know Eve is from the Starlight family. Then again, she isn't wrong to say she is her adopted sister. They were both adopted in a sense.
Aurelia didn't correct it outright. Instead, she said, "Nice to meet you. And yes, I am adopted. No, I don't think being adopted is an issue. My adoptive parents died when I was fifteen. I'm now living with my parents."
Aston and Liam looked up from their plates when she said this.
Aurelia said nothing else. Only smiled and continued eating.
"I thought the Star-"Aston began to say before Kaelen cut him off.
Kaelen looked between Eve and herself. Whatever he saw, he didn't comment or have Aston comment on it either.
Aurelia didn't deliberately try to start a conversation with them. She had nothing to say. She could only wait for Eve to come up with a topic. Since being the centre of attention came naturally to her.
As expected, Eve started another topic.
"Did everybody get their schedules? I'm wondering if all the S to SSS ranks have the same classes."
"I think F and E ranks have the same schedule. Same for D-A rank. All the S to SSS ranks have the same schedule. At least I know Kael, and I have the same schedule." He shrugged after making the statement.
"I remember my schedule has Training, Dungeon Theory, Potions, and self-study on Monday. What about you, sis?"
Glancing at Eve, she answered, "Same, except I have a mentorship on Monday."
Kaelen chimed in, "Mentorships are different. That's the only thing that should be different on the schedule. Aston has his tomorrow, I should have mine today."
Aurelia was interested when she heard him say it was today.
"Do we have classes today?"
Shaking his head, he answered, "No. But mentorship isn't really classified as a class. It is for your specialization."
"Kaelen, that's so great. How did you know all that?" Eve's airy voice spread across the table.
"I asked," Kaelen deadpanned.
"Lucky. At least you could ask," Aurelia said evenly.
Everyone turned to look at her. Seems her group was the only one with the ornery senior.
"The senior who brought us over didn't say a word to anyone. He only led us to the dorm and left."
Aurelia shrugged, not really bothered by the senior's behaviour. She knows where she lives, and she took a tour of the school. She is content at this moment.
"Oh well, Eve sighed dramatically, "maybe you'll get to talk to him next time."
"Hey sis," Eve mock whispered. "You like Kaelen, don't you? Why don't you ask for his communicator code?"
Aurelia's head snapped up so quickly she almost had whiplash. When did she tell Eve she liked Kaelen? Yes, she did think he was handsome, and if she got the chance, she would definitely give it a try. But she would never tell Eve that.
Plus, her fake whisper was heard by everyone at the table. She was definitely not trying to hide it when she said it.
Luckily for Aurelia, she wasn't the type to blush easily; otherwise, her face would be a tomato.
Since everyone heard, she didn't bother hiding.
"When did I tell you that I like him?" She pointedly asked Eve.
"Umm...you didn't tell me," she lowered her eyes, as if she were the victim. "I just saw the way you looked at him at the evaluation. I didn't mean to..."
Aston's booming laughter cut through her speech. Aurelia's eyes took in the boy laughing. She keeps trying to associate him with the same person from the book. But this one seems too easy-going. He is confident, yes, but the arrogance she read about wasn't there.
Did something happen, and that's why he was so arrogant in the book?
"Great, if you like him, take him. Someone needs to get him off my hands. Girls refuse to go anywhere near him. If there's someone brave enough to look at his stone face all day, that's great."
Aurelia took in the sight of this man laughing, patting Kaelen's shoulder as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Now, even if she had a comeback, it didn't make much difference. His friend is giving him away for free. Who was she to say no?
It will take a surgical strike to get him. Those observant eyes have taken in everything happening at the table. He already knows the dynamics and understands what should and shouldn't be said.
Mostly, he is watching the show. If she doesn't know anything else about this book. She knows his personality well enough.
"Well, since you're giving him to me, I'll take him."
Aurelia wasn't sure what Kaelen would say about her frank response, but she turned to him just the same, her eyes unwavering beneath her dark lashes.
"I won't deny the fact that I am attracted to you. I think half the female population in this school is attracted to you," she said, her voice dripping with honey. "I also won't sit here and ask if you like me. You aren't the type of person to see someone and think of a relationship based on physical attraction. You want more."
As she continued, she put down the silver fork she was holding.
"My attraction to you is precisely because you are observant, unlikely to cheat, and I believe, once you find someone, you hold on to them. It is unlikely you will ever leave."
"As for what you think of me," she murmured. "I don't need to know. Since it was brought up, we can choose to get along and see where things go. If you decide you aren't interested, you can tell me, and I will let you go."
Her eyes became more focused, honing in on him singly. Her eyes seem to ignite with an inner fire.
"However," she whispered, leaning forward slightly. "If you choose to be with me after getting to know each other, you will never be able to escape."
Aurelia's tone once again became light as she looked at Aston, the tension in her shoulders melting away. A charming smile bloomed on her face.
"Are you still sure you want to give him to me?"
No one at the table spoke. They didn't expect her to be so open and honest about what she wanted.
Kaelen, the person the speech was directed to, didn't know what to say. Something imperceptible flashed in his eye. His lips curved into the faintest smile.
He looked at her for a long moment, his grey eyes thoughtful.
"We should keep in touch."
"I'd like that," Aurelia agreed.