The academy courtyard was unusually lively that afternoon.
Students gathered beneath the tall oak trees, some sitting on the stone benches while others lingered near the fountain. The golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting long shadows across the ground.
Elena Rivera walked slowly along the pathway that led toward the music hall, her notebook pressed against her chest.
Her mind had been restless all day.
Ever since that morning.
Ever since she heard the whispers about Adrian Volkov's engagement.
She told herself it didn't matter.
It shouldn't matter.
Adrian was simply someone she had spoken to a few times. Someone who had listened to her play the piano. Someone whose quiet presence she had somehow grown used to.
That was all.
Still... the thought of him standing beside Seraphina Orlov earlier kept replaying in her mind.
They had looked perfect together.
Like something already decided by the world.
Elena shook the thought away and quickened her steps toward the music hall.
Just as she reached the quiet hallway that led to the practice rooms, a voice stopped her.
"You're Elena Rivera, aren't you?"
Elena turned.
Seraphina Orlov stood a few steps away.
Up close, she looked even more striking than she had from a distance. Her silver-blonde hair framed her face elegantly, and her calm expression held a quiet confidence that made it difficult to look away.
For a moment, Elena wasn't sure how to respond.
"Yes," she said softly.
Seraphina studied her with careful interest, her sharp eyes briefly moving to the music notebook in Elena's hands.
"So it's true," she said.
Elena blinked. "What is?"
"You're the pianist."
Her tone wasn't accusing.
It was simply... observant.
Elena shifted slightly, unsure where the conversation was going.
"I like to play," she replied.
Seraphina nodded slowly.
"I heard you practice late at night."
The statement surprised Elena.
"How did you-"
Seraphina's faint smile interrupted her.
"St. Aurelius may look large," she said calmly, "but news travels quickly here."
There was a brief pause.
Then Seraphina took a small step closer.
"Especially when it involves Adrian."
Elena's fingers tightened around her notebook.
"I don't understand."
Seraphina's gaze softened slightly, though her expression remained composed.
"You will," she said.
Her voice lowered just enough to feel private.
"Adrian Volkov is not someone people approach lightly."
Elena frowned.
"I wasn't trying to approach him."
Seraphina tilted her head slightly, as if considering that answer.
"Maybe not intentionally," she said.
"But people still notice."
A quiet silence settled between them.
Students' distant voices echoed faintly from the courtyard outside, but the hallway itself felt strangely isolated.
Elena gathered her courage.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Seraphina's eyes held hers.
"For your sake."
The words sounded polite, but something underneath them felt heavier.
"Adrian's life is... complicated," Seraphina continued.
"There are expectations placed on him. Responsibilities. Alliances."
Her tone was calm, almost rehearsed.
"As children, our families arranged our future."
The confirmation made Elena's chest tighten slightly.
"We've known each other our entire lives," Seraphina added.
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the window before returning to Elena.
"People like us don't always get to choose what we want."
For the first time, there was something almost human in her voice.
Almost tired.
Then the moment disappeared.
Seraphina straightened slightly.
"You seem like a kind person, Elena," she said.
"That's why I'm telling you this now."
Elena's stomach twisted with unease.
"Telling me what?"
Seraphina held her gaze steadily.
"Don't get too close to Adrian Volkov."
The hallway suddenly felt colder.
Elena tried to keep her voice steady.
"And if I don't listen?"
Seraphina didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she gave a small, thoughtful smile.
"Then you'll learn the same lesson everyone eventually does."
Her voice was soft.
"But much more painfully."
The warning hung in the air between them.
Seraphina stepped back, smoothing the sleeve of her uniform as if the conversation had been nothing more than a polite introduction.
"I hope you focus on your music," she said gently.
"It suits you."
Then she turned and walked down the hallway with the same effortless elegance she had shown earlier in the courtyard.
Leaving Elena standing alone.
For a long moment, Elena didn't move.
Her thoughts were tangled, her heart strangely unsettled.
Seraphina's words echoed in her mind.
Don't get too close to Adrian Volkov.
Elena exhaled slowly and looked down at the piano keys visible through the open music room door.
She stepped inside.
The room was quiet, just as it always was.
The grand piano waited beneath the soft glow of the stage lights.
Elena sat down on the bench and placed her hands gently on the keys.
For a moment, she hesitated.
Then she began to play.
The melody started softly.
Slow.
Thoughtful.
But tonight, there was something different hidden inside the notes.
Something heavier.
Something uncertain.
Outside the music hall, unseen in the dim corridor, Adrian Volkov stood quietly once again.
Listening.
He had arrived only moments earlier.
Just in time to hear Seraphina's final words.
And as Elena's music filled the hall, Adrian realized something that unsettled him more than any warning ever could.
For the first time in years...
Someone else had begun to matter.