"Can I have some time alone with you? I need to talk," Angelina asked, looking at Aeloria.
Aeloria nodded in agreement, and they both moved away from Eden.
The group was now divided into two, with Angelina and Aeloria forming one team and walking behind Eden, Fatima, and Emily.
"So, what happened?" Aeloria asked as she looked at Angelina.
"We are being followed," she replied as her gaze moved around the alley and buildings. "Or, to be more precise, we are being surrounded."
"Hmm," Aeloria hummed in response as she followed Angelina's gaze, looking at the people who were clearly observing them.
"You don't look surprised?" Angelina asked, noticing her lack of response.
"I noticed it as well," she replied as her gaze moved towards Eden's back, "and he noticed it as well."
"Is that so?" Angelina replied with a slight nod.
"So, what are we going to do about them?" Aeloria asked, focusing back on Angelina.
"Teachers have already started to take action, and they have also asked for support from the kingdom knights if things get out of hand." Angelina replied as she matched her pace with hers.
"And they left you alone?" Aeloria inquired, her brow furrowing slightly. "You're the most likely target, you know? How could they just leave you alone?"
"Don't worry, Teacher Sophia is still keeping an eye out. If anyone tries to pull anything funny, she's got it covered," she reassured with a casual wave of her hand, trying to ease Aeloria's concern.
"So, they're using you as bait?" Aeloria pressed, her frown deepening.
"No! What are you saying? They didn't do anything like that," she exclaimed, dismissing the notion.
"Then why are you alone?" Aeloria asked again, a hint of suspicion in her gaze.
"...It's suffocating to be with them. They take my title as the first princess way too seriously, and aren't you the only one with whom I can freely talk?" she replied with a light chuckle.
However, beneath the laughter, her tired voice hinted at a different, more complex story.
"They're afraid of you, huh?" Aeloria mused, a knowing glint in her eyes as she grasped the teachers' apprehension.
"They weren't that distant before, unlike now."
"Yeah, but some fucker just had to spill the beans to the world that you're a descendant of a god," Aeloria grumbled, recalling the chaotic events of the entrance ceremony.
"Why are you in such a bad mood?" Angelina asked, picking up on Aeloria's darkened expression.
"Nothing, just having a hard time thinking about the future," Aeloria grumbled once again, her brows furrowing as she released a tired sigh.
"You're talking like you already know what will happen in the future," Angelina responded, her tone light as she observed Aeloria.
"Well, I can somewhat guess what could happen in the future," Aeloria replied with a knowing smile.
"Oh, please do enlighten me. What could happen?" Angelina asked, playing along with her.
"What else could happen? First, some shady group will try to attack the students from the academy to fulfill their wish or awaken their god, or something along those lines. And, by some coincidence, a princess or someone of the same status will also be in the same class," Aeloria declared, punctuating her words with a dramatic gesture towards Angelina.
What else could happen? First, some shady group will try to attack the students from the academy to fulfill their wish or awaken their god, or something along those lines. And, by some coincidence, a princess or someone of the same status
"You can check the princess part," Angelina confirmed with a nod.
"And they will try to kidnap the said princess to achieve their ambitions, only to get their asses kicked by some promised hero who, again by some coincidence, is in the same class as her. And, of course, the princess falls in love at first sight with the hero and boom happy ending," Aeloria concluded.
"Come on, princesses are not that cheap, you know, and love at first sight happens in fairy tales only," Angelina countered, her words accompanied by a slight frown.
'And princesses never have a happy ending.' Angelina kept these depressing words to herself not saying those out loud.
"Love at first sight is a real thing," Aeloria rebuked as they both moved at an equal pace.
"I tend to forget sometimes that you are the author of those 'dirty' books that you publish," Angelina replied, recalling Aeloria's published works.
"Cultured books," Aeloria retorted, to which they both chuckled lightly.
"Anyway, your story is wrong to begin with, at least the princess part."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. At least you can't fall in love at first sight," Aeloria replied, nodding at her words.
"Talking about the hero," Aeloria mumbled as her gaze shifted towards the red-haired boy who was conversing happily with a girl named Nora, "did the king order you something about the hero of this era?"
"... father told me to be on friendly terms with him," Angelina replied as she too looked at Aron.
As of now, Aron, Breg, Nora, and Cassia had formed a single group as they all walked together.
"I don't like him," Aeloria bluntly said, looking at him.
"Why? I don't remember you talking with him. Did something happen?" Curiously, Angelina asked, as she didn't recall anything occurring between them.
"Ivy warned me about him; she told me to be careful around him."
"Why, though?" Angelina couldn't help but ask.
Fairies are known for their descriptive nature in identifying good and bad people around them, and if a fairy is warning about someone, it is enough to question the very nature of the said person.
"Don't know, but I trust Ivy enough to listen to her words. In the first place, I wouldn't have been able to form a contract with her if she had not taken the initiative to be with me," Aeloria replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"I need to inform this to father," Angelina mumbled to herself.
"Would you stop acting like a puppet? Why do you have to tell everything to your father?"
"Seriously! Why are you getting pissed at every other minute?" Angelina asked, noticing her constant mood swings.
"....."
"....."
"Are you going to tell me or not?" Angelina asked again as Aeloria kept her mouth shut.
"I talked with Eden." As the words left Aeloria's mouth, Angelina came to a sudden halt.
"About what?" she asked, looking at her best friend.
"About your lineage being the descendant of the Human God. I asked if he could help you in some ways," Aeloria replied with a tired sigh.
"Aeloria... Sigh.." A sigh escaped through Angelina's lips as well as she heard her words.
"Please don't do this again," she requested as she started to resume her walk.
"I mean, he could help with something. He was practically missing for three years, and I don't believe those bullshit stories that Duke Morton has spread about him being confined—"
"Aeloria," Angelina interrupted before she could complete her words.
"Please don't do this, don't drag him into my mess again." Angelina expressed her words with light steps as she continued to move. "I am more or less his enemy anyway, and I want to keep our relationship that way, so don't interfere again."
"Why are you both so stubborn?" Aeloria complained as she quickened her pace to match hers.
"Anyway, aren't we a little bit too chill despite knowing that we can possibly be attacked at anyti—" As Aeloria was saying her words, they came to a halt as they both found someone blocking their way.
"Grace," Angelina mumbled as she looked at the blonde-haired girl blocking their path.
"Where is Eden?" Ignoring Angelina, as if not wanting to acknowledge her presence, Grace's blood-red eyes were focused on Aeloria as she asked.
"He was with Fatima, wasn't he?" Aeloria replied, looking towards Fatima only to find her alone with Emily.
"Where did he go?" She mumbled with a frown.
"You were his partner, right?" Grace asked, looking back towards Fatima before focusing again on Aeloria.
"I had something to talk about with the princess," Aeloria replied, feeling a little intimidated as those blood-red eyes focused on her.
Without saying another word, Grace moved towards Fatima.
"Did she just ignore you?" Aeloria asked, looking at the princess.
"She did," with a bitter smile, she replied.
"What's her deal?"
"She used to be an old friend."
========================
[A/N]
Well, hello author here.
First I would like to sincerely apologise for not updating any chapter last month.
Well, I won't be a bitch and rant about my personal life but I will just give an overview that I had to take care of my exams and then my family business and then I had to give time to my relationship which took most of my time.
Anyway I won't make any promise but I will try to update regularly atleast I will try to update regularly this month.
Thank you for reading.
Peace out.