Freya’s pen paused for a moment.
Then, she set the pen down and turned around.
The dim yellow lamplight fell upon the floor, spreading a warm band of light between the two of them.
“You learned a lot today.”
Lyra blinked, looking startled. Then she scratched her head and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“I learned it from the Boss.”
Freya looked at her.
She looked at those red eyes that remained bright even in the dusk, the tiny fang peeking out slightly, and the face smiling with a bit of silliness.
“Then what do you think — ” she began. “What should I do?”
Lyra tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“Do nothing.”
Freya remained silent.
Lyra continued, as if struggling to organize her words.
“She’s waiting right now. Waiting for you to get angry, waiting for you to go argue with her, waiting for you to fall into the pit she dug. If the Boss does nothing, she’ll have nothing to wait for.”
She paused, a flash of seriousness crossing her red eyes.
“That’s how the most cunning prey in the mountains act. They set traps and wait for you to step in. If you ignore them, they’ll be the ones who get anxious first. Once they’re anxious, they’ll show their flaws.”
Freya watched her for a long time. Then, the corners of her lips curled up into an extremely faint arc.
“You’re getting smarter.”
Lyra grinned, her little fang glinting under the dim yellow light.
“Of course! Following the Boss, I’ll definitely become smart!”
She walked over and squatted at Freya’s feet, looking up at her.
“Boss, are we still going to the training room tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll keep waiting for you outside.”
“Mhm.”
“You buy the snacks.”
“…Fine.”
Lyra smiled with satisfaction. She sprawled out on her floor mattress, hugged the Monster Bestiary, and began flipping through it.
Outside the window, the night deepened.
In a window some distance away, a pink figure stood looking toward them.
Irina Ewell’s fingers lightly tapped the windowsill.
That letter had been sent out for half a day now.
Freya hadn’t come.
There had been no reaction at all.
The person she sent to conduct an observation returned to report that Freya was attending classes as usual, eating as usual, and staying with that blonde girl as usual. Her expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.
It was as if that burst of flame had never happened.
It was as if that letter had never been received.
Irina’s fingers stopped. She gazed at the distant, lit window, her pink eyes as deep as a pool.
Freya’s reaction had, once again, exceeded her expectations.
She thought Freya would at least come to question her, show anger, or reveal a flaw in front of her.
But there was nothing.
That calmness was like the surface of a bottomless lake. No matter what was thrown in, it couldn’t stir a ripple.
Irina’s fingers slowly tightened.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she told herself.
This was only the first test.
There would be many more.
She had plenty of patience.
In the dormitory, Lyra was flipping through the Monster Bestiary when she suddenly stopped.
“Boss.”
“Mhm.”
“What do you think that Crybaby — ” She paused. “What does she actually want?”
Freya’s pen tip stopped for a second. She did not look back.
“A lot.”
Lyra frowned. “How much is ‘a lot’?”
Freya was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice very light.
“Everything she wants.”
Lyra was stunned.
Everything she wants? Then what did the Boss have that she wanted?
She thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. However, she didn’t ask again. She simply rolled over to face Freya’s direction, watching her back illuminated by the desk lamp.
That silhouette was like a mountain.
Quiet, steady, and immovable.
Lyra suddenly felt less worried. She closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
No matter what that Crybaby wanted, the Boss had her. She would wait outside. She would hold the paper bag of snacks. She would smile the very first second she saw the Boss come out.
She would — protect her.
Although the Boss said the Academy had the Academy’s rules and she couldn’t use the ways of the mountains…
If there ever came a day when the rules didn’t work…
Lyra didn’t think any further. She fell asleep.
In her dream, she turned into a giant silver-white wolf, standing in front of Freya and letting out a low growl at the shadows stirring in the darkness.
It was late into the night.
Freya was still sitting at her desk. She took the letter out of her pocket and placed it on the table.
A pink envelope, white flowers, and elegant handwriting.
“Accident.”
“Punished.”
“Apologize in person.”
She looked at those words, the corners of her lips curling into a slight arc. It was faint and as cold as a winter night’s frost.
She folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and tucked it into a drawer, placing it together with Sophie’s letter.
Then, she reopened her book.
Tomorrow would be a new day. Those people would continue to test her.
And she would continue to wait.
Waiting for them to get anxious. Waiting for them to show their flaws.
Waiting for — the right moment.
Outside the window, the night wind blew. Something was brewing in the darkness.
But what Freya didn’t expect was that — accidents always come.
The sunlight the next day was excellent, and the autumn sky was as clear as washed glass.
Freya walked alone on the path leading to the Library.
She had left Lyra in the dormitory to catch up on sleep this morning.
That girl had flipped through the Monster Bestiary until the middle of the night, and when she got up this morning, her eyes were barely open.
Freya had pressed her back onto the mattress, and 3 seconds later, she was asleep again.
It was just as well. Some paths were quieter when walked alone.
Turning a corner of the cloister, she stopped in her tracks.
Ross Castor stood in the middle of the path ahead, his short golden hair shimmering with a soft light in the sun.
He was clearly waiting for her — this location and time were far too coincidental.
“Freya.”
Ross spoke, his voice deeper than usual. He stepped closer, his gaze landing on her face. Then, his brow furrowed.
“What happened to your face?”
Freya didn’t answer.
Ross’s gaze locked onto the faint patch of redness on the side of her face, which was still discernable if one looked closely.
His brow tightened into a knot. Subconsciously, he raised his hand and reached toward her face —
Freya stepped aside, avoiding him.
The hand hung in mid-air, froze for a moment, and then slowly retracted.
A flash of complex emotion crossed Ross’s eyes. It wasn’t annoyance; it was more like a long-suppressed confusion and unwillingness.
“Why?” he asked, his voice a bit raspy. “Freya, why do you always avoid me?”
Freya looked at him. The sunlight fell between them, casting distinct shadows on the ground.
“Your Highness is overthinking it.”
Her voice was flat, as if she were stating a fact that had nothing to do with her.
“I am not overthinking it,” Ross’s tone grew heavier. “You’ve been like this since the start of the term. I show you kindness, and you ignore it. I try to talk to you, and you just give perfunctory answers… I — “
He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“What exactly did I do wrong?”
Freya was silent for a moment.
She looked at the person before her — the person who, in her previous life, had personally pierced her heart with the tip of his sword.
At this moment, he stood in the sunlight with golden hair and a handsome face, his eyes filled with sincere confusion and a trace of barely perceptible hurt.
He knew nothing. He didn’t remember the events of their previous life. He didn’t know what he had once done.
In his heart, he was just a confused pursuer who was being inexplicably distanced, someone who wanted to get close but was always pushed away.
Freya lowered her gaze.
“His Highness has done nothing wrong.”
“Then why are you — “
“It is simply not a good fit.”
Ross was stunned.
Not a good fit? These words were as light as a feather, yet they were like an invisible wall, firmly blocking him out.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he could say nothing at all.
Freya stopped looking at him and stepped around him to walk past.
Then, by some stroke of luck or misfortune, she saw that person.
Irina Ewell stood in the shadows of the cloister, her long pink hair swaying gently in the breeze. She wore a light pink dress and held several books in the crook of her arm.
She had clearly just come out from somewhere and was preparing to go to class.
Upon seeing Freya, her footsteps faltered. Then, a layer of watery mist quickly welled up in those pink eyes.
She walked over quickly and came to a stop in front of Freya. She lowered her head slightly, her posture humble to the point of being lowly.
“Freya…”
Her voice trembled, thin as a spider’s thread in the wind.
“About yesterday… I really… I am truly sorry.”
She looked up, those watery pink eyes staring straight at Freya, filled with sincere apology and helpless pleading.
“I have already punished those students. They won’t go to the training room ever again. I know this can’t make up for anything, but I really… I really wanted to apologize to you.”
Her voice grew lower and lower, and her head dropped further. Her slender shoulders trembled slightly, like a small white flower battered by wind and rain.
“Can you… can you forgive me?”
Students nearby stopped to watch. Whispers began to spread.
Freya looked at her.
She looked at those watery eyes, those trembling shoulders, and that face written all over with “I am truly sorry.”
She remembered the cold smile on that same face at the final moment of her previous life. She remembered the flame that had grazed her cheek yesterday. She remembered the letter from last night about an “accident,” “punishment,” and an “apology in person.”
Now, an “apology in person” had turned into a “public apology.”
It was timed perfectly for this place, right after her “chance encounter” with Ross.
It truly was — too convenient.
The corners of Freya’s lips curled up into an extremely faint arc. There was no mirth in that expression.
“There is no need.”
She turned, preparing to leave.
“Freya!”
Ross’s voice came from behind her. Immediately following was the sound of hurried footsteps as he chased after her and blocked her path.
“Irina is apologizing to you. What is with this attitude?”
Freya stopped walking. She looked at Ross.
She looked at that face which had just been full of confusion and hurt, now filled with an urgency to uphold justice.
“What did she do wrong?” Ross’s voice rose slightly. “She already explained that yesterday was an accident. She punished those people and specifically came to apologize to you today. Even if you don’t accept it, you should at least give her a response, shouldn’t you?”
Freya said nothing.
Irina walked over quickly from behind and grabbed Ross’s sleeve, her voice carrying a sob.
“Your Highness, don’t be like this… It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have disturbed Freya at a time like this… It’s only natural she doesn’t want to forgive me… I… I’ll just go back…”