Chapter 202: Envy

Ellaria’s calm question instantly pierced Mia’s defenses.

The color drained from her face, then exploded in a flash, spreading from her forehead to her neck, and she even had the illusion of steam rising from her head.

Mia’s tongue was tied in knots.

“I, I… that… no… this…”

Her blue eyes were wide and round, filled with shock and panic.

If she said there was no special affection for Teacher Sefina beyond the ordinary student-teacher relationship, that would be pure self-deception.

But that vague affection, suddenly exposed so bluntly, even elevated to the ultimate question of “Do you want to marry her?”—it was just too embarrassing and overwhelming!

To admit it? How could that be?

Too embarrassing, right?! No way, no way! Absolutely not!

“Ah! Th-that! I-I suddenly remembered! It’s getting late! I… I have to go back to the dormitory to get my textbooks! Otherwise… otherwise I’ll be late! Being late will get me scolded by the teacher!”

Mia spoke rapidly, her eyes darting, not daring to look at Ellaria’s emerald-green eyes, wanting only to escape this interrogation scene immediately.

“Mia, wait…”

Seeing her panicked flight, Ellaria instinctively stood up to call her back.

She still had questions she wanted to ask—about the magic potion, about Teacher Sefina’s reaction, about…

But Mia, like a startled rabbit, darted to the dormitory door in a flash, pulled it open, and was about to rush out. In her panic, she even forgot to close the door.

Ellaria looked at the open door, her outstretched hand hanging uselessly in midair. In the end, she could only let out a soft sigh. Then, the next second.

whoosh!

That reckless figure came back.

Mia was out of breath, her chest heaving, but her eyes were full of pleading.

She pressed her palms together in front of her chest, making a near-worshipping gesture toward Ellaria, and begged in an earnest tone:

“Please! Princess! Everything… everything that happened today! Please, I beg you, don’t tell anyone, especially Kefi! Definitely, definitely don’t tell her! Not a single word! Please!”

Mia’s expression was unusually serious, her eyes filled with sincerity.

But before Ellaria could give any response, Mia turned around again, rushed out once more, and bang slammed the door shut.

Ellaria stood before the now-closed door, listening to the fading footsteps. She sighed softly again, this time with more complicated emotions.

Then she turned and walked back into the room.

The dormitory fell silent, leaving her alone. The air seemed to still hold a trace of awkwardness.

Ellaria walked to the bed but didn’t sit down immediately.

She hesitated, then finally took out Teacher Sefina’s “clothes.” Ellaria’s cheeks flushed slightly. She picked up the two pieces of fabric, slowly buried her face in them, and took a deep breath.

The “secret” she had accidentally uncovered today brought Ellaria an impact far beyond surface embarrassment.

After the initial shock and bewilderment, deep inside, a thread of… envy quietly sprouted. Yes, envy.

Ellaria was a little envious of Mia.

Even if it was a chaotic result of a double accident involving magic potion and magic crest, even if the process might have been filled with embarrassment and loss of control, that level of closeness was something Ellaria, in her boldest fantasies, only dared to sketch the edges of, never to depict in detail.

If… if she could also be with Teacher Sefina…

As soon as this thought emerged, Ellaria was startled by her own dangerous idea.

She jerked her head up from the fabric, her eyes filled with alarm and self-condemnation.

‘…How could I have such a shameless thought!’

‘No, no! Ellaria, what are you thinking?! How could you…’

She screamed internally, her cheeks burning red.

That was Teacher Sefina! How could she harbor such a transgressive, such a dangerous thought!

Ellaria let out a moan of regret and shame, burying her hot face back into the clothes, not daring to continue thinking.

Meanwhile, Mia rushed back in a panic to the dormitory door she shared with Kefi.

Her mind was still a mess.

Teacher Sefina’s embarrassed and angry face, her own stupid declaration, Princess Ellaria’s sharp questions, and those lingering, burning memories of touch…

Various images and sounds intertwined and clashed, making it impossible for her to calm down.

She didn’t look where she was going, just twisted the doorknob and charged in headfirst, colliding directly with Kefi, who was about to go out!

“Ouch!”

“Ouch!”

They both exclaimed in unison and fell backward onto the floor.

Mia landed on her bottom, wincing in pain, which temporarily jolted her out of her chaotic thoughts.

Kefi rubbed her bumped shoulder, stood up while holding the wall, and looked at Mia still sitting on the floor, asking irritably:

“Mia, what’s the matter? Running so fast.”

Mia scrambled to her feet, mumbling random responses:

“N-nothing!”

Her face was still red, her eyes evasive, not daring to look directly at Kefi.

Kefi naturally noticed her unusual complexion.

She frowned slightly, stepped forward, and reached out to touch Mia’s forehead. It was burning hot.

“Are you okay? Why is your face so red? And so hot… Do you have a fever?”

Kefi’s tone carried concern.

“No! No fever!”

Mia suddenly recoiled like a startled rabbit, avoiding Kefi’s hand, shaking her head like a rattle.

“Then your face… and why are you so flustered? What’s going on?”

Kefi tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion.

“It’s… it’s because it’s too hot!”

Mia blurted out something random in her panic.

“Hot? It’s almost winter, how could it be hot. Mia, you…”

“Oh! I-it’s because class is about to start!”

Seeing that she couldn’t fool Kefi, Mia quickly changed the subject, speaking rapidly.

“I ran back to get my textbooks! I was running too fast! Exercise! Exercise makes you hot, right? Look, you’re about to go to class too, aren’t you? Hurry up, let’s go! We’ll be late!”

As she spoke, Mia frantically rushed into the room, grabbed a thick textbook from the desk, hugged it to her chest, and pushed Kefi out the door.

Kefi, pushed along, glanced at the Magic Clock on the wall. It was indeed almost time for class.

Although she felt that Mia was unusually strange today.

Her face was flushed unnaturally, her behavior was flustered, and her excuses were flimsy.

But time was tight, and Kefi couldn’t delve into it.

Mia occasionally had some scatterbrained moments, but today it was especially noticeable.

Kefi finally set aside her doubts, simply assuming that Mia was being absent-minded again or feeling guilty about something.

“Really, then be more careful next time, don’t run so fast.”

After giving that reminder, she hurried off to the teaching building with Mia.

Kefi could never have guessed what a “thrilling” incident her roommate had just experienced.