Chapter 40

"Aaron, really? You're going to tell her like this?" I asked, staring at my friend who looked more like a crazed mastermind than a lovestruck teenager, with his black hair cascading over his face.

Kevin, ever the cool one, was leaning against the wall, puffing on a cigarette. He barely glanced up as he spoke, his brown hair now loose, falling in strands around his face like a disheveled halo. "Michael, I think it'll work."

I shot Kevin a look, hoping to knock some sense into him. "Really? You also think this is a good idea?"

He shrugged, taking another drag before casually flicking the burnt-out cigarette away and lighting up another one. "I mean, there's a 70% chance she'll reject it, but hey, there's still a chance."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Seventy percent? That's more than half! And you're saying that like it's a good thing!"

Kevin just blew out a cloud of smoke, unbothered. "It's all about taking risks, man. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But if you don't try, you'll never know."

Aaron, meanwhile, stood there with a wild, determined look in his eyes, seemingly unaffected by the reality check I was trying to give him. The guy was in too deep to back out now, no matter how crazy his plan seemed.

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Veronica POV:-

"Come, let me show you around," the blonde girl chirped, her eyes sparkling with excitement—or at least that's how it seemed.

Beside me, Iris, the red-haired girl who'd become my only friend here, stood up reluctantly.

Neither of us were keen on socializing, but the group of blondes seemed overly eager to drag us along.

Iris and I exchanged glances, both of us hesitant. The group, led by the blonde girl—Kenthyia, I recalled—seemed intent on befriending us.

Her brother, another blonde, kept inching closer to me, his gaze unnerving. The group consisted of three girls and two boys, all of whom seemed to be upperclassmen.

As we walked, I felt their gazes on me, scrutinizing every move. My unease grew, and I quickened my pace, grabbing Iris's arm.

I wanted to keep my distance, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the boy I saw earlier.

There hadn't been any introductions in class, and I still didn't know his name. I sighed inwardly as we all came to a stop, my mind racing with the thought of him.

We stopped in a narrow alley, the group closing in around us. A wave of suspicion washed over me as I noticed the strange behavior.

Their smiles—once seemingly friendly—had twisted into something far more unsettling.

Iris was talking to Kenthyia, but the conversation quickly grew tense. I could see their exchange turning heated, and before I could react, Kenthyia shoved Iris, sending her crashing to the ground. I rushed to help her up, my heart pounding in my chest.

Before we could even regain our footing, one of the group members shouted, "Grab them, everyone!"

As I stood there, clutching Iris's arm, I saw a boy from the group grab a metal pipe, his eyes locked on her. Instinctively, Iris conjured an ice spear, ready to defend herself. But before anything could escalate further, a sharp whistle pierced the air. My heart skipped a beat as I looked toward the source.

It was him.

Walking slowly towards us, his pale blonde hair falling over his face, emerald eyes glaring with a mix of amusement and authority, was the boy I'd noticed earlier.

Beside him was another boy I recognized from class—an officer of the Disciplinary Committee. The officer spoke first, his tone cold and authoritative, "Use of magic without initiating a duel."

The air shifted as panic spread through the group that had cornered us. The blonde-haired girl who had been leading the charge quickly tried to turn the situation around. "Yes, DC officer! They were the ones trying to hit us!" she lied, her voice tinged with desperation.

Iris, still in my arms, spat back angrily, "It was self-defense! They attacked us first!" The officer nodded, seemingly unconvinced, but the blonde boy next to him—the one with the wide, unsettling grin—seemed to be enjoying the chaos. His gaze fixed on me, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment.

"What's your call, Arthur?" the blonde boy said, his grin widening as he addressed the officer. "I think they disrupted our meal."

His gaze was unwavering, locked onto me with an intensity that made my heart race. I looked down, trying to avoid his eyes, but there was something strangely comforting in the way he watched me—like a child finding a toy he didn't want to lose.

The group that had surrounded us began to scatter, running away in fear. The officer, Arthur, did nothing to stop them. Iris, frustrated, turned to him, "Why did you let them go?" she demanded.

Arthur remained calm, his bond—a small fox perched on his head—gazed at us indifferently. Before Arthur could respond, the blonde boy—Lucas, as I'd come to learn—spoke up, his voice cutting through the tension, "You know their names, right?"

Iris nodded. "Then tell him everything that happened," Lucas said, pointing to Arthur.

Still in my arms, Iris hesitated before nodding and moving toward Arthur to recount the incident. As she walked away, Lucas stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm. My heart was pounding, every beat echoing in my ears.

He squatted down, his elven ears now visible and a deep shade of red. It was then that I wondered—was he okay?

He sighed softly before looking up at me with a piercing gaze. "So, what's your name?" he asked, his voice softer now but still carrying that edge.

"Veronica De Sade," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, repeating my name under his breath as if committing it to memory. Then, he stood up, his eyes still fixed on mine. "I'm Lucas Wykes," he said.

So, his name was Lucas. Finally, I knew his name. And as it sank in, I realized something else—Lucas was from the Wykes family, the family that had been supporting my father's conquest against the Xaviers.

Lucas stood up, his eyes still fixed on me as he took a few steps closer. "So, what are you—a conjurer or an augmenter?" he asked, his voice calm yet probing.

As he approached, I instinctively backed away, my heart pounding in my chest. I tried to keep some distance between us, my gaze darting around nervously. I could feel my face growing warmer with every step he took. Embarrassment gnawed at me, making it hard to keep my composure.

"I—I'm a scholar mage," I stammered, my voice faltering as I glanced around, trying to avoid his gaze.

Every time I looked up, there he was, still staring at me with that wide, unsettling smile. His eyes seemed to take in every detail, making me feel even more flustered.

"I see," he said, nodding as if he had just confirmed a theory. "Judging by your uniform, that makes sense."

I kept my head down, pretending to focus on something—anything—other than him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Iris looking at me with concern, her worry evident in the way she furrowed her brow.

Arthur, on the other hand, seemed amused by the situation, a chuckle escaping his lips as he continued jotting down notes from Iris's account.

What the hell is happening? I thought, my mind racing. Why is he walking towards me??

As Lucas continued to close the distance between us, I suddenly felt the cold, hard surface of a wall press against my back. I was cornered. My breathing quickened as I realized I had nowhere else to go.

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(A/N :- Fuck you all, first I thought of wrapping this up in one. But now I don't think so.😈😂)

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