Chapter 4

Tedros was caught off guard when he felt his chin knocked heavily by an unexpected force.

As he was speaking with a newfound friend who had declared himself to be his rival – to which Tedros certainly did not deem his classmate such (for how can one be considered a rival if they were not as strong as he was?) – he did not expect for someone to suddenly appear out of thin air, much less dash into his way. He clenched his jaw when he felt the stinging pain upon his chin, making him frown in annoyance at the culprit.

Don't they have eyes to watch where they're going?

Then his gaze landed upon a pair of pale jade eyes wide from both panic and shock. Tedros furrowed his brow, recognizing the individual to be the girl whom Espada had escorted a few days ago. She had her lips parted into an "o" while her wavy brown locks that reached to her waist were slightly disheveled. It took a short while for her milky cheeks to become pale as she realized what had happened, and before the young man could say anything, the person beside him spoke.

"Milady?" Chaddick asked, making the girl's sight shift to the owner of the voice.

Tedros did not think that her already big eyes could have widened even more, but it did.

"Oh!" The girl gasped as she stepped back from the young man, increasing their distance. "My apologies! I didn't mean to crash into you," she exclaimed as she fretted while assessing his body for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

Tedros gave a polite smile. "No, not at all." He said, trying to ignore the slight sting from his chin. He figured her forehead was as sturdy as a rock, but he couldn't say that to a lady.

The visibly worried girl released a relieved sigh. "I'm glad." Her lips slowly curved to mirror his smile, albeit softer and much more gentle. "I'll make sure to be careful next time. Again, I'd like to apologize." her pale cheeks tinted a rosy pink as she looked down in embarrassment. Tedros, having felt the sincerity of the girl's words, made his smile more genuine. As he observed the girl in front of him better, only then did he realize that she was wearing a nightgown, making him raise an eyebrow in question.

The young man considered that before saying anything, it would be more appropriate to introduce himself first. However, just when he was about to lift his hand for a handshake, Chaddick stepped in front and placed his blue coat that was previously tied on his hips upon the girl's bare shoulders, making the girl stiffen slightly from the action.

"A maiden as pretty as you shouldn't be running outside with only your nightwear, Milady." The boy remarked, making the girl laugh nervously in response.,

"Ah, yes." The girl smiled wider as a rosy blush tinted her pale cheeks. The young man observed how easily the girl's cheeks dyed with a healthy color, most probably due to her light complexion. Then, her pale jade orbs shifted to the silent Tedros. "It's quite... complicated, to say the least." She murmured in a soft manner before looking back down.

That was once.

"I'm sure it is." Chaddick chuckled deeply. As his friend did, Tedros caught a big pair of orbs staring into his own before turning its gaze to a different direction as the girl's blush stained her cheeks a deeper shade of red.

That was twice.

"I'd be willing to listen, though. It's not every day you encounter a maiden in distress." Chaddick curved his lips into a slight grin. "Except for that one time..."

"Indeed," The girl laughed airily from the knowing tone of his voice as she fixed a stray chocolate lock behind her ear. "Well, if you would be willing to," she smiled softly as the young man once again saw her jade orbs meet his blue ones.

That was the third time.

At this point, the young man was sure of one thing.

Before they continued, Tedros' deep voice spoke.

"I'll go first, the bath is waiting." he excused himself as he nodded to the girl, who was absentmindedly fiddling with her fingertips. The young man smiled. "It's nice meeting you, Milady."

"Of course. It was nice meeting you as well," she replied softly, the pale pink flush never leaving her clear cheeks, making Tedros curve his lips into an inconspicuous smirk.

It seemed as though her rosy blush liked to betray her thoughts, he thought as he chuckled in amusement. The young man guessed that she was one of the more bashful types, which he found to be cute. It's unfortunate, though, that they usually end up being boring.

After nodding to the quiet girl, Tedros clasped Chaddick's hand and did a one-armed hug as a farewell before making his exit.

Tedros had always welcomed the female attention. However, there was nothing more that he wanted right now other than a good bath after a long, tiring day of one of Espada's many challenges.

After all, his fans can wait. That girl, who was the same as the others, could do just the same.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Layna wondered why she couldn't keep her eyes on Chaddick, as whenever she would try her best to do so, her stomach would feel as though it was filled with butterflies fluttering excitedly about. It was a strange feeling, one that she was very unfamiliar with. Thus, she resorted to making eye contact with the person beside him, giving her a short amount of time of comfort before pushing herself to meet Chaddick's gray orbs, which held an odd feeling of enchantment.

She tugged the ends of his coat that hung around her shoulders, protecting her from the cold. Now that the other person was gone, the mixture of nervousness and excitement made the erratic beats of her heart more evident.

"Where are you headed to anyway, Milady? It's already late." Chaddick asked curiously as Layna fixed another stray lock of her hair.

"Right! I was about to go to my room after using the Groom Rooms, but then I ran into you and your friend."

"Yeah, literally," Chaddick said amusedly, making the girl laugh as she shyly looked down. The creeping feeling of embarrassment from showing improper behavior since she had met him made her want to hide as she tugged on his warm coat once more.

"Unfortunately so."

"I wouldn't call it unfortunate, though," Chaddick grinned. "Encountering a future queen is always a pleasure."

Layna smiled gently as her eyes focused on the young man in front of her. Then, the words flew out of her mouth before she could fully process what she was about to say.

"And it's always a pleasure to encounter a future king."

The second after she said that, Layna stilled. What did her words mean? It could not be that she was flirting, right? It was only an innocent response to the young man's compliment. She had never experienced romance before. As such, she did not know if her words were meant for coquetry or a mere return of a flattering remark. However, even though she tried to convince herself that it was nothing more but an innocent compliment, she could no help but feel as though her words meant more than she believed them to be.

Before she panicked further, Chaddick heartily laughed.

"You have a good eye, Milady!" He grinned brightly as the young man offered her an arm. "As a training gentleman, it is against my good morals to leave you alone. Let me escort you to your room. Espada said I'll be needing practice anyway."

Layna hummed and pretended to think about it further, successfully widening his bright grin.

"Hmm, I'm sure a little bit of practice will do you well," the girl nodded softly as she linked a delicate arm around his warm flesh, which she oddly became aware of. Ignoring the strange feeling in her chest, she looked up at the young man to match his mischievous grin, "Boys need training to become a proper prince, yes?"

Chaddick raised an eyebrow teasingly. "You mean a proper king, correct?"

"Oh, you." Layna's lips curved into a smile as her eyes shone with evident mirth. "I guess we will see the answer to that." Then, she took a step forward, prompting her partner to begin escorting her down the hall. Chaddick laughed in amusement as he looked at the small female.

"You can't take back your words, Milady. But as a 'future king,' just like you said, I'll let you go this once." He joked playfully, making her gentle laughter echo throughout the hall as they walked with arms linked.

Although evening had already fallen, the gentle glow of the corridor's iridescence helped the pair navigate their way in the dark. Animated conversation filled the silence along with occasional light-hearted laughter as Layna led Chaddick to her dorm room, which was located on the second floor of Purity tower.

Along the way, they encountered a fairy on patrol. Layna looked wearily at the small creature, expecting it to communicate its dissatisfaction with the pair, particularly regarding the matter of late curfew. Recalling how she had been bitten, dragged, and kicked by a certain small creature, the girl tensed when the fairy looked their way. Her rising anxiety was replaced with confusion when it only took a glance no longer than a second before fluttering away, leaving the pair to their own devices.

Chaddick, noticing the girl's strangeness, halted from speaking. After Layna narrated her very unexpected trip to the Groom Rooms, the topic of the conversation shifted to Espada's long mustache, which she took much delight in. His partner suddenly going tense and silent from being jovial and giggly had made him question his words.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Layna blinked slowly, her gaze lingering on the small creature. "I thought we were in trouble."

The young man became befuddled. "With what?"

"Curfew." Layna frowned as she remembered the unpleasant memory from earlier. She looked around them before returning her gaze to her partner. "Are we not out too late?"

"You don't need to worry about that, princess." Chaddick smiled. "There's no curfew, as far as I know. Espada would have told us about that."

Layna's brows furrowed.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Chaddick nodded. "Some of the guys trained the other night and made it out unscathed. And as an honorable gentleman, Milady, I only speak of words that are true."

A gentle smile graced her lips, thankful for the young man's silly attempt to soothe her, which he had done so successfully. Returning to their conversation, Layna cannot help but muse about his words at the back of her mind as they walk. If there was no curfew, then why did the fairy from earlier bite her? And why was she brought to the Groom Rooms? Even though she was brought to what every girl would deem as paradise on land with good intentions, she did not believe that she had been brought to such a place randomly and without reason.

Feeling her head throb with a dull ache, she decided to think about it another time.

Aside from the momentary confusion, the trip had been so wonderful that Layna found herself wishing that time passed a little bit slower. She enjoyed the young man's presence, entertained by his delightful stories. In addition, she learned more about Chaddick from the little time that they spent together – from his playful disposition that balanced his respectful demeanor to the way how his gray orbs shined brightly whenever he grinned, she always found herself laughing at his jokes and inevitably charmed with his very being. When they passed by a mural that depicted the blooming romance between a prince and a princess, Layna pretended not to see it as she calmed her rapid heartbeats. Thankfully, her partner did not notice – or if he did, he did not say anything about it.

However, all good things must come to an end.

All too soon, the pair arrived in front of Layna's dorm room as their conversation reached its resolution, much to her dismay. The gentle glow of the iridescent pink walls illuminated her delicate features as she separated her arm from his, frowning slightly from the strange feeling of loss.

Chaddick looked at her and smiled.

"I take it this is the lady's stop?"

Layna returned his warm grin with a gentle smile of her own, building enough courage to return his gaze.

"Indeed, it is," she said softly, glancing down for a moment to gather her courage before looking into his eyes once again. "I would like to express my gratitude for escorting me when it's already so late. And for your coat..." She was about to remove the thick cloth from her shoulders when suddenly, his hands covered her own, stopping her movements.

"Keep it."

Layna's brows furrowed in confusion. "Oh? But I couldn't possibly..!"

"What I meant was, keep it for now." He said softly as his gray orbs shone radiantly within the dim corridor. "It's cold. Milady can give the coat to me next time we meet."

Layna blinked slowly for a moment, taking her time to process his words. When she did, her lips curved into a sweet smile as she consciously fixed a stray lock behind a rosy ear.

Next time.

He said there will be a next time.

"I understand," she murmured as the same odd feeling of excitement started to spread within her chest, making her unable to think what she should say or do in front of the young man. Finding herself extremely conscious of how she looked, she opened the door quietly and hid behind the frame, somehow losing the courage to return his deep gaze.

"Well then, I'll make sure to return your coat," She said, her voice so soft it almost resembled a whisper. Chaddick nodded slightly.

"I'll be looking forward to it. Good night, Milady."

"Good night."

With that, he walked away. For the second time today, Layna's gaze lingered upon his retreating form before she closed the door of her room with a gentle click.

Next time cannot come soon enough.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

For the past few days, Layna spent the majority of her time within the Library of Virtue aiming to read every single fairy tale that was ever written. Albeit tedious and somewhat far-fetched, she believed that the earlier she could find a clue of who 'Chris' might be, the sooner she would be freed from her curse.

The girl sat on a comfortable couch pushed against the corner of the room with an organized pile of books from the fairy tales section. She flipped another page of 'The Ugly Duckling' when the tranquil silence was broken by the occasional muffled shouts of Professor Espada, much to a busy tortoise's annoyance. Layna smiled quietly at the familiar sound as she raised her sight from the book to the golden clock that was situated right above the grumbling reptile and realized that it was already past noon. She sighed lightly before closing the book and placed it on top of the neatly arranged pile. Layna felt tiredness overtake her body, wanting nothing more but to lie in bed and let sleep whisk her away to the dreams of a happily ever after – preferably one with a certain Ever boy.

Her eyes fluttered open at the thought.

The day after her last encounter with Chaddick, she washed the coat clean to ensure that the cloth was in perfect condition when she returned it. Growing up in an environment where chores were done by servants, Layna who was a princess had no experience in laundering. She was going to ask for a nymph's assistance in washing, however, the girl was afraid that they might ruin the young man's coat, despite having no knowledge of laundering herself. Another option was to clean the cloth with a basic spell – yet, the risk for damage would have been much greater as she had no background in magic. Thus, she performed the manual task herself, which she was fortunately able to complete with no issues.

Before she knew it, she stood in front of the ceiling-high windows of the library as she silently watched the Ever boys perform archery within the amphitheater. Eight boys were formed into a line, each holding a bow as they shot arrows at floating targets. She could vaguely make out the figure of Professor Espada from the distance observing the boys keenly with the eyes of a hawk. However, her eyes were not focused on the eight young men but on one individual who was making his way toward an unoccupied seat alongside another male.

Chaddick.

Layna didn't notice that her gaze trailed on his figure until she saw him glance her way. When he did, she felt the same odd feeling of butterflies fluttering about within her stomach.

Did he see her?

Without thinking, she raised her hand and waved gently as her lips slowly curved into a subconscious smile.

Then, his gaze continued away from where she was.

She froze momentarily before hiding her hand behind her as the bright expression on her face was replaced with one of slight dejection. 

Perhaps not.

Layna felt the sudden heat creep to her cheeks as the strangling feeling of embarrassment made her cast her gaze downwards. She took one glance at the young man and went back to her seat in the far corner of the library, her steps light and quick as if shame was hot on her heels.

Her only solace was that no one saw the mortifying scene –

Except for one.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Tedros once wondered if Tristan had been right about a ghost haunting the Library of Virtue.

For the past few days, he had seen a figure dressed in white, watching them from behind the same window, in the same place, yet at different times. Sometimes, it would be in the morning, other times it would be noon. Once it was nearing evening, and he could have sworn it disappeared within a blink of an eye.

For the first time in his life, Tedros considered the possibility of being haunted by a ghost, and he would have continued to believe the idea completely until today.

With a focused gaze, Tedros released his last arrow, its sharp tip dividing the previous arrow embedded at the center of the floating target that finally halted from moving, signaling his completion. After relaxing his body from the focused stance, he shrugged lightly as if he had only accomplished a minor task as the rambunctious cheers and shouts of his fellow Ever boys resounded within the spacious area. Although the activity has not concluded as of yet, everybody knew that his head would once again be adorned with a golden "1." From a distance, Professor Espada gave a pleased nod in acknowledgment before returning his attention to those who were still shooting, correcting their weak stances with his booming voice as he did.

As Tedros made his way to the seats, his shoulder was clasped by a certain self-proclaimed rival.

"Not too shabby, mate. Not too shabby," Chaddick remarked. "I'd say the shrug was too cocky for my taste, but aside from that, you're good."

Tedros gave him a haughty grin. "I know. Thanks," to which the other responded with a deep scoff.

"Show off," Chaddick murmured.

Tedros was about to respond when he turned his gaze to the library, subconsciously slowing his movements when he captured the sight.

The ghost was present, watching them still from afar.

His brows furrowed. Looking closer, he did his best to make out the details of the white apparition. Chaddick, who noticed his friend's strangeness, looked around to figure out what had captured Tedros's attention.

"What is it?"

Tedros wasn't able to reply as his lips parted in shock. He would have thought the scene to be a fool's imagination if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

The ghost waved.

At this moment, the clouds parted to reveal the gentle beams of the golden sun as the rays fell gracefully upon the Honor tower, illuminating the tall windows of the Library of Virtue. When it did, the feminine figure was elucidated, revealing how the apparition possessed especially delicate features. From where he stood, the boy could see how her wavy locks of chocolate brown hair reached her waist and how her milky skin was complimented by the white fabric of her flowy dress that made her seem like a specter from a far distance.

A trace of surprise flashed on his face when he finally recognized the identity of this individual.

It was the Ever girl from before.

But what was she doing there?

...Ah.

He chuckled at the sheer ridiculousness of it all when he recalled what had happened the other evening; how she ran into him accidentally (which he now doubted), how her rosy blush revealed her motives, and how her stolen glances could not escape his observant gaze.

Of course.

What else could a fangirl of his do but to watch?

Tedros shook his head and decided to entertain his fan. After all, she's been making quite an effort these past few days to watch him consistently. The least he could do was to acknowledge her presence.

With a sigh, the young man curved his lips into a smug grin and waved back.

"Either I'm blind or you're seeing things, mate. Could only be one of the two." Chaddick said as he shook his head in confusion. Tedros looked at him and shrugged.

"Can't blame me for having a better eyesight."

"What were you looking at?" Chaddick asked, evidently disturbed by losing to him once again in the matter of better vision.

Tedros turned his attention back to the library and smiled subconsciously in amusement when he saw her walk away in haste, almost as if she were making a swift escape. He must have guessed correctly the other evening when he believed how the girl was one of the more bashful types.

Cute.

"A ghost," Tedros chuckled deeply. "A really shy one."