Chapter 38 - Zeph is Thalia's Husband

<Alora's POV>

The Valeria Academy classroom was buzzing with activity as students settled into their seats. I had my eyes set on a particular figure—the boy named Zeph. From what I had observed, he was anything but ordinary.

I decided to make my move. Slowly, I walked towards his desk, trying to appear as innocent as possible. As I got closer, I cleared my throat gently, getting his attention.

"Hello there," I greeted with a friendly smile. "You're Zeph, right?"

Zeph looked up from his desk, his expression slightly surprised but wary. "Yeah, that's me. And you are?"

"Alora Vi Vendal," I replied, introducing myself with a curtsy. "I couldn't help but notice how confidently you answered the professor's question earlier, even if it turned out to be wrong. That takes courage."

Zeph raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "You noticed that, huh? Well, sometimes you've got to take a shot, even if you miss."

I giggled softly. "That's a good attitude to have. You know, I appreciate people who aren't afraid to speak up. It's important to be confident in oneself."

Zeph shrugged, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Confidence, huh? Well, I've always believed in learning by doing."

As we were chatting, I glanced toward Thalia, another girl in the classroom. "Hey, I was thinking, we could grab something to eat in the canteen or, you know, we all can go together." I looked back at Zeph. "What do you say, Zeph? Friends?"

Zeph's cautious expression seemed to soften, and he extended his hand towards me. "Friends, then."

As I shook his hands I saw the Thalia girl is frowning, may be she is his girlfriend, Like it matters to me.

.

.

"Wow, the canteen is really big," I remarked as I glanced toward Zeph, trying to engage him in conversation. I couldn't afford to be careless around him. Zeph, however, only nodded, offering a non-committal response, which left me slightly puzzled.

I had some doubts I needed to clear. Thalia, the girl who seemed wary of me for some reason, remained a mystery. I didn't even know her ability. Building trust was my priority.

"Sure, let's go sit over there," Zeph finally spoke up, pointing towards a table where a girl named Hedrian was sitting. Whispers had reached my ears, indicating that Zeph might have a crush on her. The situation seemed intriguing.

As we approached Hedrian, I decided to strike up a conversation with her as well. "Can we sit here?" I asked, hoping to make some progress with these two. Hedrian, with her cold demeanor, merely nodded in response.

"Thank you. I'm Alora," I introduced myself to her. She reciprocated with a brief introduction, "Valeriana."

I turned to Zeph, aiming to learn more about him. "So, Zeph, I meant to ask, how did you come up with your answer so swiftly?" I inquired, feigning interest. In reality, I needed to gather information about his abilities. Injecting a Grim worm required caution. If his ability was related to detection or surveillance, I couldn't afford to be reckless and risk exposure.

"It just happened," Zeph replied with a casual shrug, further reinforcing my impression of him as a somewhat pretentious person.

Turning my attention to Thalia, I seized the opportunity to gather more information. "Oh, yes, Thalia, right? So, are you and Zeph friends or more like acquaintances?" I inquired, trying to sound friendly and curious.

Thalia's response, however, took me by surprise. "He is my husband," she stated matter-of-factly. I noticed Hedrian, the girl at the table with us, choking on her porridge in response to Thalia's revelation.

Her wide-eyed surprise hinted at an unexpected crush on Zeph, completely unbeknownst to her. This twist in the situation Piqued my interest.

"are you all right" I saw zeph giving her tissue don't know why but he seemed afraid ?, but if what? and then he looked towards Thalia and then towards me, its really confusing what's he is even thinking.