Raine’s POV:

Tick... tick... tick...

The reddish sun was climbing slowly from the east when Raine reluctantly pulled herself out of sleep, roused by the irritating buzz of her alarm.

Almost on instinct, she slammed her hand down on it, nearly breaking the clock in the process.

For a second or two, she lay still, breathing slowly as her eyes surveyed the sparse room around her.

Since becoming a first-class student and moving to the Archive Hall, her living quarters had changed dramatically.

A comfortable bed, a spacious room, and a decent water supply. There was no heater, but she hadn’t complained about anything yet.

Despite the improvement, she lay staring into the distance as though something were missing. And something was, or rather, someone. Her maid.

Ren would have been the one to rouse her, never the clock, and would have had morning sweets ready the moment her eyes opened.

Now she had to cross the room and fetch them herself. The absence had already carved something out of her, and she hadn’t the faintest idea how to fix it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Slowly getting to her feet, she grabbed a few snacks, worked through her morning routine, and before long, it was already time for class.

’A day had already passed since the Citadel simulation, and I still can’t understand what Leomaris really was. I hadn’t even had the chance to speak to him.’

The moment she creaked her door open, she panicked, not out of fear but sheer shock. There, before her, was a familiar face.

Silver-blue hair and blue eyes, wearing the sort of cheerful expression that belonged to someone who had seen everything life had to offer and still chose to smile.

"How was your night, Raine?"

The moment Lucius opened his mouth, her frown dissolved into a soft smile.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I barely got enough rest after my night shift, but I’ll be fine for the day."

Lucius looked concerned.

"Are you still working at the café? Won’t that affect your studies?"

Raine shrugged lightly.

"It’s nothing. Still, thanks for worrying."

She shut the door behind her, and they began making their way to class almost at once. Not far into their journey, a question crossed her mind, and though she wavered, she managed to ask.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"What’s your take on Leomaris’s leadership during the test?"

Almost as if he’d been expecting the question, a knowing smile crossed Lucius’s face, and he spoke.

"It was flawless, wasn’t it? This was our first time working together as a team, and he brought out the best side of us, things we didn’t even know we could do."

That was precisely the point and precisely what troubled Raine.

Leomaris had made killing an Elite Lord of a Lesser Citadel feel like child’s play, and everything suggested that with him beside her, she could reach greater heights than she’d ever managed alone.

More than enough of a sign. More than enough hope that he could truly help her prevent her blindness. And still, she hadn’t told him a word about Emerald’s plan to kill him.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This left her with feelings she couldn’t process, and more daunting than any of it was the creeping sense that the reason she was getting closer to Lucius was that Leomaris never seemed to have time for her.

Seeing how quiet Raine had fallen, Lucius wasted no time drawing his conclusions and spoke without a second thought.

"I don’t know what he was like before joining his academy. Many people have a lot to say about how disgusting his behavior used to be."

He wore a soft smirk. "But I didn’t see that side of him. This is the Leomaris I know: the reliable and formidable type. He’s your fiancé, so you probably see him differently, but to me, he was incredible and a great rival to have."

Those words stirred something in Raine. She hadn’t known Leomaris until recently; engagement or not, she had only ever known him through rumor. So why did she still think so poorly of him? It was a question she had no answer for.

—

"I noticed a few shortcomings during your Citadel simulation, and we will be taking steps forward to improve."

At the Magic Combat practice arena, Instructor Mike stood at the centre of the field and gestured to the other end, where the first-year third-class cadets had gathered.

"The lower classes lack the courage and expertise of the upper classes. Today, we will hold a combat duel between first-class and third-class cadets. You may use your abilities, but any attack that risks critical injury will be penalized."

Stepping off the battlefield, Mike called out the first duel.

"Leomaris Runerth, first-class, and Pulp Swine, third-class."

Shoulder to shoulder, Raine and Lucius watched Leomaris pick up a wooden sword and take his place on the field. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Pulp, however, looked almost proud, as though being matched against Leomaris was precisely the opportunity he’d been after an agonizing snarl.

"What do you think, Raine? Pulp is a summoner, and I had a good look at his beast during the simulation test."

Lucius put the question forward, but Raine only offered a shrug in return.

Leomaris hadn’t really fought during the raid. He’d taken down a few creatures here and there while moving between the enemy lines, mostly passing out instructions. Raine found herself quietly eager to see what he could do against a beast familiar.

Pulp summoned his creature before long. A hulking, muscle-covered thing with jagged canines that protruded from its mouth and curled near its nose. It resembled a bull in many ways but stood upright on two legs, its torso almost human in appearance.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

’Hmph...’

She folded her arms and watched with quiet anticipation. When the duel commenced, Pulp’s familiar charged on command, fists wrapped in flame, and threw a strike.

Leomaris sidestepped it, but the beast immediately unleashed a dozen fireballs in his direction, all of which he avoided with what could only be described as inhuman reflexes.

And drawing on the sword technique that had earned him the title Apostle of Death, his sword tore through the air with such speed that even the beast couldn’t see it coming.

The wooden sword tore a massive wound across the beast’s chest, and the creature disappeared almost instantly after.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Pulp cursed. "What? He injured my beast, Instructor Mike!"

Mike didn’t pay Pulp any mind but declared instead Leomaris the winner. Then, finally added.

"I will not penalize anyone for injuring summons. Summoners must keep that in mind. This duel is also preparation for your real Citadel raid in three days."

As the duels pressed on, Raine found herself yearning for some kind of conclusion.

She wasn’t certain she would tell Leomaris about Emerald’s attempt on his life, not when he had killed her father, but she wanted to talk to him all the same.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

—

Class ended before long, and the moment the cadets were dismissed, Raine peeled away from Lucius’s side to catch Leomaris, but it was as though he had never existed.

He was already gone, and his butler was nowhere to be found either.

She grew slightly uneasy. But after cutting through the crowd more than a few times with nothing to show for it, it was obvious. Leomaris had either slipped out before the class ended or was somewhere she couldn’t reach him.

’Is he avoiding me?’

As she stood there lost in thought, a voice from behind caught her attention. She knew it sounded nothing like Leomaris, and yet she held onto a small hope all the same. It wasn’t him.

It was a cadet she had never seen before, which was enough to tell her it was likely an upperclassman.

"Calamity Will, the third-year cadet, has requested your presence."

Raine frowned. "Who’s that?"

"Calamity Will Steelmond."

She was displeased and annoyed, but outside the classroom, a Calamity held the same authority as an instructor, she couldn’t refuse. And deep down, she had a feeling this was going to make her day considerably worse.