QT: Against My Will-Chapter 529 - 8.46 - The Irony - Monster Heist

Elera couldn’t help but notice the way Nathaniel moved in the same direction as her. He made his way through the crowd with practiced ease, his tall frame cutting through the throng like a hot knife through butter.

Nathaniel followed Elera’s gaze towards Shina and Victor, who was serving food to a new batch of soldiers, "Do you know something about Shina Night?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Elera hesitated before responding, not wanting to reveal too much. "No, not really, but Victor’s sudden interest in her, and now you asking about her is making me wonder if there’s going to be a love triangle between you all."

Nathaniel made his way to the food table and grabbed a steel plate, "Jumping to conclusions already, Elera? I didn’t realize you were so eager to see me in a love triangle," he joked, raising an eyebrow.

Elera laughed awkwardly, his abrupt wits and sense of humor always caught her off guard. "It’s just my imagination running wild," she chose her words carefully. "In books, it’s not uncommon for the male lead and the second male lead to compete for the affections of the female lead...and Shina Night looks like a perfect candidate for a female lead."

"I don’t know what kind of books you’re into, Elera, but I’m suddenly glad that my reading material doesn’t involve such entanglements," he said. He couldn’t see Shina’s face, but he could feel the energy around her, the way the air seemed to hum with excitement and anticipation.

"I’ll save you a seat at the table," said Elera in a hurry. There was an undeniable air of kindness about Nathaniel like he genuinely cared about those he interacted with, but there was something about his demeanor that was simultaneously chilling.

Nathaniel made his way to the line and soon found himself standing in front of Shina. As he held out his plate, Shina gave him a smaller portion of a stew than the other soldiers. "Is there something I did to offend you?" he asked.

"I was actually thinking about inviting you for a late snack after my shift," Shina said smoothly, motioning for him to make some space for the next soldier in line, "And I didn’t want you to be too full to enjoy it," she added.

For a moment, Nathaniel’s heart skipped a beat. Despite his usual reserved nature, a sense of elation filled him up from head to toe, ’Oh lord, she is already flirting with me.’

Without thinking, Victor’s tall body leaned over the counter, plopping a spoonful of stew onto Nathaniel’s plate, "Don’t mind her, Nathaniel. She’s always stingy with the portions," he said, before turning to give Shina a smirk. Making a move on the male lead already, huh?

Nathaniel’s gaze flicked toward Victor as he felt a twinge of irritation in his heart. But before he could dwell on the thought any longer, the line of soldiers began to move forward, and he found himself shuffling forward with the rest of them. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

A soldier accidentally bumped into Nathaniel and the sudden jolt caused his plate to slip from his hands and crash onto the floor, sending bits of food flying in all directions.

The soldier stammered out an apology, his face turning red with embarrassment as he began to clean up the mess. He looked at his ankle in confusion, swearing something cold had just poked it.

Nathaniel glanced down at his soiled uniform, noticing bits of food clinging to the fabric.

"I suppose you’ll have to take upon my late-night snack offer now," he heard Shina’s voice, causing him to turn around to face her. She almost sounded like it was her doing.

Nathaniel reached up and began unbuttoning his jacket, his fingers moving with practiced ease.

He slipped the jacket off his shoulders and flipped it over his left arm, revealing a black undershirt beneath. "As tempting as your offer is, I’m afraid I’m too hungry to wait for a late-night snack. But perhaps, Victor could take over your shift, and you could join me for an early dinner?"

Shina swiftly hopped off the counter and grabbed a clean plate before dishing out some of the stew for herself. She then handed the spoon to Victor, "Would you mind taking over my shift instead of being a third wheel, please? I’d really appreciate it."

"..." Victor raised his hand in a choking gesture, his grip tightening for a moment before he relaxed, "Come back soon," he said before snatching the spoon from her.

Lu Kai’s jaw tightened in response. He couldn’t believe that he was now on the receiving end of the possessiveness and jealousy that he was so used to dishing out.

His immense self-control, while typically beneficial, ultimately backfired on him. By refusing to let his feelings consume him, he was missing opportunities to connect with her characters on a deeper level.

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Sitting next to Nathaniel, Bing Shi dug into her pocket, pulling out a few packs of custom-made chocolate, which Alain had given her earlier. "Are you not going to eat?" she asked, gesturing toward the thick book on magic lying open in front of Elera, who was sitting opposite them.

"I’ve already eaten." Elera looked up from her book, eyeing the chocolate which was being offered to her, "No thank you." She really needed a system that would tell her if the food and drinks she consumed were poisoned or not. "I can’t help but wonder, why are you so invested in helping me?"

"I’m invested in helping you because you are Elera Mai, the acclaimed fashion designer of the century," Bing Shi smiled, tucking the chocolate back into her pocket. "I’ve read so much about you and your talent. You could say I’m your biggest fan. It’s a shame you had to join the military, really."

Elera sighed, so that’s why the female was so eager whenever she saw her, "Yeah, well, we have no choice in the matter."

Even during the time she was with Victor, Silvia had never focused on her, ’This whole time, was it because of my talent as a fashion designer?!’

She didn’t know how nobody could see Silvia’s acting when it was clear as day that she was a green tea bitch. Now that she was having a first-hand experience, she was confused as well!

Bing Shi took off her mask. She lifted the spoon to her lips, tasting the irony of the situation. Her scars, once a source of shame and hatred, were now honored as a symbol of her strength and resilience.

Nathaniel studied her with a sharp side-eye, his expression unreadable as he observed her eating the meal, "I must admit, I was impressed by your attempted display of bravado at the graduation," he said, his tone flat and devoid of emotion, "But let’s not mistake that for a sign of weakness on my part. I won’t hesitate to put you in your place if you step out of line again."

Shina raised an eyebrow and paused her eating for a moment, looking up at Nathaniel, "Aww, I’m so sorry," she said, her voice honeyed with insincerity, "Poor you. You almost got your shirt dirty," she continued, her tone playful yet tinged with a hint of danger, "And I almost..."

She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. The unspoken memory of how he had killed Silvia hung in the air between them, "I understand the consequences of crossing you, Nathaniel. More than anyone in this hall. After all, I felt it firsthand," she said, taking her last bite, "Let’s hope we can avoid any accidents in the future, hmm?"

Nathaniel’s hand stilled as he poured water into his cup, looking away from her, "Were you considering replacing your burn scars with frostbites when you tried to provoke me?" he asked bluntly. "You knew the risks, after all."

Shina couldn’t help but chuckle at Nathaniel’s question. "I don’t think I’m ready to be mistaken for an ice queen just yet. I love my burn scars."

Her look became more bearable when she reminded herself of the time when she would create the uggliest characters within some games, purely for her own entertainment.

The tension between the two was hard to miss, a living thing that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The other soldiers in the dining hall could feel it, an energy that crackled and hummed in the air.