"L-l-l-l-lady Seraphina!!!!!" Sophia gasped, her complexion pale and her eyes wide as saucers as they darted frantically between Seraphina’s stomach and her face. Her hands flew to her cheeks, trembling uncontrollably.

Seraphina could see her soul leaving her body, a sight that produced a satisfied smile on her face.

"Do not tell anyone yet," she whispered as she rose from the bed, stretching her arms above her head with a leisurely yawn.

After casually dropping the bomb, she went to the bathroom, leaving the poor girl frozen beside the bed, still processing the earth-shattering revelation.

---

"Agh... I suddenly felt chills running through my body," Vlad gasped as he came out of the bathroom after a bath, ruffling his damp hair with a towel. The droplets scattered across his shoulders. "Guess the winter is really coming."

His eyes moved to the window, from where a cold breeze was entering inside, making the glass pane vibrate softly in its frame. The chill brushed against his skin, raising goosebumps.

He grabbed his phone from the bed and checked the timetable. There was an unread message from the academy. He tapped the inbox. It mentioned that he had been assigned to B Section for all the lectures of Professor Victor.

"There is no class for B Section today," Vlad murmured, scrolling through the timetable. He had only one class, Elemental Studies, but he no longer needed to attend it since Camille would be helping the students form their cores, and he had already formed his. "So no classes for today."

His eyes turned to Noah, who was sleeping on his stomach in a vest and shorts on his bed, his silver hair splayed across the pillow.

"Noah, want to hit the gym?" Vlad asked.

No response came. He called him three more times and eventually gave up, shaking his head at the sleeping figure.

"Should I ask Max?" He called him.

"Sorry, Vlad, I am currently in class. Maybe later," Max answered in a low tone before immediately ending the call, the line going dead with a click.

Vlad released a sigh, grabbed his gym bag, and went to the gym alone, the strap settling over his shoulder.

With Roman as his trainer, he spent the entire morning in the gym in an intense workout. The weight he lifted had increased by almost fifty percent from the previous day, leaving both Roman and the other students in the gym with exasperated expressions. Their jaws hung open as they watched him push through set after set. His strength had increased after forming the core, not to mention he had not been going all out the previous day, doubting Roman’s ability to help him with the support.

Thud!

The deadlift bar fell on the rubber floor with a heavy thud, the impact reverberating through the gym. Vlad stood before it with a support belt, breathing heavily. His hair was damp, clinging to his skin, his chest rising and falling from exhaustion. He had pushed himself to the absolute limits; even standing still was causing muscle cramps to ripple across his entire body.

"Finally..." Roman released a tired sigh, sweat trickling down his forehead. He leaned against the nearest machine, wiping his brow. "Helping you with the workout is even more intense than doing my own. I have not seen anyone crazier than you."

Vlad removed the belt from his waist with a click and said, his voice heavy with fatigue, "Thank you for the support, Mr. Roman."

It had only been five hours since he had entered the gym. He would have spent more time here if he did not have a prior engagement. Naturally, he did not reveal those thoughts to Roman, or he would have started whimpering again about how Vlad had scammed him.

After the workout, Vlad went to the cafeteria, filled himself to the brim with a hearty meal, and then reached the towering wooden doors of the main building through which he had first entered the academy. The doors loomed before him, ancient and imposing.

"I am twenty minutes early," he murmured, glancing at the time on his phone. The screen read 2:39. His date—ahem, his one-on-one meeting with the President—was scheduled for three pm. He leaned against the outside wall of the building, his arms folded, one foot resting against the stone as he closed his eyes. The cool breeze brushed against his still-warm skin.

Only a moment had passed when he felt something tickling his hair. He slowly opened his eyes, finding Seraphina’s serene face before him, looking at him with a warm smile, her hand placed gently over his head. Her pink eyes sparkled with amusement.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice even.

"Is that how you greet elders in the village, commoner?" she asked, her brows furrowing in mock offense.

"Good evening, Sera. May I ask what you are doing with my hair?" he asked, releasing a sigh.

An immediate blush spread across her cheeks at the name. "I was just fixing them," she muttered, clearly embarrassed. Her tone turned low as she continued, removing her hand from his head, "What did I tell you about not addressing me informally in front of anyone?"

"There is no one her—"

"SERA???????" A loud gasp echoed from behind Seraphina. She closed her eyes, her hand reaching her forehead in a facepalm as Sophia popped out from behind her, her emerald eyes wide with shock.

"Lady Seraphina, you never allowed me to address you informally even though we have known each other for a whole year, yet he is already calling you by nicknames?" she demanded, glaring at Vlad with puffed cheeks, her hands planted on her hips.

"Oh, good evening, Senior Sophia. Did not see you there," Vlad chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. ’Crap! She heard me calling her Sera. I should clear the misunderstanding as quickly as possi—’

"We have known each other for ten years," Seraphina said, answering Sophia’s question with calm finality.

"B-but we are best friends! I even gave you my favourite plushie," Sophia countered, feeling utterly betrayed, her emerald eyes trembling behind her round glasses. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout.

"And he gave me something far more precious," Seraphina said, touching her belly with a gentle, deliberate gesture.

Sophia had no counter to that. Her lips parted, but no words came out, her hands trembling at her sides.

"What’s going on?" Vlad said, completely confused, his gaze darting between the two women. "Am I missing something?"