I unintentionally stepped back out of fear of being gobbled up by this cougar.

"I take it you are Sir Matthew Pier Salinin, am I correct?"

"Huh?"

Eclair did not speak a single word.

More importantly, that voice was completely different. It sounded like a young man’s voice.

"Ahem. I am over here, young man."

I lowered my gaze.

Standing near the door was a young dwarf barely tall enough to reach the handle while tiptoeing. At first glance, he hardly resembled one at all. The usual dwarven traits, such as the bulky frame, rough features, and heavily tanned skin were almost nonexistent.

Instead, he possessed a surprisingly slim build and fair complexion. His face looked youthful and refined, almost human.

Almost.

Because his eyes gave it away immediately.

Those unmistakable amber gemlike eyes. A trait commonly found among dwarven bloodlines. He is most likely a mixed-blood between a human and a dwarf.

The moment I noticed that detail, my body stiffened slightly.

"I apologize for the rudeness I showed earlier, Vice Headmaster Shine."

"Oh? Someone with proper manners." The dwarf raised a brow in amusement.

"Good. At least you are not like those slit-eyed, mannerless godlike wannabes that arrived earlier."

"Shine dear, watch your mouth. The dinner came all the way here just to get eaten. You will ruin my appetite." Eclair sighed lazily from behind him.

"Gulp."

"Dear author of The Golden Weaver’s Apprentice, why in God’s name would you make an openly predatory woman the headmaster of one of the largest academies in your narrative?" I screamed internally.

Eclair slowly stood up from her seat, letting the thin shawl around her shoulders slip onto the floor carelessly as she walked toward me without breaking eye contact.

Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and pulled me further inside.

"Come now. No need to stand near the door like a frightened rabbit."

She guided me toward the nearest bench. The entire time, her fingers kept brushing against my shoulders and arms with shameless familiarity. Her perfume lingered heavily in the air around her.

Inside my head, I immediately began chanting desperately.

Pimple popping asmr. Funny memes. Old grandpas fishing. Moldy bread. The mating habits of sea cucumbers.

"Shine, close the door and leave us to brew some tea."

"Understood."

The vice headmaster gave me one deeply sympathetic look before shutting the door behind him.

Traitor.

I think I finally understood how Professor Zmey felt when I abandoned her earlier.I really should apologize to her later.

"Hah..."

I released a slow breath, trying to calm my nerves before my heart exploded from sheer stress.

I forced myself to look back up at Eclair in an attempt to break this unbearably awkward atmosphere.

"BOING....."

"!?"

Huge mistake.

The moment I raised my head, my vision was greeted by only half of her face. The other half had been completely eclipsed by the absurd weight pressing against the front of her uniform as she leaned closer toward me.

My brain stopped functioning for a full second.

Then survival instincts kicked in.

I immediately snapped my gaze downward and crossed my legs tighter in a desperate attempt to conceal the very natural betrayal currently taking place within my lower body.

Unfortunately, Eclair noticed immediately. The corners of her lips curled upward slightly and without warning, she sat directly beside me.

"Far too close! Woman, you need to chill down." I internally screamed.

Her slim arm reached behind the back of the bench.

I immediately scooted away to the opposite side of the bench.

Inside my mind, the chant resumed with even greater intensity.

"Baby shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo. Baby shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo."

"Two plus two is four, minus one that’s three, quick maths."

I was willingly lobotomizing myself with memes from my previous world just to somehow remain sane through this situation.

Strangely enough, it was working.

The door suddenly opened.

Vice Headmaster Shine walked back inside, carrying a silver tray. He placed one cup carefully in front of me before setting the other on the opposite side of the table.

"I shall give you privacy. Please call for me if you require anything, Madam Eclair." He said, already standing beside the exit before he even finished speaking.

"Tsk. Fun over, I guess."

Eclair lazily waved her hand dismissively.

Shine immediately left the room.

The atmosphere changed almost instantly after the door closed. The teasing expression on Eclair’s face softened slightly as she finally moved away and sat properly on the opposite side of the bench, crossing one leg over the other.

"So," she began while lifting her teacup, "which questions are you going to ask me?"

"I would like to know what happened after we escaped... though I think it would be better to ask generally what happened afterward."

"Do not worry." She took a small sip.

"I already know Solaris told you about the secret the kingdom is trying so desperately to hide."

My shoulders instinctively stiffened.

"I understand you wish to cover for her, though frankly, I do not care one bit."

"The aberrants attacked us and chose Exellia as their target. Nothing more, nothing less."

"So she would not mention the Price of Sinners candidate." I quietly noted that in my head.

"After your rather valiant escape, the academy entered full quarantine. Many influential figures arrived demanding answers regarding the safety of their sons and daughters." She sighed tiredly.

"Honestly, they were irritating enough that I briefly considered reducing them to ash where they stood."

"Considering her personality, I fully believed she was not joking." I thought, as I enjoyed a bit of the tea as well.

"Thankfully, Maku, Solaris, and Waffel publicly stated that the academy’s intervention was the reason the students survived the attack. That calmed most of the outrage."

She rested her cheek against one hand.

"However, when further questioned, every single victim involved in the kidnapping incident refused to provide details. They insisted they would only speak after all involved parties regained consciousness."

Alright.

So far things were still aligned with the original novel.

Originally, Finster was supposed to be the one heavily injured during the incident. Solaris used that time to coordinate everyone’s alibis and prepare what they would tell the inquisitors.

This time, I was the last one to wake up instead.

Meaning everyone had simply been waiting for me.

I nodded quietly while listening.

"Oh, right. It appears your family has arrived and is insisting on seeing you," Eclair suddenly added casually.

"...Family?" I blinked in confusion.

"How? I thought non students were forbidden from entering academy grounds." I asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Eclair raised a brow. "You are cousins. Surely you know her better than I do."

A terrible feeling immediately formed in my stomach.

"That girl has been pestering me nonstop," Eclair continued with visible annoyance.

"Even during my personal time. She requested permission to move you outside the academy hospital and seek treatment elsewhere."

"Naturally, since your condition stabilized already, we rejected the suggestion."

"She?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Oh no.

No no no no.

Do not tell me....

Judging from my expression, Eclair immediately understood.

"So you realized who it is."

I felt my headache returning instantly.

She stood up from her seat and stretched lightly before walking back toward her desk.

"I would have liked to indulge in your company longer, though your awakening came at an unfortunate time," she said with exaggerated disappointment

"Shine," she called.

The door opened almost immediately.

"Escort Student Salinin back to his dormitory. I still have a scheduled call with His Majesty within thirty minutes."

Shine stepped inside and bowed politely.

"Please follow me, Student Salinin."

I quickly stood up and gave Eclair a respectful farewell.

She merely responded with the same lazy shooing gesture she used earlier.

Just as I was about to leave through the doorway, she suddenly spoke again.

"Oh yes. I saved my number into your phone already, so contact me if you ever need anything."

"...What?"

Confused, I immediately pulled out my phone and opened the contacts.

Sure enough.

Right there at the very top.

Eclair ❤

Marked as favorite.

And somehow, impossibly, the contact cover photo was literally just a close-up picture of her cleavage.

My eye twitched violently.

This cougar... when did she even do this?

Trying to accuse the headmaster of shameless harassment in front of her loyal subordinate sounded less like bravery and more like a suicide invitation.

So instead, I silently locked my phone and accepted defeat.

"Please follow me, Student Salinin."

Shine began walking down the hallway with small but surprisingly fast steps. I quickly followed behind him.

The academy halls were far quieter compared to before the attack. Guards could occasionally be seen stationed near intersections while several professors whispered among themselves with tense expressions.

Looks like the atmosphere still has not fully settled.

The rest of the walk passed quietly after that.

Eventually, we arrived in front of my dormitory building.

"I shall leave you here."

"Thank you for escorting me."

Shine gave a polite nod before turning around and leaving down the corridor.

The moment he disappeared from sight, I released a long exhausted sigh.

"Hah..."

Today alone felt longer than several months combined.

Cougars.

Conspiracies.

Kingdom secrets.

Potential death.

And now apparently, mysterious family visits.

Eclair said ’she,’ so I wonder which one, though.

I rubbed my temples tiredly before finally opening the dorm door.

The moment I stepped inside, a rich savory smell immediately hit me.

The scent of freshly cooked food drifted through the room and almost made my soul ascend from happiness alone.

...Nagi must be cooking something.

Before I could even take another step, the kitchen door suddenly swung open dramatically.

Nagi appeared wearing a cat apron over her casual clothes while holding a ladle like a victorious commander.

"This time you definitely cannot escape me!" she declared smugly.

"After all, I brought the strongest backup possible!"

Another figure slowly stepped out from behind her.

Platinum hair flowed down her shoulders with countless blue highlights woven through it that resembled my own almost uncannily. Her sharp teal eyes landed on me immediately.

The moment I saw her face, my soul nearly left my body again.

She wore an apron too, but with dog designs

"I did not know you had such a courteous bunkmate, Matt. Why did you not mention this earlier?"

"Hah..."

I slowly lowered my head in defeat.

"My cousin. Kaye is teaming up with Nagi."

At that exact moment, Nagi proudly puffed out her chest beside her like she had just formed the most terrifying alliance in human history.

.....

She probably had, at least in my point of view.