"You can’t force him, Seraphina. He’s not your property."

Lucian let out a tired breath and pushed his chair back, standing between the two of them. As soon as he stood, he felt the pure heat radiating from Seraphina’s body. He looked down. Seraphina’s clenched fist had turned white at the knuckles, and thin, hot smoke was now rising from her skin into the air. Her magic was spiking with her unstable heart rate.

"Control your temperature, Seraphina," Elira said in a completely flat, cold tone. There wasn’t a single micro-expression of fear on her face. "Otherwise you’ll set this entire hall on fire, and poor Lucian’s meal will be ruined."

"You shut your mouth!" Seraphina turned and grabbed Lucian’s hand. "Lucian. Let’s get out of here. We’re leaving right now."

At the surrounding tables, everyone had stopped chewing. Only faint whispers were buzzing in the background.

"Look, Ashenblade and Frostveil are at it again..."

"...and that too over that Valemont boy?"

"Has Lucian got both of them hooked or what?"

"seinor, this guy is definitely getting wrecked today."

Elira turned her neck to look at Lucian. Her lips curved into a small smile again. "See? I told you—tension. Seraphina really needs to relax a bit, doesn’t she?" Saying this, she deliberately tightened her fingers even more on Lucian’s bicep, pressing her nails lightly into his clothes.

Seraphina’s gaze locked onto those pressed fingers of Elira’s. Her breathing became heavy, and the rise and fall of her chest quickened. The muscles in her jaw were completely taut. "Take. Your. Hand. Off."

Lucian let out a long, tired breath through his nose. His last remaining bit of energy was now completely drained. Without any expression, he stretched both his hands forward on the cold wooden table and sat down, pulling the chair back. He could clearly feel that the entire dining hall had gone dead silent. The background noise was absolutely zero. Every single student’s gaze and every breath was locked on his body language.

Closing his eyes, Lucian’s jawline tightened.

What the hell is this. Fighting deadly monsters physically is easier, but dealing with this territorial drama between these two... this is the real punishment. I just want to sleep for one hour without any bullshit.

Just as Lucian rested his head on the table, the hall’s tension became even heavier.

Now Elira’s cold fingers came directly to Lucian’s head and began sliding slowly through his hair. Lucian’s neck and back muscles automatically tightened. Elira leaned even closer to him. Her lips were barely an inch away from Lucian’s ear. Her cold breath was hitting directly on the skin of Lucian’s neck.

"Lucian?" she asked in a very soft, hushed voice. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Seeing this physical contact, Seraphina’s control completely shattered. Her right hand moved forward and locked directly onto the hilt of the practice blade tied at her waist.

As soon as Lucian noticed this, he stood up from his chair with a jerk. Without thinking, he reached forward and grabbed Seraphina’s wrist with full force.

"Let’s go." Lucian said in a flat, no-nonsense tone. "We’re leaving."

Lucian turned and looked at Elira one last time. He drew a cold breath into his chest.

"I need some air, Elira. Sorry. See you in the next class."

Without another word, he pulled Seraphina’s wrist forward and moved toward the hall’s exit with long, heavy steps, and Seraphina naturally had to match his fast pace. The heavy doors closed behind them. All the commotion from the dining hall was cut off immediately. They entered the peace of the academy’s cold, empty corridor.

The moment they stopped in the corridor, Lucian loosened his grip and let go of Seraphina’s hand. A faint red mark from Lucian’s tight grip had formed on her pale skin.

On Seraphina’s face was now a clear, satisfied smile. But the instant Lucian’s eyes glanced toward her, she pressed her lips together and immediately suppressed that smile.

"You should have done this earlier," she said confidently. Her breathing was still a bit heavy, but her posture was as if she had just won some major territory.

[AFFECTION INCREASED] Seraphina Ashenblade: 95 → 97

Lucian didn’t respond to this. He just let out a long, tired sigh through his nose.

"Let’s go now," Seraphina started moving forward in the corridor.

Lucian remained standing in his place. "Where are we going now?" he asked from behind in an exhausted voice.

"Training ground." Seraphina immediately turned back, excess adrenaline still flooding her body. "I need to practice."

Lucian tried to relax his dropping shoulders and looked at the empty floor ahead.

I’m so screwed.

...,.

...

..

.

After that intense training session with Lucian, Seraphina returned to her dorm room completely drained. She collapsed straight onto her bed, her face sinking deep into the soft pillow. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

It was already nighttime. Worn out from a full day of fatigue and frustration, she lay there as if every last drop of energy had been sucked out of her body.

She remained motionless for a while, almost unconscious, before suddenly clenching her fist in anger and slamming it hard into the mattress.

"Ugh, I am so annoyed!" a muffled groan escaped her lips.

That bitchy ice witch wouldn’t leave Lucian alone for a single second today. Wherever he went, she followed after him like a pest — Lucian this, Lucian that! If not for that dumb bitch, I wouldn’t be this damn frustrated right now.

She flipped onto her back, blinked slowly a couple of times, and pressed the back of her hand against her forehead.

A heavy silence settled over the room for a few moments. The only sound was her deep, warm breathing—in... out... in... out...

What would have happened if Elira hadn’t been there today?

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had become painfully aware of just how strongly Lucian was affecting her today. The overwhelming feelings he stirred inside her were impossible to ignore anymore. She had realized that Lucian had changed — and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t distance herself from him.

Seraphina turned her face to the side, her long strands of hair falling messily across her cheeks. She absentmindedly curled a lock around her finger as her half-lidded eyes stared into nothing. In a soft, almost dreamy murmur, she whispered,

"Those tired silver eyes of his... he looked so attractive in them today..."

Then the realization hit her like a slap.

Her eyes flew wide open in shock. She dragged her body upright in one jerky motion, sitting bolt upright on the bed.

"No... no no no! What the hell am I even thinking?" She covered her face with both hands, her cheeks burning with a light flush. "He’s just Lucian... that same annoying Lucian who always teases me... who never stops irritating me... So why... why does he feel so different today?"

She drew in a deep, shaky breath and glanced around the room, desperately trying to distract herself. It didn’t help. Her heart was still hammering wildly in her chest. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Lucian’s face and those striking silver eyes kept flashing in her mind again and again.

"Was Elira right?" she whispered to herself. "Is he really affecting me this much?"

Seraphina got off the bed, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it in one go. But the restlessness inside her refused to fade.

Okay... shower. I need a shower.

She headed straight for the bathroom.

The shower helped. A little.

The icy cold water hit her skin like a shock, snapping her system back to reality. At the very least, it pulled her attention away from the growing heat that kept blooming between her thighs every single time she thought about him.

But the moment she stepped out wrapped in nothing but a towel, every single thought came rushing back with a vengeance.

She dried herself off roughly, almost aggressively. Then she slipped into her nightdress — a simple black silk piece that fell just to mid-thigh. It should have felt familiar. Comfortable.

It was anything but.

Tonight, the silk felt far too smooth against her skin. The soft fabric brushed against her overly sensitized body in a way that was dangerously sensual.

Just sleep. Everything will be fine by morning. It’s just leftover adrenaline from training.

She lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and tried to relax. failed spectacularly.

She couldn’t stop seeing his tired silver eyes.

With a sharp breath, she sat up abruptly, as if jolted out of a nightmare. Her heartbeat was so loud she could hear it thundering in her ears. She needed to stop this. Right now. Immediately.

A strange, restless energy pulsed through her body—a confusing mix of frustration and... excitement? No. Not excitement. Just a weird, unbearable restlessness.

She swung her legs off the bed. The black silk nightdress flowed around her thighs as she stood. Walking over to the window, her eyes stared blankly at the moonlit night sky, but her mind was completely trapped on Lucian’s face.

Damn it.

Why is he making me feel like this?