Chapter 91: Hidden Brilliance 2
Seo’s eyes narrowed; her usual calm demeanor was replaced with palpable tension. The atmosphere in the classroom grew heavy as Rose approached us, her every step exuding confidence.
“Hello, Riley,” Rose said, her voice like a melodious chime. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Not at all…” I replied, trying to keep my composure. “What brings you here?”
Rose smiled at my question. “I was in the area and thought I’d drop by to see how you’re doing,” she said, her eyes flickering to Seo for a moment before returning to me. “And maybe join you for lunch?”
“Riley and I already have plans…” Seo interjected, looking at Rose with a subtle bloodlust underneath her gaze.
“Is that so?” Rose said casually, ignoring Seo’s apparent hostility before looking at me again. “Well, do you mind if I join?”
“Yes.” Seo said firmly.
“I wasn’t asking you, Miss Seo…” Rose retorted, her tone cool and unbothered.
“…..”
“…..”
What’s up with this strange atmosphere right now?
Why is it so cold, and why do I feel like I’m about to lose my head?
‘Did something happen between these two?’
“I actually visited yesterday as well, but unfortunately, you were on sick leave, Riley. I’m glad you’re doing okay now~” Rose said, ignoring Seo once more.
“I see… thank you,” I replied, trying to keep the conversation neutral.
That explains why I could hear some people in the background saying things like ‘She’s here again.’ or ‘Didn’t she come by yesterday?’
It was clear from everyone’s gazes that there was one question that was on everyone’s mind right now.
‘What’s he done to attract their attention?’
It wasn’t unusual to see students from other departments visiting ours, especially from the magic department.
After all, knights and tanks are essential in battle, and collaboration is common, between the two departments.
But seeing Rose, the lone wolf of the magic department and the genius of the century, visiting our classroom for a specific someone?
That was something people wouldn’t expect.
‘Shit…’
I’ve already garnered enough attention from Snow last time, and I don’t even know how much rumors spread with my interaction with Rose back at the cafeteria, and now this….
I’ve practically sealed myself in a whole bunch of scandals.
“So Riley, do you mind if I join you two for lunch?” Rose asked once more, her voice sweet but insistent.
I was about to say, “No, I don’t mind,” right away to appease and get out of this awkward situation, but Seo’s hand gripped my left hand, tugging firmly.
Judging from the bone-breaking grip she had on me, it was clear that she didn’t like Rose at all.
Now I was stuck in a situation where any form of escape was out. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my temple as I weighed my options.
Seo’s grip on my hand tightened even more, her eyes silently urging me to refuse.
Rose, on the other hand, stood with an expectant smile, seemingly unaware of the tension—or perhaps she enjoyed it.
“I…” I started, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. “I suppose it’s fine, but we should probably get going. The commercial district might get crowded soon.”
Seo’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t protest verbally.
Rose’s smile widened, and she clapped her hands together.
“Wonderful! Let’s go then, shall we?” Rose said, gesturing grandly.
Standing up, Seo immediately grabbed onto my side, her hand firmly clasping my left hand while she shot a look at Rose that clearly said, “Go away.”
Rose didn’t react overtly, but the gleam in her bright golden eyes darkened slightly, paired with a mysterious, calm smile.
The tension between them was palpable, and I could feel it rising like a storm.
I let out a small chuckle to break the ice and grab their attention. “Alright, let’s get going,” I said, leading the three of us outside.
As we walked out the front door, I noticed just how many people were tuning in to our little drama.
The academy’s noble children seemed to thrive on gossip, their eyes filled with curiosity, envy, and a mix of other emotions.
I could hear whispers and see pointing fingers, but I tried to ignore them. However, amidst the cacophony of murmurs, I sensed a faint but distinct bloodlust.
At first, I thought it was just Seo and Rose eyeing each other, but this was clearly from someone else.
I looked around, scanning the faces of my peers to identify the source.
To my surprise, my eyes landed on the most unexpected person.
‘Theo?’
Theo, usually composed and indifferent, stood among the crowd.
Although the sensation disappeared like a flicker in the wind, I was sure that feeling of bloodlust originated from him.
Our eyes met briefly, and he quickly looked away, his expression unreadable.
…
[Killian Hall]
[Private Dorms, Training Hall]
In a dimly lit room within Killian Hall, two students sat parallel to one another, sorting through papers and documents of utmost importance.
The table between them was strewn with a myriad of names, pictures, and detailed descriptions of students within the academy walls.
Susan couldn’t help but notice her partner’s annoyed expression and found his reaction amusing. She decided to break the silence with a playful comment.
“Now he even has the golden child’s attention. Just how strong is that guy’s charm?” she mused, her eyes flicking to a picture of Riley amidst the documents. “Well~ I can’t really blame her, though. If I were in Lady Rose’s shoes, I’d also be interested in him.”
She chuckled lightly, watching Theo’s reaction closely. Although he tried to mask it, Susan could clearly see that he was deeply bothered by the scene they had witnessed earlier.
“Are you going to do anything about it, Theo?” she asked, her tone teasing yet curious.
Theo glanced at Susan, his eyes cold and calculating behind his glasses. He took a moment to readjust them before replying tersely, “Just shut up and do your job, Susan.”
Susan smirked but didn’t push further. Instead, she returned to sorting through the documents, her mind wandering back to the events of the day.
Theo, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain his composure.
The image of Riley, Seo, and Rose together gnawed at him.
He clenched his jaw, trying to push the thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand.
Seeing this, Susan couldn’t help herself and decided to tease him a little more.
“Are you sure you won’t do anything about it? He’s taking away your betrothed, you know?”
Theo glared at her, his anger intensifying.
“Oh, that’s right, she’s your ex-fiancée now?” Susan said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “I’m so sorry, did I open up old wounds perhaps?” She giggled, watching Theo’s hand tremble as he nearly crushed the metallic pen he was holding.
“Susan…” he growled.
“Hm~?” she responded, feigning innocence.
“If you say one more word about it, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Sure, sure, I’m sure you can do that. I’ll even cheer you on!” Susan chuckled subtly, clearly enjoying Theo’s frustration.
Theo clenched his fist, trying to calm himself. He knew all too well how obnoxious Susan could be.
“You really are no fun, Theo. Are you just going to let another man take Rose away from you?”
“…”
“If you’re going to act unbothered, you should really hide that blood lust of yours, you know? Even Riley noticed right away.”
“…”
“And if you’re mad, at least try to stand your ground. Why the heck did you chicken out the moment he stared back at you? Hahaha.”
Theo’s anger flared, but he took a deep breath, attempting to control his emotions. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper, especially not with Susan’s taunting making things worse.
“If you want, I can request the master to send the twins after him for you~”
“You don’t understand anything, Susan…” Theo said through gritted teeth, his frustration evident.
“I think I understand everything pretty well, though~?” Susan replied with a teasing smile.
“Just shut up! And do your job. The master’s waiting,” Theo snapped, trying to regain his composure.
As someone who used to be betrothed to Rose, Theo knew just how spoiled and dangerous that woman could be.
She was the type to play with and have fun with anything that amused her, and he was sure Riley was one of those same cases.
Once she was done with him, she would throw him out immediately, just like she had done to him in the past.
‘Riley is just the same as me…. That’s right he’s just another toy, I’m sure of it’
‘Once she’s done with him….’
‘I’ll make sure to make her mine then’
Susan smiled, seeing Theo trying to change the subject once more.
Since she had already had her share of fun teasing him, she decided to let him off the hook for now.
After all, she could probably tease him more later.
“Sure~,” she said, getting back to her work. She promptly sorted out all the documents they were handling. “By the way, Theo, have you heard anything from the twins yet?”
“No… didn’t you send them to hunt that Henry bastard?”
“I did, but it’s been three days since I’ve gotten anything back from them. Usually, they’d be done in a day or two. They’re even absent in class as well. Did something bad happen, perhaps?”
Theo frowned; concern clear on his face. “That’s unusual. They’re normally very efficient. We need to find out what’s going on.”
Susan nodded in agreement, her usual playful demeanor giving way to seriousness. “I’ll reach out to our contacts and see if anyone has seen or heard from them.”
…
Why the heck did Theo show me that much animosity?
‘Theo Lightway’
In the game, he wasn’t exactly an important character. He wasn’t even a side character to begin with.
He was just like me, a disposable character.
If I remember correctly, he dies in one of Rose’s many arcs, and he didn’t even die in a significant way.
He just died randomly in one of the many missions with Rose where he accidentally got hit by one of her spells.
There were also a couple of instances where he probably died in the main scenario as well.
Although he did have a certain connection with Susan, the best informant side character in the game, so in reality, he’s probably part of a bigger picture in this world…
But why is he mad at me, though?
Although he was trying to hide it, due to my acute senses now, I could clearly tell back then when our eyes met that he wanted to rip my face off.
‘I should try and see what I wrote about him in my diary later. Maybe there’s something more about him than meets the eye.’
“We’re here…” Seo’s words jolted me back to reality.
I looked ahead, surprised by the destination Seo had suggested for the three of us to have lunch.
“Ramen… Senhi?” Rose mumbled, squinting to read the characters above the place.
It was clear this was an Eastern-inspired restaurant.
Since Seo was from the East, it wasn’t that surprising, but to take us to this place… Was she mad?
This place only sells spicy ramen…
‘Does she want to kill Rose?’
