Leon’s POV
“Are you okay, Ella?” I leaned closer, catching the subtle tremble in her hands. She held herself together well, not letting her nervousness slip through the mask she wore. But I noticed. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the slight strain in her voice. Gabrielle must have drilled this composure into her. But I could read her like a book.
“I-I’m fine… It’s just… having Miss Kayla’s full attention on me makes my body tremble,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You don’t have to worry about her,” I told Ella, letting my hand find its way to her head, ruffling her hair gently. “Not yet anyway.”
“O-Okay…” she stammered, her voice still trembling, but a bit more at ease.
“Why don’t you enjoy the party more?” I suggested, giving her a small nudge. “Have as many drinks as you want, and try everything on the food menu. You deserve it.”
“Is that really okay?” she asked, a hint of doubt in her tone.
“Well, you’re the one by my side right now, aren’t you? So yeah, it’s fine,” I said, flashing her a reassuring grin.
He’d mentioned earlier, “I’m planning on a grand entrance to show the world the greatness of the Darkness, but a little detour like this won’t hurt.” Those words still echoed in my head, like a ticking clock in the back of my mind. Yeah, he was definitely plotting something. I just needed to find out what.
Ella’s POV
As I walked through the corridor, I noticed Kayla’s shadow in my peripheral vision, trailing behind me. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest, but alongside the fear, a strange rush of confidence surged through my veins. The fear that used to paralyze me seemed distant, replaced by a steady resolve.
“Ella!” Kayla’s shrill voice cut through the empty hallway as we left the crowded party behind.
I kept walking, letting her words roll off my back.
“Ella! You bitch! I know that’s you! How dare you ignore me like that!” Her voice rang out, echoing against the walls.
She kept shouting, but I stayed focused, moving forward. At first, her voice made my skin crawl, just like it always had. But now, all the lessons from Miss Titania and the others came flooding back, grounding me. The fear that once wrapped itself around my chest, squeezing tight, began to loosen. It was as if those chains she had bound me with were finally breaking.
“Hey! I’m talking to you, damn it!” she snapped, her voice turning shrill as she grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around to face her.
I met her eyes without flinching, cold and unyielding. Gone were the frightened eyes of a girl who would quiver like a leaf in the wind, like a dog that cowered with its tail tucked between its legs. I met her with the same icy, detached look that Professor Gabrielle had perfected.
“Ha! Look at that face you’ve got now. Way different from that timid little look you had back at school, huh?” she sneered, her words laced with venom, her lips curling into a twisted grin. “What, shacking up with that rich, filthy commoner suddenly gives you a backbone? You really think things are going to change for you? You’re still just a fucking commoner! Know. Your. Place!” Her voice dripped with disdain, each word like a lash meant to strip away my confidence.
But I just met her glare with my own, my eyes cold and unyielding, like ice that refused to crack.
“You’re not scaring anyone, Ella,” she barked, her frustration bubbling over, her voice trembling with anger. “You think this little tough-girl act is gonna work on me? Dream on! You’re just a fucking commoner! You belong beneath me! Lick my feet like you always do and press yourself down on the floor! You’re nothing!” Her voice grew sharper, desperate, like she was trying to claw back the control she felt slipping through her fingers.
“For someone who’s supposed to be above me, you seem incredibly small in my eyes,” I replied, my voice steady, cutting through her rant like a knife.
“Huh?” she blinked, her confident sneer faltering as my words hit her, confusion flickering in her eyes for a brief moment.
Her supposed superiority only made her seem more pathetic, more insignificant, like a shadow trying to blot out the sun. She couldn’t see that her desperate need to look down on others just made her sink lower, further beneath those she thought she towered over.
