After the peculiar encounter with Lilliana, Louise and I rushed to our respective ssrooms, aware that time was running out. As we made our way, I found myself on the receiving end of a good deal of nagging from Louise.


    She wasn''t pleased with my recent disappearances, and I had apologized for not offering any exnations. It seemed my silence had bothered her, leaving her somewhat hurt.


    I couldn''t help but wonder if Louise was being a bit too nosy. We were friends, yes, but her level of concern about my sporadic absences surprised me. I pondered the reasons behind her unwavering curiosity.


    Maybe it was genuine worry, or perhaps she simply had an inquisitive nature. Either way, I decided I should make more of an effort to keep her informed in the future?


    As I made my way to my ssroom, a sense of relief washed over me when I realized that the teacher hadn''t arrived yet. The additional time provided me with a moment to gather my thoughts.


    However, my relief was short-lived as I couldn''t ignore the intense reing from someone in the ssroom. It was directed at me, and it made me feel as though I was about to be condemned for something.


    "Why is she looking at me like she''s going to kill me or something?"


    Just as she was about to approach me, I decided to break the ice and greeted her first. "Good morning, Euphemia."


    "…. Good morning?" It seemed she was a bit surprised, as she had typically been the one to initiate greetings in the past, while I tended to be more aloof in my interactions.


    I extended the vial towards Euphemia, offering it to her with a slight smile. Her eyes widened as she took a closer look at the colorful concoction in the vial, and her surprise was evident.


    "What''s this...?" Euphemia asked, her curiosity piqued. "Adrian, is this?"


    I nodded in confirmation. "Yes, it''s the potion I made during the entrance exam. You can have it. I''m pretty sure you could decode something as easy to make as that, right?" I added with a hint of yfulness.


    "Think of it as my apology for not attending any of our nned experimentstely. Haha."


    However, Euphemia seemed to be entranced by the magical vial. Her attention was fixed on it, and she appeared to be lost in thought. To make matters moreplicated, some of our ssmates were beginning to cast envious nces at the vial. shit the principal did mention that this potion was a significant achievement, perhaps, I shouldn''t have handed it over to Euphemia in such a public manner.


    The teacher''s timely arrival brought an end to our conversation. He ordered, "To your seats," and we all hurriedlyplied.


    Euphemia, however, seemedpletely entranced by the vial, her gaze lingering on it with an odd smile on her face. Throughout the entire ss, she didn''t seem to pay any heed to the teacher''s words, nor did she participate in the practical exam he presented. It was clear that her focus was on the vial in her possession.


    While I knew the teacher was bing increasingly frustrated with Euphemia''s behavior, he also recognized that Euphemia''s genius intellect was far beyond what he could handle. She could probably even teach him if she chose to. Thus, he decided to let her be and instead focused on his teaching, asionally looking in my direction. Observing the top student diligentlypleting the test seemed to have lifted his spirits as a teacher, even if Euphemia was lost in her own world.


    ....


    "No, please!"


    "Youngdy, are you okay?" Analise asked gently.


    Aria woke up with a start, her heart pounding and her breath ragged. She looked at her trembling hands, a routine urrence in recent times, especially since she had sensed that strange mana during herst encounter with Adrian. She had been having unsettling dreams ever since.


    Her wide eyes darted to the side and found Analise, her brother''s personal maid, looking at her with a worried expression.


    Aria took a moment to collect herself before responding, "Y-yes, I''m fine." Despite her words, the worry lingered in her eyes, and she couldn''t help but feel that something unusual was happening, both in her dreams and in her waking life.


    Aria didn''t want to burden Analise with her concerns, but the nightmares had been relentless. They didn''t happen every night, but the fact that she had been experiencing the same haunting dream repeatedly for the past few days was deeply unsettling.


    She nced at Analise, who had been staying with her in the middle-ranking dorms. Aria couldn''t help but feel that she should return Analise to Adrian''s side soon. Adrian had never explicitly mentioned that Analise needed to be with him, but she was sure that he was simply being considerate of her. The middle-ranking dormscked the luxury and safety that Lucian Hall provided, and it wasn''t a suitable ce for a youngdy like Aria to stay by herself.


    "Prepare my uniform"


    Aria''s morning routine started with her instructing Analise to prepare her uniform. Analise responded promptly, making sure everything was ready.


    After having breakfast, Aria put on her uniform and headed to her ss, but her mind was heavy with thoughts.


    The recurring nightmares and the mysterious mana she had sensed continued to weigh on her, making it difficult to focus on her daily life at the academy.


    ...


    "Aria, will youe and have lunch with us?" one of her ssmates asked.


    Aria hesitated for a moment, then replied, "No, I''m sorry, I already—"


    Before she could finish her sentence, her ssmates interrupted. "Oh, it''s okay. See youter."


    "Yeah, see you," Aria responded with a faint smile.


    As she watched the three of them go on their way, Aria couldn''t help but let out a sigh. It had been a few months since she started attending the school, but she still felt conflicted about forming close friendships. While she was friendly with everyone, she hadn''t quite reached the point where she could consider them genuine friends.


    Aria did have one or two people she could genuinely talk to, and they probably considered her a dear friend. However, for Aria, these rtionships were merely those where she could have a conversation but not yet something deeper. She was still on the fence about opening uppletely to others.


    Aria nced to the side and noticed Be, who always appeared to be half-asleep in ss, seemingly awakened by the ss bell.


    "She''s always so attentive when it''s time to leave," Aria thought, her gaze lingering on Be. Though she wasn''t as much of a loner as Be, Aria couldn''t help but makeparisons. It made her sigh inwardly.


    As Aria made her way to leave the ssroom, she heard a rough voice calling out to her, "Aria!" She turned to find a handsome red-haired boy with a muscr build waving at her. Her ssmates couldn''t help but be surprised upon seeing the person. It was none other than Alex Darja, the second-ranked student in thebat department and, ording to rumors, Aria''s supposed boyfriend.


    "Oh my, isn''t that Alex Darja?"


    "Did hee for Miss Aria? How sweet."


    "Sigh, I wish I had a man like that."


    Aria couldn''t help but smile slightly at the reactions of her ssmates, but she also couldn''t shake the feeling that she was being watched and judged from all sides.


    Aria was fully aware of Alex''s deep feelings for her, but she had never been romantically interested in him. Yet, she also understood the undeniable advantages of having Alex by her side in school. He yed a crucial role in her school life, acting as a deterrent to those who might try to take advantage of her or subject her to bullying due to her Tellus background. Thanks to their supposed rtionship, she maintained an average ranking without facing too much pressure from her peers. In her eyes, Alex was far too useful to discard.


    She was well aware of the rumors surrounding their rtionship, and she let them continue unabated. Aria knew that her actions might be considered maniptive, but she didn''t care. For her, the bottom line was simple: as long as it benefited her and ensured her well-being, she didn''t mind the deception or the maniption involved.


    As Aria reflected on her rtionship with Alex, she couldn''t deny that he had, in fact, saved her life on one asion. This added anotheryer to her feelings towards him and her desire to be friends with him. However, she was also very aware of the boundaries she had set for herself. Despite the rumors and expectations, she didn''t see their rtionship evolving into a romantic one. Aria knew that she might have inadvertently led him on, making him expect something that wouldn''t ultimatelye to pass.


    Feeling somewhat sorry for the situation, she could only hope that Alex would be satisfied with their friendship and that he wouldn''t be hurt by the eventual realization that their rtionship wouldn''t progress beyond that point


    Aria''s mind wandered back to that moment during the joint Combat Exams when Alex had suddenly confessed his feelings to her. The memory of that confession was still vivid in her mind, and it made her cringe with difort. His words had been so unexpectedly cringe and sincere, that she had been takenpletely off guard.


    The confession had hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she couldn''t bear to hear those words anymore. It had been so overwhelming that, without even thinking, she had instinctively pped him. The memory of her own reaction still haunted her, but it was a reaction born out of a mix of surprise, guilt, and her persistent desire to maintain the boundaries she had set for their rtionship.


    "Alex, why are you here?" Aria asked as she looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.


    "I was wondering if you could join us for lunch," Alex replied with a hopeful expression.


    Aria agreed almost immediately, even though she wasn''t particrly interested in having lunch with Alex. Her true curiosityy in getting to know his friend Tristan better, and for some reason, she felt a strong desire to have a private conversation with Adrian.


    The curiosity she felt about what had transpired in Adrian''s room back at the mansion still gnawed at her. She couldn''t shake the feeling that something unusual was happening and wanted to put an end to the unsettling nightmares that had been haunting her night after night.


    ...


    "Tristan, you''re alone this time. Where''s Alex?" Louise asked, her curiosity piqued by the absence of the usually boisterous Alex.


    "He said he''s gone to invite someone," Tristan replied, giving a small shrug. He knew that Alex was known for having a wide circle of friends, and it was not unusual for him to bring someone new to their group.


    Louise, on the other hand, found it somewhat strange that the typically loud and outgoing Alex was not with Tristan. Her inquisitive nature led her to wonder about the identity of the person Alex was inviting. She couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease and suspicion.


    "Oh, Adrian, you''re here now," Tristan greeted Adrian with a teasing tone.


    "Yes, hahaha"


    Adrian replied nervously, feeling the intensity of Louise''s re. Her presence and her recent confrontations had been perplexing to him.


    "Although I want to ask you why you''re frequently away, we can discuss thatter as we wait for Alex,". It was clear that Tristan and Louise had no intention of letting Adrian off the hook easily, and their curiosity about his recent absences was undeniable.


    Adrian couldn''t help but shake his head internally. He found Tristan and Louise''s nosiness amusing, albeit somewhat frustrating. These two were so simr in their curiosity and determination to uncover the truth, making it evident why they were the main "ship" in the novel. Their personalities were practically identical.