Aside from the awful dinner with the other Illusens and when their grandfather had stayed afterwards, this was the first dinner they''d had a guest. Nick had been seated opposite her on the other side of the table, she and Kalys in their usual spots.


    There was a tension to the air but it might have been entirely on Sun and Nick''s end. Neither one could understand why he would invite Nick for dinner. And aside from a perfunctory greeting, he hadn''t spoken at all since they''d sat down.


    Sun wasn''t sure if it was her imagination, but even the maids serving dinner seemed a little on edge.


    Once they started to eat, then Kalys started to talk, looking down the table at Nick with a withering stare.


    "I take it you intend to become a regular fixture here," Kalys said.


    Sun froze mid-chew, eyes wide, as she tried to figure out where this might be going. He wasn''t a man for idle chatter or small talk, so there had to be a point. And chances were she wasn''t going to like it.


    Nick cast a quick questioning look her way too, though he predominantly kept his attention on Kalys. It was almost like he was afraid to take his eyes off him too long, like the man was a snake ready to strike.


    Kalys looked to his sister, her bi-coloured eyes boring into him with visible confusion, before he turned back to Nickolai.


    "You are never to be alone with her in her room. If you must be here, public areas only," he told him.


    Sun''s reputation was already a little tattered given the rumours he''d heard around the academy. From the physical she''d had when she''d moved here, he was aware she was intact and believed that to still be true. However, deciding to continue with her Revenant Candidacy already made her a poor choice for marriage, and he had accepted that. On some level, he preferred it. If she remained unwed, then she continued to live in the manor under his care. It would be easier to keep an eye on her.


    However, he didn''t want her marriage suitability to be questioned because she was considered tainted. He didn''t want misconceptions about her spreading, or worse, finding their way back to her ears.


    She deserved better than that.


    "We must take steps to avoid the appearance of impropriety. And your presence must not interfere with her duties or lessons," he continued.


    While she improved by leaps and bounds in some areas, in others she had seemingly stagnated. She didn''t need the distraction.


    Nick nodded. He could adhere to those rules, whatever it took to be able to be around her. They weren''t even that bad, surprisingly.


    "Finish chewing, Sun," Kalys told her.


    Sun hadn''t realised she hadn''t resumed. She was busy waiting for the blow to come, trying to calculate what ways this could take a turn for the worst.


    After that, nothing more was said of it. Nothing else was said the rest of the meal. There was still a tension in the air, both younger ones still wary of the reasons behind the invitation. Kalys didn''t seem affected in the least, and she had to wonder if he felt it at all or if he genuinely wasn''t discomforted by it. Maybe it was all on their end. Maybe they were just looking for the worst in him.


    After dinner, Sun walked Nick to the front door to see him off. Kalys had offered the use of a carriage to get him back to the academy, but Nick would just teleport. It was quicker, and he didn''t see the need to drag the poor driver and horses out into the cold.


    At the front door, they both looked around to make sure no one was in ear shot.


    "That was a bit odd, right?" Nick asked.


    Sun nodded. "You don''t feel ill?" She asked, a little wryly.


    He shook his head.


    "Probably not poisoned then."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.He shot her flat look for that one. "I''ll see you tomorrow."


    "Bye, Nick. Be safe."


    It was dark outside, and she wasn''t sure just how far he could go in one jump. He was still finding his limits.


    He gave another nod before he pulled her into a quick hug. Before she could even return it, he was gone, disappearing in a blink.


    She turned, nearly startling when she found Kalys standing not two feet away, watching. She stared up at him with wide eyes while she tried to get her heartbeat under control.


    "Something you need?" She asked politely.


    "More comfortable accommodations have been prepared in the cellar. Plans are being drawn up for something more permanent," he told her.


    "Oh, thank you," she said. He was full of surprises today. "You don''t have to do that; blankets in the cellar is fine."


    The stare he gave her would make flowers wilt. "Goodnight, Sun."


    "Goodnight."


    He brushed past her and glided silently down the hall, likely to his bedroom. It was one of the few rooms in this place she had yet to see. A little spark of curiosity ignited at the thought but was easy enough to tamp down. No way was she going to invade his personal space for curiosity sake.


    That would be asking to die.


    -


    The next day at the academy, only Zen was waiting for her at the gate. Change made her nervous these days. There had been too much of it in her life lately. And she still wasn''t entirely convinced Nick hadn''t been poisoned last night or waylaid and murdered on the way back to the academy.


    "Where''s Nick?" She asked.


    "Good morning, Sunshine; it''s so nice to see you. I''m well, yourself?"


    She rolled her eyes but grinned. "Good morning, Zen; I''m also well. Thank you for asking. So good to see you."


    "Psh, and you''re supposed to be a noble?" He scoffed. "Where are your manners?"


    "Up your arse."


    He gasped in mock horror.


    "So where is Nick?" She asked again as they started walking inside.


    Zen shrugged. "Left early, something about his advanced courses. Didn''t even show up for breakfast."


    Before graduation, they would need to be evaluated in the field. Maybe he just wanted to be ready for it.


    "And what about you? How was your date?"


    Another shrug. "It was all right."


    "Just all right? Gods, I hope no one ever describes a date with me as just ''all right.''"


    "You''re assuming your brother would ever let you out on one."


    "I''d have to eventually. The whole point in noble women is marriage and heirs."


    She said it so cavilierly for such a horrifying reality. Internally, she shuddered; she didn''t want that to be her. She wouldn''t let it. If she married, it would be because she wanted to; if she had a family, it would be for the same reason. While there were some things she would bend over for—the gentle arts lessons, etiquette, extra duties—there were other things she would fight tooth and nail to prevent.


    "So why was it so lackluster?" She pressed.


    "I don''t know, just not much of a connection and nothing in common. Lots of uncomfortable silences..."


    She nodded, having never been on a date she didn''t fully understand, but she was well acquainted with uncomfortable silences.


    "So no second one?"


    Zen shook his head.


    Inside they separated to get to their classes, and Sun just tried to focus on her day and make it through. She wanted to do well and at least be considered good enough for the next batch of graduates.


    She didn''t want Nick to leave her too far behind. And Zen excelled in combat; even if his other grades were just passable, it would be enough to get him considered for the next batch. She wanted to be among them too.


    Concentrating in the winter was always difficult, but she made it through her first couple of classes and managed to meet up with Nick at lunch. He looked well enough, nice and healthy.


    "I''ve got news," he told her. "They''re sending me out on evaluation."


    Was that why he hadn''t been there this morning?


    "And how are we feeling about this?" She asked carefully, wanting to be sure first.


    "It''s good; I''m all right with it."


    She let out a breath and pulled him into a hug. "So it''s a happy hug then."


    "Honestly, I''ll take any hug you give me," he laughed lightly.


    They felt arms wrap tightly around the both of them and were assaulted by the scent of their third.


    "Why are we hugging?" Zen asked.


    "I''m being sent out for evaluation," Nick told him.


    "Ah. A happy hug I heard."


    "Yeah. I''ll graduate before you two, start getting paid, and you guys can come live in my house."


    They laughed lightly at that. Even if he did go straight into a tiered position, no way was he going to be affording a place any time soon.


    "Guess we need to work harder then, aye Sun?"


    "Bit difficult to keep up with a prodigy..."


    "Doesn''t mean we shouldn''t try," he said, the hug breaking apart. "Do you know where you''re going?"


    He shook his head. "They''re briefing us tomorrow morning. I have no idea how long I''ll be gone."


    "Just come back in one piece," Zen said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now let''s go eat; I''m starved."


    They both looked him up and down. Clearly, that just wasn''t true.


    "Hey," he snapped defensively. "It takes a lot of food to maintain these muscles."


    "Too bad it doesn''t do much for your brain," Nick laughed.


    Zen pulled him into a headlock, which Nick teleported out of, reappearing a few feet ahead of them.


    "Cheeky shit," Zen laughed, running to catch up with him.


    Sun followed at a more sedate pace, laughing at their antics.


    They had all initially wanted to stay in the academy—a roof over their heads, three meals a day, a small stipend, and none of the actual responsibility of being a full-fledged Revenant. But it looked like that was coming to an end.


    They were actually going to have to move to the next phase of their lives. They had enjoyed the minimal responsibility after a childhood filled with it.


    Too many changes lately...