Chapter 330 Recounting the past


    "Haa, I am really sorry, darling, forughing like that," my mother apologized to Raven as she fixed her hair. Both of my parents were a bit tipsy.


    "No, Mrs. Hilton, it''s fine—it was a funny moment," Raven replied, but her heel didn''t think it was funny at all.


    "Still, it''s nice to know Ruu has such a wonderful friend beside him. It keeps me at ease," she said, her eyes scanning Raven from top to bottom.


    Raven nced toward me and nodded her head, smiling meekly. "Thanks."


    Dad leaned in a bit while picking up a ss of water, saying, "I still can''t believe, though, that this is our Ruu who was once obsessed with Marylin''s daughter back in Sephra—ouch!" He stopped as the table moved a bit.


    "Your mother kicked him under the table," ze said. He''s under the table, munching on a piece of chicken.


    I looked at Mom, who gave Dad a look that was not happy at all. Did she not like him mentioning Mary here?


    "Umm... who''s Marylin''s daughter?" Raven asked. It was a simple question, but I sensed a bit of tension in her voice.


    "Oh, no one," my mother shrugged it off.


    "Is it the Marylin that you were discussing a few minutes ago? She has a daughter?" But Raven seemed to not let it go. She faced me. "Who''s Marylin''s daughter to you, Ren?" she asked with a smile, but she wasn''t smiling.


    "Mary Kleine," I answered involuntarily.


    "Good instinct," zemented.


    "Eh..." And as if her fuse was blown, her expression turned to one that could be described as a confused fish.


    "Eh... Mary Kleine?" Raven repeated, her expression now a mix of surprise and confusion. She nced at me, then back at my parents, clearly waiting for an exnation.


    My mother exchanged a quick nce with my father, a silent conversation passing between them. They seemed unsure of how to respond, but it was my father who finally spoke up, his tone careful.


    "Mary Kleine is... someone Ren knew back in Sephra," he said vaguely, trying to downy the situation.


    Raven''s brow furrowed. "Knew back in Sephra? What do you mean?"


    "It''s a long story," I said, feeling awkward under her scrutiny. "Marylin was my mentor, and Mary was... well, someone I used to know."


    Raven''s gaze sharpened. "Used to know? What happened?"


    Before I could answer, my mother intervened, her voice gentle but firm. "Raven, dear, it''s not something we should dwell on. Ren has moved on, and so should we."


    Raven''s eyes flickered between us, clearly picking up on the tension in the air. "I see," she said softly, though her tone betrayed her curiosity. "Sorry for prying."


    "It''s okay," I replied, offering a weak smile. "It''s not a big deal."


    Dad cleared his throat, attempting to lighten the mood. "So, Ren, what are your ns after finishing the year here?"


    I weed the change of topic. "I haven''t decided yet. Maybe I''ll take a break, go back to Sephra for a while."


    "That sounds nice," Mom said, her voice warm. "We miss having you around."


    "I miss being there too," I admitted. "But there''s still a lot to do here."


    Raven listened quietly, her earlier tension easing slightly. "What are your ns, Ren?" she asked softly, her curiosity genuine.


    "I''m not sure," I admitted, feeling a bit lost. "I haven''t thought that far ahead." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Well, you have time to decide," Dad said, nodding encouragingly. "No need to rush."


    The conversation continued, lighter now, and Raven gradually rxed. We talked about lighter topics—academy life, the challenges we faced, and even some of the funny incidents. Raven shared a few of her own stories, and soon enough, we were allughing together.


    My parents are going to be around for the next two or three days, staying in a motel near the academy. I''ll tour them around the city tomorrow.


    "Thanks for not making that too awkward," I said to Raven, breaking the silence between us.


    She smiled softly. "I understand. It''s not easy talking about past rtionships."


    "Yeah," I sighed, feeling relieved. "Anyway, thanks foring with me tonight."


    "Of course," Raven said, her smile widening. "I''m d I could meet your parents. They seem really nice."


    "Yeah, they are," I agreed. "Even when they''re a bit tipsy."


    Raven chuckled. "Your dad''s hrious."


    "He has his moments," I said, grinning while trying to leave for my dorm, but I felt a tug on my robe.


    "Anyways, Ren," Raven stopped me. "Can I ask you something?"


    I guess I know what she''s going to ask. "Yeah..."


    "Would you like it if I kept secrets from you?" she questioned.


    "Well... I wouldn''t mind—" I saw her expression change, so I quickly changed my answer. "I''d feel bad, very bad," I replied.


    "Right?!" she eximed. "So tell me what happened between you and Mary!"


    And there it is, the question I knew she''d ask.


    I sighed, feeling the weight of the question. "It''splicated, Raven. Mary and I... we had a history, but it didn''t end well."


    I didn''t buy it—past Ren definitely had a history with that bitch. How should I exin that?


    Raven''s eyes softened. "What happened?" But I could see her feet tapping.


    "Why don''t we sit there?" I pointed at the nearby bench as passerby students nced at us.


    Raven nodded, and we went there and sat down. I looked around and started.


    After a few minutes of exining, I ended it on the note of.


    "She was more than just a friend," I began slowly, choosing my words carefully. "We grew up together, trained together. I thought we were on the same path, but things changed. We changed. She joined the academy and left me behind. She fell in love with Adam Stales, your ssmate, and I decided to break our engagement."


    "That''s... a lot to take in," she said, her expression ghostly pale. Was it that bad?


    I know for a fact that the boy whose body I am in was a simp, stalker, and narcissist with an obsessive personality.


    "Well, he''s gone now," said ze.


    Gone? Nah, Ren''s not gone anywhere. He''s still here but silent. I can feel it, to be honest... he''s just calm for some reason. Since thest deal we made, it''s all fine, I guess.


    Raven listened intently, her eyes never leaving mine. "Did you love her?"


    The question caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn''t know how to respond. "I did," I admitted finally on behalf of the previous Ren. "But it''s in the past now. I''ve moved on, and so has she." And this one was from me.


    Raven nodded, absorbing my words. "That exins it."


    "Exins what?" I asked, but she just shook her head.


    "Nothing. Let''s get going—we have a lot to do tomorrow too! I wanna show your parents around the Bargain Alley!" With that, she just left, jumping around.