Chapter 18 - The Plot keeps shifting (1)

By the look on his face, I almost laughed.

Big eyes. Slack jaw. A twitch of the lip like he’d swallowed something weird.

Was that disbelief?

Confusion?

Mortal terror?

Whatever it was, it was

adorable

.

I tilted my head, one hand on my hip, letting the tension in the air hang there just a little longer before I broke it. But I didn’t. I wanted to see how long it’d take him to regain brain function.

Let me introduce myself properly.

I’m Aurelia Drayden.

Eldest granddaughter of the Iron Duke.

Pride of the Drayden bloodline.

The unshakable jewel of the northern spears.

Red hair like fire. Violet eyes like dusk. Wheat-colored skin from years under the sun. She has always been a little...

too much

. Too wild. Too free. Too bold.

But no one ever called me

weak

.

From the time I could lift a spear, I was better than the boys. Better than the knights. And in time, better than the instructors.

It’s in our blood.

The Draydens don’t use swords.

We don’t wield axes or wands or bows.

We

are

spearmen.

Born with the storm in our lungs and the wind at our heels.

And I was the brightest of them all.

Until last year.

...

I shook the thought from my mind.

No point going there.

Besides, yesterday reminded me what mattered.

I was watching from the tower as the Weapon Acknowledgement Ceremony unfolded. I hadn’t planned to attend. Not really. It was Kyle’s turn now. His chance to shine.

And shine he did.

When

he

stepped forward and summoned Astravolt—the spear one our forefathers held—my heart clenched, then burst with pride.

He did it.

My idiot little brother did it.

That was supposed to be

my

responsibility.

And I was

capable

of it.

Still am.

But again... no point thinking about that now.

After him another girl invoked the phenomenon. Four students in total were acknowledged by the weapons, invoking heavenly phenomena one after the other. Unprecedented.

I watched until only a handful of students remained. I don’t know why. I just did.

I was just about to leave, satisfied enough for one day—

When it happened.

The sky cracked open. Light and darkness surged. Roars and cries filled the air. I saw phoenix fire and void winds twist like dancers, felt the mana in my bones react to it.

Then he emerged.

Him.

The boy with twin sabers—black and white.

As if he’d torn the cosmos itself in two and kept the halves for himself.

He wasn’t

impressive

. Not exactly.

But the moment I laid eyes on him, something...

sparked

.

In me.

A thrill I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

My heart whispered.

If it’s him... then maybe—

No.

That was enough.

The next morning, I barged into Kyle’s room before sunrise and told him flatly, "Take me to him."

He looked at me like I’d grown horns.

"Aurelia," he said. "You... you want to meet someone?"

"I want to

see

him," I corrected. "Up close."

Kyle, ever the good little brother, nodded and said nothing else.

He knew where the boy trained. Said golden sword boy had mentioned it once.

And so here we were.

The practice field behind the eastern barracks.

Luca Valentina.

Violet hair—as deep as my eyes, but close enough to catch the light.

Red eyes—almost the same shade as my hair.

Good height. Around 180 cm.

Decent shoulders. Lean muscle.

Not too bulky. Not too lean.

A little rough around the edges. A little lost.

Hmm... passable.

So I stepped forward.

Scanned him.

Let the pause linger.

Then grinned wide.

"Hey. Marry me."

—

Luca froze.

For a good two seconds, his brain completely short-circuited.

Then—

"What the hell, Sis?!" Kyle’s voice exploded from the side. "Did you hit late puberty or something?!"

Aurelia didn’t even spare him a glance. She waved a hand in the air like swatting away a fly.

Her gaze never left Luca.

Luca Valentina.

Of course he knew her.

Aurelia Drayden.

Kyle’s older sister. The top second-year prodigy. The wild card. The goddess of war. One of the most memorable side characters in the game.

And then, without warning, she’d disappeared.

In the middle of the main story, she vanished without a trace. No quest. No mention. No hint. Just—gone.

Back when he played the game, the fandom exploded with theories. Disappearance of a fan-favorite character? That never sat well with anyone.

Even Aiden—Luca’s past self—had once asked Kyle about her. And Kyle had dodged the question with cryptic muttering and a change of topic.

And now—

Here she was.

Real.

Standing before him.

Proposing.

Luca’s brain scrambled for an appropriate reaction.

Her voice broke through his tangled thoughts.

"It’s improper to keep a lady waiting."

He gave a dry, awkward laugh.

"Ha ha ha... You must be joking, senior."

Her smile faded. Her violet eyes hardened.

"I’m not."

Luca didn’t know what to say.

Then Aurelia crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Hmm... too fast, huh? Not much time to think?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Luca latched onto her words like a drowning man to driftwood. "Way too fast! We barely know each other—"

"Then you’ve got one week." She cut him off with a smirk. "Say yes by then."

Heh! say .... yes? do I have no choice in it?

With that, she turned on her heel, her red hair dancing in the morning wind like flame.

Kyle lingered for a second. His eyes scanned Luca up and down like he was evaluating a battle casualty. Then he patted Luca’s shoulder gently—almost... pityingly.

He followed after his sister.

And just like that, they were gone.

Luca stood still for several seconds, unsure if he had just been proposed to... or attacked.

"What... just happened?" he muttered.

The storyline was definitely off the rails now.

Whatever version of the game this was, it had long stopped following the script.

He sighed, turned back—

And froze.

Standing there across the field, arms crossed and expression unreadable, was Lilliane.

Her eyes locked with his, filled with something between disdain and... disbelief.

The day wasn’t over yet.

Lilliane approached slowly.

For the past two weeks, she had watched him. Always at a distance. Never saying a word.

Today—that changed.

"Hey," she said, awkwardly. "What are you—I mean, who... what’s your name?"

Luca blinked.

What is she saying now?

he thought.

Hasn’t she been watching me every morning? Doesn’t she know my name? Especially after yesterday... who in the Academy doesn’t?

Then it clicked.

Ah. Of course. She’s your classic yandere character. Entire world orbiting Aiden. No social calibration outside of him. That’s why she can’t even mesh with Kyle and Selena—they’re too normal for her.

Maybe that’s why she’s here every morning. Watching. Wanting to talk. But not knowing how.

Even now... trying her best to act nonchalant, but clearly flustered.

Her arms were still crossed, but her posture screamed

nervous

. Her eyes flicked away every two seconds like she was mentally rehearsing a script.

How Cute!

Luca sighed, then smiled gently.

Well it’s good that she approached me, it was too awkward for me when she just arrives and stares at me practicing.Time to make it less awkward.

"Hello," he said politely. "I’m Luca Valentina, Ms. Fairmoore."

She blinked—too fast. Her eyes widened slightly. "O-Oh. I-I see. H-How do you... know my name?"

He gave a faint chuckle. "Of course. Everyone knows the grace and beauty of Ms. Lilliane."

Her expression—stone-cold seconds ago—morphed instantly.

She looked as if her soul just inflated with pride and floated off on a cloud shaped like a crown.

Ah... she’s getting full of herself. How cute.

Luca fought back a grin.

Seeing main characters like this, up close instead of through a screen... it’s something else.

An awkward silence hung for a moment.

Then Luca smiled. "Well then, see you later."

Lilliane straightened up quickly. "Y-Y-Yeah! You too!"

And with that, they parted ways from the practice ground—awkward, but somehow... better than yesterday.

The moment Luca stepped into class, the air changed.

Dozens of eyes followed him. Whispered murmurs traced his steps. People glanced, turned, looked again. Some tried to play it off—others didn’t bother.

He made his way to his seat, dropped his bag beside him, and slumped into the chair.

First Aurelia. Then Lilliane.

He stared up at the ceiling, mentally drained.

I can’t take this today...

Then, from the front of the class—

"Student Luca Valentina. Meet me after class."

Seraphina’s voice was calm, commanding.

Luca didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

He just stared straight ahead, lips parted slightly.

Speechless.

This day... is just getting started.