Chapter 394: Return To Earth [II]

I exhaled quietly, watching the whole exchange unfold like some kind of slow-burning disaster. Still, somehow, this was the most peaceful moment I had been a part of all day.

I realized then that I genuinely liked these guys, despite the unmitigated chaos they tended to bring.

Vince took a sip of his dark coffee, then set the cup down with a quiet

clink

. "Jokes aside, the political situation is shifting fast. And for the worse."

That immediately pulled the room back into focus.

Ray wiped his face after he stole a few spoonfuls of my ice cream while I was distracted. He thought I hadn’t noticed. I definitely had.

"Yeah," he said. "The Southern Prince’s move was too intentional not to be calculated. He knew Duke Arthur would never back down, even with the threat of starting a war with a Monarch hanging over his head. But you’ve gotta hand it to the man, he really is something."

I suppressed a huff. I’d had my suspicions but, as it turned out, Ray actually

was

a fanboy of my father.

"I... I think I should head back home before returning to the Academy." Vince’s tone was layered with a cocktail of so many complicated emotions I couldn’t have been able to name them all even if I was given a whole day.

He looked sad yet hopeful, torn yet determined — agitated like he was standing at the cusp of a decision he couldn’t quite walk away from.

I could guess what was eating at him.

He wanted to check on his siblings, maybe even introduce himself to them properly this time, but he didn’t have the resolve.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to leave for the Academy without seeing them at least once.

I actually felt a little bad for him.

"Same," Ray nodded along, lost in his own thoughts. "I should head back home first, too. My father is probably losing his mind over all this."

Understandable. Ray was an illegitimate son, but he still belonged to a Ducal household — one that could very well get dragged into the upcoming war by siding with the Southern Prince.

In fact, since the Absbergs governed the East along with the Wayforges, it wasn’t far-fetched to assume that they could send their troops to

Iron Height

in order to support their fellow Ducal house.

So in reality, they could end up participating in both fronts of the war my family was a part of.

So, Ray really

did

need to go back and assess the political stance of his household.

"Wait," Kang frowned. "What exactly does your father do, Ray?"

Ray looked up in silence, then gave a noncommittal shrug. "Nothing important. He’s just a government worker."

...Technically, a Duke

is

a government worker. So, not a lie.

Alexia, now finished with her orange juice, lounged back comfortably. "I, personally, will just make a run for the Academy as soon as I’m out of here. My father will be doing everything in his power to catch me while he still can, so I won’t give him the satisfaction. To hell with the politics."

Goodness. I wished I had that kind of freedom.

"On that note," Alexia’s sightless gray eyes drifted toward my general direction, "do you have any idea when they’re letting us go, Sam?"

I nodded, then once again realized she couldn’t see the gesture and sighed. "I asked my aunt. She said a few knights would escort us to Luxara tomorrow. From there, we can either be flown back to Apex or taken to the international travel permit office — our choice."

"That’s good."

After that, we all talked for a while longer... as Michael continued to sulk on the floor. Okay, even I was starting to pity the poor guy now.

•••

Evening fell soon enough.

I checked with Aunt Morgan to see if it was alright to invite everyone to the main mansion for dinner. She said that as long as they didn’t trigger a diplomatic incident, they were free to do whatever they wanted — provided I was with them.

I told her I’d try to keep that in mind.

Try

being the keyword here.

So, we started making our way back.

Everyone exited the room one after another, until Juliana was the last to emerge from behind the dressing partition.

...And when I saw her, a part of me was strangely disappointed.

You see, during the course of our journey, we obviously hadn’t had time for proper grooming. As a result, all the boys were now sporting unruly beards and stubble.

The girls, on the other hand, looked much better in comparison, except that their hair had grown unkempt and messy from neglect.

Juliana’s hair, however... had grown significantly longer.

She previously liked to keep it short, around the base of her neck. But by the time we had set sail across the

Lake of Grief

, her snow-white curls had begun to reach the ends of her shoulder blades.

She always looked particularly good with long hair.

I didn’t know why I thought she was going to keep it that way. I didn’t even know why I felt disappointed when I saw she hadn’t.

Apparently, she had trimmed it back to its original length.

Short hair still looked good on her, with perfect bangs framing her face, bringing out the enchanting sharpness of her cold blue eyes.

It

really

did look good. But... I don’t know...

I was probably staring at her, because she wiggled an eyebrow at me.

"What?"

And like an idiot, I blurted out, "You trimmed your curls? I liked your long hair more."

...Instead of replying, Juliana just gave me one of those cold stares of hers that I realized she hadn’t given me in a very long time — the stare that had a sharp edge to it, making the person on the receiving end feel like a blade was pressed against their throat.

In the tense silence that followed, I waited for a retort, some sort of sharp-tongued jab about my sudden interest in her aesthetics, or even a dismissive roll of her eyes.

She didn’t give me either.

Juliana just shifted on her feet and walked straight past me, leaving only the soft scuff of her boots against the floor behind.

She didn’t look back, she didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken. She simply vanished through the doorway, her freshly shorn hair swaying slightly as she left.

I stood there, rooted to the spot. There was a twisting ache in my chest, like my heart was being wrenched.

What was that stare? Why did she look at me like that? I didn’t like that look.

And seriously, what was wrong with me? I liked your long hair more? Who the fuck says that to a girl?!

My chest started feeling even tighter. It was probably nothing... just the lingering stress of the journey. Or grief for the ice cream Ray stole. Yeah, definitely the ice cream.

I looked at the empty doorway and wondered if I had offended her...

Well, Juliana wasn’t the type to be

offended

in the traditional sense of the word. She usually just retaliated or sabotaged.

But the way she ignored me just now was... so cold.

It felt like I had lost some kind of progress.

I really,

really

didn’t like that look.