It happens when you least expect it
Four hours had already passed since I started this dreadful night watch.
It was long past my designated time...
But I wasn't sleepy anyway, so I figured I might as well stay up instead of tossing and turning in my sleeping bag.
-Click...
"Sigh... Damn..."
I took a long drag from my seventh Deathweed cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke into the night air.
As I sat there, bored out of my mind, I heard a rustling sound coming from the direction of the tent.
-Rustle...
I turned my head to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was...
"Huh...?"
"...Violet?"
A head of violet hair shimmered in the faint glow of the firelight.
I tilted my head, looking at her curiously.
***
"...Gasp!"
The girl's eyes fluttered open in the darkness.
She looked around frantically for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest.
She let out a sigh of relief as she realized she was safe inside the tent.
A terrible nightmare.
She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering fear.
Cold sweat matted her violet hair against her forehead.
Slowly, she sat up.
"..."
The world outside the tent was cloaked in darkness.
She couldn't tell the exact time, but it felt like it must have been well past midnight.
She sat there for a while, lost in thought before tears began to well up in her eyes.
The nightmare, vivid and terrifying, still haunted her.
-Stay away from me, you cursed child.
-Ugh... What is that on your face...?!
-Get away, you disgust me.
"Ugh... Sob, sniff..."
She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling her sobs so as not to wake her tentmates.
The act of holding back her tears only made her feel more miserable.
It was as if a burning hand was wrapped around her throat, squeezing the air out of her lungs.
She finally managed to compose herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Gasp... Gasp..."
She slipped out of her sleeping bag and headed towards the tent flap.
The bandages on her face, soaked with tears and sweat, needed to be changed.
She clutched a fresh roll of bandages in her hand as she unzipped the tent.
-Ziip...
As the barrier between the inside and the outside world disappeared, the first thing that caught her eye was...
A bonfire, burning brightly in the darkness.
"......?"
She stared at the dancing flames, her mind racing.
It was the middle of the night. Why was the fire still going?
Could it be that someone was still awake...?
"Gasp...!"
Her eyes widened in surprise as she scanned her surroundings.
Sitting by the fire was a boy, his gaze fixed on her.
He looked at her curiously, his voice a low murmur as he spoke.
"...Violet?"
His hair and eyes, as dark as the night sky, seemed to shimmer in the firelight.
Faint dark circles underlined his eyes, and his face was etched with exhaustion.
It was the Academy's most infamous student, the Maniac Young Master, Raiden Lishite.
"...Hiccup."
Violet let out an involuntary hiccup and turned to flee back into the tent.
But before she could take a single step...
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Hiccup."
Raiden's voice, laced with amusement, stopped her in her tracks.
Violet froze, her body trembling slightly.
The rumors she had heard about Raiden, coupled with his naturally intimidating aura, filled her with fear.
He was the eldest son of one of the three most powerful Dukedoms in the Empire.
Even though he had been stripped of his title and cast out as the family disgrace, he was still a force to be reckoned with.
For a commoner like Violet, he was simply too high above her station.
"......"
"......"
Raiden watched her for a moment, a hint of exasperation in his eyes, before letting out a sigh.
He tossed another log onto the fire and said casually, "Come sit down."
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Thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteWait, was he actually stripped of the tittle? Or is that an hyperbole? Because other characters still treat him as a noble
ReplyDeleteThe title as heir
Delete