Inside, Kaira was a mess.
The accusation from Asriel and his cronies—that Rian, of all people, was sniffing her boots and licking her socks—was so absurd it nearly made her laugh.
'Rian? Doing that?' she thought, a mix of disbelief and amusement. 'No way.'
Though she'd known Rian for less than two days, she couldn't believe he was that kind of person.
The guy who'd faced two Master-ranked fighters in the arena, survived Kain, and wielded a power as rare as lightning… wasting time on something like that?
It just didn't add up.
And yet, the mental image of Rian doing something so ridiculous slipped into her head, and her heart gave a traitorous lurch.
'Stop it!' she scolded herself, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. 'It's a lie. Don't get carried away.'
But the mere thought made her want to dig a hole and hide in it forever from embarrassment.
The worst part? She couldn't show any reaction.
