His gaze dropped to her mouth. "You know… rumors are only dangerous if they're lies." He leaned in, close enough that his breath ghosted over her lips. "What if we gave the school something real to talk about?"
Blazar's pulse hammered against her ribs. This is a bad idea. A catastrophically stupid idea.
But then—
A sharp cough echoed down the hall.
Xeari.
"That's no dignity for a king," he said, voice cutting through the moment like ice water, "to act like a lovesick fool in the middle of the hallway. Unreasonable. Dishonorable. Disrespectful."
Vesper released her with a scoff, fangs glinting. "Who cares about the honor you keep yapping about, Mr. Cat? Last I checked, your idea of fun is alphabetizing your sock drawer by thread count."
Xeari didn't flinch. "The reason you're a king shouldn't be because you crave attention like a spoiled child. It should be because you're someone worth following." His gaze flicked between them with surgical precision. "Not this circus act."
