Chapter 172: Cure
The morning after the revelation with Marcus was… different.
When I walked down into the common hall for breakfast, the usual background anxiety was gone.
The heavy, isolating weight of my secrets still existed, but it was no longer a burden I carried in absolute solitude.
Across the room, Marcus was already sipping a cup of tea, his posture straight, his movements economical.
He wasn't the hot-headed C+ hunter my father thought he was; he was a cultivator, serene and contained.
He met my gaze. A simple, subtle nod passed between us. We see each other. The pact holds.
That silent acknowledgment was more grounding than any alliance or contract. It was a shared reality.
My mother, Lilly, bustled out of the kitchen, blissfully unaware, chiding Marcus for "meditating instead of eating" and handing him a plate of food. He accepted it with a gentle, patient smile that was entirely genuine. He was playing his part, just as I was playing mine.
