The next morning felt unusually heavy.
Even after sleeping, my mind still felt exhausted.
Ira's words from yesterday refused to leave me alone.
Every time I tried not to think about them--
they came back stronger.
Don't trust them.
R--knows.
I shook my head slightly as I entered Saint Aurelius Academy.
The academy looked exactly the same as always.
Calm.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
And somehow that perfection felt unsettling now.
"So…"
I looked up to see Rishabh walking toward me.
"You left yesterday without me."
His tone sounded playful, but there was still confusion in his expression.
"That's rude, by the way."
I let out a small breath.
"I was tired yesterday," I replied.
"My head was hurting and I just wanted to go home."
Rishabh looked at me carefully for a second.
"You sure?"
I nodded quickly.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Hmm."
He narrowed his eyes dramatically.
"Fine.
But next time at least remember that you have a best friend who gets abandoned very easily."
I rolled my eyes slightly.
"You're overreacting."
"Absolutely not."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"I was emotionally damaged."
Despite everything, I laughed softly.
We continued walking through the hallway while talking normally, and for a brief moment--
everything almost felt okay again.
Then suddenly--
Vidyantsh's call from yesterday flashed in my mind.
My steps slowed.
"Oh no."
"What?" Rishabh asked.
"I forgot."
I turned toward him quickly.
"I need to go to the Golden Council room. My punishment still isn't over yet."
Rishabh instantly looked amused.
"Wow. Someone's becoming hardworking."
"Shut up."
He laughed quietly before stepping aside dramatically.
"Alright then. Go, punished student."
I shook my head and walked away before he could tease me again.
By the time I reached the Golden Council room, my heartbeat had already become uneven for no reason.
I pushed the door open slowly.
Vidyantsh was already there.
Sittinh calmly in his chair while going through a pile of files.
The room was quiet except for the faint sound of papers turning.
He looked exactly the same as always--
calm, serious, unreadable.
His expression barely changed while working, yet somehow he never looked cold.
Just… distant.
For the first time, I noticed small details about him properly.
His slightly messy curls falling near his forehead.
The way his sleeves were folded neatly.
The sharpness in his features despite the tiredness in his eyes.
He was annoyingly handsome.
The realization came so suddenly that I immediately looked away.
Before I could say anything--
"You're late."
He didn't even look up while saying it.
I frowned slightly.
"I'm only two minutes late."
"That still counts as late."
Finally, he looked up at me.
His expression remained calm as always.
"Sit."
"Start your work."
I moved toward the chair quietly while he pulled another file from the stack beside him.
"Today's work is different," he said.
"The academy staff records need to be checked and reorganized."
My eyes widened slightly after seeing the huge amount of files stacked on the table.
"This much?"
"The work was divided among several council members," he replied calmly.
"And it's still incomplete."
He placed another stack in front of me.
"So now you're helping too."
I stared at the files for a second before letting out a quiet sigh.
"This punishment feels more like employment."
For the first time--
the corner of Vidyantsh's lips lifted slightly.
Before I could continue complaining, the door of the council room opened again.
I looked up instinctively.
"Oh."
Rupam walked inside carrying a small stack of files in her hands.
The moment she noticed me, her expression brightened slightly.
"Risha," she greeted casually before walking closer.
"So we meet again."
A small smile appeared on my face almost instantly.
Our conversation at the cafeteria yesterday had been short, but somehow talking to her had felt surprisingly easy.
"Looks like it," I replied.
Rupam placed the files on the table before looking back at me.
"As promised," she said dramatically,
"we'll finally get to talk properly today."
I let out a quiet laugh.
"You make it sound very serious."
"It is serious," she replied with fake seriousness.
"Making new acquaintances requires dedication."
Before I could respond--
"Do both of you come here to work…"
Vidyantsh's calm voice interrupted from across the room.
"…or just to continue unfinished conversations?"
Both me and Rupam looked toward him at the same time.
He was still focused on the files in front of him, turning a page calmly without even properly looking at us.
"Because if it's the second option," he added casually,
"I can arrange another room."
His expression remained completely serious.
Which somehow made the comment even more annoying.
Rupam stared at him for a second before leaning slightly toward me and whispering quietly,
"Does he always sound this strict?"
I tried to suppress my smile instantly.
"I heard that," Vidyantsh said calmly.
Rupam blinked once before replying shamelessly,
"That's actually impressive."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then both me and Rupam exchanged the exact same side-eye toward Vidyantsh before quietly looking back at our files.
Somewhere beside me, I could hear Rupam trying not to laugh.
After a while, the room slowly became quieter again as everyone returned to their work.
Files were scattered across almost every table now, making the entire council room look even more chaotic than before.
I was still trying to organize the academy staff records when Vidyantsh suddenly spoke again.
"Rupam."
"Hmm?"
she replied while flipping through a file.
"The private shelves need to be checked again."
The moment those words left his mouth, my attention shifted toward him almost instantly.
Private shelves.
I tried to keep my expression normal, but my focus had already sharpened completely.
Vidyantsh finally looked up from the documents in front of him.
"The key records and confidential files have to be verified before the internal audit begins,"
Vidyantsh explained calmly.
"Only the President and the Co-President are allowed access to them."
For a brief second, his gaze shifted toward the private shelves behind him.
"The academy is very particular about who handles sensitive information."
"Most students don't even know those shelves exist," Rupam added casually while organizing another stack of files.
Almost immediately, Ira's words echoed in my mind again.
Check the files.
I lowered my eyes quickly before anyone could notice the sudden shift in my expression.
"Risha."
I looked up instantly after hearing Vidyantsh's voice.
"You stopped working."
"Oh--
I looked back at the file in front of me quickly.
"Sorry."
For a brief second, I felt like his gaze lingered on me slightly longer than usual.
Like he had noticed something.
But then he simply returned to his work again.
"Focus," he said calmly.
"You're already slow enough."
I frowned immediately.
"Excuse me?"
Beside me, Rupam quietly snorted while trying not to laugh.
I lowered my eyes back to the file in front of me, pretending to focus on the papers again.
But my mind was no longer there.
Confidential files.
Private shelves.
Restricted keys.
Everything somehow kept connecting back to the same thing.
Lavanya.
Ira.
That note.
Check the files.
I swallowed quietly.
At this point, I knew one thing for certain--
if I didn't find out the truth myself, the questions in my mind would never stop.
They would only grow worse.
Every strange interaction.
Every hidden expression.
Every unfinished sentence.
Everything here felt like pieces of a puzzle that no one wanted me to solve.
And somehow…
that only made me want to know the truth even more.
Even if it hurt.
Even if the answers changed everything.
My fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the file.
For the first time since coming to Saint Aurelius Academy--
I stopped wondering whether something was wrong here.
Because deep inside--
I already knew there was.