"Click."
The door closed, leaving the room in silence.
"…Haa…"
Lunivara exhaled softly as the tension finally slipped from her shoulders. For a moment, she stood still—then slowly made her way to the bed and let herself fall onto it.
"Thump."
Her arm came up to cover her eyes.
[That was… exhausting.]
A faint breath escaped her.
[Good thing I managed to keep my composure…]
[Those manners… really saved me.]
She shifted slightly, staring at the ceiling.
"…What a troublesome day."
Meanwhile—
Cedric walked along the corridor, his steps steady, his
expression unchanged.
Yet something lingered.
"…What was that…?"
His brows furrowed slightly.
That word.
"…Brother."
It echoed faintly in his mind—unfamiliar, unsettling.
"…Irrelevant."
His gaze hardened as he dismissed it.
But another thought quickly followed.
"…Leontius."
His steps slowed just slightly.
"That man… to speak in such a manner before others."
A faint irritation surfaced.
"And toward me, no less."
A pause.
His eyes narrowed.
"…And the way he regarded her."
Sharp. Observing.
"…Did she attempt to gain his favor…?"
The thought came cold.
"…Or is it merely coincidence…?"
He exhaled quietly.
"…Regardless."
His voice lowered, firm.
"I will keep watch."
And with that, he continued forward.
Back in the dorm—
"Creak…"
The door opened softly as Clara stepped inside.
"Milady… are you well?"
Lunivara shifted slightly but didn't sit up.
"…I'm fine."
A small pause.
"…I would like to rest."
Clara nodded gently.
"As you wish."
She moved quietly around the room, straightening the table and arranging what had been left out. The curtains were drawn with care.
"Slide…"
The light softened.
"…Rest well, milady."
"Click."
The door closed once more.
Silence returned.
Lunivara stared at the ceiling.
[Leontius…]
Her brows furrowed slightly.
[Why did he step in…?]
They had barely spoken.
[There's no reason for him to interfere.]
Her fingers tapped lightly against the sheets.
"…Still…"
A quiet breath followed.
[That helped.]
Her gaze darkened slightly.
[If that professor hadn't stopped me this morning…]
A pause.
[I would have lost everything.]
The air felt heavier.
[In the original story…]
Her fingers curled slightly.
[She did it.]
[She was suspended… for a month.]
Another breath.
[And if it reached the royal family…]
Her eyes lowered.
[I would have been cast aside without hesitation.]
"…What a life you had."
Her voice softened.
"…Even if you tried… no one would choose you."
Silence lingered.
Then—
She sat up.
"Shift—!"
Her expression changed.
Focused.
"…No."
Her hand reached for a notebook.
"I won't wait for that to happen."
"Flip—"
The pages opened.
A pen pressed firmly against the paper.
"…If the worst comes…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"I need a way out."
"Scratch… scratch…"
"Emergency funds…"
"Safe routes…"
"Places outside noble reach…"
Line after line filled the page.
"…If I am abandoned—"
Her grip tightened slightly.
"I will survive."
The room remained quiet.
But this time—
It was no longer suffocating.
It was preparation.