Chapter 62: The Smile That Dares the Sword---When the world feels colder than death… and even the moon turns its back on you—That’s when someone warm enough to reach into your broken heart becomes more than just an ally. They become your reason.---Chaollete Ashley’s breath was ragged, but her gaze was unwavering.'When I forgot what love felt like… when I stopped remembering what warmth even meant…'The image of her father’s smiling face flickered in her mind like an old flame refusing to die. He had always believed in her. Always encouraged her, hugged her, called her “my little star.” That world felt like a dream now—a past life swallowed by the mansion’s suffocating silence after he was gone.Her hands curled into trembling fists.Back then, no one reached for her. No one offered kindness. Not until he did.A foolish, relentless boy—Ryan—who spoke nonsense and hope in equ

Chapter 64 – When Steel Burns and Stars Fall The air between Ryan and Noelle was heavy—almost electric, charged with unspoken grudges and overwhelming tension. They didn’t need words anymore. They stood on opposite ends of the battlefield like two destined storms waiting to collide. One born from the honor of knighthood, the other from the chaos of a transmigrated soul who didn’t play by this world’s rules. Noelle's blade gleamed beneath the fractured sunlight, her stance like a fortress. She was no stranger to close-quarters combat. In fact, she lived for it. Every step she took was deliberate, controlled, and laced with deadly skill. Ryan, on the other hand, had never relied on brute strength. He played with possibilities—stacked plans like cards in a gambler’s sleeve. Against Noelle, he knew there was no winning with sheer force. This wasn’t a test of might. It was a contest of minds. She didn't speak. There was nothing left to be said. The moment was now, and the battlefield

Chapter 66: A Deal Among Shadows, A Pact Among Beasts "So... now that it's just us here," Ryan muttered, his gaze slowly scanning the quiet, eerie clearing left behind by the chaos. Shadows danced across the charred grass and broken branches. His breath came slowly now, like steam from a kettle finally off the fire. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" The silence didn’t last long. With a low hum and a sudden tremor underfoot, the ground cracked open, splitting like a wound. Roots wriggled up like hungry serpents. Then she appeared. Rising with a fluid grace like nature itself bending in reverence, a dryad materialized—her body half-merged with an ancient tree trunk, vines elegantly wrapped around her limbs, covering what needed to be covered but leaving just enough to spark that primal curiosity in a teenage boy. Sphinx and Anubis, standing alert beside Ryan, growled low in their throats, Dioki flaring faintly around their forms. But a brief shimmer of recognition calmed th

Chapter 68 – The Reason Beneath the Crown “Would you consider joining the Student Council?” "!!!" The entire arena might as well have exploded. Every neck snapped in Ryan’s direction, jaws practically hitting the polished tiles. Even Chaollete Ashley, standing just a step behind him, looked like someone had uppercut her straight through her calm exterior. And Author? The prince’s usually composed face twisted into an expression of complete disbelief. “Wait, did I just hallucinate that?” one student blurted out. “She invited him?” “Isn’t that guy the one who almost collapsed before reaching the damn hut?” “Just because he has weird familiars, that’s enough to get a Council invite now?” The audience didn’t hold back. Murmurs turned to grumbling, and soon the whole place buzzed with irritation, envy, and raw confusion. Ryan stood frozen, caught between awkward silence and the weight of hundreds of eyes burning into his skull. It wasn’t the first time people stared at him like

Chapter 70 — When Partings Feel Like War For the next three days, Chaollete Ashley moved like a thundercloud with legs — silent, heavy, and looming. Her words never turned sharp, nor did she lash out at Ryan or act cold. On the surface, everything seemed normal. She still showed up to train him without fail. Still drilled him in channeling Dioki with precise efficiency. Still parried his strikes and corrected his stances like always. But Ryan could feel it. Her gaze had changed. It burned hotter. It lingered longer. She watched every shadow, especially when the name Noelle was brought up. It was like she was bracing herself for another ambush — one she wasn’t ready to face emotionally. While Ryan sat by the window, his eyes drifting over the crimson horizon that bled into Frexia Academy’s distant towers, Sphinx broke the silence. The massive divine beast was sprawled lazily near the bed, claws twitching. "You’ve been brooding too damn much lately," the Sphinx rumbled, tilting hi