Chapter 352: Know what to do

Chapter 352: Know what to do



[First Year Dorm, Imperial Academy]

[Solstice - **Year: 1738

Date: 26th

Month: Shadowmoon

Time: 9:00 PM

Location: Solstice**]

Standing in front of the door, Mary looked from side to side while fidgeting her fingers over the knob. She then moved to knock but stopped, murmuring to herself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Girl, I think you shouldn't disturb him at such a late hour," said Mrs. Penny. She was about to go to bed when Mary appeared at the dorm.

For a second-year student as famous as Mary to come to the farthest first-year students' dorms building on the academy premises at such an hour obviously meant she was here to meet someone.

And in this whole dorm, there was only one guy who made such a buzz that it wouldn't be surprising if even the headmaster were here instead of Mary, and that was Ren Hilton.

Ren might not give a damn, but his name was always going around attached to several weird rumors.

"Nah, I-I need to do it now-I'll make it quick," stuttered Mary, her face pale as a ghost and her heart beating loudly.

She was anxious and scared.

For some reason, after Ren left with Raven, her heart wouldn't stop beating, and then there was this urge... an urge that she wanted to see Ren.

She wanted to be beside him, touch him... talk to him.

'He wouldn't mind, right? It's fine... yeah, it should be. He's been lurking around my house late at night, peeking across the window when we lived in Sephra, so this should be fine. Yeah, it should be,' she rationalized her decision, trying to reason with her conscience.

Ignoring the fact that it had been a year or more since both of them had exchanged a single word despite being in the same academy, knowing each other, and Ren confessing his love to her thousands of times.

**Knock Knock**

Mary knocked on the door, but to no avail. The door remained closed, and it suffocated Mary -the closed door looked like a wall to her.

**Knock knock!!**

This time, louder, she knocked harder.

"Ruu..." Her eyes began to shake, and her hand trembled nervously.

"He must be asleep," Mrs. Penny replied. If it had been someone else, she would've kicked them out by now, but Mary seemed like she might scream at any moment, so Penny kept her words to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, he yeah... Ruu must be asleep," Mary nodded to herself, as if reassuring herself about something.

"You should leave-" Mrs. Penny's words halted mid-sentence when she saw Mary grab the door knob.

"This is... troubling," he muttered.

Yeah, it sure is. A kingdom is under attack, and by the looks of it, it was very well planned too.

"I have to leave, headmaster!" Raven yelled.

Everyone silently turned their gaze towards her. It was evident that no one here was considering what Raven felt right now because they had better things to worry about.

"No."

One word. All Stormborne spoke was a single word, and it was easy to guess what he'd say next.

"In these circumstances, not a single student is allowed to leave the academy because it's dangerous," he said. "And yes, according to the academy rules, I can do that." He gave me a

stern look.

Sighing, I grabbed Raven's hand, much to her surprise as she was startled by the sudden

touch.

"R-Ruu!?" Her eyes were watering.

When did she start calling me that? Anyway, I leaned forward. "Not right now. Come with

me."

And with that, I dragged her out of Stormborne's office.

Raven didn't resist as I led her down the hallway, her footsteps heavy and her breath shaky. The tension from the headmaster's office seemed to cling to us, and I knew I needed to get her somewhere quiet where she could process everything.

We reached an empty classroom, and I gently guided her inside, closing the door behind us. The room was dimly lit, the evening sun casting long shadows across the desks. I turned to

face Raven, who was struggling to hold back her tears.

"I'm sorry, Raven," I said softly. "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, looking at me with a mix of frustration and sadness. "Why, Ren? Why can't I just go and say goodbye to him?"

I sighed, leaning against a desk. "I wish I had a better answer for you. The headmaster's worried about our safety, especially with what's happening in Reva. But I know how much this

means to you."

Raven took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "It's not fair. None of this is fair."

I stayed silent.

"Elsa got to leave when there was an ongoing war in the Elishia Forest. She got to save her

parents out of there, and here-why! Why can't I get to see my grandpa for the last time!" But

it looked like she couldn't contain herself as she began sobbing uncontrollably.

I stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Well, well, well. I think I know what to do."