"Let me ask you this once again, Eden: What was that man doing there with you?" The principal asked, glaring at me.
It was around midnight, and the moon hung high, casting its silver light into the room. The principal’s office was surrounded by an air of tension.
Standing alongside the principal were three other teachers I had encountered before: Sophia at the back, while Geilna and Alvin flanked the principal.
None of them looked pleased as they awaited my response.
"Like I said, he asked me to join him, and I rejected his offer," I replied, reiterating the words I’d been repeating for the past six hours.
"And he just left without doing anything to you?" The principal pressed further, seeking a more detailed answer.
None of them looked pleased as they awaited my response.
"Like I said, he asked me
"Yeah, he gave me a warning that I would die and just left," I replied, leaning back in the chair.
The interrogation had been ongoing for hours, and they weren’t letting me go.
They are under suspicion that something more had occurred between me and that bastard.
"Don’t lie, Eden! How could that man, who kills wherever he goes, just let you live after you rejected him?" Alvin exclaimed, slamming his palm on the desk and glaring at me.
As Jaquab’s stepbrother, he knew more about Jaquab and was the most skeptical of my answers.
"What do you want me to do? Call that fucker here and let him give a statement."I retorted, shrugging my shoulders.
"Language, Eden," Sophia reminded me, and I immediately fell silent.
"This isn’t going anywhere," the principal sighed in frustration.
"Why did he want you to join them, Eden?" Geilna asked, shifting her focus to me.
"Like I said, he told me I would die if I didn’t join him," I replied, looking at her.
"Why?" she asked again.
"He didn’t tell me why," I replied, keeping an eye on Alvin, the only one with royal blood present.
"Are you the only ones who know about this?" I asked, noticing that no one else was present.
"Yes, we are keeping this a secret for now," the principal replied, tapping on the desk with his index finger.
"Did you really not accept his offer?" Alvin asked after a full minute of silence.
"If I had joined him, why would he have revealed his location?" I replied, looking at him in annoyance. "Stop looking at me like that; I didn’t do anything wrong."
"Tell the truth, Eden; don’t waste all our time," Geilna said.
"I am telling the truth. Work on your security, for fuck’s sake. Anyone just enters the academy like it’s their backyard," I rebuked.
"Eden!"
"I can’t help it, Sister Sophia. Look at them; they are looking at me like it’s my fault."
"Okay! Enough!" The principal exclaimed before shifting his focus towards me, "Eden, if you have anything to confess, do it now."
"I have nothing to say," I replied with a sigh, clearly fed up with the situation.
"Fine then, you will be under our observation from now on," he replied as he shifted his gaze towards the teachers.
"When is the trip for the first-year students organized?" He asked.
"To my house."
"What about him?" She asked, pointing at me.
"He is coming with me."
"What?" She asked, frowning.
"Are you out of your mind?" Geilna said, glaring at her, "What about Grace? She lives with you, remember?"
"Grace is in her dormitory room for a few days to familiarize herself with her classmates; some idiot told her she doesn’t have any friends." Sophia said, glaring at me, and I averted my gaze away from her.
Darn, I shouldn’t have provoked her. It would have been amusing to see the look on her face if I had just arrived at her house unannounced.
But does Grace tell her everything?
"Be careful of his behavior, Sophia," Geilna said as she turned back.
Do I look like some kind of beast to her?
Sophia started walking again as I followed behind her.
It was already midnight, so without being bothered by anyone, we arrived at her place.
"Come in," she said as she opened the door to her apartment, which was in a separate building for the teachers.
As I entered, my gaze moved around the apartment—simple, without much decoration. Typical of Sophia and Grace, who prefer simplicity over extravagance,.
"Sleep on the sofa and do not disturb me," Sophia instructed as she threw a blanket in my direction, which I caught without a problem.
She then entered her room, leaving me alone.
"Might as well take a nap," I mumbled as I reached the sofa.
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"Ugh, my back," I muttered, adjusting my blazer as I walked through the corridor of the first-year building. Stay updated via freewebnovel
After spending the night in Sophia’s apartment, I changed into my uniform there, as I kept all my belongings in my inventory. And thanks to all the hectic discussions that happened last night, I am now late for class.
Yeah, Sophia didn’t bother to wake me up.
"Hmm?"
As I moved through the corridor, I looked around and noticed that other students were whispering and pointing in my direction. This happens every day, but today it felt more intense than usual.
"What’s this about?" I mumbled as I reached my classroom and entered.
As soon as I walked in, everyone’s attention shifted to me, but their expressions weren’t friendly. Even the girls had conflicted looks.
Ignoring them, I moved towards the last seat where Emily was sitting.
"Good morning," I greeted her as I sat down.
"Uhm, Eden?" she said.
"Yes?"
"Have you heard the rumors about you?"
"What rumors?"
"That you are part of the Dark Church."