Chapter 201: The Prince Was Lying In Ambush For Her?

The world spun briefly. Her shoulder brushed past a pillar, and a moment later, she found herself standing in a narrow corner between the east corridor and a supply room. No one was around.

Vesper stood in front of her, his breath slightly uneven.

Before Aisha could ask what he was doing, he lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips.

Shh.

Then he turned his head and pointed past the pillar.

Aisha followed the direction of his finger and peered ahead.

Not far from them, beside a stone bench shaded by an artificial tree, stood a tall young man with golden hair. He was dressed in the academy uniform, his hands slipped casually into his pockets as three or four students gathered around him, talking about something she couldn’t hear. He looked like any other student idling around while waiting for the bell to ring.

It was Prince Soren.

Aisha stared at him for a second longer than necessary, and then she blinked.

Why had Vesper dragged her all the way here for this?

She turned back to Vesper, who was watching her face as though he were afraid she might crumble at any moment. His brows were knitted, and he even seemed ready to say something comforting but couldn’t figure out how to begin.

Oh.

It slowly dawned on her.

He must have thought that she would feel bad, or even awful, if she met the prince now. After all, it hadn’t even been long since the annulment ceremony, where their engagement had been broken in front of the entire Imperial Hall. Anyone would’ve wanted to avoid seeing the other person’s face for as long as possible.

Aisha almost laughed.

It was strange, really. Even if Prince Soren came and stood right in front of her at this moment, she was certain she wouldn’t feel a thing.

So she smiled and patted Vesper on the arm. "It’s fine," she said gently. "You don’t need to worry. Let’s go."

She turned to leave the corner.

But she hadn’t even taken a full step when a hand caught her shoulder and pulled her back. The back of her head nearly hit the wall, but a palm landed against it first, right beside her head, and the sound of it echoed softly in the narrow space.

Aisha blinked in surprise.

Vesper had pressed her against the wall, one hand planted beside her head, his tall frame leaning over her and blocking most of her view. His expression was unusually serious.

"You shouldn’t let him see you," he said in a low voice.

Aisha raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t that she minded being backed against a wall, but it was strange to see Vesper, of all people, look so careful.

"While you weren’t around," Vesper continued quietly, "I saw Prince Soren standing in front of the school entrance. He kept looking at the gate every time a shuttle came in. It was like he was waiting for someone."

Aisha thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "You’re worrying too much. He might not have been waiting for me. It could’ve been Irene."

"It wasn’t."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Irene came to school yesterday," Vesper said. "I saw her. The prince only exchanged a few words with her before they separated, and she didn’t even look happy about it. But he didn’t leave." He tapped his finger against the wall. "He just stayed there. He stood at the entrance until classes started, and he didn’t move from that spot until the bell rang."

Aisha’s brows drew together slightly.

"And that’s not all. He’s also been asking our classmates about you." Vesper’s voice dropped even lower. "When would you be coming to class? Whether you’ve been seen with anyone."

A pause settled between them.

Aisha’s frown deepened.

So that was it. She finally understood why Vesper had been so cautious. It wasn’t that he was afraid she’d get hurt. He was afraid that Soren had something in mind, waiting for her somewhere nearby.

She nodded slowly, her expression turning stoic.

"I see."

She was about to say more when a movement near the end of the corridor caught the corner of her eye.

Two figures had stopped a few meters away.

Kane and Sabel stood frozen in place, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. Kane’s bag had slipped halfway off his shoulder, and Sabel was breathing faster.

They looked at Vesper’s arm. Then at Aisha, pressed against the wall. Then back at Vesper.

"Y-you..." Kane managed.

"You two..." Sabel’s voice cracked with disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

***

Earlier that morning, Kane and Sabel had met at the school gates.

Neither of them had planned it. Kane had arrived first and was standing beside the pillar, fiddling with his strap when Sabel came dragging her feet from the other side of the road, her eyes slightly red and her hair hastily tied.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"You didn’t sleep either, huh," Kane said.

"Don’t look at me like that. You look worse."

She wasn’t wrong.

There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and he kept pressing his fingers against his temple as though he could force his thoughts into order. Unlike Vesper, who was someone who could probably collapse into bed the second his head touched the pillow, the two of them had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling.

Their minds were filled with the duel that would take place after classes were over today.

"Let’s go in together," Sabel said finally, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Alright."

They decided to wait for Vesper and Aisha before heading to their classroom. As far as Kane knew, Aisha usually came to school by shuttle, and Vesper would probably arrive late and be dragged along by the sound of the bell.

They had hardly taken a few steps inside when Kane spotted a familiar silhouette some distance away.

A girl was crossing the courtyard toward the east side of the campus.

"Aisha!" he called.

Sabel turned her head as well, shading her eyes with her hand. But Aisha was far away, and the courtyard was too crowded for his voice to carry. Aisha didn’t seem to hear him.

"Aisha!" Kane called again, louder this time.