Chapter 66 - Stay

Chapter 66: Chapter 66 - Stay

Maelle broke her terrifying glare on the trembling butler and turned to look at the principal. "Are we finished here?"

"We are." She nodded once.

Without another word, Maelle gave the entire room the cold shoulder and swept out of the office with Vincent right beside her.

Outside the suffocating room, the open courtyards and grassy lawns were filled with hundreds of students eating lunch, chatting, and stealing subtle, awed glimpses at Maelle and Vincent as they walked side by side.

Though Maelle walked with a perfectly straight spine, Vincent could see the tension in her jaw. The butler’s parting words about the ’Tyrant King’ had clearly struck a nerve inside her.

After learning about that detail offhandedly from a third party instead of Maelle herself, he wanted to ease her mood. And so, he figured that being honest about his own origin would prove to her that past bloodlines didn’t define who they were.

"Hey, Maelle... You know... you don’t have to listen to guys like him. Bloodlines don’t define who you are."

Maelle kept her eyes forward and her voice quiet. "You don’t understand, Vincent."

"I do, actually," he stepped slightly in front of her to catch her eye. "Honestly... I haven’t been entirely upfront with you about who I am. I’m actually the son of the Hero... and the Goddess who once defeated the Tyrant King in the past."

Maelle’s step slowed slightly.

Vincent continued. "I know our lineages were enemies in the past. The Heroes party and the Tyrant King... they fought a terrible war. But look at us now! You and me... we can work together. We can prove to everyone that times have changed, and that the past doesn’t control our future."

Her slowed step came to a complete stop.

Every single drop of color drained from her face and violet eyes widened in sheer horror as she stared at Vincent.

"Maelle...? What’s wrong?"

She recoiled backward when he reached out for her, as if she had just been burned by hot iron.

Something inside her broke. Her eyes suddenly started to glisten with a welling tear that brimmed over her lashes and spilled down her cheek.

Vincent couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He had seen her indifferent, cold, embarrassed, and arrogant – but he had never, in his wildest dreams, expected to see a sight like this from her.

"M-Maelle?? Are you alright–"

"DON’T TOUCH ME!"

She violently slapped his hand away and stumbled backward, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she choked on a sob.

"D-Don’t... don’t follow me...!"

Confused, panicked, and deeply worried, Vincent took another step forward. "Wait, Maelle! Just hold on, please–"

"I SAID DON’T! STAY!"

Maelle screamed at the top of her lungs. Her raw, sorrow-filled, and grief-stricken voice echoed across the entire courtyard. But it wasn’t just a shout – it was a command.

"Argh! Motherf–"

An invisible force slammed into Vincent’s body, physically stopping him in place. And while he could try and move–

"UGH– OK OK!"

It would feel like his insides were being electrocuted and melted simultaneously.

Hundreds of students who had been eating and chatting stopped mid-sentence. Forks dropped, conversations died, and every single pair of eyes turned toward the center aisle in shock. No one had ever seen the unshakeable Princess Maelle Ebony break down like that.

Maelle turned her back on him and sprinted away toward the academy gardens. And Vincent remained standing alone in the absolute center of the courtyard.

His hand was still extended into the empty air and his boots locked in place by her command as he stared at the corner where she had vanished into. His mind was in shambles.

’What... what did I say wrong...?’

Breaking the silence was who Ava skipped out from the nearby building, blissfully oblivious. She was holding a half-eaten sweet pastry, humming a cheerful tune.

"Lalalalala~ Lala~ Lala~ La– Hmm?"

She stopped, noticing the students staring all in one direction. Then, she noticed Vincent standing like a frozen statue, looking lost, confused, and heartbroken.

She tilted her head, trotting over to him with a confused frown of her own. "Huh...? Vincent? What’s wrong with you? Why are you just standing there like a weirdo? ...And where’s Maelle?"

Around them, the crowd of students slowly began to resume their quiet murmurs and walked away while stealing worried glances at the Familiar who had just been screamed at by his Master.

Vincent slowly lowered his hand and turned to look at Ava with a helpless smile.

"Ava... I... I need your help."

"What’s wrong? What happened?"

"Maelle happened. I literally can’t move from this spot. She got upset at something I said and commanded me to stay."

"Really? *Munch* *Munch* What did you say?"

"Uhhm... come a bit closer. I don’t want anyone hearing this."

Ava stopped midway through taking a bite of her food and dropped her jaw open. Her hazel eyes widened behind her thick glasses as she digested the truth of his origin.

"Wait, wait, wait!" She lowered her voice into a dramatic whisper. "You’re telling me you’re actually the son of the Hero and the Goddess?! No wonder you smell so heavenly! You’re literally divine!"

"Keep your voice down!" Vincent hissed through grit teeth. "I don’t need the entire student body hearing that!"

"Why did you even tell her?!" Ava clutched her cheeks. "And why did you tell me?!"

"Because I trust you, duh! Also, I thought if I was honest about who I am, it would show Maelle that past bloodlines don’t matter. You know, given the fact that she’s a distant relative of the Tyrant King and all."

As Ava stared at him, her face flushed pink blush and her eyes sparkled with adoration. "Y-You... you trust me...? Oh, Vincent..."

Overcome with sudden, overwhelming affection, she leaned forward, closed her eyes and puckered her lips as she went straight in for... a kiss?!

"Whoa, whoa, HEY! STOP" Vincent strained his neck backward as far as his locked muscles would allow. "I don’t consent! How are you gonna try and kiss me when I literally can’t move to defend myself?! Bad Ava! Stop!"

She froze an inch from his face, blinking in disappointment before pouting. "Aww, no fair..."

She then tapped her chin to consider the situation. "Hmm... if a command is keeping you frozen, then obviously you just need a stronger motivation to break it! Like... Like desire!"

"No! It doesn’t work like– Hey what are you doing!?"

Before Vincent could stop her, Ava pressed herself flush against him. Her eyes shimmered a seductive glow as she began using her succubus allure – whispering soft, playful taunts into his ear, trailing her fingertips lightly up his chest, and releasing a sweet trace of her demonic pheromones into the air around them.

"Come on, Vincent~" Ava purred when taking a few steps back. "Just follow me~ That’s it~ Don’t you want to touch me~?"

Despite himself, Vincent felt a sudden wave of heat rush to his face as his heart hammered against his ribs from her shamelessness. His body instincts flared, and his right leg attempted to take a step forward—

"AAAGH!"

A searing pain shot straight through his nerve endings like liquid fire. The command enforced its absolute rule, punishing his body for attempting to disobey Maelle’s explicit command.

"Vincent!"

"D-Don’t... Don’t... make me try to move again... Please..."

Seeing the genuine agony in his eyes and the bullets of sweat forming on his forehead, Ava dropped her goofy act.

"Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t mess around anymore. She only told you not to follow her, right? She didn’t dismiss you. That must mean something. I’m gonna go find her and fix this."

"Thanks... S-She... She ran that way..."

"Got it. Hold on tight, handsome. I’ll get your Princess back. Here, you can have this while you wait." Ava stuffed her half-eaten garlic bread in his mouth and ran toward her given direction.

After minutes went by, she soon tracked her faint trail scent straight to the greenhouse within the academy gardens.

Inside, surrounded by exotic flora, stood Maelle. She was alone by a small fountain, her back turned, looking emotionally drained as she stared down at the water.

"Princess."

"Leave me, Ava. I wish to be alone."

"... No," she said firmly, stepping closer to the fountain. "Vincent is stuck in the middle of the courtyard. He literally can’t move because of what you commanded him to do. You need to go talk to him."

"I have nothing to say to him."

Ava let out a frustrated huff, crossing her arms as she stared at the Princess’s lonely back. In her own strangely insightful way, she called Maelle out without an ounce of hesitation.

"Why are you being so mean to him?! He fought for you! He bled for you! He damn near took down a whole syndicate stronghold to make sneaking into their base easier for you, praised you, and stood right right by you side when facing that dumb Prince!"

Maelle’s shoulders twitched, but she remained silent.

"He’s your Familiar, you silly Princess!" Ava pressed on, stepping right beside her. "He didn’t look at you with hatred when he told you who he was, did he?! He trusted us– y-you with his secret!"

Ding~ Dong~ Ding~ Dong~

Maelle closed her eyes, masking her pain behind a wall of stoicism. "The break’s over. Let’s get to class."

Without waiting for Ava, Maelle swept past her toward the exit. Ava gritted her teeth, huffing loudly before stomping after her. "Princess!"