You Really Do Have Beautiful Eyes

After what happened three days ago, Albert suggested I take a few days off to recover, to rest from all the trauma. But I can't afford that. The rumours are already spreading through the academy like wildfire, twisting and turning into something I can't control. If I take a day off, it will only give them more fuel. They'll see it as weakness, a sign that I'm crumbling, and that's the last thing I need right now. So I push Albert's suggestion aside, ignoring the knot of exhaustion in my chest, and march straight to my first class of the day.

Part of me aches at the thought of not practicing sword fighting with Julian and Albert. I crave it. Not just the thrill of combat or the bond I share with them, but the need to be stronger. Stronger than I was three days ago, stronger than I've ever been. I can't keep feeling powerless. I can't keep letting the fear of what I might do, or what others might think of me, control my every move. It may not be much but it's still something.

But that's not possible today. At least, not yet. Instead, I'll focus on magic. It's not quite the same, but it's something. I cling to that flicker of purpose as I walk through the halls, hoping that somewhere in the lessons ahead, I'll find the strength I so desperately need.

I open my textbook, and to my shock, the word "witch" is scrawled in bold red letters across every single page. How did this happen? How did they get their hands on my book in the first place? Julian and I have taken every precaution to keep our room secure, with magical wards that prevent anyone but Albert from teleporting in, and alarms that go off the moment someone enters without permission.

Julian glances over my shoulder, his expression shifting to a frown as he sees the large red writing scrawled across the pages.

"Share my textbook," he says, his voice soft but firm, as he shifts closer to me. The warmth of his presence is impossible to ignore, and I feel my heart race, my cheeks flushing.

It's been three days since everything with Brian happened, but the embarrassment still hasn't faded. I can't bring myself to look at him—my eyes stay glued to the pages in front of me. How could I look him in the eye after what happened? After everything that happened between us. The awkwardness from the past few days still lingers in the air, thick and uncomfortable. Damn it, I can't believe I cried for thirty minutes straight in his arms, my tears soaking his chest. What was I thinking? No, I wasn't thinking at all. I was just terrified. I honestly thought I was going to die.

"Ooh look at Lady Seraphina getting all chummy with the prince." A classmate says, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"I'm only sharing a textbook with him because you decided to ruin mine." I retort, showing him my ruined textbook.

"I suppose we should have put liar instead because you can't use magic."

"Just ignore him," Julian whispers softly, his voice low and warm, like a secret meant only for me.

I nod, my cheeks flushing as I shyly avoid his gaze. My heart beats faster, and I can't help but feel the distance between us shrink, even though I still can't find the courage to look him in the eye.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Professor Joseph says as he enters the classroom, his eyes sweeping over the room.

"Good morning," the class replies in unison, except for me. I can't help but bristle at his words. Really? He could've at least said "lady and gentlemen," but no, he deliberately leaves me out. I bite my lip, trying to hide my irritation, but it's hard to ignore the sight.

Julian catches my eye, his glance sharp, and I quickly turn away, my face burning with embarrassment.

"Lady Seraphina!" Professor Joseph bellows, his voice dripping with exaggerated disdain.

"Yes, professor," I reply.

"Oh, how delightful," he sneers, as though he's savouring a personal joke, "I'm sure I'm interrupting something incredibly crucial—perhaps a whirlwind romance or a deep philosophical discussion about your shared love of textbooks. But—just a small, insignificant detail here—could you possibly explain why on earth you're sharing a textbook with the prince? I mean, it's not like you have your own copy, right? Oh, wait—you do." He smirks, looking at me as if I've just solved the mystery of the century. "But I'm sure there's some deep, profound reason for this generous act of academic charity, right? Please, enlighten me."

The whole class giggles. I raise my textbook, practically slamming it on the desk, revealing the red writing scrawled all over the pages.

"Please, Professor," I say, my voice laced with contempt, "do not make such rude assumptions. It's painfully obvious that my textbook is clearly—"

"Are you correcting me right now?!"

"No, professor. I'm simply pointing out that you might want to reconsider accusing me of flirting with Julian, especially considering it's your students who damaged my textbook."

"There's no proof that we did anything. I think you are the one who is making assumptions, Lady Seraphina," a student says, a smug smile on their lips.

The other students exchange amused glances, some stifling laughs, while others openly chuckle.

Professor Joseph is already standing, his arms crossed in a show of authority. He glares down at Seraphina, his voice rising with exaggerated outrage. "Precisely. How dare you make an accusation against one of my students without any evidence?!" His tone drips with condescension. "We all know how quick you are to jump to conclusions, Lady Seraphina. Perhaps you should leave the investigation to those who actually know what they're doing."

He turns to the students, offering them a smug grin. "After all, it's clear none of you are capable of such wrongdoing. Isn't that right, my dear students?"

The students laugh in agreement, one of them adding, "Yeah, Lady Seraphina, always so dramatic. Maybe you should take a seat and leave the real work to us."

Professor Joseph laughs dismissively, his bias toward the students unmistakable. His posture radiates superiority, and he leans slightly forward, as though relishing his power. "Exactly. It seems you just don't understand the way things reallywork around here."

Realisation strikes like lightning-I had left my textbook in class yesterday.

I'm about to say something when Julian puts a hand on my shoulder. "Seraphina, stop." Julian orders.

"No," I say, shoving my shoulder away. "Yesterday, I left my textbook in the classroom. And since only students from this classroom are allowed inside, it had to be someone from here, okay?" I glare at the professor, arms crossed. "I don't know what you're implying, but I am not an idiot who'd forget where I had left my belongings."

"How do we know you did not do it yourself?"

Someone asks.

"Why would I want to ruin my own textbook, hm?" I say cynically.

"Because you want to get closer to the prince."

I scoff and open my mouth to defend myself.

"Enough! Lady Seraphina, you are interrupting my class and disrespecting my students. Please leave."

"What about them disrespecting me!" I begin to shout. "You can hear them laughing mischievously at me, yet you say nothing."

"They're probably laughing at your ridiculous banter. Now leave the classroom immediately!"

"Excuse me, professor." Julian says. "I agree that Seraphina was being extremely ill mannered. However, please allow her to stay after she apologises for her rudeness."

I scoff in disbelief, my voice dripping with irritation as I address the professor. "I am not going to apologise for anything. This is obviously a biased argument," I snap, my anger barely contained. Without another word, I grab my bag and books, tossing them over my shoulder with such force that they strike Julian's face. I storm out of the classroom, the door slamming behind me, each step a testament to my fury.

The moment I step out of the classroom, someone trips me, causing me to crash onto my chest and scatter my books everywhere. I groan in pain, push myself up to see who did it, when, out of nowhere, a barrage of ice spears hurtles toward me.

"Julian!" I scream.

Suddenly, Sir James appears from out of nowhere, his eyes locked on the ice spears that were launched at me. With a swift motion, he conjured his water magic, dissolving the sharp projectiles into harmless water that splashed to the ground. The air seemed to settle, but tension still hung heavy.

"Now, Alex!" Sir James bellowed, his voice a force of nature.

Without hesitation, Sir Alex surged forward, his muscles rippling with strength as he effortlessly lifted me into his arms. In a flash, the winds howled to life at his command, and we were lifted high into the sky, soaring away from the clutches of our would-be captors. Below us, the echoes of our enemies' rage were lost in the howling winds, powerless against the might of the heroes who defied them.

What is happening?

"Wait…what about, Sir James?" I say whilst Sir Alex carries me and we fly away.

"Chris will show up soon, don't worry." Sir Alexander says unfazed. I close my eyes and hold tight to Sir Alexander as we fly swiftly in the hallway.

I make a sound like uh! as Sir Alexander comes to a sudden halt.

"Shit!" he hisses between clenched teeth, his voice laced with fury. A swarm of ability users emerges from the shadows, their presence cutting off our path. Instantly, they summon a wall of magical shields—some shimmering with light, barely strong enough to deflect an attack, but others... others are far deadlier.

The dark magic shields pulse with an eerie energy, capable of turning any assault back upon its wielder, while the fire shields burn with a relentless fury. Anyone foolish enough to attempt passing through would be seared alive in an instant. Those two shields are a threat beyond measure—an unmistakable warning of the danger we're up against.

In all my time I've seen Sammy and Albert fight, I've never seen either of them resort to the dark magic shield. Julian, too, has always held back—never once did he unleash the fire shield, even when Brian harassed me in the library. But now... now they're pushing the limits. Just how far are they willing to go until they're satisfied with themselves?

"Release, lady Seraphina, Sir Alexander and no harm will come to you." Someone says.

Sir Alexander deliberately whipped his head around, desperately scanning the halls for any possible escape. But there was none.

His breath hitches, and his voice cracks with ferocity, "Is this what you call a fair fight? A hundred against one? If you even have a shred of dignity, then one of you will face me- one on one!" Sir Alexander screams in anger.

His words echo in the air, but his anger only fuels the mocking laughter of his enemies. A voice-sardonic and poisonous-cuts through the tension. "Oh, you poor fool. Look at you defending lady Seraphina after only sleeping with her once. How pathetic." He chuckles. "She's seducing you. Just like she seduced Sir James and Sir Christopher. I bet she even slept with them.

A cold, sickening nerve of outrage crashes over me. My pulse quickens and my chest tightens. "It is one thing to spread spiteful rumours about me. But now you disrespect them!"

I scream practically yanking my hair out. "I'm so sick of this! All of this! What have I ever done to you to deserve such resentment!"

The words seem to echo off the walls, but they're drowned out by the cacophony of voices shouting back at me—taunts, accusations—as if they've been waiting for this moment to pile on their bile.

"You were born!" someone yells, sneering. "You're a witch!"

"You're a liar!" a chorus of voices screeches, their venomous words slicing through me like knives. But I just tune them out, and let all the rage and hatred I've been bottling up ever since I came to the Magic Academy consume me. Before I even realise it I'm unleashing a tornado that's destroying all the magic shields into a million pieces, and sending all the students surrounding Sir Alexander and I flying.

All the misfortune I've suffered through intrudes my mind and all I see is red. All I hear are the repulsive and putrid lies and insults the students have been throwing at me since I set foot in this hellhole.

"Seraphina!" A voice, urgent and familiar, cuts through the fog in my mind.

"Seraphina, snap out of it!" The same voice repeats, sharper now, almost pleading.

"Seraphina!" A sudden pressure surrounds me—warm arms wrapping around me in a tight, reassuring embrace. I gasp, sucking in air like I've been holding my breath for too long. My chest tightens in panic as my eyes dart wildly, struggling to focus. The world around me spins, a blur of bloodied bodies and groaning, injured students. Their pain hangs thick in the air, suffocating. I can hear the scrape of desperate breaths and see fear flashing in their eyes.

"Seraphina?!" Julian's voice trembles with worry, and I turn to him, my hands shaking as I struggle to hold on to reality.

"D-did I do this?" My voice cracks, the words barely more than a whisper, as if saying them out loud might make it all worse. My stomach twists in horror as the truth sinks in. I look down at my hands, expecting to see them stained with something darker, something I can't take back.

"It looked like you were in some kind of trance," Julian says gently, but there's a shadow in his voice—one that makes my heart race even faster. "But you're okay now. You're safe."

I exhale, but the air feels heavy, thick with the weight of what I can't remember, what I can't control. My eyes scan the chaos again, the students scattered, some retreating in fear, others barely able to move. They look at me like I'm something dangerous, something unnatural.

"W-what did I do? What happened?" My voice trembles, and I want to shrink into myself, to disappear into the shadows. But I can't. The truth lingers, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to face it yet.