Chapter 70-Strangely complete

Chapter 70: 70-Strangely complete

Varitreya and Maisa stepped out of the private lounge together, and for a moment the corridor seemed almost too quiet after everything that had happened inside.

Varitreya had changed into a pristine white riding outfit, tailored perfectly to her frame, with high boots and elegant silver-white detailing that made her look every bit the heir to the vampire throne.

Her pale hair had been arranged in the traditional royal style, every strand carefully placed, while Maisa looked considerably less formal beside her.

Her academy uniform had been ruined beyond saving with the blood she vomited, so Varitreya had searched through her wardrobe and found her a simple white floral dress beneath a dark-red blazer.

The clothes were unmistakably Varitreya’s choices, and the contrast made Maisa feel strangely conspicuous as they walked side by side.

They had barely taken several steps when someone appeared at the opposite end of the corridor. It was Kayden Krauss.

He had clearly been waiting for them or perhaps simply wandering without knowing where he was going and stumbled upon the hallway.

However, Varitreya immediately noticed that something was wrong with him. His usual composed expression was missing its effortless confidence. His icy eyes were distant, his shoulders slightly tense, and there was a restlessness in his movements that was almost impossible for anyone else to detect.

Varitreya slowed down. She knew her friend like she knew the back of her hand and it was heartbreaking to watch him look so down.

"Kayden?" Her voice was a mix of worry and concern.

He stopped and looked up. For several seconds, he said nothing, all he could think about was Luan leaving in a hurry to meet with Addessa. It pained him in all the corners of his chest.

Maisa glanced between them, sensing that whatever was happening had nothing to do with her so she stayed silent.

"What’s wrong?" Varitreya asked.

Kayden looked away. "Nothing," putting his pain into words would cut at his throat.

Varitreya stepped closer and touched his arm. "You don’t look like nothing."

His jaw tightened. He finally looked back at her. "Can we skip the route with Primrose?"

Varitreya’s eyebrows rose. "Skip the route? Why?"

"I need to go for a run and I don’t want to be alone." His voice was quieter now. "I need to clear my head."

Varitreya studied him carefully. Whatever had happened, Kayden wasn’t ready to discuss it. She knew him well enough to recognize the difference between someone refusing to answer and someone who genuinely didn’t know how to explain what was bothering them.

Her eyes shifted toward Maisa before they drifted back to Kayden. She sighed. "All right, we can skip it. Its not like we haven’t been to Old Scaris before or seen everything there is to see. Let’s go for a run."

Maisa blinked. She glanced at Kayden, feeling a mix of envy and jealousy. The whiteblood lord was the only one capable of getting g Varitreya to drop everything that she is doing to be there for him. She envied him and wished to one posses such a hold on the princess.

Varitreya immediately turned toward one of the palace guards stationed nearby.

"Escort Maisa to the others and leave her in Addessa’s care," she ordered.

The guard bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."

Varitreya then looked at Maisa. "Addessa will be with the others. Stay with her until I return."

Maisa nodded quietly. "Okay."

For a fleeting moment, Varitreya’s expression softened. She reached out and gave Maisa a brief, gentle kiss on the cheek before stepping away.

"Be careful and if you need anything, just let Addessa, Lumi or Zolani know... they’ll handle it for you," she said.

She didn’t wait for Maisa to respond before she turned toward Kayden. "Come, Kay. Lets head on out."

The two whitebloods disappeared down the corridor together, moving with such supernatural speed that within seconds their footsteps had vanished completely.

Maisa remained where she stood. She touched her cheek absently before slowly lowering her hand, but the memory refused to fade. The warmth of the Varitreya’s lips seemed etched into her mind, lingering long after the moment had ended.

She could still remember the sudden rush of emotions that had left her completely unprepared.

She pressed her lips together, her thoughts drifting back to what had happened inside the lounge. The memory made her heart flutter with nervous uncertainty.

Maisa had never imagined herself crossing such a boundary with another girl, least of all with someone like Varitreya.

The guard gestured toward the stairs. "Come, Miss Maisa. Professor Primrose is waiting."

Maisa followed without saying another word. Her mind remained locked on the moment Varitreya’s lips had touched the flower-shaped mark over her heart.

The memory carried an inexplicable warmth, as though that single kiss had reached somewhere far deeper than her skin. For those few seconds, she had felt strangely complete, whole in a way she couldn’t explain.

It was as though the ache left behind by the rejection had been swept away, leaving nothing but a quiet, unfamiliar sense of renewal sparked by a kiss of acceptance.

She touched the mark unconsciously, her thoughts circling back to that moment again and again. She had spent so long believing the pain of rejection would linger, yet somehow, one tender touch from the person she least expected had made everything feel different.

"Would I have everything felt such a thrill if I were still human?" She mumbled.

As a vampire, everything was heightened and it made the sweeter moment feel deeply than they should, leaving her breathless.

~

Outside the hotel, the courtyard had transformed into a gathering point. Second-year students stood in clusters beneath the enchanted lamps while professors moved between them, checking names and counting heads before the late night’s activities could begin.

Professor Primrose stood at the center with her clipboard."Whitebloods...." her eyes looked around for Varitreya and Kayden but didn’t find either of them. Her eyes locked with the guard bringing Maisa out.

From the uniform the guard was wearing, she could tell he was a royal guard. The guard shook his head, indicating that the whitebloods werent coming.

"Abscent," she marked them.

One by one, students answered. "Blackbloods, all present," Primrose said, checking them off the list and moved on to the next group of students. "Bluebloods, all present. Mixedbloods, all present."

The redblood group stood farther away, Sapphire among them. Maisa had barely stepped into the courtyard when the palace guard approached Addessa, ignoring the students that were looking over.

The blackblood heiress was standing beside Luan, arms folded, her expression unreadable as they talked.

"Heiress Challan," the guard bowed respectfully.

Addessa turned around. Her eyes landed on him, catching faint bit of Maisa behind him.

"The princess has requested that you take care of Maisa during the routes."

For a moment, Addessa simply stared at him and then her eyes moved toward Maisa and she understood immediately.

The white floral dress, the dark-red blazer and the elaborate hairstyle... all of it belonged to Varitreya. The realization settled heavily in Addessa’s chest.

She had seen enough of Varitreya’s wardrobe to recognize pieces that outsiders would never notice. The princess didn’t casually lend her clothes to people. The traditional hairstyle was even more significant. It was something Varitreya personally did only to those she trusted.

Addessa’s fingers curled slightly. ’They’ve gotten closer,’ she thought bitterly.