Chapter 91-Had enough

Chapter 91: 91-Had enough

"Was Nersus even his real name?"

The question hung between them. It was one they all needed an answer to. To know the real identity of the mysterious whiteblood that came for Maisa in the dark forest.

Maisa stared at Varitreya, then slowly turned toward the forest. From where they stood, the dark forest was far from sight. Unlike Varitreya and Kayden, her long eyesight wasn’t as strong.

But the distant area looked almost peaceful. Moonlight spilt across the distant treetops, silvering their edges, while mist curled lazily between the trunks. Nothing about it suggested that an ancient prison lay beyond those trees, much less that someone had deliberately entered it to find her.

But now she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he had appeared when she was completely alone, the herbs he’d given her and the knowledge he possessed were all questionable.

The story he’d told wasn’t even his story and the way he’d vanished the moment two whitebloods entered the forest.

"Maybe he was telling the truth," Maisa said, though even she didn’t sound convinced.

Varitreya looked at her. "Perhaps," she said, that single word carried no comfort because, unlike Maisa, she didn’t live in a bubble of positivity.

Kayden walked closer, his hands slipping into the pockets of his riding jacket. "There is another problem."

Maisa looked at him. She wished for nothing more than for him to shut his mouth and until the next night. She was exhausted and way too traumatised to add anything more to the plate containing the events fate served her that night.

"If the person you met really was a whiteblood, then he knew you were coming before you entered the forest or he had been watching you and followed you in after you were tricked.

Maisa’s brows drew together. Watching her? Followed her? If she didn’t have enough to worry about as is, now she needed to watch out for a stalker?

"How?"

"Whitebloods don’t accidentally end up places like that, redblood," Kayden’s voice had lost its teasing quality. "The Dark Forest is surrounded by layers of ancient magi that even ordinary vampires avoid getting close to it. A whiteblood wouldn’t simply wander through the border without knowing exactly what they were doing."

Varitreya nodded in agreement. "And you said the three girls deliberately brought you to the primrose border."

Maisa’s stomach tightened. "Yes, they did."

"Then someone may have known you’d end up there." His expression hardened. "So the question is, was he there to save you or to kill you?"

The thought sent a cold shiver down Maisa’s spine. She couldn’t think of anyone else who could possibly fit the description.

Aside from Varitreya and Kayden, she didn’t know another whiteblood personally. She couldn’t imagine what she could have possibly done to offend someone of that rank, let alone provoke them enough to follow her into the Dark Forest with murderous intentions.

Additionally, Nersus didn’t seem to harbour any ill will toward her.

If anything, everything about him suggested the opposite. His actions had been strange and occasionally unsettling, but beneath them, she had sensed something that felt almost like genuine concern. He had helped her, warned her, and kept her alive when he could have simply walked away.

He felt less like an enemy who had been waiting for an opportunity to strike and more like someone who, for reasons she couldn’t understand, genuinely wanted her to survive.

"Kriza, Sophia, and Jane couldn’t have planned all of that... but we can’t just assume this because there is another player in the game," Kayden started analysing it from his perspective. "The three may have acted on their own, and then this whiteblood simply swooped in at the last minute."

"You might be right," Varitreya agreed. "They may not have needed to be influenced by another party. Its possible they acted on their own out of their own agenda."

Maisa looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"It means someone else might have been watching you and acted when they saw an opportunity."

The waterfall suddenly seemed much louder. Maisa glanced around. For the first time since leaving the forest, she felt exposed.

Varitreya noticed. She stepped closer to her. "Don’t frighten yourself with possibilities we haven’t confirmed yet. We don’t know if you’re truly being watched..."

"But you believe that I am being watched. Don’t you?"

"I believe there are too many coincidences. Far too many to be called coincidences," she said and rubbed Maisa’s cheek.

Kayden nodded. "So do I."

Maisa lowered her gaze. The roller coaster of emotions she went through had drained her. She didn’t have any more room to digest anything else.

She just wanted to hit the hay and forget the world exists. The problems could wait for her to catch a good day of sleep.

Varitreya stared toward the forest again. The carefree expression she’d worn earlier was completely gone now. She looked every inch the future queen.

"Kayden," she called.

Kayden nodded his head. They had never needed words between them. "I know."

"We need to return, Maisa."

Maisa immediately stood. "Are we going back to the hotel?" She asked, glad the natter wasn’t discussed further and she can return and rest.

"Eventually, dear," Varitreya looked at her. "But first, we’re finding Professor Primrose."

Maisa’s stomach dropped. She didn’t want the truth spreading. She already stood out as is, and if it became public that she was being watched by a mysterious whiteblood, she’d attract more attention. "Why?"

"Because three students deliberately led you into a forbidden prison. That is against school rules," her voice was dangerously calm. "And I want to know exactly what happened."

Maisa nodded, and then something occurred to her. "What about Nersus?"

She wanted to know what Varitreya planned to do about the mysterious whiteblood.

Varitreya’s eyes hardened. "We’ll find him too, and when we do, he’ll answer every question we have."

"How do you plan to find him?"

"I don’t know yet."

Kayden glanced toward the forest. "But if he’s a whiteblood, finding him may be easier than finding an ordinary prisoner," he stated. "Given that the whiteblood stays in the dark forest. If he leaves, he might be harder to track. He can use the earth to cover his scent and mask his whereabouts."

Maisa frowned. "Why would he be easier to find in the forest?"

"Because there are very few of us, and we leave a specific aura in the forest because only whitebloods can enter freely."

The words were simple, but they carried an uncomfortable weight.

Varitreya looked at Maisa for several seconds before reaching out and taking her hand. "Come."

Maisa blinked at the contact. The warmth of Varitreya’s palm immediately spread through her. The flower-shaped mark above her heart gave a faint pulse. It reacted just enough to remind her that the bond was still there.

Varitreya felt it, too. Her eyes briefly dropped toward Maisa’s chest before returning to her face.

"You’ve been through enough tonight. Let’s get you to get some rest."