Chapter 138: ¹³⁸: Gamma Derek

Chapter 138: 13?: Gamma Derek

Athena’s Pov:

"Athena, isn’t it crazy how just a few days ago Louis was like a normal student among us despite his status, but now he is the heir of our empire?!" Rose exclaimed as we walked toward the auditorium together.

I didn’t even bother looking at her face. I already knew exactly what expression she would be wearing.

Ever since we had found out that Louis had been named the heir after his brother, Rose had developed this almost comically respectful and admiring expression whenever she talked about him. She seemed completely fascinated by the sudden change in his position.

Apparently, it was a very big deal. And why wouldn’t it be? Even I had never heard of anyone making their younger brother their heir, especially not when the person being named heir was going to inherit an entire empire.

An empire. Not some small little pack like the one I had once been meant to lead. Just thinking about it made the situation sound even more unbelievable.

"He has to stay separately now," Rose continued excitedly, clearly enjoying every bit of the topic. "With bodyguards who don’t leave him for even a second. Even the teachers have to follow the protocol of standing up to greet him. It all seems so bizarre suddenly."

"It is for his own security," I replied, keeping my pace steady as we continued through the academy corridor. "And besides, now that he is an heir, he and everyone else in the pack have to follow the respectful protocols that come with his position." We turned around a large pillar, continuing toward the auditorium.

Rose hummed in response, but the excitement in her voice had noticeably faded. "Hmm, I know." She sounded almost disappointed. "But with these sudden protocols, we don’t even get a chance to go even a little close to him."

She paused before tugging me a little closer by the arm she had linked with mine. "I mean, his bodyguards act as if every day is some royal parade, and they have to make sure they don’t allow even him to get close to anyone among us."

I almost rolled my eyes. If only she knew how much I appreciated those bodyguards for doing exactly that.

Their presence was probably the single best thing that had happened to me since Louis had suddenly become the heir.

For once, I didn’t have to worry about Louis Dreven appearing beside me out of nowhere or finding some ridiculous excuse to bother me throughout the day. He wasn’t free enough to do that anymore.

Ever since his new position had been announced, he had been monitored constantly whenever he was inside the academy. His emotionless-looking bodyguards followed him everywhere, and from what I had heard, they answered only to Kael’s orders.

That meant Louis had practically become unreachable. And honestly? I couldn’t complain. "I think it’s a good thing that he has become unreachable for us now," I replied, letting out a relieved sigh as I continued walking.

Rose glanced at me, probably wondering why I sounded so pleased about it.

I simply shrugged. "These days have been so peaceful for me without having to deal with his everyday novel shenanigans."

I was being completely honest when I said all of this, because after that night and the little strange conversation Kael had with me about the real purpose behind why he had agreed to keep a relationship with me in the first place; me giving him an heir. I had already been disturbed by the painful truth all over again.

I couldn’t be a mother....Not because I didn’t want to, but because of my wounds.

The thought alone had been enough to leave a heavy feeling inside my chest. I had tried not to dwell on it, but hearing Kael speak so plainly about an heir had dragged that reality back to the surface when I had barely managed to push it away.

And if that had not been enough, the very next moment Kael had simply stormed out of the room, as if I had said something truly hideous.

I had watched him leave with a strange feeling settling inside me, unable to understand why his reaction had affected me in the first place.

A small part of me had felt a strange tinge of hurt. I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself. So I had buried that feeling in the same place where I had buried so many other things lately, reminding myself that Kael owed me nothing.

He had never promised me anything beyond what our relationship already was. I had no right to expect him to react differently, and there was no reason for me to sit around wondering why he had walked away like that.

The next morning, I had come to know about everything that had happened at the army bureau. The sudden explosion, the chaos that had followed, and all the things Kael had apparently been dealing with afterward had finally given me a possible explanation for his strange behavior that night.

I knew that must have been the reason. Kael must have already been stressed about the sudden explosion, and that also explained why he had been nowhere to be seen for all those days.

He hadn’t simply been avoiding me to make me more desperate for him like I has somewhere internally assumed. He had been dealing with something far more serious.

Thinking about it made me feel slightly guilty for having spent so much time wondering about his reaction when he had probably been carrying the weight of an entire crisis on his shoulders.

But knowing all of that, while also having to deal with the strange unrest I had felt after telling Kael that I was ready to bear his child when, in reality, that was something I might never be able to do, had already been too much for me.

There had simply been too many things occupying my mind at once. So having Louis unable to bother me had been like a blessing for me. At least that was one problem I didn’t have to deal with anymore.

"I can never understand your thought process regarding this, Athena," Rose said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. I turned my attention toward her, noticing the slightly intrigued expression on her face.

She genuinely looked as though she couldn’t understand how I could possibly have the opinion I did. "I can’t even register that someone would willingly want to stay away from Louis Dreven!"

I almost laughed at the sheer disbelief in her voice. Apparently, for Rose, the idea of staying away from Louis was almost as strange as the idea of willingly walking into a disaster.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why she found my decision so difficult to comprehend. "Well, we learn new things all through our lives, don’t we?" I asked as we reached the final hall leading toward the auditorium.

The corridor ahead of us was considerably more crowded than the ones we had crossed until now.

Students were moving in the same direction, their voices blending together as they talked about the upcoming gathering. Some were already discussing the exams, while others seemed far more interested in whatever news they expected to hear inside the auditorium.

I adjusted my grip on my bag as Rose and I continued walking through the crowd. "You should also learn this fact now." I looked at Rose after saying that, expecting her to at least consider my words.

Instead, true to her nature, she gave me an expression that practically screamed that she didn’t care.

I couldn’t help but shake my head.

"We both have quite different opinions about this, then let’s not talk about it," she said, completely dismissing the subject. But the moment she finished speaking, the expression on her face changed.

Her eyes suddenly twinkled with renewed interest, and I immediately knew she had already chosen another topic to occupy our conversation. "If not Louis, then are you at least excited for Gamma Derek today?"

I blinked at her. "Excited?"

Rose nodded enthusiastically, apparently surprised that I needed an explanation. "He is going to give us a pep talk about our upcoming exams for dialogue today."

The excitement in her voice made it sound as though Gamma Derek were about to announce some grand celebration instead of something related to our exams.

I stared at her for a second before letting out a small sigh. "He is going to announce the dates of our exams, not some fun vacation, Rose," I said back to her as we finally entered the auditorium.

The large hall was already considerably crowded. Students were already filling the seats, some talking among themselves while others were looking toward the front, clearly waiting for Gamma Derek to arrive.

I followed Rose inside, glancing around the auditorium for a moment before turning my attention back to her. "What is there to be excited about?"