Chapter 146: ¹⁴⁶: kingdoms

“Why did you stop in the middle?” Rose’s question pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked and looked at her, realizing that I had completely stopped paying attention to where we were going.

By then, we had already stepped out of the auditorium and were heading straight toward the academy gates.

Rose studied my face for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Is there something interesting that you’re keeping from me?” Her brows rose, and a mischievous expression slowly spread across her face.

I immediately wanted to roll my eyes. “There is nothing like that!” I said, keeping my voice as straightforward as possible, while Rose continued staring at me as though she didn’t believe a single word I had said.

I sighed internally before quickly adding, “I was about to tell you that it has been days since I’ve taken a proper rest, and now I can finally take one.”

“Yeah,” Rose replied. Her fingers tightened slightly around my arm as she nodded in agreement. “The only good thing about this assignment is that we’re getting these seven days to fully work on it. We can just go home and chill tonight, and then start working tomorrow!”

She sounded much more enthusiastic about the break than she had been about the assignment itself.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, there are many things I can also do during these days.”

I glanced at Rose as we continued walking along the beautiful stone-paved path leading toward the academy gates. The afternoon air felt much nicer now that we were away from the crowded auditorium, and for the first time since the hectic morning had started, I felt like I could finally breathe properly.

“I mean, when we get to work in a free environment, we can work better,” I continued. “And during the rest of the time, we can finally chill after the nonstop classes we’ve had ever since the academic year started.”

Rose nodded. “You’re right.” But then her expression changed. She frowned slightly, her lips pushing into a small pout as she looked at me. “But the only downside is that we’ll now have to do all this alone. I mean, we can’t take any help from each other now.”

A small chuckle escaped me when I saw her cute pouty expression. “Well, maybe that’s the reason they told us to do the assignment individually. Everyone is supposed to be graded according to their own abilities.”

I gave her a knowing look before adding, “But hey…” I moved my hand toward hers and gently held it as we continued walking.

“We can always call each other if we need any help in between.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Rose’s pout immediately disappeared, replaced by a big smile.

By then, we had already reached the academy gates. Rose turned toward me as we crossed the gate. As usual, I was expecting that she would move in for a hug.

It was something we did almost every day whenever we had to part ways after academy. Normally, it was quick; a simple hug before we went our separate ways.

But this time, she didn’t move to hug me immediately. Instead, while still standing close to me, she looked back toward the academy. Her eyes moved across the entrance as if she were searching for someone.

I followed her gaze for a moment, confused by her sudden interest. “Did you notice that we didn’t spot Maria while coming back?” she asked, still looking toward the academy.

I blinked as I looked at her in confusion now “Maria?”

She nodded. “Last time I saw her, she was moving toward the stage to get her assignment from our teacher.”

I couldn’t help but feel relieved when I realized I hadn’t encountered her on our way out. “She must be trying to find Louis,” I said.

The words came out naturally, but internally, I was grateful that I hadn’t crossed paths with her. The last thing I needed was another unwanted encounter. “Maybe coming out through the back door helped with that too,” I added.

Rose finally turned her attention back toward me, becore nodding at me. “Yeah. Then let her do whatever she wants.”

She then gave me our usual hug, and I immediately reciprocated, wrapping my arms around her for a brief moment before we finally pulled away.

“See you soon!” I said with a smile.

“You too!”

We both waved at each other as we began walking in opposite directions, each heading toward our own way home.

I turned around once to give her another small wave before continuing toward the spot where I usually kept my car. I had chosen the place specifically so that no one from the academy would notice it, and thankfully, it had remained undisturbed.

Once I reached it, I quickly unlocked the car and slipped inside. I placed my things beside me, started the engine, and pulled onto the road. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

As I drove forward, however, my mind refused to stay focused on the road ahead. There was only one thing I could think about.

What was I supposed to do until Kael came back tonight?

After that day when he had asked me to be prepared for the possibility of having his child, along with everything that would come with such a decision, he had left.

And he hadn’t returned for days. Not even once. Now, after all that time, he was finally coming back. Just like last time, though, he had sent me nothing more than a vague message saying that he would come today.

No exact time, or explanation. Literally nothing that could tell me when I should actually expect him. I tightened my hands slightly around the steering wheel before forcing myself to relax.

There was no point in constantly wondering about it. He would come when he came. Until then, I had plenty of things to keep myself occupied with.

I shook my head as I drove down from the highway and onto the quieter road that led toward my new home. It wasn’t exactly new to me anymore.

I had spent enough time there for the house to slowly start feeling familiar, even if I still occasionally caught myself thinking of it as somewhere I was merely staying rather than somewhere that belonged to me.

I glanced ahead at the road. I’ll just go home, eat lunch, and work on my assignment. That was all.

I had a complicated kingdom to deal with now, and seven days wasn’t exactly an unlimited amount of time. I could spend the afternoon going through the assignment properly and maybe begin organizing my thoughts before Kael actually arrived.

Then, when he came, I would see what he wanted this time. There was no reason to spend the entire day worrying about something that hadn’t even happened yet.

Within a few minutes, I reached the familiar gate of the house. I drove inside, parked the car, and gathered my things before getting out.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I felt a strange sensation and I stopped. My gaze moved slowly across the living room.

For some reason, the house felt different. Or perhaps it was simply my imagination. Is Kael here already? The thought came so suddenly that I almost looked around for him.

But then I immediately shook my head. That was ridiculous. It wasn’t as though I had some kind of bond with him that allowed me to sense when he was nearby. I couldn’t possibly know whether he was here or not simply by stepping through the door.

I’m just being stupid. I tightened my grip on my things and continued upstairs. I really needed to stop thinking about Kael for a while. My room was exactly where I had left it, and I immediately began changing out of my academy uniform.

The moment I slipped into my comfortable home clothes, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. There was something comforting about finally being out of my uniform after spending hours at the academy.

I placed my academic things on my desk, carefully setting the assignment aside so I wouldn’t accidentally forget about it later.

Normally, I would have removed the skin covers I wore once I returned home. But today was different. I couldn’t take them off when there was a possibility that Kael could arrive at any time.

There was no way I could let him see my wounds. Thankfully, Mother Elena’s illusion placed over the strips had worked remarkably well. So far, Kael hadn’t noticed anything strange about them, and I had no intention of giving him a reason to start questioning them now.

I briefly checked that everything was properly covered before turning away from the mirror.

My home clothes were simple and comfortable, just a thin shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. Exactly what I needed after spending the entire day sitting through classes and dealing with an unexpectedly complicated and unwanted situations.

I looked toward the clock. There was still plenty of time before evening. I might as well make lunch. With that thought, I picked up my things and headed downstairs.

I wasn’t exactly the best cook in the world, but I could at least make something simple for myself. And if I failed at that, I could always figure something else out. Either way, I had time.

I could eat lunch, start working on my assignment, and then change again into something else than this embarrassing attire in the evening before Kael came.

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