Chapter 115: Hypothetical Question

Elara:

I landed hard on my back, and the air whooshed out of my lungs so violently that for several seconds I couldn’t do anything except stare at the sky above me and wonder if this was how people died.

My lungs burned as I desperately dragged air back into them, and just when my vision stopped swimming enough for me to see Jasper standing over me, his voice came calmly from above.

"Get up, Princess. Again."

I groaned so loudly that even the birds sitting somewhere in the surrounding trees probably heard me, but I refrained from cursing my blood knight. Barely.

For the past hour, Jasper had been trying to drive me straight into the grave under the excuse of making me stronger, and judging by the way every part of my body ached, I was beginning to suspect his definition of training was simply prolonged torture. There were probably bruises forming beneath my clothes, my muscles felt like they had been wrung out, and my back was threatening to file a formal complaint against the rest of my body. All I wanted was to stay exactly where I was and sleep until next year. Unfortunately, Jasper had never been particularly sympathetic to my dramatic suffering.

A minute later, I was back on my feet, breathing heavily while I tried to convince my legs that they still belonged to me. I barely had enough time to raise my hands before Jasper launched himself at me without warning. I managed to twist sideways at the last possible second, his fist cutting through the space where my face had been a heartbeat earlier. I stumbled backward, regained my balance, and immediately blocked the next strike. Then another. And another. By the time he finally stepped away, I was breathing hard enough to feel my ribs protest.

I had spent twelve years learning martial arts and had been incredibly proud of my skills before Jasper started personally training me. Then I’d discovered the horrifying truth - twelve years of training meant very little when your opponent had spent decades mastering combat and had the physical advantages of a supernatural warrior.

At first, I had been furious about it. I had actually refused to speak to him for an entire day after one particularly brutal session, behaving like a spoiled child because my blood knight had made me suffer. Jasper had simply accepted my silent treatment with an irritating amount of patience. Looking back now, I almost felt embarrassed by it. Because somewhere along the way, I’d realized that he wasn’t trying to prove he was better than me.

He was trying to make sure that someday, when someone stronger than me came for my life, I wouldn’t be helpless again. The memory of the attack, the cliff, and the creature that had saved me made that truth impossible to ignore. So even though my body absolutely despised weekend training, I had stopped complaining several weeks ago. If Jasper wanted to beat every ounce of weakness out of me, I was going to let him.

Twenty minutes and several dozen more ass-beatings later, he finally called an end to the session. I collapsed onto the ground immediately, sprawling across the grass like a corpse.

Jasper walked over and held out his hand. "Come on."

I closed my eyes and deliberately turned my head away from him. "I’m dead."

"You are breathing."

"Barely."

"Elara."

"Tell my story."

I heard him sigh, and when I opened one eye, I found him shaking his head at me. Apparently, even after everything he had taught me, he still hadn’t figured out how to defeat my dramatic tendencies. He eventually gave up and walked toward the bench where Master Brown had been sitting throughout the entire training session, calmly enjoying a cup of tea while watching me get repeatedly thrown into the ground.

I glared at the older man from my position on the grass. He simply took another sip. Traitor.

Fortunately, Myra came to my rescue. She crouched beside me and held out both hands, helping me back onto my feet before dusting the dirt from my clothes.

"Come on," she said with a sympathetic smile. "Before you permanently become part of the lawn."

Violet was already waiting nearby with the recovery drink she had prepared for me - a protein shake packed with milk, fruit, nuts, and enough protein to help my abused muscles recover.

I accepted it gratefully and took several long gulps before declaring, "You two are officially my favorite people."

Violet laughed. "Only after we bring you food and drinks?"

"Obviously."

The cottage had become our little sanctuary surprisingly quickly. The first people I’d allowed into my beautiful private haven had been Violet and Myra, and both girls had fallen in love with it almost immediately.

Unlike the academy, the cottage didn’t feel like a place where I had to constantly watch my back. It was quiet, surrounded by nature, and far enough from everyone else that I could breathe. Violet had declared it our new favorite spot within ten minutes of seeing it, while Myra had immediately started imagining all the meals she could prepare there. I didn’t mind. Having them there made the place feel warmer.

Jasper and Master Brown remained outside in the backyard, discussing something that sounded suspiciously serious, while the three of us escaped indoors. I headed upstairs, showered, and spent considerably longer than necessary letting hot water ease the soreness from my muscles before finally changing into comfortable warm clothes and heading downstairs.

The sight waiting for me in the living room almost made me smile. Myra and Violet were curled up on the couch beside the fireplace, each holding a mug of hot chocolate. The fire crackled softly, filling the room with warmth, while Violet was in the middle of an animated story about some new guy she had apparently developed an interest in.

"And I’m telling you, he is gorgeous," she insisted, waving her mug for emphasis.

Myra rolled her eyes. "You have said that about three people this month."

"This one is different."

"Why?"

"Because he’s your classmate. A human. And this feels like forbidden romance."

I nearly choked on air. I looked at Myra, who looked just as shocked. Violet grinned triumphantly.

It was honestly incredible how far she had come. Violet had never been openly hostile toward humans, but she had always kept a careful distance from them. Yet because of me, she had started spending time with Myra, and somewhere along the way, that distance had disappeared almost completely. Now she was sitting beside Myra and seriously considering sleeping with a human guy. I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or concerned.

I settled between them on the couch, listening to Violet continue describing her newest crush. I smiled and laughed at the appropriate moments, but eventually my thoughts drifted elsewhere. There was something I’d been wondering about for a while, and I couldn’t seem to solve it myself.

It had been over a week since the kiss with Kairo, and I hadn’t been able to calm down even the slightest since then. I didn’t want to ask Violet directly about him because she would immediately demand every detail, and I wasn’t ready to have that conversation. So I decided to phrase my question carefully.

"Hypothetically," I began, staring into the fire, "what should a woman do if a man is showing interest in her?"

As both girls went silent, I immediately regretted asking.