Chapter 48: ​A Plate Full of Eggs

"Hei are you okay?" Elle asked more gently. "That crowd didn’t freak you out too much, did it?"

Starlight took a slow breath, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried to collect herself.

"Yeah. I’m fine. Just... not used to any of this."

It was completely overwhelming, wasn’t it?" Ariel asked, her voice softening as she stepped closer.

Starlight nodded, offering a faint, weary smile. "Yeah, it really was," she admitted quietly. "I knew I’d been trending on AsterBuzz for a while now, but seeing so many people gathered around me like that... it was completely different from the crowd that surrounded me when my name was announced as one of the Lunar Lottery winners. Back then, everyone was focused on the spectacle of the lottery itself, but this time, they were all there because of me. I didn’t realize just how much attention I’d actually attracted until I saw all those people wanting to get close to me, some even using themselves as human shields just to keep the crowd back for my sake. It’s so..."

"Terrifying? Unreal? Mind-boggling? Completely insane?" Chloe supplied, counting the words off on her fingers with a small, sympathetic smile.

Starlight chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I guess it’s all of those."

Right on cue, the elevator chimed, and the heavy doors slid open to reveal the bustling lobby.

Getting inside the dining hall was another long ordeal. It was packed with students, and the moment Starlight stepped through the entrance, countless heads turned in her direction. Thankfully, this time they limited themselves to staring, calling out her name, and waving from a distance rather than crowding around her like they had in the hallway. Starlight made a mental note to never again underestimate just how famous she had become at Asterion Academy.

"Are you going to sit on the upper level, or will you be sitting down here with the rest of us lower beings?" Ariel asked, her voice laced with heavy teasing as she nudged Starlight’s arm.

Starlight gave her an incredulous look. "I thought the upper levels were reserved for wealthy werewolves?"

"Well, you’re not entirely wrong," Elle cut in, waving a dismissive hand as they navigated through the tables. "It’s true that the upper levels are traditionally for the heirs of influential families and wealthy werewolves, but they’re also open to the top twenty students on the Apex Leaderboard. Since no human has ever managed to break into the top thirty before, nobody really talks about that part."

She hooked an arm through Starlight’s and beamed. "But now you’re Number Three, which means you have every right to sit up there whenever you want. I can even bring your food up to you so you wouldn’t have to stand in line or deal with any of this chaos."

"No, I’m good," Starlight said, following the others toward the breakfast line. "I’d much rather stay down here with you guys than sit up there with..." She trailed off, suddenly remembering exactly where she was and who might be listening. "...people I don’t know."

"Besides, eating breakfast without you guys sounds kind of lonely," she added after a moment.

"Awwwwn, did you hear that?" Elle cooed dramatically, placing her free hand over her heart. "Our Star is finally being all sweet! Don’t worry, we’d never abandon you!"

"I just hope we’re not breaking any unspoken rules by keeping a top-three ranker down here with us," Chloe muttered, glancing around nervously at the surrounding tables.

Thankfully, the line moved far faster than Starlight had expected. Before long, it was their turn to be served. As the girls shuffled forward, Starlight found herself scanning the long stretch of serving counters, already mentally mapping out what she wanted to eat. The selection was far more impressive than anything she had expected from a school cafeteria. Rows of polished warming trays displayed everything from fluffy scrambled eggs and crispy bacon to stacks of golden pancakes drizzled with syrup. Fresh pastries filled wicker baskets nearby, while bowls of colorful fruit, yogurt, cereals, and juices occupied an entire section of the counter. The rich aroma of freshly baked bread, butter, and sizzling breakfast meats drifted through the air, making her stomach growl despite herself.

For a moment, she forgot about the stares and the attention. The food actually looked good, far better than what she had expected from an academy dining hall. Her eyes lingered on a tray of boiled eggs. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten one, despite them being her absolute favorite. It wasn’t because her family couldn’t afford them, but because her mother was severely allergic to eggs, so they simply never bought or cooked them at home.

Without hesitation, Starlight picked up a tray and immediately started loading it with boiled eggs, determined to eat as many as she wanted now that she finally had the chance.

Elle raised an eyebrow, staring at Starlight’s plate in complete bewilderment. "Are you seriously only eating eggs? Won’t you add anything else to your breakfast?"

"Eggs are my favorite," Starlight replied, placing two more onto her plate with a satisfied smile. "I’ll try the other dishes during lunch, but for now, all I want is eggs and this." She grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the cooler and added it to her tray.

Elle continued to look at her strangely, but Ariel lightly bumped her shoulder. "Let her be, Elle. She can eat whatever she wants. Besides, eggs are a great source of protein, especially if she’s going to be fighting in combat classes later."

Elle groaned dramatically.

"Please don’t remind me."

Ariel chuckled, shaking her head. Ever since Elle had checked their class schedule and discovered that their second lecture of the day was Combat Studies, she had been complaining nonstop about it, loudly asking what exactly she needed combat training for when she was only here to mate with a rich, handsome werewolf, not train for battle.

"Let’s sit over there," Chloe said, nodding toward a vacant table near one of the far windows as she began leading the girls across the dining hall.

The moment the girls took their seats, Starlight noticed how conversations around their table abruptly stopped. She looked up, only to find several nearby students openly staring in their direction, and the moment their eyes met hers, a few of them quickly looked away while others offered awkward smiles before pretending to return to their meals.

Trying not to make things even more uncomfortable, Starlight forced out a small smile. The effect was immediate and entirely unhelpful. Several students brightened visibly at the gesture, while others hurriedly pulled out their phones, clearly trying to snap pictures before she looked away again.

"Fucking fantastic," Starlight muttered under her breath as she dropped her gaze back to her tray, reached for one of the boiled eggs, and popped the whole thing into her mouth.

Just when was she going to get a moment of peace? Ever since winning the Lunar Lottery, it had been one nonstop spectacle after another, and if she was being honest with herself, she was rapidly reaching the limits of her patience.