Chapter 286: Craving for affection

"Hah... I need to work harder on the practicals," Vlad sighed as he stepped out of the examination hall.

The hallway was no longer empty. It had come alive with the usual chatter of students. Some were brimming with excitement now that their exams were finally over, while others dragged their feet like zombies, their lifeless expressions making it painfully obvious that the exams had sucked the very souls out of them.

A few hurried toward the exits, eager to return to their dormitories and prepare for their next exams. After all, not everyone had finished their examinations yet.

Vlad was among the fortunate ones who had no such worries. After all, there were plenty of subjects he hadn’t enrolled in.

The moment he stepped out of the examination hall, a hand tugged at the sleeve of his coat. He lowered his gaze and found Chloe standing beside him.

She wore the same academy uniform as Vlad, her hair tied into her usual high ponytail, with a few strands framing her serene face.

"You’re still here?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow. Apparently, she had left the examination hall an hour early since Spirit Summoning was her area of expertise.

"Mm," Chloe nodded. "Waiting for you."

Noticing the defeated expression on Vlad’s face, she asked, "Any hope of passing?"

"I’m not sure," Vlad replied, shaking his head. "I might be right on the borderline. I can’t afford to lose any marks in the practicals now."

Having lived with Vlad for years, Chloe knew him inside out. She knew he wasn’t the type to take mere examinations seriously. Heck, he wouldn’t even have cared if he ended up getting a compartment in a few of them. There had to be a reason he was trying so hard to score better marks.

"Why are you working so hard for marks?" Chloe asked, her pale lavender eyes fixed on his face.

His brows twitched slightly. "W-well... just trying to live up to my title as Crownbearer," Vlad said, turning his face away.

"Vlad..." Chloe hissed, tightening her grip on his sleeve. She could tell perfectly well that he was lying.

"Uncle Lucas told me he’d give me a gift if I scored ninety percent overall," Vlad lied, trying to keep his expression straight. He already felt guilty about lying to her, but it was for her own safety. Excidus was a dangerous organisation, and he didn’t want to drag her into this matter.

Chloe continued to stare at him suspiciously.

She had barely parted her lips to press him further when Vlad took her hand and whispered softly, "It’s been over a week since we last met and talked properly. How about having a meal together?"

"A date?" Chloe asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice as her earlier suspicion vanished.

"Yeah, you can call it a date," Vlad chuckled as they made their way through the hallway, holding hands.

Throughout their time in the main building, Chloe paid more attention to Vlad than to the path ahead. She would have bumped her head against a pole at least three times or fallen down the stairs twice if Vlad hadn’t pulled her out of harm’s way at the last moment each time.

"Look ahead," he muttered, flicking her forehead as they reached the central hall on the ground floor.

"Aan..." She sulked, withdrawing her hand from Vlad’s and putting a few metres of distance between them.

"Chloe..." Vlad called, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she marched ahead of him with quick, stomping steps, as though she were furious.

Vlad let out a sigh. He caught up with her in a few quick strides and took her hand again. She tried to pull away, but his grip was too firm.

"Leave me alone. I’m looking ahead now," she muttered in her usual even tone. Vlad could clearly tell that she was sulking.

"Fine, fine. You can look at me all you want," Vlad said, ruffling her hair with his free hand. "I’ll make sure you don’t trip."

He had barely finished speaking when Chloe raised her head again and resumed gazing at him.

He decided to ignore her relentless stare. The duo left the main building, followed the stone pathway across the open campus, and eventually reached the market.

Since this was their first date after officially becoming a couple, Chloe didn’t want to eat at the cafeteria. Instead, she wanted to cook for him to celebrate the end of their theory examinations and lift his spirits.

They rented an apartment in the market for a few hours. The market was as lively as ever, with vendors selling street food and artifacts, and shops adorned with glowing signboards. Above the stalls, the upper floors of the stone buildings had been converted into rental apartments. These were usually rented by parents visiting the academy during the annual competitions or end-term practical examinations. Students could rent them too, but only for the day.

The apartment Vlad and Chloe rented was simple, with a small hall at the centre, two bedrooms, and an open kitchen. The walls were covered in pale plaster, with exposed wooden beams running across the ceiling. A single window in the hall overlooked the busy lane below. A carpet covered the stone floor, and a low table stood between two cushioned chairs. The kitchen was clean and well-stocked, even featuring a mana-powered stove.

Vlad had barely closed the door behind him when Chloe suddenly leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"A-are you a cat?" Vlad asked with a low chuckle as he supported her by the thighs.

"Aan!" She lightly tapped the backs of his thighs with her heels. Vlad understood what she wanted.

She was asking for the very thing she’d been craving for an entire week. Vlad’s affection.

He slipped off his shoes at the doorstep before carrying her further into the apartment, leaving behind a trail of Chloe’s upside-down shoes and inverted socks.