Chapter 218 — Just Like You Said

Chapter 218: Chapter 218 — Just Like You Said

~ Raven ~

By the time Raven reached the infirmary, she had decided that Isolde Marchmont was the most infuriating woman she’d ever had the misfortune of knowing.

The journey had taken her only a few minutes, but that had been more than enough time to remember several particularly offensive portions of Bellringer’s broadcast.

The woman had spent an embarrassing amount of time discussing the Renewal Ball, including the fact she left Dante alone mid-dance and returned with Cassian Blade as her dance partner.

Then there was the fight.

According to Bellringer, the two Cardinal heirs had become so desperate for Raven’s attention that they’d decided to settle their romantic differences by attempting to murder each other in front of half the academy.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

Bellringer had found the entire incident hilarious, particularly the moment Raven had marched into the court and scolded both men like misbehaving children.

Goddess, Raven was going to strangle her.

Of all the things Isolde could have done after waking up, she’d chosen to resume her ridiculous broadcasts and make Raven the subject of another academy scandal.

The woman had been unconscious for days, for Goddess’s sake!

Nevertheless, Raven couldn’t quite suppress the relief she felt whenever she remembered hearing that familiar altered voice.

Isolde was awake.

After everything that had happened inside the nightmare, and all those days of wondering whether she’d ever recover, Isolde was finally awake.

Raven quickened her steps, determined to get some answers before the irritating woman found another excuse to torment her.

Unfortunately, someone was standing outside the room where Isolde had been receiving treatment.

Raven slowed as she approached, noticing a young woman who looked slightly younger than her. She wore an elegant, beautifully tailored dress rather than an academy uniform, and there was something remarkably self-assured about the way she stood beside the door.

Raven paid her little attention.

"Excuse me," she said, approaching the entrance. "Is Isolde Marchmont inside?"

The girl looked up and studied her for a moment before a small smile appeared on her face.

Raven waited for an answer, but when none came, she frowned and moved to walk past her, reaching toward the door.

"White hair."

Raven stopped and turned toward the girl, who was still smiling.

"And quite an attitude, too."

"Excuse me?"

The girl tilted her head, examining Raven with an expression that was becoming increasingly amused.

"Gorgeous white hair, impatient, and not particularly fond of being kept waiting." Her smile widened. "She really wasn’t exaggerating."

Raven stared at her, wondering what the hell was wrong with this girl.

"Who wasn’t exaggerating?"

"Oh, nobody important."

Raven’s eyes narrowed. The girl looked thoroughly pleased with herself, and she was beginning to suspect that she was being deliberately provoked.

"Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but I asked you a simple question. Is Isolde in there or not?"

The girl considered her for another moment before stepping away from the door.

"If you’re looking for Isolde, you’ll have to come with me."

Raven blinked. "Why?"

"Because she isn’t in there."

"Then where is she?"

The girl merely smiled again, and Raven felt her patience slipping.

Goddess, why was everyone in this academy so fucking difficult?

Nevertheless, the stranger clearly knew Isolde, and Raven hadn’t come all this way to leave without speaking to her. So when the girl gestured for her to follow, she reluctantly complied.

~~ ~~

They didn’t go far.

The girl led Raven down a quieter passage adjoining the infirmary and into a small visiting area furnished with several comfortable chairs.

The room was empty, and Raven stopped just inside the entrance, looking around before turning toward her guide.

"Alright, where’s Isolde?"

"She’ll be here soon," the girl assured her, settling into one of the chairs.

Raven stared at her in disbelief. "You brought me here to wait?"

"That’s generally what people do when someone hasn’t arrived yet."

Raven pressed her lips together, increasingly convinced that this entire situation was some ridiculous joke.

"And who are you, anyway?"

The girl arranged her dress comfortably before looking up with another innocent smile.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, actually. It matters quite a lot when some random girl starts talking about me like we’ve known each other for years."

That only seemed to amuse her further, and Raven folded her arms, wondering whether she should return to the infirmary and ask one of the nurses where Isolde had gone.

She’d barely decided that this was probably her best option when the girl glanced toward the entrance.

About a minute had passed since they’d arrived.

Then a familiar voice interrupted them.

"So Deb, what do you think of her?"

The girl immediately turned toward the doorway, her face brightening.

"Oh, she’s exactly like you said, sister." She laughed softly before glancing back at Raven. "Getting on her nerves is ridiculously easy."

Raven opened her mouth, already prepared to deliver a particularly unpleasant response, but the words disappeared when she turned toward the voice.

Isolde Marchmont stood just inside the entrance.

She was wearing a plain, dark cloak over her clothes, with the hood resting loosely around her head. It was considerably less conspicuous than her usual immaculate academy uniform, and Raven suspected she’d deliberately chosen it to avoid attracting attention while moving through the infirmary.

Unfortunately, the clothing did little to conceal how terrible she looked.

Her face was unusually pale, with dark shadows beneath her eyes, and she stood with a careful stiffness that made Raven wonder whether she should even be out of bed.

She’d always carried herself with an almost effortless composure, but right now, even remaining upright seemed to require some effort.

And yet, when Isolde noticed Raven staring, a familiar smile spread across her face.

"Hello, Raven." She tilted her head slightly. "Missed me?"

For several seconds, Raven could only look at her.

She’d imagined this moment more times than she cared to admit, particularly during the first few days when nobody had been able to tell her whether Isolde would recover.

Now the woman was standing right in front of her, smiling as though nothing particularly serious had happened.

Raven felt an enormous rush of relief.

"Isolde..." Her voice came out quieter than she’d intended.

Isolde’s expression softened slightly, although the amusement remained in her eyes.

"I’m glad to see you too."

Raven swallowed, still trying to reconcile the woman before her with the unconscious figure she’d last seen in the infirmary.

Then something registered.

She looked toward the girl seated nearby before turning back to Isolde.

"Wait." Raven frowned. "Sister?"

Isolde glanced toward the girl, her smile widening. "Oh, I suppose I forgot to introduce you."

"You forgot?" Raven repeated incredulously. "What the hell have you been telling her about me?"

Isolde laughed softly and shook her head. "Nothing particularly terrible."

"Oh, really?"

"Nothing you haven’t already demonstrated yourself."

The audacity of this woman.

Deb, meanwhile, looked absolutely delighted by the exchange.

"Goddess, you’re quite a character," she remarked, leaning forward in her chair. "I knew she liked you, but I didn’t think you’d actually make her laugh this much."

Raven turned toward her with a confused frown.

Deb smiled and gestured toward Isolde.

"My sister doesn’t usually behave like this around people. You should see her at home when she’s dealing with visitors. Half the time you’d think smiling was against the law."

"Deb," Isolde warned, although her expression suggested she was struggling not to laugh again.

"What? It’s true!"

Raven looked between them, increasingly convinced that she’d stumbled into something she’d have been better off avoiding.

Deb seemed to possess the same irritating intelligence as her older sister, except she made absolutely no effort to disguise how much she enjoyed provoking people.

"I don’t like you," Raven declared, pointing at her.

For some reason, that made both sisters laugh.

Deb pressed a hand against her chest, looking delighted rather than offended.

"Well, that’s unfortunate, because I quite like you."

"Congratulations."

"And since I’ll be attending Valerius next year, I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of each other."

Raven stared at her, horrified by the prospect of having another Isolde Marchmont running around the academy.

"I seriously doubt that."

Deb merely smiled as though Raven had said something particularly amusing.

Isolde shook her head, still chuckling, although her laughter gradually faded as she shifted her weight against the doorway.

Raven noticed the movement immediately. The woman looked exhausted, and the longer she stood there, the more obvious it became.

"Deb," Isolde said, turning toward her younger sister, "would you mind giving us a little privacy?"

"Of course."

Deb rose without complaint, smoothing her dress before heading toward the door. As she passed Raven, she offered another cheerful smile.

"It was lovely meeting you."

Raven watched her leave, wondering whether she would eventually regret not finding something sufficiently insulting to say in response.

Once the door closed, she turned toward Isolde.

"Goddess, one of you is already difficult enough to tolerate. Did the world really need another Marchmont like you?"

Isolde laughed again, this time more quietly.

"She’s rather fond of you already."

"Well, the feeling isn’t mutual."

"I gathered."

Raven was about to complain further when she noticed Isolde steadying herself against the nearest chair.

Her irritation disappeared.

"Goddess, Isolde, sit down. You look terrible."

"How charming," Isolde murmured, giving her an amused look.

"I’m serious."

Isolde studied her for a moment before nodding and lowering herself into the chair.

Raven took the seat opposite her, watching as she adjusted the cloak around her shoulders.

Now that they were alone, it was even harder to ignore how much the past several days had affected her. The pallor of her face, the exhaustion beneath her eyes and the careful way she moved were all completely unlike the Isolde Raven remembered.

She wanted to ask whether she was alright, whether the healers had explained what had happened and whether she remembered anything about the nightmare.

Unfortunately, she had so many questions that she wasn’t entirely sure where to begin.

Isolde seemed to notice her hesitation, and the smile slowly disappeared from her face, replaced by a familiar seriousness.

"Alright, Raven," she said, settling back against the chair. "You can ask whatever questions you want, but I’m afraid you won’t get much from me."

Raven frowned. "What do you mean?"

Isolde looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Because I don’t know what happened. I only woke up an hour ago, Raven, and I don’t remember anything about what happened to me."