Chapter 292: Things Changed?

I sat there in frozen silence for a few long seconds, the noisy background chatter of the grand dining hall fading into an indistinct, distant buzz. My mind worked at hyper-speed, running diagnostics through every recent memory log I possessed.

Dating? Since when? How?

I slowly turned my head to look at Emma. She was still leaning against my shoulder, her smile bright and completely serene.

"Emma..." I started, keeping my voice low, steady, and carefully neutral. "How... long have we been dating, exactly?"

The air around our table instantly plummeted in temperature.

The soft, gentle smile on Emma’s face didn’t fade, it froze. Her hazel eyes slowly drifted upward to meet mine, the warm luster in them vanishing entirely, replaced by a flat, deadpan stare that sent a cold prickle down my spine.

"Just what..." Emma murmured, her voice dropping an octave into a smooth, icy whisper, "...did you just say?"

A blaring red alert practically flashed behind my mind.

Shit.

I had definitely said something I shouldn’t have.

Before I could even attempt to reframe the question, the sweet, doting atmosphere around Emma shattered into a million sharp pieces. Her fingers, still wrapped around my forearm, tightened violently.

Her nails bit straight through the sleeve, pressing hard enough against my skin that I felt the sharp pressure of her mana beginning to flare.

"Is this because of your new bitch?" she asked softly.

I blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "No, wha—"

"What was her name again?" Emma cut me off effortlessly, not giving me a single inch to maneuver. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing into dangerous, feline slits while her smile stretched unnaturally wide across her pale face. "

Aria Valenor?"

Her grip on my arm turned into a literal iron vise. If I didn’t have sixty points in physical vitality, she probably would have left a permanent bruise through my coat.

"Tell me the truth, darling~" Emma purred, leaning in until her breath brushed against the shell of my ear, laced with a terrifying mix of honey and venom. "Is she the reason you’re suddenly forgetting about me?"

My brain short-circuited all over again.

What the hell?why am I being accused of infidelity?!

"Of course not," I replied, managing to keep my face completely flat despite the overwhelming absurdity of the situation. "Why would I be—"

Across the table, Sira let out a low, appreciative whistle. She leaned back against the high wooden bench, resting her chin on her palm as a wicked, amused smirk spread across her face.

"Whew. A philanderer in our midst," she teased, her eyes sparkling with absolute delight at my expense.

"Emma, you really took on a tough nut to crack with this one. You leave him alone for two days, and he comes back with acute amnesia about his own girlfriend."

"It’s not funny, Sira," Tobias grunted, exasperated. He picked up his pewter fork and stabbed a piece of salted pork with unnecessary force. "Must we air out romantic grievances over morning rations? Some of us are trying to mentally review Senior Instructor’s tactical formations before the bell rings."

Kyle swallowed a massive mouthful of rye bread with a loud, wet gulp, completely oblivious to the landmine he was about to step on.

"I mean... to be fair to Jin," Kyle chimed in, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, "Lady Aria did spend half of yesterday’s asking the professors where Jin went."

I shot Kyle a look of absolute, unadulterated murder. Thank you, Kyle. Outstanding contribution.

The moment those words left Kyle’s mouth, Emma’s sweet facade didn’t just crack, it completely dissolved. The subtle aura of her mana pulsed around us, making the flames of the nearby wall sconces flicker and dim.

She turned her head back to me, her eyes practically glowing in the dim light of the dining hall. Her smile remained locked in place, sharp and terrifyingly beautiful.

"Is that so?" Emma hummed softly, her free hand reaching up to gently, almost reverently, trace the line of my jawline before settling against my throat. Her thumb rested lightly right over my pulse point.

"She asked about your schedule, did she? And here I thought you were just busy dealing with your family’s boring noble affairs."

"I was dealing with my family’s affairs," I said smoothly, forcing my heart rate to stay flat and even under her touch. I reached up with my free hand and gently covered her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers to subtly lessen the pressure on my throat. "Kyle is exaggerating. I haven’t spoken two words to Aria Valenor since the practical exams."

Emma stared deeply into my eyes, searching my face for any sign of a micro-expression, any subtle twitch that would betray a lie. My passives kicked into overdrive, keeping my composure entirely airtight.

Slowly, the dangerous edge in her slitted eyes softened, though her grip on my arm didn’t loosen by even a millimeter. She let out a small, contented sigh, leaning her head back against my shoulder and burying her face into the crook of my neck, dangerously close to where Tessa’s bite mark was hidden under my high collar.

"Good," Emma whispered softly, her warm breath tickling my skin. "Because we spent three whole weeks establishing where you belong after you beat me in the rank placement duel. You’re mine, Jin. If some Valenor bitch tries to crawl into your lap while I’m not looking... I might just have to test my new localized spell on her face."

I swallowed silently, my mind screaming in absolute confusion.

What the hell happened?

"Right..." I murmured, smoothly wrapping my arm around her waist to pull her a bit closer, opting for de-escalation over logic until I could figure out what was going on. "No need for magic. I’m right here."

Emma giggled, a sweet, musical sound that completely contradicted the terrifying threat she had uttered two seconds ago. She snuggled closer, linking her fingers tightly with mine.

I looked up from Emma’s hair, meeting the amused, mocking gazes of Sira and Kyle across the table. I kept my face stoic, but inside, I knew my peaceful academy life was officially dead and buried.