Chp 64
2139 Words
Pearl’s POV
The steam curled gently in the air, filling the bath chamber with a warm haze. I slipped into the water, sighing as the heat wrapped around my sore muscles. My limbs still trembled from the night before his touch, his words, the way he looked at me like I was something sacred.
“Let me help you,” Cecil had offered moments ago, hovering near the tub with a concerned look.
But I had quickly shaken my head. “I can do it myself, really.”
She had narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing. Thank the Goddess she didn’t press.
Now, alone, I leaned back in the water, letting it soothe the ache in my thighs. My fingers moved slowly, brushing over my skin. When I reached a mark, one of many my breath hitched slightly. There, on the side of my breast, was a faint bruise shaped just like his mouth.
I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes, tracing it softly. Demyan.
Each mark told a story. His restraint. His desperation. His love. I couldn’t stop the smile that curved my lips. I wasn’t ashamed of them. They were his way of claiming me, of letting the world know I was his.
My heart fluttered as I remembered his whispered promises. How gently he had held me afterward. How he had made me feel like I wasn’t just his mate, but something more,something he cherished.
I sank a little deeper into the water, letting the warmth carry me, my fingers still gently tracing the memories he left behind on my skin. If this is love, I thought, then let me drown in it forever.
By the time I emerged, my hair was tied back tightly, tucked beneath the black scholar’s pin. My loose robes hung from my frame like armor, hiding every trace of what had happened, every mark, every memory. I was Perin again, or at least I had to be. For now.
The scent of warm bread and broth pulled me toward the small courtyard kitchen. There she was Cecil, standing with her back to me, ladling soup into a bowl with a very specific kind of sharp silence.
“Cecil…” I called softly.
She didn’t turn.
I moved closer and quietly sat down across from her, the edge of my robe brushing the wooden bench. “You made lunch.”
She finally looked at me. Her eyes didn’t sparkle with their usual warmth. Instead, there was a storm there, quiet, contained, but brewing.
“I thought you might be hungry,” she said, tone flat.
“Cecil, please don’t be mad at me,” I said, reaching for her wrist, but she pulled it away with the elegance only she could carry in defiance.
“You left,” she said simply. “Without telling me. I waited the whole night. I didn’t know where you were. I thought—” Her voice faltered, but she bit her lip and looked away. “Never mind.”
I lowered my head, guilt twisting inside me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
She didn’t answer.
“I’ll tell you everything,” I whispered. “I swear it. Just… it’s not the right time.”
Her eyes finally met mine sharp, searching. “So there is something.”
I hesitated, then gave a small nod. “There is. And it’s... complicated. But I need you to trust me, Cecil. Just a little longer.”
She sighed and picked up the bowl of soup, placing it in front of me without a word.
“Will you trust me?” I asked again, voice soft. “And understand that I didn’t mean to leave you behind. I needed to do what I did.”
Her lips twitched slightly, fighting her stern expression. “You're lucky I like you, Perin.” A faint smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. “But you owe me. Big time.”
Relief flooded through me. “I’ll owe you forever,” I said with a weak grin.
Cecil folded her arms and finally sat across from me. “Fine. But when you do talk… I want everything. No lies, no vague poetry.”
I chuckled and took a sip of the broth. “Deal.”
Just as I reached for the bread on the table, a sudden knock at the door startled both Cecil and me.
Knock.
Knock.
It wasn’t the usual gentle rap of the innkeeper or a palace guard. This knock carried weight. Urgency.
Cecil stood slowly, her body tensing as if she recognized the rhythm.
A second knock came, this time sharper.
“I’ll check,” Cecil said, her voice oddly restrained.
She walked toward the door, her movements controlled, like someone preparing to meet a ghost. I stood from the table, watching her closely.
When she opened the door, a gust of wind blew through along with a figure cloaked in deep green. His face was partially hidden beneath his hood, but Cecil’s eyes widened the moment she saw him.
“You?” she breathed.
The man removed his hood slowly. He was handsome in a rugged way, his eyes intense, his jaw shadowed with a rough stubble. There was a tired sort of wildness in his gaze, like someone who’d traveled far, or had been hiding too long.
“Cecil,” he said with quiet familiarity.
“You’re alive…” she whispered, then quickly composed herself.
He glanced at me, then back to her. “I need to speak with you. Now.”
I stepped closer. “Who is he, Cecil?”
Cecil hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice tight. “His name is Elric. He used to be… part of my old pack. Before we came here.”
Elric gave me a nod, then looked to Cecil. “It’s about the girl. She’s not safe.”
Elric's eyes lingered on me, sharp and unreadable, as if he were peeling back layers I had worked so hard to hide. His gaze made my skin crawl not out of fear, but out of the unwanted sense of being seen.
“You can’t stay here any longer,” he said bluntly, his voice hard like iron hammered flat. “This place isn’t safe for you anymore.”
The words hit me like a slap.
“What?” I rose to my feet, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “You don’t even know me. Who are you to decide where I will stay?”
He didn’t flinch. “I know enough. More than you think. Word is spreading. There’s talk about a girl disguised as a boy in the academy. That kind of rumor travels fast. And the wrong ears have already heard it.”
I glanced at Cecil, expecting her to jump in. But she was silent, too silent. Her brows were furrowed, her arms crossed tightly against her chest.
“Elric,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “this is my life. Not yours. I’ve come too far to run just because some whispers float through the wind.”
He stepped closer, towering a bit, though I didn’t back down. “This isn’t just about whispers. There are people who would kill to expose you. Use you against someone and I can't disclose this information. Or worse—sell you.”
I clenched my fists. “And you expect me to vanish? Just like that? After everything?”
He shrugged slightly. “I expect you to survive.”
My chest rose and fell, heat blooming in my cheeks not from shame, but anger. I wasn’t some fragile flower to be plucked and hidden. I’d survived alone before. I’d clawed my way through the walls of deception, through this academy, through Demyan’s guarded heart.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said sharply, voice low and fierce. “Not until I decide to. Not because some stranger storms in and tries to make decisions for me.”
Elric’s jaw tensed. For a moment, he looked like he might argue but instead, he turned his gaze back to Cecil, his expression unreadable.
“Talk some sense into her,” he muttered before brushing past both of us and stepping outside. The door clicked shut behind him but his words still echoed like thunder inside my head.
I turned to Cecil slowly, my pulse still thudding against my ribs. Her eyes were downcast, her lips pressed together as if she was already preparing for a storm.
“Cecil,” I said, my voice softer than I expected, but laced with rising confusion, “who was that? Who is Elric?”
She looked up. There was guilt in her expression, the kind that clung like a heavy fog.
“I didn’t want to worry you,” she began cautiously. “Elric... he’s someone your aunt sent. He’s been in the background this whole time—watching, making sure you were safe.”
I stared at her, stunned. “Watching me?”
“Not in a bad way,” she quickly added. “He’s not your enemy, Pearl. Your aunt just wanted someone loyal nearby. Someone who could notice danger before it reaches you.”
My thoughts swirled, a mix of betrayal and realization tugging at me. “So... all this time, he’s been spying on me? Reporting back to you?”
“I wouldn’t call it spying,” Cecil muttered, looking uncomfortable. “More like... protection. You’re not just anyone, Pearl. You’re valuable. Vulnerable too. With the secret you carry, and your connection to the prince, your aunt feared someone might try to harm or use you.”
I swallowed hard, processing the weight of it all.
“But why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, hurt prickling at the edge of my voice. “You should’ve told me someone was watching.”
“I was going to,” Cecil whispered. “I just... didn’t know how. I didn’t want you to feel trapped. And he never approached unless there was a real reason.”
I sank into the chair slowly, my thoughts racing.
It wasn’t just about me anymore. Demyan. The rumors. The bite marks.
“I need time to think,” I murmured, pressing my fingers to my temples.
“I understand,” Cecil said softly. “But just know this, Pearl—he’s not here to ruin your life. He’s here to protect it. Even if that means making hard choices.”
I didn’t respond immediately. Because I knew what those hard choices might look like.And I wasn’t sure I was ready to make them.
I stood from the chair, my fists clenched at my sides, the weight of everything pressing down on my chest but this time, I didn’t let it drown me.
“Cecil,” I said, my voice firm, “I’m not going anywhere.”
She blinked, taken aback by my sudden declaration.
“I’ve made it this far on my own. Disguised. Hunted. Questioned. And I survived,” I continued, each word sharpening with conviction. “And I’ll continue to survive because I have to.”
Cecil opened her mouth to speak, but I didn’t give her the chance.
“Send a message to my aunt,” I said, “and tell her to keep her minions away from me. I don’t need another pair of eyes watching me. Not now. Not when I’m so close.”
Her lips parted slightly in hesitation. “Pearl, she’s only trying to—”
“To control me,” I snapped, eyes flashing. “I know she means well, but I’m not a helpless girl she can shelter and manipulate anymore. I have my own mission, my own purpose.”
Cecil fell silent, watching me with a quiet understanding, the argument slowly draining from her face.
“I won’t run,” I added, softer this time, though the fire in my chest still burned. “Not until I find the ones who took everything from me. My parents didn’t die by accident. And I can’t let their murderers live in peace while I hide.”
My voice wavered slightly at the end, the memory of that stormy night tightening my throat. But I didn’t let the tears fall. Not now.
Not until I’d finished what I came for.
Cecil gave me a long look and then nodded once.
“I’ll write the message,” she said quietly. “But if you’re staying… you’ll need to be more careful than ever, Pearl. There’s more at stake now.”
“I know,” I said.
And I meant it.
Because it wasn’t just about Demyan anymore, or the lies I’d wrapped myself in.
It was about justice.
And I wasn’t going to stop until I had it.
- Writer
