The garden felt different in the daylight.
Evelyn stood beneath the old ash tree, the protective charm Alexander had given her nestled at her throat. She hadn't taken it off once, though she'd told herself it was just practical. A safety measure. Nothing more.
But every time her fingers brushed the runes, she remembered the weight of his hand, the softness of his voice when he'd said, "I'll protect you anyway."
She wasn't sure what disturbed her more—how easily he made promises… or how deeply she wanted to believe them.
"Still daydreaming?" a voice snapped behind her.
Liana.
Clad in pristine Academy robes and her usual manufactured smile, Liana walked toward her with a sweetness Evelyn had long since stopped believing.
"You've been quiet lately. Hiding something?" Liana tilted her head. "Or someone?"
Evelyn didn't flinch. "Not everything revolves around you, Liana."
"No," Liana replied smoothly, "but you do have a way of attracting attention you don't deserve."
There it was—the real venom.
Evelyn didn't respond. She didn't need to. Her silence was louder than words. And when she walked past Liana, she made sure not to look back.
But inside, she was rattled. Liana had always known how to twist a knife—especially now, when Evelyn herself wasn't sure what was happening between her and Alexander.
Because he hadn't spoken to her since the night in the garden.
No letters. No meetings. Not even a glance during lessons.
It shouldn't have mattered. But it did.
That night, as she returned to her dorm, Evelyn paused in the corridor, eyes drawn to a shadow in the distance.
He was there.
Leaning casually against the wall as though he hadn't disappeared for days. His gaze met hers—cool, unreadable.
"Were you avoiding me?" she asked, before she could stop herself.
Alexander straightened. "No."
"You disappeared."
"I needed time to think."
"About what?"
He hesitated. Then, softly, "Whether what I want matters."
Her breath caught.
"And?" she whispered.
"I'm still deciding."
And then he walked away.