{IRIS}
The girls before . . . they had disappeared, hadn’t they? These weren’t their things, were they? I didn’t want to think about it.
But did I even have the right to complain? I had no money, no belongings, and no options.
Unless I planned on showing up to the academy in rags—or worse, naked—I had no choice.
I swallowed hard. "T-thank you."
"You don’t have to say thanks if you don’t an it," Sebastian deadpanned.
I stiffened. Of course he could see through . Sebastian was like that—always watching, always knowing.
". . . I’m sorry," I murmured. "I don’t have any right to complain. I’m weak. The weak don’t get a say." It was Lord Val who said that and it got stuck in my brain.
"Then don’t be weak."
Before I could process his words, he was suddenly right in front of . My breath hitched.
"Be strong," he said, his voice lower now, more throaty. "And beco stronger."
Sothing shimred in his hand. A dagger—sleek, black as night, and honed to perfection. The obsidian blade glead even in the dim light, small enough to be hidden beneath my sleeve, but deadly all the sa.
I stared. "W-what . . . what is that?"
"A gift," he said. "To commorate the completion of your basic training. Take it."
I reached out, hesitant, as he placed the dagger in my palm. It was light—shockingly so. Balanced. A perfect weapon for soone like who had no strength to wield a sword.
"A-are you sure?" I asked, barely above a whisper. "I an . . . I couldn’t even land a single hit on you. I didn’t . . . I didn’t complete anything. I’m not fit to wield this."
"Whether you are fit or not," Sebastian said, his gaze never leaving mine, "is for you to decide in the end. Keep it. It may co in handy."
I swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the cool hilt. I couldn’t argue. I couldn’t say no.
"You and Lord Val . . . ," My voice wavered. "You look at like I’m sothing more. You’re the only two who believe in ."
Sebastian’s expression didn’t shift, but his next words struck deep.
"And our trust in you isn’t cheap, my lady." He paused, then softer, "One day, I hope you will learn to trust yourself, too."
I sucked in a sharp breath. My throat tightened, and before I could stop myself, a tear slipped free. I wiped it away quickly, embarrassed.
"Thank you," I whispered. "It ans so much to . I know you and Lord Val don’t like very much, but . . . I’m grateful for everything you’ve done. I’ll repay you soday. I promise."
Sebastian said nothing at first. Just nodded. Then, as he turned to leave, he stopped at the door.
"This mansion," he said suddenly, his tone calm, "is in another dinsion. Lord Val keeps it storming—heavy with winds and thunder—to keep other creatures of the night at bay. But when it’s ti for your training, he ensures it doesn’t rain, so you won’t get soaked."
I blinked.
"The chefs have begun preparing at and eggs for you," he continued, as if reciting a simple fact. "We usually only drink blood here. But Lord Val made an exception because he knows it’s your favorite."
I stared, mouth slightly open.
"And the clothes I packed for you," he added, "were not from the lost girls who beca our food. Lord Val bought them specifically for you. He simply didn’t tell you."
My heart stuttered.
"He also had the library restocked with new books. Because you like to read."
I suddenly felt lightheaded.
"Lord Val wouldn’t go through all that effort if he didn’t like you very much."
I opened my mouth, but no words ca out. My brain was still catching up, my thoughts colliding into each other in a frantic ss.
Sebastian heard it, of course. My heartbeat must have been loud enough to shake the walls.
I felt my cheeks heat—no, my whole face.
"T-that’s . . ." I had no idea what to say. Now that he had pointed it out . . .
Sebastian simply tilted his head. "And, Lady Iris," he said smoothly, "I don’t give gifts to people . . . ’I don’t like very much.’"
I gaped at him, completely and utterly floored.
"T-then . . . does that an . . ."
But before I could finish, he was already gone.
I stood there, gripping the dagger, my thoughts a tangled ss.
They didn’t hate .
They didn’t find irritating.
They didn’t see as weak.
. . . Or maybe they did. But even if they did, they still didn’t despise .
Sure that Lord Val tornted during lessons, pushing to my limits with that eerie, unreadable unsettling, scary condescending smile.
Sebastian tossed around, as if repaying so unseen wrath against . And yet, despite it all, they didn’t hate .
And sohow, in this strange, twisted existence, that ant everything.
A slow, small smile curled my lips.
For the first ti in a long while, sothing warm blossod in my chest as I packed for my year-long stay at the academy.
The feeling was foreign—like a flickering ember in a heart that had long been left in the cold.
It was well past midnight when I finished, yet I still couldn’t believe that by tomorrow, I would no longer be here. That I would no longer wake up in this eerie yet oddly comforting mansion.
Feeling overwheld, I stepped out onto the balcony, inhaling the crisp night air. It was raining—thunder cracking in the distance—but curiously, not a single drop touched the mansion. The storm seed to avoid this place entirely, as if it, too, feared trespassing beyond its gates.
I leaned against the cold railing, letting the silence of the night settle around . But just as I was beginning to relax, a familiar voice cut through the air, low, deep, and laced with amusent.
"Don’t tell you’re actually considering jumping to escape school. Go ahead if you want—but all you’ll get is a few broken bones, maybe a cracked skull. You’ll heal, of course . . . just in ti to still attend school, but in agony."
Startled, I turned sharply, my breath hitching.
Lord Val stood at the balcony’s entrance, arms crossed, his expression icy as always. The moonlight cast silver hues across his sharp features, making him look almost ethereal.
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