The academy's garden was breathtaking at night.
With street lamps casting a golden glow over neatly trimd hedges and flowering plants.
The cobblestone paths shimred faintly under the light of the moon.
And the gentle hum of crickets filled the cool air.
Noah Ashbourne walked slowly, his polished shoes tapping softly against the stone.
He wasn't late intentionally—
He just didn't see the urgency in attending a tea party hosted by his so-called fiancée.
Maya Brentall had sent her maid to deliver the invitation.
A delicate envelope adorned with her family's crest.
The maid's polite words had done little to hide the underlying disdain in her tone.
It was no secret that Maya disliked Noah.
But he had co anyway, curiosity gnawing at him.
Reaching the designated area, Noah's gaze fell upon Maya.
She sat at a small round table draped in white linen.
A porcelain tea set arranged ticulously on top.
Her dark purple hair shimred under the moonlight, cascading down her back in soft waves.
Her purple eyes, striking as ever, were half-lidded as she regarded him coolly.
"You're late..."
She said, her voice calm.
"Traffic..."
Noah replied flatly, gesturing at the completely empty garden.
Maya didn't laugh.
She simply motioned for him to sit.
Noah complied, lowering himself into the chair across from her.
The table was small, forcing an uncomfortable closeness between them.
He adjusted his coat.
His gaze flicking briefly to her maid, who stood several paces away, her expression unreadable.
"What's this about?"
Noah asked, leaning back slightly.
Maya picked up the teapot and began pouring.
Her movents were precise, almost chanical, as if she'd rehearsed this mont a thousand tis.
"We need to talk."
"About?"
"Us."
Noah's eyebrows rose.
"Us?"
"Yes, Noah..."
Maya said.
She set the teapot down and looked at him, her red eyes piercing.
"We're supposed to be engaged.
Fiancés.
Yet here we are, strangers in every sense of the word."
Noah tilted his head.
"I didn't think you minded that arrangent."
Maya's lips pressed into a thin line.
"Of course, you didn't.
Why would you?
You've done nothing to change it.
Nothing to even attempt to understand ."
Her words hit harder than he expected.
"You dislike , Maya..."
Noah said, his tone more defensive than he intended.
"You've made that clear from the beginning.
What was I supposed to do?"
"You could've tried..."
She snapped, her composure cracking for a brief mont.
"...but it was never always like that...there was a ti I didn't dislike u..."
There was a tense silence as Maya picked up her teacup.
Her hands trembling slightly.
Noah studied her, his mind racing.
He had always seen her as poised, untouchable.
Her disdain for him hidden behind a mask of civility.
But tonight, there was sothing raw in her deanor, sothing he couldn't quite place.
"Do you even care about this engagent?"
Maya asked suddenly, her voice quieter but no less intense.
Noah hesitated.
"Care is a strong word."
Maya laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"Exactly what I expected."
She set her cup down with a soft clink and folded her hands in her lap.
"Do you know what it's like, Noah?
To be tied to soone like you?"
Noah didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Maya continued, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.
"Everywhere I go, I'm reminded of this engagent.
Of you.
People whisper behind my back, wondering what I see in soone like you.
Soone with your reputation."
Her words were laced with venom, but her expression remained composed.
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As if she'd practiced this speech in her mind countless tis.
"And what do you see in ?"
Noah asked quietly.
Noah's question lingered in the air.
For a mont, Maya's cold deanor cracked, and her purple eyes softened.
As if she were pulling mories from a distant past.
"You want to know what I saw in you?"
She began, her voice quieter now, almost nostalgic.
"I saw a boy who didn't care about titles or appearances.
A boy who smiled despite his flaws.
Who dared to stand against the world's expectations.
You were kind, Noah.
You used to laugh with , even when I fell behind in our lessons or made a ss of myself climbing trees."
Her gaze drifted to the glowing streetlights.
"You once told that I didn't need to be perfect.
That I could just be Maya, and that would be enough.
You made believe that."
Her voice hardened.
"But then, you left....
And when you ca back…"
She turned to him, her eyes filled with both rage and sorrow.
"You weren't the sa....
...You were soone else entirely."
She paused before asking.
"...Who really is Iris to you?"
Noah's lips tightened, and he said nothing.
"Sure, keep quiet like you always do..."
Maya spat bitterly.
"I-I thought I saw sothing...
...but... "
"Nothing..."
Maya said, her voice like ice.
"Absolutely nothing."
The words stung more than he expected.
Maya gestured toward the tea.
"Drink."
She said.
Noah frowned but lifted his cup.
As he took a sip, his system suddenly flared to life.
『Warning! Intense killing intent detected 』
Noah froze, the tea halfway to his lips.
His eyes flicked to Maya, who was staring at him with an unsettling intensity.
Her purple eyes seed to glow, and the air around her was thick with malice.
But even so, her expression was of soone who was hurt.
Tears were forming around her eyes.
Ready to drop at any mont.
But she didn't cry.
The system continued its analysis.
「Killing intent overwhelming」
「Alert: If this intensity were directed at anyone less capable, they would collapse Imdiately. 」
Noah's grip tightened on the teacup as his vision blurred slightly.
The world around him seed to tilt, the edges of his vision growing hazy.
『Warning! Tea has been laced with poison.』
His heart skipped a beat.
「Poison Type: Organ-shutting toxin.」
「Symptoms: Gradual failure of internal organs.」
「Estimated Ti to Fatality: 3 days.」
Noah's stomach churned.
He set the cup down carefully, his movents slow and deliberate.
He looked at Maya, who was watching him intently.
Her expression unreadable but her aura radiating pure rage.
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