Chapter 29: Guess Who's Back
Click—
The doors opened.
My office was exactly how I left it:
Spacious, clean, with a giant desk made of unnecessary luxury wood.
Sunlight spilled through the tall windows.
And sitting neatly in the corner was my custom chair. A throne disguised as furniture.
"Wow... so this is where you work?" Mira said, eyes wide as she stepped inside. "I guess this is... actually pretty cool."
I leaned back in the chair, arms crossed.
"I don't ss around."
Behind her ca another figure—white hair, sharp blue eyes, and that sa frosty, unreadable expression.
Veldena Asteris.
She looked around, brows slightly raised. "Hmm."
"...Hmm?" I tilted my head. "That's it?"
She glanced at , unimpressed. "I thought it would be flashier."
I sighed, rubbing my temple.
"Okay, first—Mira, you're here because I invited you. That makes sense. But Veldena... why are you here again?"
She blinked.
"Vel."
"...What?"
"You can call Vel. It's shorter."
"...Right. Vel." I leaned back in my chair again. "So, Vel...?"
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Serenia asked to check in on your operation. She was... curious. And I wanted to see it myself."
"Ahhh." I nodded. "So this is a diplomatic visit."
"No. She just wanted a signed copy of the next Titanheart Chapter."
Mira snorted. "Typical."
"Where is she anyway?" I asked.
Vel leaned on the wall. "Back at the palace. Being a princess. She said she wanted to co, but, y'know... kingdom stuff."
"Yeah, fair."
Noel wasn't here either. She'd said sothing about visiting her mother's resting place. I didn't push.
She... needed that.
Anyway—
"We all passed," Mira said, flopping onto the couch like she owned the place. "Every single one of us."
Noel struggled a little at the last stage, but she pulled through. That made sense considering her past. But she eventually pulled through.
The official entrance date to the Academy was set for one month from now.
A lot had happened during that ti.
Titanheart Chronicles had exploded again—Chapter 66 had just released during the exams.
The hype never died. If anything, it grew.
And the money?
Oh, the money.
Burgertory, now with over 2000 locations across the empire, had practically printed gold.
The rchant Guild handled expansion like maniacs.
And ?
I was now officially what scholars call...
Filthy rich.
Not noble rich. Not even royal rich.
I was "I-can-fund-a-secret-organization-and-still-have-spare-change" rich.
I smirked to myself.
"...Perfect."
Now I had the money.
The people.
The resources.
The Academy?
That would just be the next step.
The next stage in a bigger ga.
* * *
A soft breeze rustled the wildflowers.
The forest was quiet here. Peaceful.
No monsters. No eyes watching. Just trees, wind... and the lonely stone under her feet.
Noel knelt by the gravestone.
Her hand gently swept away a bit of dust clinging to the engraved na.
She didn't cry.
She'd already cried too much for too long.
"Hey, Mom."
Her voice was soft. Small.
"...It's been a while."
She placed down a bundle of fresh lilies—her favorite.
"I... got in," she said quietly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "The academy. That one you always heard about from travelers passing by."
She smiled, just a little.
"There were thousands of applicants. It was... intense."
A pause.
"I t so new people. Mira. Serenia. Veldena."
She chuckled softly. "They're strong. A little weird. But nice."
Then her smile faded.
And her eyes softened.
"And there's soone else."
She sat down, folding her legs to the side.
"Sam."
Her fingers brushed against the edge of the gravestone.
"He's... strange. Says things that don't make sense. Talks to himself sotis. Way too dramatic."
A beat.
"But..."
She looked up at the sky.
"...He's kind."
Her voice trembled.
"He helped . When no one else did."
"When I was in that place... when I didn't even want to go on... he gave sothing. Sothing I didn't understand back then."
She placed her hand over her heart.
"I think it's what you always tried to show ."
"Even when the world hated ."
Even when you were dying.
She smiled again—small, warm.
"I get it now, Mom."
"What you ant... when you said 'one day you'll understand.'"
"...I think I finally do."
Her voice was a whisper.
"I found what love is."
A gust of wind carried the words into the trees.
She stood up, brushing off her dress.
Then looked down one last ti.
"I'll be okay."
"I promise."
She turned.
And walked back into the forest—light filtering through the branches ahead.
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