Their next match was against Team Saga.
He had already analyzed them.
They weren't overwhelming in power, but they had a strong foundation and barely made mistakes. They played the long ga—strategic, patient, and thodical.
A dangerous opponent, but not unbeatable.
Caspian exhaled, running a hand through his damp hair as he stepped out of the bath.
He dried off, dressed, and made his way to the cafeteria.
As he entered, the scent of freshly baked bread and roasted at filled the air.
Students were scattered across the hall, so chatting loudly, others focused on their als.
His gaze swept across the room, and he imdiately spotted them.
Vynesaa and Lyria.
They sat together, engaged in quiet conversation. Vynessa, looked in his direction, hesitated for a mont, then turned back to her food.
Caspian didn't react.
He grabbed his al and sat at a far table, away from the noise.
Not because he was avoiding them—he simply preferred to eat alone.
Ti passed.
He ate in silence, his mind cycling through battle strategies and weaknesses of Team Saga.
But then—
A shadow fell over his table.
Vynesaa.
She didn't sit, didn't imdiately speak.
Instead, she just stood there.
Caspian finished the last bite of his al before glancing up at her. "Sothing you need?"
For the first ti, she looked… unsure.
Then, finally—
"Caspian… I never properly apologized for what happened during the entrance exam."
Caspian set his fork down, exhaling.
For a mont, he didn't speak.
Then, with asured calm—
"Apologize for what, exactly?"
Vynesaa frowned. "You know what."
"Say it."
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. "For betraying you. During the last fight."
Caspian held her gaze.
There was no anger in his eyes. No bitterness.
But there was sothing else.
A quiet disappointnt.
He stood up, pushing the chair back slowly.
"You want to say it's fine?" He looked at her, expression unreadable. "That it didn't matter?"
Vynesaa's lips parted slightly, but no words ca out.
Caspian let out a soft chuckle—though there was no amusent in it.
"I had your back, Vynesaa."
She flinched.
"I thought, at the very least, we'd fight head-on. But you made a different choice."
The air between them felt heavier.
Vynesaa opened her mouth, but Caspian didn't let her speak.
"It's not that I can't understand it." His voice was even, calm. "But you expect to just forget?"
Silence.
Then—
Vynesaa looked away, exhaling softly.
"I don't expect you to forgive . But I wanted to say it. Properly."
Caspian studied her for a mont longer.
Then, finally, he nodded.
Not acceptance.
Not forgiveness.
Just acknowledgnt.
Without another word, he turned and left.
Vynesaa stood there, staring at his back.
And for the first ti—
She wasn't sure if she had actually wanted him to forgive her.
Or if she had just wanted to ease her own guilt.
Vynesaa stood frozen, watching Caspian's retreating figure as he walked away from the cafeteria.
Her fingers twitched at her side, as if reaching for sothing that had already slipped through her grasp.
Why did this feel so unsettling?
She had expected many things from this conversation.
Anger. Cold indifference. Even sarcastic mockery.
But not this.
Not that look.
Not that quiet, asured disappointnt in his eyes—as if she had proven sothing he already suspected.
Vynesaa clenched her jaw, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in her chest.
She had seen Caspian fight, seen the way he carried himself. He wasn't just talented—he was refined.
There was a confidence in the way he moved, in the way he spoke, that didn't belong to soone his age.
Most nobles their age were still brash, still reckless, still trying to prove sothing.
But Caspian?
He didn't care for validation. He had nothing to prove.
It bothered her.
But now, he was walking away from her.
Sothing inside her hated that.
Not because of pride. Not because of the past.
But because…
She didn't want to be left behind.
Her feet moved before she fully realized it, carrying her after him.
Caspian walked at a steady pace, as he made his way toward the academy's main building.
He sensed her before he heard her footsteps.
He didn't react.
He simply let her catch up.
For a few monts, they walked in silence.
Then, finally—
"Do you really not care?" Vynesaa asked.
Caspian sighed softly. "What exactly do you want to say?"
She hesitated.
"That you were angry. That you felt betrayed."
Caspian finally glanced at her.
"Would that change anything?"
Vynesaa frowned. "No, but—"
"Then why does it matter?" His voice was calm, even. "You made your choice. I made mine. It's done."
She didn't reply imdiately.
They walked a few more steps before she spoke again, this ti softer.
"It wasn't personal."
Caspian exhaled through his nose. "I know."
That was what made it worse.
She hadn't betrayed him out of spite or hatred.
She had done it because winning mattered more than anything.
Vynesaa bit the inside of her cheek. "I just… I thought I should say it."
Caspian finally stopped walking, turning to face her properly.
His eyes were steady, unreadable.
"I don't hate you for it, Vynesaa."
She blinked.
"You don't?"
"No." His gaze didn't waver. "I just understand you better now."
Sothing in her chest twisted.
Not in anger.
Not in guilt.
But sothing else she couldn't quite na.
Caspian studied her for a mont longer, then sighed.
"Listen. I don't hold grudges over things like this. You did what you thought was best. I would've done the sa if I were you."
She swallowed. "Then why do you seem disappointed?"
Caspian let out a low chuckle. "Because I thought you were different."
That stung.
Not because it was cruel—because it was true.
And she hated that she cared.
For a mont, she wanted to argue. To tell him he was wrong, that he didn't know what he was talking about.
But the words never ca.
Because a part of her knew he was right.
Caspian exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, don't think too much about it. I'm not your enemy."
Then he started walking again.
Vynesaa stood there, watching him go, feeling a strange sense of unease settle in her chest.
She had spent years knowing exactly who she was, what she wanted.
But right now, standing there, watching Caspian leave—
She realized she didn't know anything at all.
And that terrified her.
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