"So… what's going on?"
"I don't know…" Soren replied, his tone conflicted as he stared down at the table.
It had only been a day since he and Amelia had cleared the air.
One honest conversation, a few blunt words, and everything that had been awkward and strained for an entire week had vanished almost instantly.
Because of that, Soren had fully expected things to return to normal.
If anything, he had expected Amelia to go back to quietly shadowing him from a short distance, speaking only when necessary, her presence steady but unobtrusive.
Instead…
Soren glanced down at his side.
Amelia was leaning against him, fast asleep.
Her head rested on his shoulder, cheek pressed into the fabric of his uniform.
One of her arms was loosely wrapped around his, her breathing slow and even.
She looked completely unbothered by the surrounding cafeteria, by the noise, or by the numerous stares being thrown in their direction.
She might as well have been in her own bed.
"For some reason," Soren continued quietly, "after we talked… she became like this."
Felix followed his gaze, then froze.
The jealousy hit his face immediately.
"Tch. Lucky bastard."
Soren didn't even bother responding verbally.
Instead, he carefully reached up and adjusted Amelia's slightly crooked uniform collar, straightening it so it wouldn't wrinkle against her neck.
Her tail wagged.
Just once, slow and content.
A tiny smile formed on her lips, so faint it was almost impossible to notice unless you were looking for it.
Soren's voice dropped without him realising.
"She's like a puppy…"
"Cough—! Cough!"
Felix choked violently on his food, slamming his fist against the table as he stared at Soren in horror.
"Soren?!" he wheezed. "Did you seriously just call the Wild Wolf a puppy?!"
Soren blinked, genuinely confused by the reaction.
"What?"
"Do you have any idea who she is?"
He shrugged.
"Isn't she, though?"
Felix clenched his jaw so hard it looked like it might crack.
"Nnnngh—!"
At that moment, Amelia stirred.
She stretched her arms slowly, fingers curling as she yawned, then blinked her eyes open, taking in the scene with visible displeasure.
"…Too loud."
Soren winced slightly.
"Sorry."
"It's fine," she murmured, shifting closer. "I'm hungry."
Felix stared.
Soren calmly reached one hand under the table, opening his inventory.
A moment later, he brought it back up, placing a small bag into Amelia's hands.
"Here."
Jerky.
Nothing fancy, just preserved meat, lightly seasoned, but Amelia's eyes softened the instant she recognised it.
"Thanks."
She opened the bag and began eating immediately, tail swaying back and forth as she chewed.
Felix said nothing.
He just stared.
His gaze shifted between Amelia, who was happily eating while leaning into Soren, and Soren himself, who looked entirely unbothered by the situation.
Slowly, Felix leaned back.
"…What am I even watching right now?"
Soren smirked.
"Told you, didn't I?"
"…"
"Told him what?" Amelia asked, pausing mid-bite.
"Nothing important," Soren replied easily. "By the way, I've got tutoring tonight, so I'll have to leave early. Is that okay?"
She hesitated for a moment.
"…Okay."
The nod came with visible reluctance.
Her tail slowed.
Soren noticed.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Amelia Indras Einhardt POV
"Miss, please wake up…"
The voice felt distant, muffled, as if it were coming from the other side of a thick wall.
Amelia turned onto her side, burying her face into the pillow.
The warmth beneath the blankets was comfortable, familiar, safe.
She exhaled slowly and let her body go slack again.
Shove.
The sensation of hands on her shoulders dragged her back toward awareness.
"Miss! Please, you need to wake up."
Annoyance flared.
Amelia pushed the maid's arms away with more force than strictly necessary and rolled onto her other side, eyes closed, intent on reclaiming her sleep.
'Too early…'
"Miss! If you don't get up now, you'll be late for classes."
'Doesn't matter…'
Her thoughts were sluggish, heavy, drifting in and out like fog.
For a brief moment, she considered staying exactly where she was and letting the consequences come later.
Being late wasn't dangerous.
Missing class wouldn't hurt anyone.
Then…
"What about your new friend, Miss?"
Amelia's body stiffened.
The maid continued, clearly desperate now.
"Your father was overjoyed when he heard about them. You weren't lying, were you?"
Her eyes snapped open.
In a single, sharp movement, Amelia sat up in bed, the blankets sliding down around her waist.
Her gaze locked onto the maid with an intensity that made the poor woman flinch.
"What—!"
Her voice was low.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The maid recoiled immediately, bowing her head.
"F-Forgive me! I j-just didn't want Miss to be late for class, I didn't mean—"
"He's real."
"S-Sorry?"
Amelia's expression darkened.
"He is real," she repeated, each word clipped, firm.
The maid swallowed hard.
"Y-Yes, of course. My apologies, Miss."
Only then did Amelia look away.
She rose from the bed, shoulders tense, jaw set.
The irritation lingered far longer than it should have, curling tightly in her chest.
It wasn't visible at first glance, but Amelia was pouting.
It was an expression almost no one had ever seen from the Wild Wolf of Einhardt.
She rarely felt the need to display emotion so openly.
Yet now, simply because someone had doubted the existence of her friend, the feeling bubbled up uncontrollably.
'Soren is real.'
The thought repeated itself as she dressed.
Real.
Present.
Warm.
Not imagined.
Not temporary.
Her hands tightened briefly as she fastened her uniform.
She would not allow anyone to question that.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Classes were over for the day.
Normally, that fact alone would've been enough to put Amelia in a decent mood.
Training, lectures, sparring, once those were done, she was free.
Free to nap, free to roam, free to pick a fight if she felt restless.
Today, however, she found herself standing still in the corridor, staring blankly ahead.
Soren was already gone.
He had mentioned it earlier, almost casually, tutoring tonight, with Lilliana.
He had said it like it was nothing unusual, just another obligation, and Amelia had nodded in response, pretending it didn't matter.
It did.
She watched his back as he left, her gaze lingering longer than necessary before she finally turned away.
Ordinarily, she would've filled this empty time easily.
She could have gone to the training grounds and found someone willing, or unwilling, to spar.
She could have returned to her room and slept until dinner.
She could have wandered the academy grounds without purpose.
But today, none of those options appealed to her.
Something felt… off.
With no clear destination in mind, Amelia found herself heading back to the dorms earlier than usual.
The walk was quiet, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone floors.
Students passed her, some giving her space instinctively, others stealing glances before quickly looking away.
She didn't notice.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
By the time she reached her room, the faint tension in her chest still hadn't faded.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting it behind her with a soft click.
The room was exactly as she had left it, neat, orderly, untouched.
And on the desk, sitting in plain view, was a letter.
Amelia froze.
She recognised the seal instantly.
A stylised crest pressed into deep red wax.
The seal of the King of Einhardt.
Her heart skipped.
In a single motion, she crossed the room and snatched the letter off the desk, her claws tearing through the wax as she broke it open.
The parchment inside crinkled slightly under the tension in her grip as her eyes scanned the contents.
Her breathing was shallow at first, fast.
Then, gradually, she exhaled.
The contents were… normal.
– How is my cute youngest doing? Are you adapting well to your studies? That's a silly question, isn't it? My princess is the strongest there is…
The familiar tone made her shoulders loosen just a fraction.
Her father's letters were always like this, overly affectionate, filled with praise and concern, often repeating the same sentiments over and over.
He wrote frequently, far more than most kings would bother to, especially considering his responsibilities.
Because of that, Amelia skimmed past most of it.
She had read versions of these lines before.
Her eyes moved faster down the page.
Until she reached the end.
Her gaze stopped.
There, scribbled slightly messier than the rest, as if written in a hurry, was an added note.
– P.S. I heard my daughter finally made a friend! You have no idea how overjoyed I am at the news. I do hope you'll bring them home with you during the break. Your mother is also desperate to meet the person that our picky princess has chosen…
Amelia's hands tightened around the letter.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"Papa wants to meet… Soren?"
The words left her mouth quietly, almost disbelieving.
Her earlier excitement drained away, replaced by a creeping unease.
There was a reason for it.
This wasn't the first time someone important had been brought home.
Her older siblings had done so before, introducing partners, companions, people they cared about, and every time, it had ended the same way.
Endless scrutiny.
Sharp words disguised as concern.
Expectations that crushed enthusiasm into silence.
Those people had always left.
Eventually.
'Papa wouldn't do that to Soren… right?'
She stared down at the letter again, as if the answer might change if she read it twice.
Unlike her siblings, Soren wasn't a partner.
He was just a friend.
A friend she had only known for a few weeks.
Surely her father wouldn't treat him the same way.
Surely he wouldn't place that kind of pressure on someone Amelia cared about, someone who hadn't even chosen to be involved with royalty.
…Surely.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she folded the letter back up.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, posture rigid, eyes unfocused.
The idea had already taken root.
A future meeting.
It was in this way that a future meeting between the king of Einhardt and Soren Arden had been established.
Whether he liked it or not, it was now inevitable.
————「❤︎」————