It had been a long time since Leci last went out to simply enjoy herself. Spending time with others was undeniably pleasant — yet afterward, she was always left exhausted.
Just like now.
The moment she stepped into her room, Leci collapsed onto the bed. She didn't bother turning on the light, allowing the darkness to remain undisturbed. All she did was stare at the ceiling, her mind emptied of thoughts, as though even thinking required more energy than she had left.
When they decided to go home, Kieron — still in the form of a crow — had flown away. He hadn't sent any word since. It made Leci wonder why he had followed her to the villa in the first place. Was it truly just to watch over her? She hadn't even had the chance to give him the soulstone she'd asked Jayden for.
Thinking of Jayden brought her back to Taryn's question at the villa.
"Between Jayden and Mr. Kieron… who would you choose?"
It was a question that left Leci bewildered. Why did Jayden even have to be part of the equation? Had he ever shown any special feelings toward her? He'd never said anything about liking her — let alone loving her. His attitude had always been normal, friendly at best. Or was it Leci herself who was too dull to notice?
Jayden wasn't a bad choice. Logically speaking, he was far better than Kieron. They shared similarities, and talking to him felt comfortable. Most importantly, they were the same species — both human.
And yet, Leci's heart already belonged to someone else.
The incident at the lotus pond still echoed vividly in her mind. Every time she recalled it, an unfamiliar sensation crept over her. Her heart raced, her face burned, and she grew nervous whenever she saw Kieron in his human form. With all those signs… wasn't it obvious?
She was in love.
Truly, she didn't want to admit it. She wanted to throw those feelings far away and live a normal love story. Leci knew all too well the consequences of loving someone like Kieron.
But her heart refused to lie.
No matter how hard she denied it, she couldn't deny the quiet longing inside her — yearning for the man who had been haunting her thoughts lately. She felt happy whenever Kieron was near, watching over her, looking at her with that gentle, almost tender gaze.
Leci didn't even care if she would eventually die by his hand — or if he would take her soul.
She had fallen completely.
She had fallen hard, and she didn't know how to rise from something called love.
The doll lying on her bed seemed to stare down at her, mocking her foolishness for getting trapped like this. If things continued this way, wasn't she no different from Amanda… or the other flirtatious girls at school?
Turning onto her side, Leci forced herself to chase away the dark thoughts invading her mind. She shut her eyes tightly, compelling herself to sleep — hoping rest would erase the weight pressing down on her chest.
But even when morning came, she hadn't slept soundly.
Her restless mood only worsened when she saw Norris putting on his shoes by the front door. An unavoidable coincidence — they lived under the same roof, after all. Besides, she had intended to give him the birthday present she'd forgotten.
Thud!
Leci deliberately smacked the gift box against Norris's head, completely ignoring his complaints and protests.
"What's your problem? Are you still upset about yesterday?!" he snapped.
She merely shrugged, arms crossed. "Don't be mad. You should be grateful I still bothered to give you a present."
As always, their days were never free of arguments.
Just after closing the door, she heard a shout of excitement from inside — Norris had opened her gift.
A brand-new pair of Nike sneakers. The very ones he'd been dreaming of. Leci had saved up for them carefully. Really, Norris should treat her better.
Without waiting for Norris, who was still basking in the joy of his new shoes, Leci left for school on her own, taking the bus as usual. She sat in the corner, keeping a small distance from everyone else.
The morning felt as hectic as ever — so did Leci's thoughts.
At the school gate, Leci ran into Fianna. Remembering she had something to hand over, she approached her. "Hey, Fianna!"
Thankfully, Fianna turned right away. The girl with the straight bob raised an eyebrow. "Leciara? What is it?" Her tone was blunt, uninterested in small talk.
Leci was already used to reactions like that. Without a word, she handed over the interview report with Irza.
"You've already finished this?" Fianna stared, stunned. Her sharp expression vanished as she eagerly read through the report Leci had worked on wholeheartedly. Even if she was only ranked in the top ten of her class, Leci always gave her best.
Fianna's face lit up like a freshly bloomed marigold.
"This exceeds my expectations, Leciara!" she exclaimed. "I'm impressed! I'll give you even more assignments!"
Damn it.
Leci hadn't worked that hard for this outcome. Regret hit her instantly. If she'd known, she would've done it half-heartedly.
"No, thank you. I've contributed enough," she replied, already turning to leave.
Grab.
Fianna quickly caught her shoulder. Her wide smile tilted unnervingly. "I know you like mystical things. That's why I prepared something perfect for you."
She shoved her phone in front of Leci's face. The title was impossible to miss — a horror story about Liadan Mansion, an old haunted house.
"I want you to write an article about Liadan Mansion!"
"Oh, I've heard of it."
That voice wasn't Leci's.
Jayden had arrived, speaking as he overheard them. Leci's attention shifted — especially to the red-haired boy standing beside him. She instinctively grinned when she noticed Norris wearing the sneakers she'd given him.
"Great! I'll assign you as Leciara's right-hand man!" Fianna declared enthusiastically, gripping Jayden's shoulders. "Please help her—I'm counting on you!"
With that, she skipped away cheerfully, fanning Leci's report in excitement.
"Tch. Your club president is insane," Norris muttered.
"But Liadan Mansion gives us a target for an exorcism," Jayden said. "Will you take it, Leciara?"
Leci paused. It wasn't a bad idea. She hadn't found a new site yet.
"All right. I'll take it. Handling haunted places is my duty."
"Our duty," Norris corrected, patting her shoulder.
"Idiot." Leci brushed his hand away.
But her thoughts sank deeper. If Norris and Jayden joined, she couldn't bring Kieron along.
Will Teacher be angry?
Guilt crept in. Kieron had always accompanied her on exorcisms. But she couldn't let Norris or Jayden grow suspicious either.
Leci clenched her phone in her hand, hesitating over whether she should say it or not. The image of Kieron being angry — because she was going with Jayden — crept into her mind.
She quickly brushed the thought away. Maybe she was already a little crazy, imagining that Kieron would ever feel jealous.
In the end, she sent a message — hoping he would understand.
Recipient: Kieron Branduff
Message: Teacher, today I'll be exorcising a spirit at Liadan Mansion with Norris and Jayden. It's an assignment from the Journalism Club President, and I'm required to write an article about the place. I couldn't refuse, nor could I prevent Norris and Jayden from joining. I'm sorry I can't bring you along this time.
Status: Sent