Sophia and Ivanna now sat on the floor, reminiscing about their memories during their noble schooling.

  Back then, before their noble peers had undergone their “Awakening,” Sophia had managed to form a few close friendships—Ivanna being one of them.

  As they talked, Ivanna mentioned that others from Sophia's old friend group had also missed her.

  Sophia was surprised. “I didn’t know you all were thinking about me,” she admitted, her gaze dropping to the floor. She looked conflicted.

  “We were! We sent you letters, you know, but you never wrote back…” Ivanna’s voice trailed off.

  “Letters? I never got any,” Sophia said, confused.

  “What? We sent countless letters! And I... I wrote to you every single day, Sister Sophia. Even now, I still write. But you never responded. I thought... I thought you hated me.” Ivanna's voice trembled, her expression clouded with sadness.

  “No, no! I could never hate you, Ivanna,” Sophia said quickly, trying to reassure her. “But really, I didn’t receive any letters from anyone.”

  Cal, while cleaning Seraphix's face, interjected, "They must have been mispced during delivery."

  Sophia, grasping Cal's meaning, lowered her gaze and murmured, “I see.”

  “Then, can I visit Sister Sophia’s room every day instead?” Ivanna asked hopefully.

  Sophia hesitated. She was leaving for the United Republic of Aur (URA) tomorrow and wouldn’t return to the Maurya Empire until next winter. Additionally, her and Cal’s attendance at Naurville Academy was a closely guarded secret, known only to their parents.

  Uncertain how to respond, Sophia gnced at Cal, asking for help.

  Cal nodded and stepped in.

  “That won’t be possible. Sophia and I will be traveling abroad,” Cal expined.

  “You’re going abroad?!” Ivanna’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Can I come with you, please?”

  “That’s impossible,” Cal replied calmly. “The st tickets for this winter’s airship flights are already sold out. There won’t be any avaible until next season. Of course, you could travel alone then,” he added, suggesting an alternative to Ivanna.

  “No! I want to go with Brother Cal and Sister Sophia!” Ivanna protested, her voice firm. “I’ll just sneak onto the airship—they won’t even notice!”

  “That would be a crime. How would you expin that to your parents?” Cal countered firmly.

  “I don’t care! It would be better if they just removed me from the family,” Ivanna said sharply, her eyes narrowing.

  Cal was taken aback, stunned by Ivanna's intensity.

  Turning to Sophia, Ivanna spoke again. “Sister Sophia, you wouldn’t mind if I came with you, would you?”

  Sophia was taken aback by Ivanna's sudden intensity. Meeting her gaze, she hesitated. "I..."

  ***

  On a quiet afternoon, Cal stood near the bed in Sophia's bedroom. Sophia sat on the bed, gently stroking Seraphix, who was curled up in her p, sleeping soundly.

  Earlier, Sophia had agreed to let Ivanna join them on their journey abroad. Now, with Ivanna gone to prepare excitedly for the trip, only Sophia and Cal remained in the room. She couldn’t stop thinking about her decision.

  Sophia felt conflicted. In the heat of the moment, she had instinctively agreed to Ivanna's request, but now doubt was creeping in.

  In truth, Sophia did want Ivanna to come. Ever since she stopped attending noble gatherings years ago, she and Cal had traveled across various pces, embarking on their own mini-adventures to seek anything that might grant her a talent—before Cal eventually decided to enroll in Naurvile Academy.

  During those adventures, Sophia often wished she could have her old friends from noble school join them.

  Sophia looked at Cal, who remained silently standing.

  "Cal, do you think we should let Ivanna join us?" Sophia asked.

  "Join us? As in attending the academy together?" Cal crified.

  "That's..." Sophia hesitated. She hadn't thought that far ahead.

  Cal observed her quietly before sighing.

  "Sophia, you shouldn't agree to things so impulsively," Cal said. "To be clear, I don't agree with Ivanna coming with us. I'm not worried about Ivanna's safety—her abilities should take care of that—but there are other issues. First, even if she manages to sneak onto the airship, she doesn’t have a ticket. Security checks at the URA terminal will be a problem. Second, Ivanna is a high-ranking noble from the Maurya Empire. Anything she does will have significant repercussions, especially if it involves another country. And stly... never mind, I guess it's just those two."

  Cal had almost voiced his main concerns—she could potentially be a spy from the Primal Party. With her exceptionally potent concealment abilities, there was no telling where or when she might be listening. However, he decided to keep this to himself, not wanting to make Sophia feel uneasy about her friend.

  After listening to Cal, Sophia rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

  After a moment, Sophia asked, "What if we disguise Ivanna with a fake identity—make it seem like she was born in URA? That way, she could move around freely."

  "Sophia, you make it sound like creating a fake identity is easy," Cal replied.

  "Is it not? Cal, I thought you had plenty of fake identities," Sophia said, genuinely confused.

  Sophia recalled a time during their adventures when she had secretly 'borrowed' money from Cal’s wallet. There, she had discovered multiple identity cards, each with different names, ages, and birthpces.

  Cal looked visibly shocked but chose not to press the matter further.

  After a brief silence, Cal continued, "Even if we manage that, how is Ivanna supposed to expin to her parents why she's going out and never coming back?"

  Sophia waved her hand dismissively. "That won’t be an issue."

  "Why are you so sure?" Cal asked, narrowing his eyes.

  "Ivanna never speaks to her parents."

  Cal frowned. "What do you mean?"

  Sophia's expression darkened slightly. "Ivanna once told me she wasn’t the chosen heir of the Smirnova Household. Because of that, she was never granted the right to speak with the current head of the family."

  "She was abandoned?" Cal pressed.

  Sophia lifted her hands uncertainly. "I'm not sure. Ivanna never expined beyond that."

  "I see. But still, her appearance will make her stand out too much," Cal pointed out.

  At the mention of ‘appearance,’ Sophia suddenly recalled one of her worst experiences in Naurvile Academy. Even with an illusion amulet that disguised her as an unassuming commoner, her beauty still drew unwanted attention—especially from nobles and influential figures. One encounter, in particur, had left her terrified enough to lock herself in her dorm room for weeks.

  But then, as if remembering something, Sophia asked, "Do you have another illusion amulet for Ivanna?"

  "Sophia, you know illusion amulets are illegal. I can't just hand them out casually," Cal said firmly.

  "But you gave me one..." Sophia muttered under her breath.

  "Yeah, and you know how much trouble that caused me," Cal replied, his tone slightly sharper.

  Sophia fell silent. She couldn't argue with that.

  Still, Sophia wasn't ready to give up.

  Looking down, Sophia spoke hesitantly. "Cal, I think... it'll be alright. Don’t you remember how we all used to hang out during our Noble Schooling? You, me, Ivanna, Ziva, Kafka, Yakov, Vd, Perun..." Her voice trailed off.

  "I remember," Cal said ftly. "I also remember how they all left you—one by one. Even Ivanna started avoiding you during our final year, didn't she?"

  Sophia flinched. "I-it's not their fault," she said weakly. "I mean... it's true I have no talent back then. It would have been embarrassing for them to be seen with me. But Cal, this time is different."

  Cal sighed, watching Sophia carefully. He had always disliked this side of her.

  "Fine, I'll give her an illusion amulet and a fake identity," Cal relented. "But there are still a few things I need to confirm about Ivanna first."

  Sophia looked up at Cal in surprise. She hadn't expected him to give in so easily.

  Without another word, Cal suddenly moved toward the bed and sat beside Sophia. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against her shoulder.

  Sophia stiffened, her face turning red.

  "Why so tense?" Cal teased.

  "T-That's...!"

  "Aren't you the one who always rests on my shoulder like this?"

  "I-I know, but—!"

  "Sophia, rex. I just want to rest for a bit. I can already imagine all the trouble that’s coming."

  Sophia remained silent, unsure of what to say. She wasn't oblivious to the trouble she had always caused Cal with her selfishness. Yet, just like now, Cal was still there to help her. "Cal, I don't understand you at all," she murmured.

  After a while, Sophia finally decided to ask the question that had been on her mind.

  "Hey, Cal. I know it's a bit te, but... we're officially dating now, right?"

  Sophia was met with quiet.

  "Cal?"

  Hearing no response, Sophia gnced down at him.

  "Ah... he's asleep."

  OnlyCat