Ryan understood perfectly well. Even if he really screamed, he would never make it past the doors of the guest pavilion.

  The people outside would probably seize him the moment he appeared and hand him back to Evelyn to earn her favor.

  After all, although Glacial Arcana Academy and the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword were not allies, they had always maintained cordial relations. No one would offend Evelyn for the sake of a nobody like him.

  Once he figured this out, Ryan strode to a chair and sat down heavily. The legs of the chair struck the floor with a dull thud, full of frustration and resignation.

  Catching the brief flicker of surprise in Evelyn's eyes, Ryan suddenly grabbed the water jug on the table. He slammed a cup down and began pouring water with movements so rough they almost seemed like deliberate provocation.

  He stared straight into Evelyn's eyes as if he wanted to vent every shred of humiliation through his glare. Then he yanked open the lid and filled the cup to the brim.

  The scalding liquid slid down his throat. Ryan shot up in agony, spraying the water onto the floor where it hissed and rose in a faint white mist.

  He clutched his throat, baring his teeth in pain. A burning sting tore through his mouth and throat as if he had swallowed fire.

  Fortunately, his magic reacted instinctively. Otherwise, he would have been blistered from the inside out and likely unable to speak at all.

  A very soft scoff reached his ears. Ryan jerked his head up. Evelyn's expression remained cold, serene, as if that faint sound had been nothing more than his imagination.

  In Evelyn's eyes, his furious water-pouring and reckless gulping had made him look like a fool blinded by his own anger.

  Ryan was concentrating on using magic to repair the damaged membranes in his throat when that quiet scoff made him freeze.

  He lifted his eyes to Evelyn. She only watched him calmly, gaze clear and unreadable, not a trace of amusement on her face. It made him momentarily wonder if he had imagined the whole thing.

  But deep down, Ryan was certain. Evelyn must have known perfectly well that the water was boiling hot. She simply chose not to warn him, just to watch him embarrass himself.

  A wave of irritation surged through him again, yet he forced it back down. He could not beat her, and he could not run. He could only swallow his pride.

  When the burning pain finally eased a little, Ryan spoke in a deliberately calm voice, breaking the silence in the room.

  "Why do you insist on taking me to Glacial Arcana Academy?"

  Evelyn answered,"Your magical fluctuations are unusual. You may possess the potential of a Grand Magus. If you truly have such talent, once you join Glacial Arcana Academy, I will provide you with the highest tier of magical resources and personally instruct you. You will not be treated poorly."

  "Not be treated poorly?" Ryan let out a dry laugh, looking fed up."You have a binding rope. You can tie me up whenever you feel like it."

  He knew very well that he was standing on the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword's territory. They would never offend Evelyn over a mere Journeyman Mage.

  He had no real way to escape, unless he spent his hard-earned Magic Origin Value to activate the Grimoire's lottery and gamble on drawing a high-grade random teleport scroll.

  But the moment he thought of that Grimoire's horrible track record, Ryan shuddered. Scrolls made by that cursed book were notorious for being unreliable.

  He could even imagine the exact disaster: he would activate the scroll, fail to teleport away, and instead appear right above Evelyn's head before falling straight into her arms.

  Then not only would he waste precious Magic Origin Value and the teleport scroll, he would probably be tied up even tighter by her binding rope and suffer even worse.

  After realizing he truly had no way to escape, Ryan stopped struggling altogether. Instead of wasting energy, he might as well take the chance to build a better connection with Evelyn.

  He steadied himself, looked at Evelyn's calm and frosty expression across from him, and softened his tone.

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  "Actually, I have a special title. I only allow people I have good feelings toward to call me by it."

  Evelyn raised an eyebrow at that, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.

  "What does that have to do with me?"

  Her gaze fell directly on Ryan, puzzled.

  Are you really this dense or are you just playing dumb? Ryan silently grumbled in his heart, then continued.

  "This title is extremely meaningful to me. If you are willing to call me that, I will follow you to Glacial Arcana Academy willingly. No bindings needed."

  Suspicion visibly rose in Evelyn's eyes.

  "What kind of title carries such weight? You make such a promise so easily. Something is clearly off."

  She absolutely did not believe that a simple title could make someone who had tried escaping multiple times suddenly surrender. There had to be some hidden trick she did not know.

  Seeing her reaction, Ryan decided not to beat around the bush anymore. He met her gaze openly.

  "The title is just an excuse. The real reason I am willing to compromise is… because I like you."

  Evelyn's eyes widened. Her beautiful pupils trembled with shock as she stared at Ryan, momentarily forgetting how to speak.

  Was he confessing to her?

  Unnoticed by herself, a faint blush rose on Evelyn's fair cheeks, softening her usual frosty demeanor and giving her a touch of girlish charm. She looked unbelievably adorable.

  It was the first time in her life a man had confessed to her so directly.

  Men who harbored feelings for her in the past had either been intimidated by her fierce ice magic and dared not approach, or had foolishly tried to pester her and ended up dying under her Ultimate Ice Sword.

  Seeing her like this, Ryan's heart stirred. He opened his eyes wide with innocent sincerity and gave a solemn nod.

  "No."Evelyn suddenly snapped back to herself, the single word sharply breaking the quiet in the room.

  She stood up from her chair and quickly turned away, presenting her back to Ryan as if trying to hide the blush that still lingered on her face.

  "Do you even know that Glacial Arcana Academy strictly forbids the development of romantic feelings?"

  A faint trace of panic laced her usually composed voice.

  "If you have the potential to become my apprentice, you must obey the academy's iron rules."

  Ryan was not ready to give up. He stepped forward, his tone earnest.

  "I am not trying to break your academy's rules. I just do not want to go there with resentment in my heart."

  "If you can simply admit that you do not feel absolutely nothing toward me, I will follow you obediently. From then on, I will put the academy's rules first and never cause you trouble. How about that?"

  "Is that true?"

  Evelyn hesitated for a moment before finally turning around again.

  The blush on her face had mostly faded, and her expression had returned to its usual calm. Yet deep in her eyes there was a trace of conflict she could not hide.

  "Of course it is true."

  Ryan's voice was steady, and he looked at her with genuine sincerity.

  Evelyn's red lips moved slightly, as if she were weighing her words.

  After a brief silence, she finally spoke, her tone a little softer than usual.

  "Your magical fluctuations are indeed unusual. I do not deny that I acknowledge your talent."

  As soon as she finished, she instinctively avoided Ryan's gaze, the tips of her ears quietly turning pink again.

  "Great!"

  Ryan lit up with joy, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face. His mood soared higher than when he had once tasted an ice-cold cola on a summer day.

  "Are you deceiving me again?"

  Evelyn immediately sensed his overly enthusiastic reaction, and alarm bells rang in her mind. Her brows drew together in suspicion.

  Just one line of acknowledgment made him this happy. It was far from normal.

  "No, it is only because it came from you that I am this happy."

  Ryan made no effort to hide his feelings and launched another straightforward assault on her heart.

  Evelyn noticed the amusement hiding in Ryan's eyes. Her suspicion only deepened and a cool sharpness filled her gaze. This cunning man was definitely up to something again.

  "I do not have any affection for you," she said directly. Her tone was calm but carried an undeniable finality, as if trying to crush any lingering expectations he might have.

  "That's fine. It is enough that I like you. Your lack of feelings for me does not bother me," Ryan replied with complete ease, shrugging lightly while maintaining his gentle smile.

  Evelyn was left speechless by such an unreasonable answer. She simply turned her head away and fixed her eyes on the corner of the room, refusing to engage with him any further.

  She had rejected him so bluntly, yet he remained so persistent. It was simply incomprehensible.

  Ryan looked at her deliberately averted profile and quietly found it amusing. She might insist she felt nothing, but the blush he had coaxed from her earlier was definitely not something she could fake.

  If this had been in the past, the moment he dared to show such straightforward affection, forget about blushing, her Ultimate Ice Sword would have already been drawn with its freezing edge pressed against his throat.

  He pushed aside the thought and glanced at the bed in the center of the room."It is getting late. We should get some rest."

  Evelyn followed his gaze and her brows immediately tightened. The bed was finely crafted yet only large enough for one person to sleep comfortably.

  What made her tense even more was the sudden memory of a night during their void transit. Ryan had unconsciously leaned toward her in his sleep. Even now, her arm seemed to retain a faint phantom tingling from that moment.

  "If you are tired, rest on your own," she said, forcing herself to remain composed while studying Ryan's expression closely, trying to detect any ill intentions. Yet his face remained as open and guileless as ever, giving her nothing to work with.

  "You are not going to sleep?" Ryan asked with genuine confusion, apparently unaware of her unease.

  "No. Meditation restores my magic far more effectively than sleep," Evelyn replied without the slightest hesitation.

  "Oh, I see. The bed is too small and cannot fit two people, right?" Ryan looked at the single bed with sudden realization.

  That must be it. The person who arranged the room must have focused entirely on her status and subconsciously ignored him as her companion, which was why the room had only one single bed.

  Evelyn remained silent. Even if the bed were large enough for two, she would never sleep beside this scheming trickster.

  Who knew what tricks he might try under the excuse of sleep?