Chapter 197: Chapter 197

Kyle pushed open the classroom door. As he stepped inside. His boots scuffed against the stone floor as he made his way to his usual spot in the back.

The chair groaned familiarly as he dropped into it. The sound mixing with the low murmur of classmates chatting before lecture began.

Luna and Reo were already there. Looking as comfortable as if they owned the place.

Luna sat with perfect posture like a model student. Her silver hair catching sunlight like moonlit silk, as she flipped through her notebook with lazy precision.

Reo, on the other hand, looked about two seconds from face-planting onto his desk. His chin propped up by one hand while the other doodled absently in the margins of his notes.

Kyle’s bag hit the floor with a soft thud as he dropped it beside Luna’s chair.

She glanced up. Her eyebrow arching up.

"You’re late," she said simply. Her voice cool but with that undercurrent of amusement she always had when calling him out.

He let out a long sigh, and sank into his chair. The legs creaked as he leaned back, balancing unsteadily.

"Woke up late," he muttered. His voice rough with the last remnants of sleep.

That got Reo’s attention. His head snapped towards Kyle. A grin spreading across his face.

"Oh?" he drawled. The single syllable full of mischief.

"Did you finally pull an all-nighter for something actually important?"

Kyle shot him a look. "Gaming."

Luna chuckled. "Of course," she said, shaking her head.

Reo stretched like he just woke up from a nap, arms reaching behind his head until his shoulders popped.

"Well, since you’re here now," he said through a yawn, "wanna train together after class? Luna’s in too."

Luna didn’t look up from her notebook as she nodded, turning another page.

"Gotta make sure you didn’t get rusty while you were lazing around."

Kyle felt his mouth curl into a smirk.

He tilted his head, studying them both with exaggerated intensity.

"Sure," he said, dragging the word out.

"Let’s see if you two were actually training or just slacking off without me."

The change was immediate.

Reo’s grinned. His fingers twitching like he was already imagining wrapping them around the shaft of his spear.

Luna’s pen stilled on the page. Her shoulders squaring almost imperceptibly.

The air between them crackled with that familiar competitive energy.

The kind that usually ended with someone getting thrown into a wall or frozen to the training room floor.

Just as Reo opened his mouth.

The front door swung open with a decisive thud that silenced the room instantly.

Professor Aurelia strode in the classroom. Her boots clicking against the floor in that no-nonsense rhythm Kyle would recognize anywhere.

Her dark hair swung behind her with each step. As she turned to survey the class.

Her sharp blue eyes swept over them all. Already picking out who’d be causing trouble today.

"Good morning, class," she said. Her voice crisp enough to cut through the last remnants of chatter.

The rustling of bags and scraping of chairs filled the room as everyone hurried to comply.

Kyle watched as Aurelia set her things on the desk.

"Open your ’Spell Sequencing’ textbooks to page 281," she instructed, already turning to the board. The source of this content ɪs novel fire.net

Kyle reached into his bag, fingers closing around the smooth surface of his Mana Tablet.

The device hummed to life under his touch. The screen glowing softly as it displayed their digital textbook.

Around him. The sound of flipping pages mixed with the quiet whir of activated mana Tab as his classmates did the same.

He propped his chin on one hand, absently spinning his pen between his fingers as Aurelia launched into the lecture as the words washed over him.

His gaze drifted to the window, watching dust motes dance in the sunlight until he felt it.

That unmistakable prickle at the back of his neck like someone was watching him.

Turning his head just slightly. He caught Eleanora looking at him from a few rows ahead.

The morning light caught the gold strands in her pale hair.

But the moment their eyes met. She turned away so fast a few strands escaped her neat updo hair.

Kyle’s brow furrowed as he stared at the back of Eleanora’s head.

The way she’d quickly looked away just now. It wasn’t like her.

Normally she’d meet his gaze with that calm, composed expression of hers. But today? She’d practically flinched.

’What the hell was that about?’ he wondered, spinning his pen absently between his fingers.

The lecture droned on around him. But his thoughts kept circling back to yesterday.

To the way Eleanora had shoved him onto that couch. The heat of her body pressing close. The way her hands had fisted on his shirt like she wanted to shake the truth out of him.

That wasn’t the proper, regal princess everyone saw. That had been raw, unfiltered Eleanora.

He exhaled slowly through his nose. The memory making his pulse jump again.

Aggressive didn’t even begin to cover it. The way her voice had trembled when she accused him of lying,

"Do you really think I’m that weak?"— still echoed in his skull.

His pen tapped an uneven rhythm against the desk.

’Why had she gotten so upset?’

Sure. He’d dodged her questions about the hospital attack. But it wasn’t like he was doing it to be an asshole.

He genuinely didn’t have answers that would make sense. How was he supposed to explain that some mysterious guy named Vesper had basically threatened him with an apocalypse worse than the demon invasion?

Kyle rubbed his temple.

Thank god Anastasia had barged in when she did. If she’d seen them like that.

Eleanora practically straddling him. Her face so close he could count her eyelashes. He’d never hear the end of it. Just the memory made his ears burn.

But beneath the embarrassment, something else nagged at him.

The way Eleanora’s voice had cracked when she said, "You act like I’ll break if you tell me the truth. Like I can’t handle it."

That hadn’t just been anger. There’d been hurt there too.

And maybe... she had a point.

He slumped further in his seat.

This whole situation was so messed up. When he’d first woken up in this world. He’d thought he had it all figured out.

He knew the story, knew how things were supposed to go. Change a few key events, save some people who were supposed to die—

Except nothing had gone according to plan.

The Mana Train incident, the black gate incident that wasn’t in the original novel.

And Vesper with his cryptic warnings? What the actual hell was that about? Were they dealing with cosmic horrors now? Some ancient god waking up from its nap?

His gaze drifted back to Eleanora. Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, catching the golden strands in her pale hair as she took notes.

The way her brow furrowed in concentration. The careful precision of her movements.

He looked away before she could catch him staring, but the image lingered.

Just like all those other moments he’d noticed but tried to ignore.

The way her eyes would linger on him a second too long when she thought he wasn’t looking.

How her voice would soften when asking if he was okay after a fight.

The barely-there tremble in her hands when she’d helped patch up his wounds.

Kyle wasn’t an idiot. He’d noticed.

He just... hadn’t let himself think about what it meant.

Because it didn’t make sense.

Eleanora D’Argent was royalty.

An actual, literal princess of the Empire. And him? He was just some guy who’d gotten isekai’d into this world by sheer dumb luck.

Sure. Being Aurelia’s little brother gave him some status, and okay. Maybe he wasn’t completely terrible to look at, but come on.

Someone like Eleanora could have anyone in the entire academy.

Hell, in the entire kingdom. Nobles, princes, powerful mages. They’d all be lining up for a chance with her.

That question led to another.

Even more troubling one — How did he actually feel about her?

Kyle dragged a hand down his face, suddenly exhausted.

Love was supposed to be simple in stories. Boy meets girl, they flirt, they fall for each other — Boom, happy ending.

But real life? Real life was messy as hell.

Eleanora was... well, she was Eleanora. Beautiful in that effortless way that made people stop and stare.

Brilliant. Top of their class without even seeming to try.

Strong enough to keep up with ranks above her. Which was saying something.

And beneath all that royal poise, there were moments. Little cracks in the facade, where she showed this surprising kindness.

The way she had stay up late to help first-years with their spellwork. How she’d always remember small details about people. Like which tea they preferred or how they took their coffee.

But did he like her? Like, actually like her?

His stomach twisted at the thought. He didn’t know. And that was the problem.

Because if he let this go any further. If he actually entertained the idea that the princess of the freaking empire might have feelings for him.

And then realized he didn’t feel the same way...

He wouldn’t just be breaking the heart of a princess. He’d be hurting one of his closest friends. And that was the last thing he wanted.

That thought stung worse than any injury he had taken in the dungeon.

A sharp click snapped him out of his thoughts. At the front of the classroom. Aurelia closed her book with finality.

"That’s all for today," she said. Her gaze sweeping over the room like she could see every wandering thought in their heads.

"Read Chapters twelve and thirteen before next class."

The dismissal bell rang. Its shrill tone cutting through Kyle’s tangled thoughts.

Around him, students began packing up. The rustle of papers and chatter filling the air.

But Kyle stayed seated for a moment longer. His eyes drifting back to Eleanora.

This time, she was already looking at him.

And she didn’t look away.