"And if I say no, what can you do about it, Alicia?" Theo quietly challenges Alicia, who immediately freezes when she hears it.
Theo looks at Alicia without blinking.
Inwardly, he's amused. If she wants to learn magic from me, she needs to understand early that I'm not someone to be trifled with.
An awkward silence falls.
The tension in the air is very tight, like the pulled string of a bow.
"I… I…" Alicia stammers, then stops.
She can't believe she can't even form a word.
After that, she doesn't try again. Her instinct tells her to shut up.
The silence lasts for another two minutes before Theo finally turns to Maeve.
"I'm hungry. What's for lunch, Maeve?"
He smiles. His aura pulls back, the pressure gone.
Everyone can breathe easily again.
And they almost immediately exhale in immense relief.
"Huh? Oh, er… Carbonara. We're having carbonara for lunch," Maeve answers and instantly moves to prepare six portions.
