Chapter 378
Aldraya, appearing from seemingly nowhere, suddenly stood behind Theo.
Not merely standing—she immediately wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him tightly as if refusing to let go.
The gesture was intimate, possessive, and utterly disregarded Erietta's presence.
Theo, caught in the sudden embrace, reacted in an intriguing manner.
He did not become angry or excessively startled.
Instead, in a voice that sounded gentle yet firm, he attempted to remind Aldraya of something.
He asked her not to behave so clingingly, because his focus at that moment was to test how far Erietta Bathee, his new student, had progressed in absorbing his teachings.
The request was a boundary—a clear effort to separate personal matters from his professional duty as a teacher.
However, Aldraya did not budge.
With a slow motion, she shook her head, perhaps pressing her face more deeply into Theo's back.
Her words were clear: no one was allowed to separate the closeness between her and Theo.
Furthermore, Aldraya offered both a solution and a challenge.
If Erietta truly desired a sword sparring session, then Theo only needed to sit back and watch.
Aldraya herself would handle Erietta.
It was not an offer, but a loaded transfer of roles.
And at that very moment, Aldraya's gaze finally met Erietta's.
It was no ordinary glance.
What Erietta found within Aldraya's flat eyes was a violently surging hostility—a wave of jealousy and near-primitive possessiveness.
It was a specific sensation, one that emerged, as Erietta understood or felt, when a woman saw her partner close to another woman.
It was universal body language and energy, and Erietta could not have misread it.
'It was as if there were an unbreakable bond, even though Aldraya was no longer a teacher at Star Academy.'
Still immersed in her murmurs, Erietta's thoughts continued, uncovering another layer of peculiarity she had observed.
She discerned a strange pattern in the closeness between her teacher, Theo Vkytor, and Aldraya Kansh Que.
That pattern began after an important event—when Aldraya had been demoted from a teacher to an ordinary student at Star Academy.
Such a demotion should have been humiliating and restrictive, yet it did not hinder their peculiar routine.
Erietta noticed that Aldraya, now in her role as a student, displayed abnormal excellence.
She always completed assignments and examinations with astonishing speed, long before the deadlines.
Not only quickly, but her results consistently exceeded the academy's standards.
Aldraya always scored above one hundred—an impossible figure in any grading system.
Her extraordinary academic achievements seemed to be mere formalities for her.
What drew Erietta's attention even more was what Aldraya did afterward.
Once she finished her academic obligations perfectly—and long before any class schedule changed—Aldraya would promptly appear.
Her destination was not an ordinary classroom, but the one where Theo taught.
She would show up there, perhaps standing at the doorway or sitting near the back where Theo was, waiting patiently.
Her consistent presence could not be dismissed as coincidence.
Then, after Theo's class ended, a small ritual would occur.
Theo, the teacher, would invite Aldraya—the former teacher turned perfect student—to leave together.
They would stroll beyond the academy grounds or go out to eat somewhere.
The activity seemed ordinary from the outside, but to Erietta, who observed closely, it was a structured and intimate pattern.
Aldraya appeared to possess special access and exclusive quality time with Theo—something no other student had, including herself.
'What binds two worlds that should be in opposition?'
Hhhh!
'Thinking about it too deeply will bring no benefit.
It would be better to rest my eyes.
Let the dreams carry me somewhere else, even if only for a moment.'
Even after contemplating it for quite some time, her thoughts circling without reaching a satisfying end, Erietta still could not understand.
She could not find the best reason—or any reasonable explanation at all—to clarify the phenomenon.
How could Theo Vkytor, a depraved samurai yet also her competent teacher—the one who patiently unlocked and developed the dark potential of the Gloom Realm within her—be involved in such an unusual romantic relationship?
And not with just anyone, but with Aldraya Kansh Que.
Aldraya, who in many eyes—including Erietta's—was an archenemy, a feared and perhaps hated figure, as well as a rival prima donna within Star Academy's ecosystem.
The contradiction between Theo's image as a teacher and his romantic entanglement with a controversial figure like Aldraya created a paradox difficult for Erietta's logic to digest.
She tried to consider every angle.
Was it a relationship founded purely on power?
Were they allies in a greater conspiracy?
Or did Aldraya possess another side known only to Theo—a depth or fragility hidden behind her porcelain mask and destructive strength?
Yet all speculation brought no concrete answers.
What Erietta knew from observation alone was intimacy, possessiveness, and a consistent pattern of togetherness between them.
Those were facts, but the motivation behind them remained a dark mystery.
Realizing that continuously dwelling on it was useless—especially in her trapped and powerless position within this train—Erietta decided to stop.
She felt tired, not only physically from the journey and pressure, but mentally exhausted by all the riddles, past memories, and mounting uncertainties.
With quiet resignation, she began to close her eyes.
Her green eyelids slowly descended, shutting out the real world filled with watchers and dangers.
'This is punishment without a fair trial. And I… have no power to resist.'
Time skipped several days later—more precisely, six days after Erietta's arrival at the Bathee family's grand estate.
Those six days felt like six months in a subtle yet biting hell.
Each day was filled with a cycle of repeated violence, both verbal and nonverbal.
Curses, insults about her status as an illegitimate child, and hateful stares rained upon her from family members who felt tainted by her presence.
Even the subordinates and servants of that magnificent house joined in—perhaps to display loyalty, or simply to vent their frustrations upon the weakest and most convenient target.
Erietta walked through the vast corridors, her body perhaps already accustomed to the shoves, jolts, and sharp whispers that trailed her like poisonous wind.
Today, the clock showed four in the afternoon.
Golden evening light filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the cold marble floor.
Gathering what little strength she had left, Erietta wandered through one of the corridors of the Bathee residence.
Her purpose was simple—to clear her chaotic mind.
That mind had just been struck by a decree issued from a grand family meeting held immediately after her arrival.
The meeting itself had been a terrifying experience for her.
During that meeting, Erietta was truly intimidated.
To be continued…