Chapter 151 CHAPTER 151
A sharp knock echoed against the bedroom door, cutting through the last threads of sleep.
Lisa groaned softly and rolled over, squinting as pale morning light slipped through the curtains. The knock came again, firmer this time.
“Princess,” a voice called gently from the other side.
Lisa’s eyes widened. The staff said something but Lisa was not listening. Her mind was frantic as she watched the light seeping from the window.
She shot upright and turned toward the bed beside her. “Isabel,” she said urgently. “Wake up. I think we overslept.”
Isabel let out a sleepy sound and buried her face deeper into the pillow. “Mmm… five more minutes.”
The words registered a second too late.
Isabel’s eyes flew open. “Wait - what?” She bolted upright, panic flooding her face. “Oh my moon, Lisa. Did I make us oversleep? I shouldn’t have dragged you downstairs last night. I knew it. I should tame my hunger pangs!”
Lisa was already out of bed. She crossed the room quickly, grabbed a towel from the chair, and tossed it at Isabel. “Less talking more action Isabel. Move. Bathroom. Now,” she said, though there was laughter in her voice. “You don’t want to be late on your second day at Lunaris.”
That did it.
Isabel jumped to her feet, heart pounding. Being late meant attention. Too much attention. She already felt like she was walking around with a sign above her head – I am a human, I do not belong, I am only here because of the palace connections. Ella’s words from yesterday echoed in her mind. If she showed up late, it would only confirm what everyone was already whispering. She was an entitled little brat who was where she did not belong. She couldn’t risk making more enemies than she had already unintentionally made by her mere existence.
She rushed into the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, brushed her teeth in record time, and pulled on her uniform with trembling hands.
Lisa was already dressed by the time Isabel came out, her hair neatly tied back, bag slung over her shoulder. She held Isabel’s bag out to her.
“Come on. We can still make it.”
Less than ten minutes later, they were racing down the stairs toward the garage.
Ethan sat at the table near the landing, newspaper spread out before him, a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs untouched beside a steaming mug of coffee. He looked up just in time to see the two of them fly past.
“Aren’t you girls having breakfast?” he called out.
“We’re late!” Isabel shouted back without slowing.
“We’ll eat at school!” Lisa added.
Ethan glanced at his watch, confused. “But it’s…”
His words faded into the quiet as the front door slammed shut.
The housekeepers exchanged glances, then looked back at the perfectly prepared breakfast. One of them sighed softly and shook her head.
Outside, the girls skidded to a stop at the front steps, expecting to find the car waiting.
Instead, the driver stood near the gate, chatting with one of the guards.
Both men startled when they noticed the girls.
“Oh…Your Highness,” the driver said quickly. He and the guard hurried toward the garage, returning moments later with the vehicle.
Lisa slid into the back seat beside Isabel. “We’ll need to be a bit faster today,” she said politely.
The driver glanced at his colleague in the passenger seat, then nodded. “Of course, Your Highness. Buckle up.”
The car pulled away smoothly, the palace gates closing behind them.
As the vehicle moved down the road, Isabel stared out the window, sunlight flooding the landscape in soft gold. “The sun’s already up,” she muttered. “We’re definitely late.”
The driver cleared his throat. “Is there a special event at school this morning your highness?”
Lisa frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
“Well,” he said carefully, “you’re actually leaving earlier than usual.”
“What?” Lisa pulled out her phone and checked the time.
6:43 a.m.
She blinked, then turned the screen toward Isabel. “How is it this early?”
Isabel stared. “That’s… not fair. I didn’t even get to eat breakfast.”
The memory hit her all at once - the warm, sweet scent of pancakes still lingering in her mind, the crackle of bacon, the rich smell of eggs and fresh coffee she’d rushed past without a second thought. Her stomach answered before she could stop it, letting out a soft, traitorous growl.
The driver chuckled. “The days are getting longer. The nights shorter. It’ll feel like this for a while.”
For a moment, the girls just stared at each other. Then they burst into laughter, the tension dissolving instantly.
“All that panic,” Isabel groaned, sinking back into the seat.
“We could go back for breakfast,” the driver offered.
Lisa shook her head. “No. Let’s just be early for once.”
When they reached the school parking lot, they were surprised to see only one other car parked near the entrance.
The driver stepped out first, opening Lisa’s door. As he moved to open Isabel’s, she pushed the door open herself and hopped out, smoothing her uniform.
They had barely taken a few steps when Isabel slowed.
“There,” she said quietly.
Lisa followed her gaze.
Sebastian stood near the edge of the lot, hands in his pockets. Sarah lingered close beside him, leaning in as she spoke.
Lisa’s expression tightened for just a second.
Isabel noticed immediately. “That’s him, isn’t it?”
Lisa hesitated. Then nodded.
“Wow,” Isabel muttered. “We came this early just to run into him?”
Sarah stepped closer to Sebastian, her hand brushing his arm. Isabel didn’t miss it.
“I don’t need to ask who she is,” Isabel said dryly. “That’s Sarah.”
Lisa nodded again.
Isabel glanced at her sideways, lowering her voice. “So… if the ritual hadn’t happened, would seeing them like that make you react the way you used to?”
Lisa scoffed. “Didn’t I tell you you’re too young to have these conversations with me?”
“you also told me I ask too many questions.” She jabbed a finger lightly into Lisa’s side. “Answer it.”
Lisa exhaled, slow and thoughtful. “If the ritual hadn’t happened,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “and I saw them like that… yes. I would have reacted.”
Isabel stilled.
“I would’ve been jealous,” Lisa went on quietly. “Angry. Not the kind you can reason with. The kind that crawls under your skin and takes over your instincts.” She glanced back toward the parking lot for a brief second. “It wouldn’t have been about logic or pride. The bond would’ve pulled at me, hard. I would’ve wanted to separate them, confront them, maybe even hurt them. And that would’ve been dangerous - for him, for her… and for me.”
Isabel swallowed. “Because it wouldn’t really be you reacting.”
Lisa nodded. “Exactly. It would’ve been the bond. Not my heart. And bonds don’t ask for permission.”
Isabel studied her face, searching. “And now?”
Lisa laughed, shaking her head. “No. I don’t feel anything.”
“Nothing at all?”
“No bond reaction. No jealousy. Nothing.” She paused. “It was never love anyway.”
Isabel smiled in relief. “Thank the moon for Celestine and Nolan.”
Lisa smiled too. “Liam would have been unbearable otherwise. Thinking I am here with the mate who makes me… you know…” her voice trailed not wanting to say it aloud.
“His involuntary competition?” Isabel teased.
“Exactly,” Lisa agreed easily.
Isabel glanced back at Sebastian. “Honestly? He doesn’t deserve you.”
Lisa raised a brow.
“If I were in your shoes,” Isabel continued, “I’d make their lives miserable.”
Lisa laughed. “And how would you do that?”
Isabel grinned. “I’d make sure they lived their lives paying for what they did to you.”
Lisa glanced over her shoulder one last time. Sebastian looked tense, irritated.
She smiled to herself.
“I think he’s already miserable as it is. Come on,” she said lightly. “Let’s see if the cooks will spoil us before everyone else arrives.”
As they were about to step inside the cafeteria, Lisa slowed without meaning to. Something tugged at her instincts, sharp and unwelcome. She glanced back over her shoulder.
Sebastian was standing near the edge of the parking lot, his posture folded inward, his head resting against Sarah’s shoulder. He looked tired. Small. As if the world had pressed him down and she alone was holding him upright. Sarah’s arm was wrapped around his back, her hand moving in slow, soothing strokes, the picture of comfort.
And then Sarah smiled.
It was subtle. Just the corner of her mouth lifting as her eyes flicked up, briefly meeting Lisa’s gaze over Sebastian’s shoulder. A smile that didn’t belong to someone offering comfort. A smile that felt like possession.
A warning pricked through Lisa’s chest.
“You feel it too,” Celia murmured inside her mind, her presence stirring, alert and tense.
“I do,” Lisa replied silently. “And I don’t like it.”
They turned away and moved into the cafeteria with Isabel, but the unease followed her, settling deep under her ribs.
“Have you heard anything from Kael?” Lisa asked quietly, keeping her expression neutral as they walked.
There was a pause.
“No,” Celia admitted. “I haven’t gone back.”
Lisa absorbed that without judgment.
“He was already healing,” Celia continued, her voice lower now, more guarded. “And he didn’t trust us. I didn’t see the point of hovering when I’d already done what I could.”
Lisa’s chest tightened. “You don’t owe him more than that.”
“I know,” Celia said. “And… there’s something else.”
Lisa’s lips twitched faintly. “Does this something else happen to be called Kane?”
A flicker of warmth passed through their bond, quick and unmistakable.
“You noticed,” Celia said.
“Of course. How would I not know how you feel when we are this close to each other?”
The warmth faded, replaced by something heavier, more uncertain.
“Why do you think the goddess told us not to accept the rejection?” Celia asked. “Sometimes it feels like Sebastian still has a claim. Like we’re frozen in a story that already ended.”
Lisa exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know what the goddess has planned,” she answered. “But if that command still stands, we’ll respect it. And if it no longer does…”
She didn’t finish the thought.
“The next time we see Celestine,” Lisa added, firmer now, “I’ll ask. I won’t let you stay trapped in uncertainty.”
Celia’s presence eased slightly, though the tension didn’t vanish.
Lisa looked back once more, just before the doors closed behind them. Sarah was still holding Sebastian, her hand steady on his back.
And Lisa knew - with the quiet certainty of instinct - that whatever was happening there was not kindness.
Not at all.