Chapter 201 Things Settled

Chapter 201 Things Settled


Blanche sniffed lightly, then resumed in a much lighter tone:

"I'm not wearing any underwear, so please don't."

The silence that followed was delicious.

Kiyan stared at her.

One second.

Two.

Then a smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.

He turned away from the mirror and folded his arms as well.

"Liar."

Blanche put on a perfectly innocent expression.

"Absolutely not."

He looked her over.

She held his gaze.

Kiyan knew.

Or, more precisely, he knew she was lying... at least partially.

And the worst part was that he seemed perfectly willing to let her believe she had convinced him.

Blanche waited.

She expected a remark, a provocation, that little arrogant spark she knew so well.

Nothing.

Kiyan remained silent.

"That's it?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What are you expecting?"

"I don't know. A reaction."

"You already got one."

"You could at least pretend to be shocked."

"I'm a teacher. I've learned not to react to my students' provocations."

Blanche burst out laughing.

"What a liar."

A more genuine smile appeared on his face.

She took a few steps toward him, though she did not cross the distance he had so carefully maintained between them.

"But you can always do it later," she added at last.

Kiyan raised an eyebrow.

Blanche gestured toward her dress.

"After all..."

She smiled.

"It's only a dress."

Silence fell again.

This time, Kiyan wasn't quite smiling anymore.

His gaze briefly dropped to the lace before returning to her face.

"Blanche..."

She felt her heart quicken.

But he merely shook his head slowly, as though he were trying not to give in to the temptation to respond to her provocation.

"You're really dangerous tonight."

She gave him her most beautiful smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Blanche gestured toward her dress wearily, her fingers absentmindedly brushing against a few of the pearls that shimmered beneath the light.

"It doesn't mean anything."

She paused, then added with quiet sincerity:

"Well... not to me."

She had to admit she much preferred the one her grandfather had given her wholeheartedly. At least that one was associated with neither an ancient tradition, nor an implicit coronation, nor a bet whose existence she had known nothing about.

And above all, it had been chosen for her.

Not for what she represented.

Kiyan, however, understood the truth behind her words perfectly.

Unfortunately, he only retained the part that hurt him most.

His anger intensified.

"It's not..."

"Just a dress."

She cut him off sharply.

Blanche was genuinely starting to get tired of this whole situation.

"Regardless of the symbolism, I'm already married and very happily so."

The silence was immediate.

Kiyan's eyes widened.

All his anger seemed to vanish in a second, replaced by an almost incredulous expression.

"You really mean that?" he murmured.

Try as he might to remain serious, unmistakable joy flashed in his eyes.

Blanche stared at him, then shrugged.

"Of course!"

She counted on her fingers with perfectly feigned seriousness.

"Between Aaron, Fenrir, and Saphir, I already have more than enough!"

The effect was immediate.

Kiyan's expression hardened.

His eyes darkened again, his aura taking on a stormy hue.

"Aaron and I are two distinct people," he growled.

His pupils dilated until they became completely black.

Blanche remained silent for a second.

Ah.

So it wasn't even the mention of the other idiots.

It was Aaron.

Of course.

She sighed before answering more softly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see it that way."

Kiyan frowned.

"You are two sides of the same coin."

She held his gaze.

"And I love Aaron just as much as I love you."

The silence that followed was heavier.

"You're wrong."

"Really?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"Then explain it to me, Professor."

The formal you struck softly between them.

Kiyan froze.

He had thought they were well past that stage.

Blanche continued, now fully committed.

"Why protect your alter's best friend if he isn't yours as well?"

She took a step toward him.

"Erik told me, you know."

A flash of understanding crossed the warrior's eyes.

"I should have known it was him."

A humorless smile appeared on Blanche's lips.

"Who else could I have entrusted with my car keys?"

She paused.

"Not you."

The last word seemed to hit him.

"After all, we don't know each other, do we?"

The resignation in her voice extinguished the last embers of his anger.

Kiyan looked away.

He had nothing left to say.

Blanche lowered her eyes.

Her anger was slowly changing targets.

"And when I think that I put Eva's life in danger..."

Her voice broke slightly.

"I should have thought it through. I should have understood. I could have..."

"She was never in danger."

Kiyan closed his eyes.

His voice had become much wearier.

"You had made sure of that."

Blanche raised her head.

"Alacazar was following you," he continued. "He could have stopped everything at any moment."

He ran a hand over his still-damp face.

"I had a bad feeling."

A silence.

"So I made sure I was always there."

Blanche felt something tighten in her chest.

"But he convinced me that you wouldn't be in any danger with him."

Kiyan gave a short, bitter laugh.

"I trusted him."

He opened his eyes.

All traces of anger had disappeared.

There was only exhaustion left.

And profound disappointment.

"And this is where we are now."

He lowered his head slightly.

"One has to wonder where his true loyalty lies."

This time, Blanche said nothing.

She simply looked at his face.

He looked lost.

Almost sad.

As though, behind the warrior who could face anything, she had finally caught a glimpse of someone who no longer knew whom he could trust.

So she approached him.

Slowly.

Kiyan didn't move.

This time, he let her.

Blanche raised a hand and gently brushed aside a damp strand of hair clinging to his forehead. Her fingers then slid down to his cheek, now perfectly dry.

She did nothing more.

Just a caress.

The faintest touch.

But the contact was enough.

Kiyan shivered.

So did Blanche.

They remained like that for a few seconds, without a word.

And in that silence, all their anger suddenly seemed far less important than what remained between them.