Chapter 110 SCARILY FAMILIAR
MERRIELYNN.
I zipped up my bag halfway and crouched to grab another set of folded clothes when something caught my eye...
Lace... in the corner of the bag.
It didn’t look like anything that belonged to me so I slowly pulled it out, only to see a set of lacy, red lingerie that I definitely did not pack.
“What the hell…” I muttered, holding it up with two fingers.
The door opened then, and Emorie walked in, fully dressed and pulling her suitcase behind her. She seemed excited about spending the break on a cruise with her dad.
She didn’t spare me a glance but that grin on her face said it all: Of course she was behind this.
“Emorie!” I called, waving the lingerie at her. “Care to explain?”
She tilted her head and gasped, feigning innocence. “What did I do this time?”
“You can’t just sneak this into my bag!” I exclaimed, noticing that there were a bunch of others.
“Wow, you have good taste, Mere,” she continued, walking over to me.
“You really think I need these?” I asked with my hands on my hips.
Emorie walked over to pick them up, finally dropping the act. “Mere, you’re going away with Chaos. You need to be prepared for… you know… situations.”
I rolled my eyes and collected the lingerie from her before shoving them back into the bag. “There won’t be any ‘situations,’ Em. It’s just spring break, not a honeymoon.”
She shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Whatever helps you sleep at night. But stop acting like it’s a crime to have a little fun.”
I zipped the bag shut, shaking my head at her. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re lucky to have me,” she smirked before grabbing her suitcase.
“I’m leaving now,” she added with a wave. “Just came to wish you an orgasm-filled spring break.”
“Emorie!” I called with my mouth wide open, but then laughed, throwing a pillow at her as she ducked out the door, laughing.
Once she was gone, I sighed and glanced at my bag again, shaking my head in amusement.
Emorie turned back from the doorway, her hand on the frame, and gave me a wicked grin. “Almost forgot,” she said before digging into her oversized bag.
I raised an eyebrow. “What now? More lingerie?”
She snorted and pulled out a folder, walking over to hand it to me. “No, smartass. This is from the headmaster. Apparently, I was supposed to give it to you earlier, but, you know… life.”
I took the folder, frowning. “What’s in it?”
She shrugged. “Something about the auction. The headmaster wants all the important status holders from the palace honored—like having their pictures blown up or whatever. Sounds boring, but he said you’d figure it out.”
“Oh boy,” I muttered, flipping the folder open.
“While you’re busy with that, I’ll just get going,” Emorie said as she headed for the door. "Bye, Mere. Don’t forget to text me.”
“Safe travels,” I called after her as she disappeared down the hall.
The room felt a little quieter after she left. I dropped the folder on my desk and returned to my bag, making sure I had everything packed. Cormac would be here any minute, and I still had to double-check everything.
After I finished packing, I grabbed the folder Emorie left and slumped on the bed.
Flipping through the pages, I skimmed over pictures of various people. They were powerful faces with even more powerful names. When I landed on the king’s photo, I paused. His image was on the page beside his wife’s, the queen, and I couldn’t help but study her for a moment.
The picture had definitely been taken at her best.
She was breathtaking and elegant. The more I looked, the more I saw how much Cormac resembled her. They had the same features and I smiled softly, remembering how different she looked compared to when I’d seen her at the palace.
I turned the page and stopped again, not realizing when I held my breath.
The next photo was of the late Beta. Otto Fortner.
His name was printed under the picture, followed by the years of his life: 1980–2022.
“He died just two years ago,” I whispered to myself.
I stared at his face for a long while.
Something about him felt…familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I traced my finger over the lines of his smile in the picture and I had that strong feeling that I’d seen his face before.
I was still staring at the picture when my phone buzzed on the bed beside me, bringing me back to the present. I stared at the screen to see that it was Cormac and I picked up.
“I’m here,” he said when I answered.
As I stood up, ready to grab my bags, the door to my dorm swung open. I was startled and when I turned, I saw Cormac strolling in.
Before I could say anything, he walked over, cupped my face and kissed me.
The kiss was brief, but it left me breathless. When he pulled back, he said, “Thought I’d save you the trouble of hauling your luggage down.”
He then grabbed my bag and I followed him down the stairs, the excitement I hadn’t admitted earlier finally bubbling up.
As we started driving, I leaned back in the seat, flipping absentmindedly through the book Emorie had given me. My fingers stopped on Otto’s page again, and before I could overthink it, I blurted out, “Cormac... was the beta you told me about named Otto Fortner?”
The car felt like it slowed, even though it didn’t.
Cormac didn’t respond, but when I looked over, I noticed his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
I glanced at him, worried about his reaction and suddenly regretting my curiosity. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I only asked because… he’s in this book for the auction.” I closed it, resting it on my lap.
Cormac’s grip on the wheel loosened and his shoulders relaxed a bit. After a moment, he answered my question, “Yeah. That was him.”
We didn’t speak for the rest of the drive, and my mind drifted back to the picture of Otto.
Despite not wanting to think about it, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that he looked really familiar.