Chapter 45 An idiot
SOMA
I glance up, and it's Helga.
“Leave it,” she says, crouching next to me. “You can’t eat this.”
It will go to waste if I don’t. “But—”
“No buts.” She straightens up and grabs my arm, pulling me up with surprising strength. “Let’s go. Someone will clean it up.”
Before I can reply, she’s already steering me upright. My knees weaken as she brushes crumbs from my uniform. Kade stands a few feet away, watching with amusement. His stare burns through me, pressing at my mind again.
“You look much better on your knees, Soma,” he tells me.
Chills creep up my arms as the memory of our first meeting springs up, and I tear my gaze away from him. I might be overthinking it, but it feels like he’s deliberately trying to rile me up or mess with my head.
Why?
Helga stiffens and takes a step toward him. “The nerve of him—”
I grab her wrist before she does something reckless. She turns to me, her eyes flashing with anger, and I whisper, “He’s not worth it.”
Kade observes us for another moment, waiting for us to rise to the bait, but I keep my grip firm around Helga’s wrist. If this is a game to him, we are far from interested.
“Boring,” he says, striding out of the cafeteria as if he owns it.
Helga exhales and pulls her hand out of my grip. “Come on, let’s go get you another plate. Lunch is almost over.”
We move through the cafeteria, ignoring the buzz of whispers and stolen glances. When I finally have another tray in my hands, I can barely swallow the lump in my throat.
“Chin up. Head high, my lady,” Helga murmurs. “You did nothing wrong. Kade was being an idiot.”
Her words cut through the noise in my head. I square my shoulders, forcing my head up as we walk to find a table. Students look, but I ignore them, focusing on Helga’s steady pace ahead of me.
When we finally sit, Helga drops her tray onto the table with a thud, her annoyance plain. “The audacity of these boys.” She stabs at her food, shaking her head. “What’s he even doing in the cafeteria today, anyway?”
“Kade?” I ask. Helga nods. He’s gone, but my voice remains barely above a whisper. “He doesn’t eat here?”
“Rarely.” Helga shrugs. “The four of them sometimes eat in the garden or the library annex.”
That explains why I’ve never seen them here. I thought it had something to do with their timetable. But it turns out they are too big to dine with the ordinary folks like us. It’s a good thing because who wants them in this place?
“Maybe Brynne sent him to terrorize me.”
Helga laughs, but there’s an edge to it. “Prince Brynne is too cocky for low-level pranks like that.”
The familiarity in her tone makes me tense. I set down my fork. “How do you know? Are you two friends?”
“If you’re here long enough, you’ll know Prince Brynne is cocky,” Helga answers flatly, like she’s insulted by my question. “You don’t need to be friends with him to see that.”
A small laugh shoots out of my mouth. “Right. My bad.”
Of course, she can’t be friends with people like him. We dig into our meals until I remember the phone sitting in my bag.
“Guess what?” I begin. Her brows raise, and my grin spreads. She’s much different from Jade, but I like her too. “I got a phone. You should give me your number.”
Her expression softens. “Finally. Now you can actually text me before disaster happens.”
Our laughter cuts through the air, and I feel a flicker of control returning. Maybe the future isn’t so glum anymore.
Friday passes with no drama. Jade is in the living room when I return. She sits stiffly, her hands folded on her knees like she’s been here all evening, waiting for me.
“Jade,” I mutter.
My voice snaps her out of her reverie. She rises to her feet, rushing to grab my backpack. But I swat her hand.
“Welcome, my lady. You are late today. I was worried.”
“Don’t be,” I tell her. “I was with Helga.”
Helga is fun to talk to, and she has so many stories to tell about the academy. I’m most interested in the magic of the Founding Fathers because it sounds unbelievable.
Jade’s posture immediately relaxes, and she falls into step beside me as we head toward the staircase.
“How long have you been waiting?” I ask.
“Not long,” she lies.
“What do you even do all day when I’m gone?”
Jade tilts her head slightly and shrugs. We stop in front of my suite, and I push the door open. As soon as I’m seated on one of the plush couches, my boots kicked off, I turn back to her. Sienna’s words simmer in my mind.
“Nothing?” I ask. “All day?”
She sighs. “Since I’ve been charged to serve you, you’re my first and only duty. I wait in the dormitory until it approaches closing hours, then I come over to await your return. Is anything not to your satisfaction, my lady? If you don’t like the cafeteria menu, I can bring you lunch, or you can return here.”
“No, everything is fine,” I say. Helga walked me to the cafeteria, so there was no mishap. Besides, I want to experience the full academy experience. “Who do you stay with?”
“Dianna. There’s a place in the dorm for me and her to share.”
“So you’re roommates?”
A faint smile tugs at her lips. “Yes. But we’re hardly there at the same time. Princess Sienna keeps her busy.”
This is my chance to bring her into my world, but I take a deep breath, and nothing comes out.