Chapter 106 CHAPTER 106
The rest of the morning passed in a strange, fragile rhythm.
Sebastian sat through it all in silence.
He avoided looking at Lisa.
Not because he did not want to see her, but because he was terrified of what he might find if he did.
Every few minutes, his thoughts drifted back to the moment the principal had spoken her name. Princess Lisa Ashvale. The words still felt unreal, like something overheard in a dream. He replayed his own voice in his head - sharp, dismissive, confident as he called her a servant, warned another girl against trusting her, spoke of unfinished business as if he were still the one holding power.
His stomach twisted every time.
She had not said a word to him.
Not once.
No anger. No outrage. No confrontation. She had not looked at him with hatred or triumph or even pity. She had simply existed, calm and composed, as though he were nothing more than another student in the room.
That was what unsettled him the most.
He had expected something. An explosion. A reckoning. Even rejection would have been easier to face. Instead, there was only silence, and it pressed in on him from all sides.
What was she thinking?
Was she waiting to humiliate him the way he had humiliated her? Was she deciding how to make him pay? Or had she already accepted his rejection, the one he had never publicly acknowledged because he had been ashamed of her then?
The thought made his chest tighten.
Kael’s voice echoed faintly in his memory, weak but insistent, telling him he had been wrong. Telling him not to reject her. Telling him that she mattered.
Sebastian clenched his jaw.
What if Kael had been right all along?
What if rejecting her had been the first mistake in a chain he could no longer stop?
He stole a glance in her direction before he could stop himself.
Lisa sat a few rows ahead, focused on the lesson, her posture relaxed but attentive. She did not look back. She did not acknowledge his presence at all.
The silence ate at him.
Lisa, meanwhile, was far calmer than she had expected to be.
She noticed Sebastian’s tension immediately. The way his shoulders stiffened whenever she shifted in her seat. The way his foot bounced beneath the desk. The way his breathing changed whenever the teacher called on someone near her.
Celia felt it too.
“He’s nervous,” Celia murmured quietly inside her mind. “Very nervous.”
Lisa resisted the urge to smile.
“I can feel his heartbeat from here,” Celia added. “It’s racing.”
Lisa exhaled slowly, keeping her eyes on the board.
“He’s waiting,” Celia continued. “Waiting for something to happen.”
Lisa understood exactly what that meant.
He was bracing for the moment she would strike back. The moment she would expose him, embarrass him, force him to face the consequences of what he had done.
She felt a flicker of something then - not anger, not bitterness - but clarity.
“I don’t need to do anything,” Lisa said quietly within herself. “Look at him. He’s already punishing himself.”
Celia was silent for a moment.
“What do you want me to do?” she finally asked.
Lisa considered it carefully.
“Nothing,” she answered honestly. “I don’t want to complicate things here. I just want to study. I don’t want whispers about mates or rejection or drama. Let him be.”
Celia’s presence softened. “That’s wisdom.”
Lisa felt a strange sense of release settle over her. She had been nervous all morning for nothing. The power had already shifted, and she did not need to stoop to prove it.
By the time the lunch bell rang, Sebastian had still not spoken to her.
Students poured out into the hallways, voices rising as tension broke into chatter. Lisa gathered her things calmly and stepped outside the classroom.
Liam was already waiting.
His presence grounded her instantly.
He fell into step beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world, guiding her toward the cafeteria with an easy familiarity that did not go unnoticed by those around them. Heads turned. Whispers followed.
He leaned slightly closer. “How’s the day been so far?”
She smiled. “I was nervous at first. But I like it.”
He glanced at her, surprised. “You do?”
She nodded. “I’ve never really been in a normal school before. I was homeschooled most of my life. Sitting in a real classroom feels… nice.”
“That’s good,” he said softly.
They reached the cafeteria, and Liam picked up food for both of them before they found a quiet table. He sat beside her, close but not crowding, his presence steady and protective.
“Made any friends yet?” he asked lightly.
Lisa shook her head. “Not really. They’re friendly, but cautious.”
As if summoned by her words, Ela approached hesitantly, tray in hand.
“Um… may I join you?” she asked.
Lisa smiled. “Of course.”
Ela sat down, glancing between them. “Your Highness…”
“Lisa,” Lisa interrupted gently. “You can call me Lisa.”
Ela looked relieved. “Thank you.”
Moments later, a group of girls approached, curiosity written openly on their faces. They asked if they could sit, voices polite but eager. Soon, the table filled, conversation overlapping as questions flowed—about classes, hobbies, palace life, Lunaris itself.
Liam shifted uncomfortably.
Lisa noticed immediately.
She leaned toward him. “I think I’m safe for now,” she whispered. “You don’t have to sit here.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Go. I’ll find you later.”
He gave her a reluctant smile and stood. “I’ll be nearby.”
The rest of the day passed more quickly than she expected.
By the time the final bell rang, Lisa felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time - normal exhaustion, the good kind, the kind that came from learning and interacting and simply existing.
Liam was waiting when she stepped outside.
On the drive home, he glanced at her. “Describe your day in one word.”
She thought about it. “I can’t,” she said with a soft laugh. “But I liked it.”
She told him about the test. About the A+. About the teacher’s encouragement.
He smiled, pride clear in his eyes. “I always knew you were brilliant.”
She laughed. “You’re biased.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But I don’t make wrong choices.”
He reached over, taking her hand, his thumb brushing warmly against her skin. “I’m proud of you.”
Her chest warmed at the words.
Then Liam stiffened slightly.
Ethan’s voice cut through his mind, “Urgent. Where are you?”
“On our way back to the palace,“ Liam replied.
There was a pause. “Make a detour, Ethan said. Meet me at Celestine’s temple. Something’s come up.”
Liam’s grip tightened slightly around Lisa’s hand.
She looked at him, sensing the shift.
“Change of plans?” she asked.
He nodded. “Looks like it.”
The car turned, heading toward the temple as the light of day began to fade.