Chapter 87 CHAPTER 87
Lisa had been locked in her room for two straight days. Books lay open across her bed, stacked on the floor, covering her desk, and tucked under her pillow. Every spare second had been consumed with reading - history, mathematics, ancient Lycan law, even old literature pieces she didn’t fully understand but refused to put down. She wasn’t convinced she had passed the Lunaris exam fairly. She couldn’t shake the doubt that perhaps they had made a mistake, perhaps they had been lenient because she was Ethan’s sister, or perhaps something in the system glitched and printed out the wrong score.
The fear coiled in her stomach like a tight spring, and instead of resting like everyone told her to, she buried herself deeper into the books.
Isabel tried everything to get her out of the room. Soft knocks. Loud knocks. Pleading. Bargaining. Even threatening to dump water on her if she didn’t open the door. Nothing worked. Lisa only responded with muffled hums, telling Isabel she was “almost done with this chapter” or “just needed to finish this page.”
Eventually Isabel sighed dramatically and declared, “Fine. If you won’t listen to me, then I’ll find someone you WILL listen to.”
Lisa didn’t think much of it. She assumed Isabel had simply gone to find more books.
But half an hour later, a knock sounded at her door again. This time it was gentler, more formal. When she opened it, one of the palace staff stood there, hands clasped respectfully.
“Princess Lisa,” the woman said, “Commander Liam is downstairs. He wishes to speak with you. He says it’s urgent - something about school registration forms.”
Lisa froze mid-breath.
“Forms?” she asked. “But I thought… I thought we already filled everything last time.”
The woman shrugged politely. “He said there are a few more documents Lunaris needs. They require your signature in person.”
Lisa’s heart began to race. She immediately dropped the book in her lap and stood. “I’ll be right there.”
She nearly tripped over the pile of books by her bed as she rushed into the closet. Her hands trembled with nerves. School forms. More signatures. What if this was bad news? What if they realized they had placed her in the wrong class? What if they were adjusting her grade downward because she wasn’t good enough?
She grabbed a pair of jeans and a casual T-shirt, pulling them on quickly. But as she looked at her reflection, her stomach twisted again. This was Lunaris. The school where princes and nobles sent their children. A school with pristine hallways and polished floors and teachers who probably wore suits. Jeans suddenly felt careless. Disrespectful even.
She changed again, tugging on dark trousers and a pressed blouse. But when she looked again, she felt like someone’s aunt. Too formal. Too stiff.
She groaned softly and pulled the outfit off too, tossing it aside.
Finally, she settled on a simple cotton dress - white with small embroidered flowers scattered across it. It felt soft, light, and it didn’t scream “trying too hard.” She added flat sandals, grabbed her hairbrush, and swept her hair behind her ears.
When she hurried downstairs, she found Liam standing near the entrance hall with a brown envelope tucked beneath his arm. He looked calm, composed, and reassuring as always, though something about the way he stood, shoulders straight, expression neutral, made her even more nervous.
“You’re ready?” he asked, offering her a small smile.
“I… think so,” she managed. “What documents do I need to sign?”
He gestured toward the door. “We’ll talk in the car.”
That didn’t help her nerves.
She followed him outside, climbing into the passenger seat. As soon as they started driving, Lisa found her fingers twisting anxiously in her lap. She couldn’t keep the questions contained.
“Is it about the test?” she blurted out. “Did they change their minds? Maybe they realized I shouldn’t be in the final year? Or maybe they found something wrong with my papers? Did I write something incorrectly? Did I….”
“Lisa,” Liam interrupted gently, his voice warm with amusement, “breathe.”
She inhaled shakily. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want to mess anything up. I already feel like I’m jumping into something I’m not ready for.”
“You’re more ready than you think,” he said.
“But then what are the forms?” she insisted.
“You’ll see.”
That did nothing to calm her.
But soon the car slowed, and instead of turning toward Lunaris, Liam turned down a quiet road that led away from the city. Lisa looked out the window, confused, as the scenery shifted from polished buildings to tall trees and vast stretches of green grass.
“Wait,” she said softly. “This isn’t Lunaris.”
“No,” Liam replied, pulling into a quiet clearing. “It’s not.”
The car rolled to a stop beside a beautiful park - wide and open, with tall shady trees and a sparkling lake that rippled gently in the breeze. Birds chirped softly in the branches overhead.
Lisa turned toward him, completely confused. “Liam… what are we doing here?”
He turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Isabel told me you’ve been cooped up in your room for days,” he said. “Studying until your eyes hurt.”
Lisa blinked, her cheeks warming. “She… told you that?”
Liam opened his door and stepped out. “If I didn’t get you out of the house, she threatened to drag you out herself.”
Lisa’s jaw dropped. “She said that?”
“Oh yes,” Liam said, chuckling. “And knowing Isabel, she meant every word.”
He walked around to the trunk and opened it. Lisa stepped out slowly, still confused. When she came around the back of the car, her breath caught.
Inside the trunk was a folded blanket, a basket of fruit, sandwiches, and chilled drinks. Liam lifted the blanket and shook it open with practiced ease.
“There are no forms,” he admitted, glancing at her over his shoulder. “I just needed a believable way to get you outside.”
Lisa felt her heart flip inside her chest.
He laid the blanket on the grass and looked at her again. “Come help me.”
She stepped closer, her movements slow, her mind spinning. She held one corner of the blanket as he smoothed it out. The sunlight caught the edge of his hair, and she suddenly became acutely aware of how close they were, how quiet the clearing felt, and how her heart was beating a little too fast.
He bent down to straighten one side, his back momentarily turned to her, and for a moment she forgot the breeze, the trees, the lake - everything except the warmth blooming in her chest. The same warmth she felt during training. The same warmth she felt when their lips brushed by accident.
He gestured gently with his hand. “Lisa, the basket?”
“Oh…. yes,” she said quickly, reaching for it.
Her voice was softer than she intended.
They set the food down together, and when Liam finally sat on the blanket, he looked up at her with a smile that was both teasing and gentle.
“You’ve been studying too hard,” he said. “You deserve a break.”
Lisa sank down opposite him, her fingers brushing the grass, and for the first time in days, she felt her lungs fill fully with air. She looked at Liam - really looked - and felt her heartbeat shift into something warm and frightening and wonderful all at once.
She wasn’t sure when it happened.
She wasn’t sure how.
But being alone with him like this made every feeling she had tried to ignore rush back all at once, stronger than before.
And this time, she didn’t look away.