Ayden looked at his sister with stars in his eyes, eagerly recounting their trial with exaggerated gestures and excitement. “Sister, I killed a lot of hellhounds with my brother Julian!” His expectant gaze practically screamed, Sister, praise me!

Athena chuckled and raised her hand, gently patting his head. Watching this, Julian straightened up, giving her a wounded look, his eyes full of mock betrayal.

She rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair—but with a bit more force. Julian flinched. “Come on! Why the double standard? Can’t you be gentle with me too? I’m your one and only best friend!”

Ayden smirked smugly. “Of course she’s more gentle with me. She loves me the most.”

Julian grimaced and scrunched his nose. “Yeah, yeah, that’s true. But mark my words—there’ll be a day when she’s nicer to me.” He turned toward Athena and winked dramatically.

Athena deadpanned. “There’ll be a day when I eat my lunch in peace. But today is not that day.”

Ayden burst into laughter. “When will you learn? It’s never going to work on her.”

Julian shrugged. “Hey, nothing wrong with trying once in a while.”

Athena shook her head with a sigh.Just as Athena, Ayden, and Julian were settling in to eat, a familiar presence lurked nearby.

One of the elvish girl’s lackeys strutted toward their table, balancing a full tray in his hands. His posture was stiff, and his steps were exaggeratedly slow—too deliberate.

Athena didn’t even need to look at him to know what was about to happen.

Here we go…

The guy reached Athena’s seat and—oh-so-conveniently—tripped.

The tray tilted—food, soup, and juice flying straight toward her.

Time seemed to slow.

Athena instinctively reached out to grab it, but someone moved even faster.

A blur of silver and green flashed past.

The tray never reached Athena. Instead, in a beautiful display of karma, it smacked full-force into the face of the very guy who had been carrying it.

SPLAT.

The entire cafeteria went dead silent.

Julian let out a low whistle. “Damn.”

The guy froze. Soup dripped from his hair, mashed potatoes slid down his nose, and bits of meat clung to his eyelashes.

Athena blinked, staring at the aftermath. She hadn’t even needed to lift a finger.

Her sharp eyes flickered to the person who had intercepted the tray—a quiet, moss-green-eyed elvish girl.

Interesting…

The girl didn’t even stick around. Without a word, she melted into the crowd.

Meanwhile, the humiliated lackey stood there, too stunned to react. It was as if his brain had yet to process how he had managed to betray himself so efficiently.

Then, the laughter erupted.

It started as a few muffled snickers but quickly spread like wildfire.

Even the cafeteria staff covered their mouths, trying—and failing—to contain their amusement.

Julian grinned at Athena. “See? No need for you to retaliate. The universe took care of it for you.”

Ayden beamed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen karma work so fast!”

The elvish girl’s table of bullies turned red with embarrassment. Their once-smug leader clenched her fists and stormed out of the canteen, leaving her lackey behind in his state of culinary devastation.

Realizing he was alone, the guy scrambled to his feet, cheeks burning, and bolted after them without a word.

As the last of the snickers faded, Athena exhaled, shaking her head.

So many brainless brats running around these days…

Julian nudged her playfully. “Come on, don’t tell me you were actually gonna waste your food by throwing it at her.”

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Athena smirked. “Tempting, but no. I was thinking of something… less messy.”

Ayden grinned. “Like what?”

Athena picked up her knife and twirled it between her fingers with dangerous ease.

Julian cleared his throat. “Yep. Never mind. We don’t need to know.”

The three of them returned to their meal, the earlier irritation now replaced by amusement.

But as Athena ate, she couldn’t shake the thought of the elvish girl. Why had she helped?

We’ll meet again, she thought.

And when we do, I’ll thank her properly.

Even though her plate was filled with exquisite food, Athena suddenly found it unpalatable after all the unnecessary drama. She felt guilty about wasting it.

A childhood memory resurfaced.

When she was little, there was a time she had refused to eat. Alice, distressed by the princess’s refusal, called her mother, Agatha. While Agatha tried everything to coax her into eating, Alexander returned from his rounds at the border.

Without hesitation, he scooped up his stubborn daughter and carried her to the balcony overlooking the garden. Settling her in his arms, he spoke gently.

“Cupcake, why aren’t you eating?”

Little Athena scrunched her face in disgust.

Alexander sighed. “Baby, always remember—while you have plenty of your favorite foods, there are people out there who don’t even know how they’ll feed their children tomorrow. Some go to bed hungry every night. So never refuse to eat, and never waste food. Okay?”

Hearing her father’s words, little Athena had eaten her meal without further fuss. Since then, she had never complained about food or wasted a single bite.

It was one of the reasons the elvish girl and her goons irritated her so much. They weren’t just causing trouble—they were wasting food.

Ayden and Julian noticed Athena staring at her unfinished plate, looking genuinely torn. Without a word, they volunteered to finish it for her.

Ayden had always found this side of his sister fascinating. She was known for her cold demeanor, but when it came to wasting food, she looked almost… agonized.

He knew that when the guy had dropped the tray, Athena hadn’t been upset because they were targeting her—she was upset because they had wasted perfectly good food.

Once they finished their meals, they headed toward the principal’s office.

When they reached the library, Ayden and Julian decided to stay behind, telling Athena they would wait for her inside until she returned.

Athena walked alone toward the principal’s office, the path lined with towering bookshelves from the academy’s main library.

Yet, she wasn’t alone.

For the past few minutes, she had felt the presence of someone trailing her.

Persistent.

She exhaled softly, not bothering to turn around.

“If you have something to say, you should just come out and speak.” She paused for a beat. “And by the way, thanks for earlier.”

Silence.

Then, from behind a pillar, a pair of moss-green eyes peeked out.

Athena’s sharp gaze caught the flicker of hesitation before the girl stepped forward, cheeks slightly flushed.

Athena took her in—delicate features, silver hair, and a certain cautious grace. An elf, no doubt, but there was something… different about her.

She lacks the arrogance most elves carry.

Then, Athena’s gaze flickered to something else.

A small whistle hung from a string around the girl’s neck.

Something in Athena’s mind clicked.

I’ve seen her before.

Her lips parted, but instead of speaking, she did something unexpected.

She lifted her hands and signed.

“Do you know sign language?”

The girl’s eyes lit up.

Instantly, her hands moved in response. “Yes! You sign too?”

Athena arched a brow. “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.”

The girl giggled, then straightened and signed carefully, as if trying to make the best impression. “I am Alya Grace Endora, fourth princess of the Elvish Kingdom. You can call me Alya.”

Athena crossed her arms, eyeing her. “So, Alya, why have you been following me?”

Alya’s cheeks flushed darker, but she didn’t hesitate this time.

“You and your friends were so cool in the canteen.” She hesitated, then added, “Can I… be your friend?”

Athena blinked. Of all the things she expected, this was not one of them.

Alya’s fingers twitched before she signed again, faster this time.

“Because I can’t speak, no one talks to me.” Her movements slowed slightly. “That girl who tried to bully you—Luna—used to bully me back in the Elvish Kingdom. I’ve always wanted to stand up to her, but whenever I try to communicate, she mocks me.”

Athena narrowed her eyes. So that’s why she stepped in earlier.

Then, she smirked. “And you don’t think I’ll be mean to you?”

Alya shook her head instantly. “No. You’re not that kind of person.”

Athena raised a brow. “How do you know what kind of person I am?”

Alya smiled—not the shy, hesitant kind.

This was different.

It was the kind of smile people wore when they knew something you didn’t.

Athena studied her, the gears in her mind turning.

Have we met before?

She searched Alya’s face again. Why does she feel so familiar?

Before she could dig further, Alya beamed and signed, “Can we talk later? I’ll wait for you in the library.”

Athena exhaled and signed back, “Fine. Don’t go anywhere.”

Alya eagerly nodded before dashing away, silver hair swaying behind her.

Athena watched her disappear into the library.

Then, she turned to leave—but after just two steps, she froze.

Her breath hitched.

An old memory resurfaced.

A memory of those exact moss-green eyes looking up at her with admiration—years ago.