*Elaine’s P.O.V.*

"Lucyyy…"

I was reading a book in our relaxation room when Miriel put her face between me and the pages, pouting at me.

"...What is it?"

Truthfully, I knew exactly what she wanted. Just thinking about it made my blood boil, knowing I was practically forced to do something I never wanted to do.

"You haven't forgotten our deal, right?" Miriel asked, her frown deepening.

"Ugh... No, I haven't forgotten, Miriel—"

"Then what are you waiting for?" the elf exclaimed, moving even closer to my face with an irritated expression. "You promised, remember? Shopping and boys! SHOPPING! AND! BOYS!"

Hearing her talk made me feel sick. If I didn’t need them to get closer to the elves of Veras, I’d never have interacted with them. Since I set foot here, Miriel hadn't stopped pestering me about this, and while at first I could avoid the topic, she became more insistent and increasingly annoying.

I started to wonder if this was the best plan to follow. Several days had passed since I joined this small clique, and aside from reading books and observing their behavior, I hadn’t accomplished much.

These popular kids, contrary to my belief, rarely left the academy, leading me to suspect they didn’t know many elves outside of Veras.

I could leave now, abandon the group and come up with another plan, but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t making a mistake. Staying meant dealing with the nuisance that was Miriel, without any way to avoid her.

"So? Did you understand?" Miriel's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, annoyed by my lack of response.

"Maybe you forgot, but I'm new here. I don’t know anyone yet!" I pointed out, hoping she’d stop tormenting me with her requests.

"Really, a girl like you doesn't know anyone?" she questioned skeptically.

"..." I didn’t respond. Truthfully, I did know a couple of guys. But they weren’t friends, and I didn’t want anything to do with them, especially "him."

But I was so tired of dealing with Miriel that I considered asking them if they wanted to join us.

However, I knew the chances of "him" accepting were slim since Lucy had made sure Erwin wouldn't talk to her by acting odious.

[...Damn it…] "Okay, I might know someone, but I’m not sure if…" I muttered, regretting my words instantly.

"Oh? Really!? Great, then I’ll keep tomorrow free for our outing. I hope those guys are cute!"

"Hey, wait—"

"I can’t wait! I’m off to plan my outfit!"

I couldn’t say another word; she was so excited she didn’t let me speak and disappeared immediately.

"Argh…"

I wanted to scream but held back, sighing instead. I lost interest in reading and closed the book, nearly throwing it onto the table in front of me in frustration.

"She’s hard to handle, isn’t she?"

Melian, sitting on the other side of the room, asked this with a serene, almost angelic expression.

"Yes," I replied, cutting the conversation short.

In these days, I had gotten to know the other elves in our club. For instance, Miriel was the most frivolous, always thinking about her own pleasure, but she was essentially good-hearted. Haldir, despite his appearance, was kind and emotional, overall a decent person.

The only one I couldn’t decipher was Melian. Though she was always available to everyone, I had the distinct impression it was just a facade.

She hadn’t done anything strange or suspicious, but her behavior was too odd. Whenever I interacted with her, I got these weird vibes that made me prefer minimal interaction. Maybe I was cautious, but as my father often said, "Trust is good, but caution is better."

"Well, I’m off—"

"Can I ask you something?"

Melian’s sudden question took me by surprise. Our conversations had always been brief exchanges of greetings. What did she want to ask me?

On the spur of the moment, I wanted to ignore her strange request, as I didn’t completely trust her, but doing so might reveal my distrust.

"Sure."

Melian smiled slightly at my response. "Well, why don’t you sit down?"

I didn’t know what she wanted, but I was already regretting staying. Reluctantly, I sat back down, leaving some distance between us.

"You know," Melian began, playing with her hair, "we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other better these past days, so I wanted to know more about you… For example, what brought you here?"

Her question was too specific. For a few moments, I didn’t know how to respond, as it was very direct. Then, I realized this was a good opportunity to reveal some of my cards, albeit partially.

"Well… The truth is, I want to learn more about elven traditions since I’m a quarter elf myself. I hoped that by interacting with you, I could meet some native elves…"

"Oh? So, you’re using us, in other words," Melian countered with her usual smile, which, while it might seem angelic at first glance, always annoyed me for some reason.

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"No. You were born here to elf parents, so it’s interesting to see how you’ve grown up influenced by two cultures. But talking to elves born and raised in Lorein… It’s different."

"Mmmh…" Melian looked at me, this time without her usual smile. She gazed at me questioningly, almost as if searching for some answer in my eyes. I was sure I hadn’t said anything crazy or stupid, but her silence made me slightly uneasy.

"Well, you’re not entirely wrong," Melian said with a smile.

At that moment, although the information I gave was false, Melian must have formed an idea about me, which didn’t bother me. The real problem was that I couldn’t read Melian, making me more nervous than before, even though, apparently, there was nothing to worry about.

"Anyway..." Melian continued, "Do you have plans for tonight?"

Plans for tonight? I had nothing to do, but I certainly didn’t want to spend time with someone who gave me bad vibes.

"Yes, I have to study," I replied, my tone firm and decisive, ready to get up from my chair and return to my room. "In fact, I was just leaving..."

As I stood up, I reconsidered. Despite her confusing demeanor, she didn’t seem to be a simple person. If she asked, she probably had a purpose. Could I trust her? I didn’t know, but refusing might cost me an opportunity...

[Damn it...]

"...But I can always study tomorrow," I reluctantly responded, trying not to show my discomfort. "What do you have in mind?"

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Later that afternoon...

*Knock! knock!*

After a few moments of hesitation, I knocked on his door. I couldn’t believe girls could enter the boys’ dormitory so freely and vice versa; it all felt quite "strange".

I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, but although Miriel’s request was silly and childish, a promise was a promise. And after this, I could finally be free.

[Damn it... Hurry up and open the door!] I thought nervously, knocking again.

"I'm coming, I’m coming!"

I heard his annoying voice behind the door and quick steps approaching to open it. The wooden door creaked annoyingly as it opened fully.

When the door finally opened, revealing his face, my mood worsened, shifting from nervousness to outright irritation. He, too, initially looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, then seemed unhappy to see me. [I shouldn’t have come here...]

"Lucy... No, Elaine. What brings you here?"

"Relax, I’m not happy to see you either, Erwin," I replied irritably, looking away from him. "And I thought I told you not to call me Elaine, didn’t I?"

"No one’s here, so I’ll call you whatever I want," Erwin retorted bluntly, ignoring my words.

Just talking to him annoyed me. I had hoped with all my heart that he would fail the test and be expelled from the academy. But that bastard was more tenacious than I thought.

And looking at him now, his appearance had changed, almost more mature... Not that I cared.

"Listen, I don’t have time to waste on you," I started, glancing at my watch. "Tomorrow at 2:30 PM, meet me at the academy square. And bring that other guy with you."

After saying that, I turned, trying to leave as quickly as possible. But to my surprise, Erwin grabbed my arm. "Hey, what’s this all about?" he asked, looking skeptical and annoyed, his grip firm.

"Let go of me!"

I struck his arm forcefully, freeing myself from his grip that had slightly numbed my wrist.

"Just do as I say," I snapped, glaring at Erwin, who now looked confused. "I don’t owe you an explanation. Just do what I say without refusing. After all, you owe me!"

"...I owe you?"

Erwin stepped closer, his face angry, his fists clenched, the muscles in his neck tense like violin strings. I didn’t know him well, but I didn’t think that idiot could get so angry.

"I owe you nothing! Since we got here, you’ve changed your behavior towards me. You ignore me like I’m trash and have done nothing to earn my help."

He took a step forward, his breath quickening, the tendons in his arms standing out. "And don’t forget, instead of warning me about the test, you laughed, hoping I’d fail! Let’s set things straight... You owe me! Or do I need to remind you who saved your ass against Rudolf?!"

"You...!"

For a few moments, we exchanged fiery looks. Then I realized I had been stupid to ask for help from someone "like him" and decided to let it go.

"Why did I ask this idiot for help..." I muttered angrily, hissing, "Forget it."

I decided to drop that stupid request; I couldn’t lower myself to satisfy a girl’s whims. Besides, I didn’t want to waste more time with that idiot; I had something much more important to do now...

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Later that night...

I didn’t understand why Melian had told me to meet her at such a late hour; it was almost midnight, and I was usually in bed by then. She had directed me to the most remote part of the academy, far from the entrance gate, saying we would meet others there.

The academy was well-maintained, with lush green lawns and imposing stone buildings, but that desolate corner was a different story, especially at night. There were few magic torches, leaving darkness to reign. The silence was broken only by the rustling leaves and the distant call of a night bird.

[Am I walking into an ambush?] I wondered, my heart pounding as my nervous gaze scanned the area. I couldn’t see anyone, yet the tension was palpable. I was naturally stubborn and cold, but the darkness terrified me.

I tried not to dwell on it, but every time I thought about Melian, my instincts told me not to trust her blindly. [Damn it... I’m in trouble!]

At that moment, I realized how stupid it was to accept her request, deciding to take advantage of the fact that no one was there yet to leave. However, just as I turned, I heard footsteps approaching. I froze.

[Damn it...]

I couldn’t see who was coming due to the darkness. I took a few steps back, trying to use the moonlight to see their faces better.

After a few seconds, three figures emerged from the shadows, cloaked in long black robes with hoods up. I watched them closely, muscles tense and ready to react. Finally, I could see their faces. Melian stepped forward first, followed by Haldir and Miriel.

"Oh, you’re early," Melian said, smiling, but the smile didn’t convince me, especially now.

"Oh? Lucy? What are you doing here?" Miriel exclaimed in surprise, approaching me with a curious look rather than a puzzled one.

Haldir, on the other hand, tensed up, looking at me with concern. "Melian... are you sure?"

"Sure of what, Haldir?" Melian asked, puzzled by her "right-hand" man’s question.

"I mean... she’s part of our group, but—"

"Do you... not trust my decisions?"

For the first time, I had the impression of seeing Melian’s true expression; she wasn’t smiling. Her gaze was cold and threatening, so much so that a strong mage apprentice like Haldir stiffened and fell silent, lowering his eyes.

Miriel, however, didn’t bat an eye, but I was convinced she didn’t notice because she was an idiot. But at that moment, I got the answer my instincts were looking for: Melian wasn’t the angel she pretended to be. No truly good person could have such an expression.

"N-No, I didn’t mean—"

"Good, then there’s no problem!" Melian clapped her hands, her expression instantly changing back to serene. But I had seen what I needed to see; she couldn’t fool me anymore.

Looking at the situation, I realized I might have misunderstood everything. None of them seemed threatening, and judging by Haldir’s comment and Miriel’s presence, I was probably there for something else...

But I needed to be sure because if I had doubts about Melian before, now I didn’t trust her at all.

"Why here?" I asked immediately, trying to keep my voice steady.

Melian smiled, a smile that never reached her eyes. "It’s the only place in the academy where you can enter and exit without being seen," she explained. "The guards simply don’t patrol this area."

Indeed, looking around, I noticed there were no magical cameras, nor were there any guards. And judging by Melian’s words, I understood why we were all there at that moment.

In the dead of night, a sudden noise almost made me jump. A carriage was approaching slowly, its wheels creaking on the uneven ground. It stopped right next to the fence. Melian walked up to me and threw a black cloak, similar to theirs, at me. "Put it on," she ordered.

I hesitated, scrutinizing Melian’s face for answers. "Where are we going?" I asked in a whisper.

Melian gave an enigmatic smile. "We’re going to meet some 'real' elves," she replied, implying much more than her words revealed.

With a knot in my stomach and a thousand doubts in my mind, I grabbed the cloak, aware that the night would be very long.

END OF CHAPTER 46 – SHADOWS OF DOUBT