Unfortunately, he wouldn't find out today because they had reached the building first years classes were held in.
"Alright, I'll be going now. Think about my offer. OK?" Leyla said and then walked away.
Lucas let out a breath of relief. Talking to a big boss was really stressing, one wrong slip and he would be on her hitlist.
Honestly, her acting was too great.
If he hadn't played the game before, he would have fallen for her nice girl persona and he would have definitely fallen for her worried cousin schtick as well.
But the real question was: What was she up to?
After splitting up with Leyla, Lucas rushed to class. The class he had now was History, taught by Mr. Aldridge.
Lucas made it to class just as the bell rang. He dropped into his usual seat ready to learn.
Mr. Aldridge was an old guy with a neatly trimmed gray beard and wire-rimmed glasses that were always sliding down his nose.
Unlike Ms. Ocsol's strictness, he had a more chill vibe that made his classes bearable even when the material was boring.
"Good morning, class," Mr. Aldridge said, pushing up his glasses as he looked around the room.
"Before we start today's lesson on the political fallout from the War of Three Crowns, I've got an announcement."
Lucas cried internally. Please don't let this be another change to the midterm exams. I can barely handle what's already planned.
"We've got a new transfer student joining our class today," Mr. Aldridge continued.
"I know it's weird to have someone transfer in the middle of the semester, but special circumstances made this necessary."
What kind of weirdo transfers schools halfway through a semester? Lucas wondered, glancing around the classroom.
Most of his classmates looked equally confused. Transferring mid-semester was basically unheard of, especially at an academy as prestigious as Lerastad.
The door opened, and Lucas felt his blood turn to ice.
Walking through the doorway was the silvery-blue haired woman from last night's alley incident.
Celeste Slevan moved with the same graceful vibe he remembered, her icy blue eyes scanning the room with what looked like casual interest.
She wore the standard academy uniform, but somehow made it look more elegant than anyone else pulled off.
What the hell is she doing here? Lucas thought. This can't be a coincidence. There's no way she just happened to transfer to my exact class right after we met.
"Class, please welcome Miss Celeste Slevan," Mr. Aldridge announced.
"Miss Slevan comes to us from the Northern Academy of Jazhad. I'm sure you'll all make her feel welcome."
Celeste curtsied gracefully to the class.
"Thank you for having me," she said in a melodious voice that had just the right amount of humility. "I look forward to learning alongside all of you."
Lucas watched in horror as her gaze swept across the classroom and landed directly on the empty seat in front of him.
No. No, no, no. Anywhere but there.
"Ah, there's a seat right there, Miss Slevan," Mr. Aldridge said, pointing to the exact spot Lucas had been dreading. "Right in front of Mr. Estellan."
Celeste smiled sweetly and made her way over, settling into the chair with practiced elegance.
As she arranged her books on the desk, she turned slightly to give Lucas a bright smile. "Hello there. I'm Celeste. What's your name?"
"Lucas," he managed to say, trying to keep his voice steady. "Lucas Estellan."
"What a lovely name!" Celeste said. "I really hope we can become great friends, Lucas. I've got such a good feeling about this class already."
Mr. Aldridge cleared his throat. "Now then, if we could settle down, we've got quite a bit of material to cover today."
But Celeste didn't even care that the teacher was trying to start class. She kept talking in this loud whisper that half the room could hear.
"I'm so excited to be here," she continued, turning in her seat to face Lucas more directly.
"The Northern Academy was so boring. All those stuck-up nobles who think they're better than everyone else just because their families have been around for a few centuries. I like the vibe here way better. There's something so much more... real about the people."
Lucas nodded politely, hoping she would turn around and let him focus on the lesson.
But Celeste was clearly just getting started.
"I've heard such great things about the Lerastad Academy," she went on.
"The quality of education, the diverse student body, the exciting extracurriculars. I heard there's quite a bit of interesting nightlife in the city too. Have you explored much of the local scene, Lucas?"
Is she fishing for info? Lucas wondered.Or is this just how she normally talks?
"Not really," he replied carefully. "I mostly focus on my studies."
"How admirable!" Celeste smiled.
"Though I hope you make time for some adventure. Life is so much more interesting when you step outside your comfort zone, don't you think? Why, just last night I had the most crazy encounter in the city. I met this fascinating person who literally swept me off my feet."
Lucas felt sweat starting to form on his forehead despite the cool morning air.
"Miss Slevan," Mr. Aldridge said with a warning note in his voice. "Maybe you could save your socializing for after class?"
"Of course, Professor. My bad," Celeste said, turning back toward the front.
But after barely thirty seconds of silence, she twisted around again.
"I just can't help myself," she whispered. "I'm so curious about everyone here. Tell me, Lucas, do you ever do any... let's say... nighttime activities?"
"Nighttime activities?" Lucas repeated.
Is she talking about s*x? Naah! It can't be. Why would she want to know that?
"You know, evening walks, late-night reading, maybe pretending to be a hero?" She asked.
"I... what do you mean by pretending to be a hero?" he asked.
Every instinct in his body told him to change the subject but he was too curious.
"Oh, just random acts of kindness. Helping strangers in trouble, standing up to bad guys, that sort of thing. I find that kind of behavior so attractive. There's something so romantic about a mysterious figure showing up to save the day."
Lucas's brow went up. She was definitely fishing for something.
"I don't really go out much at night," he said. "The city can be dangerous."
"It really can," Celeste agreed. "But sometimes danger is where we find the most interesting people. Speaking of which..."
She leaned closer, studying his face hard. "Has anyone ever told you that you have very distinctive eyes, Lucas?"
Shit. She's onto me.
"I... not really," he said.
Celeste just kept staring at him forever, her eyes going from his face to... well, his face, and back again.
Lucas tried to keep it together, but his heart was going crazy.
"You know," she said slowly, "you remind me of someone. Someone I met recently. A very... impressive person who goes by the name Shadow."
Lucas felt like his heart had stopped completely.
"Shadow?" he said.
"Mmm-hmm. Tell me, Lucas, you wouldn't happen to be this Shadow guy, would you?"
The question just sat there. Lucas could feel her eyes on him, waiting to see how he'd react.
He tried to look confused, like he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Shadow? I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.
Celeste studied him for a few more seconds, then suddenly laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, how totally ridiculous of me! Of course you're not Shadow. You're clearly way too... well, no offense, but you seem like such a gentle, bookish type. Shadow was this incredibly intimidating figure with such commanding presence. The idea that you could be him is just absurd."
Lucas wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or insulted.
"Right," he said. "Totally absurd."
"Besides," Celeste continued, turning back toward the front of the classroom.
"Shadow had this aura of danger about him. This sense that he could snap someone's neck without a second thought. You, on the other hand, look like you'd apologize to a fly if it landed on you."
Okay, now I'm definitely insulted.
"Anyway," Celeste went on, apparently satisfied that she'd ruled out the possibility, "I just have to tell you more about this Shadow guy. He was absolutely magnificent..."