The rest of Mr. Aldridge's class was just a blur of Celeste talking nonstop.
Even when the professor tried to go over the economic stuff from the War of Three Crowns, she kept up this constant stream of talking that made it impossible for Lucas to focus on anything.
"Oh, and speaking of amazing things," she said, completely ignoring Mr. Aldridge's death glares, "have I told you how much I love pork dumplings? There's this little place back in Jazhad that makes them with the best dough and the most perfectly seasoned pork."
"The secret's all in the fat-to-lean ratio, you know. Too lean and they're dry, too much fat and they're greasy. But when you get it just right..." She sighed all dreamy-like. "Pure perfection."
Lucas nodded along, wondering why she was still yapping.
"I really hope they have decent dumplings here in Lerastad," Celeste went on.
"Though I guess I'll have to check out the local food scene. Food's such a big part of understanding a culture, right? Speaking of which, are you gonna do the Royal Tournament in December?"
Lucas's attention was piqued. "The Royal Tournament?"
"Oh yeah! It's super exciting. Every year, the best fighters from across the kingdom compete for huge prizes and royal recognition. The competition's insane, and the rewards are supposedly incredible. Last year's winner was this absolutely massive guy - I mean seriously jacked, muscles like tree trunks - but nobody knew where he came from. He just showed up, destroyed everyone, grabbed his prize, and disappeared. So mysterious!"
She leaned in closer, eyes all sparkly with excitement.
"There were rumors he wasn't even from Noclies originally. Some people say he was from the Eastern Territories, others think he was a mercenary from beyond the continent. The way he fought was totally unlike anything anyone had seen before. Brutal but efficient, with techniques that seemed almost otherworldly."
Lucas filed that away. A mysterious tournament winner with unknown origins sounded like it could matter for the whole timeline thing, though he couldn't figure out how it connected to the Legion threat.
"I'm thinking about entering myself," Celeste added casually. "I know I look delicate, but I can totally hold my own in a fight. My father got me the best tutors for swordwork and magical combat. A lady's gotta be able to defend herself, you know."
The bell finally rang. Lucas had never been so happy to hear that sound.
But as everyone started packing up and leaving, Celeste showed zero signs of shutting up.
"Of course, the tournament isn't just about fighting," she kept going while gathering her stuff.
"There's tons of political scheming going on too. Noble families use it to show off their strength, merchants make connections with potential clients, and sometimes..." She dropped her voice. "Romance happens between competitors. There's something so hot about a strong, capable fighter, don't you think?"
Before Lucas could answer, a familiar voice cut in.
"Lucas, what are you doing the rest of the day?"
He turned to see Lydia coming over, arms full of books and looking curious.
She'd been sitting on his other side during class, probably getting just as distracted by Celeste's nonstop talking as he had.
"I don't really have plans," Lucas said.
He was very grateful for the save. Celeste was just too much.
Celeste's whole demeanor changed immediately.
Her friendly smile stayed put, but there was something straight-up hostile in her eyes as she looked at Lydia.
The shift was subtle but completely obvious: like a cat that just spotted competition in its territory.
"And who's this?" Celeste asked.
"This is my friend, Lydia Astrolome," Lucas said quickly. "Lydia, this is Celeste Slevan, our new transfer student."
"Astrolome," Celeste repeated, seemingly finding the word familiar. "Nice to meet you."
She stuck out her hand with a perfectly polite smile, but Lucas caught how her fingers gripped a little too tight during the handshake, and how her eyes didn't match the happiness of her expression at all.
"Likewise," Lydia said. "Hope you're settling in okay."
"Oh, super well, thanks for asking," Celeste said. "Lucas here has been such a huge help making me feel welcome. WE'VE been having the most interesting conversations."
The way she emphasized 'we' made it crystal clear she saw any friendship Lucas had with other girls as a threat.
Poor Lydia.
"That's nice," Lydia said, then turned back to Lucas.
"I was hoping we could meet in the library after next class. The school's giving us the rest of the week off to prep for midterms, so this might be our last shot at a real study session before tests start."
"The rest of the week off?" Lucas asked.
"Didn't you hear the announcement yesterday? They want us to have time for independent study. Since any other study sessions we have will probably be way shorter than what we can do today, I figured we could cram as much as possible this afternoon."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."
"Great," Lydia said. "I'll see you there after your next class. I need to grab lunch and get my stuff together."
She left with a polite nod to Celeste, though Lucas noticed she looked relieved to be getting out of there.
As soon as Lydia was gone, Celeste's expression brightened considerably, like a cloud just lifted.
"What a nice girl," she said in a tone that made it obvious that she thought the exact opposite. "You certainly have... interesting friends, Lucas."
Lucas decided not to touch that comment. Instead, he grabbed his books and started heading toward the dining hall.
"Well, I should probably get lunch," he said.
"Oh, what a great idea!" Celeste exclaimed. "I've been wanting to check out the dining hall. Mind if I come?"
As they walked through the halls, Lucas became super aware of all the stares they were getting.
Celeste was gorgeous, and the way she moved made her stand out even more.
Having her walk beside him was drawing exactly the kind of attention he'd been trying to avoid.
Students turned to whisper to their friends as they passed. Some looks were curious, others jealous, and a few seemed suspicious. Lucas could practically hear the rumors starting.
"Why are you following me around?" he asked quietly as they got close to the dining hall.
Celeste's expression immediately went to wounded innocence, her eyes going wide with what looked like genuine hurt.
"Following you? I'm just trying to figure out my first day at a new school," she said.
"You're my only friend here, Lucas. Everyone else seems so... intimidating. I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I stuck close to someone familiar until I get the hang of things."
She gave him some puppy-dog eyes .
"You're not gonna abandon me on my very first day, are you?" she asked, her lower lip trembling a bit.
Lucas felt a headache coming on.
He knew this was a completely blatant and obvious display of manipulation, but the performance was so convincing he couldn't just walk away and leave her standing there looking heartbroken.
"Fine," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can come to lunch. But try to keep it down, okay?"
Celeste's expression immediately brightened.
"Oh, thank you so much, Lucas! You're the best. I just know we're gonna be super close friends!"
As they walked into the dining hall together, Lucas couldn't shake the feeling he was walking into a trap of his own making.
But with how much she was hinting at knowing his secret identity, he figured it was better to keep her close where he could watch her than let her wander around doing who-knows-what.
At least, that's what he told himself as more heads turned to stare at them making their way to the food line.