Chapter 228: Jae’s move
Her jaw clenched, but he pressed on, his words as sharp and practiced as blades.
"You deserve more. Someone who can give you the life your station calls for. Influence, protection, prestige. With me, you would have that. You wouldn’t have to fear whispers behind your back. You’d be celebrated as you should be."
Elise’s eyes narrowed. "You think I care about whispers?"
"I think you care about your future," Sun countered smoothly, his voice silk over steel. "And I can give you one. Jae can’t. He’s dangerous, reckless, cursed to burn out before he ever truly rises. You’ll see that soon enough."
Her chair scraped against the floor as she stood, the sound sharp in the still room. Her voice was quiet, but it cut harder than steel. "You’re wrong."
For the first time, Sun’s composure faltered. His brows twitched. "Am I?"
"Yes," she said flatly, unflinching. "Because I already chose. And it’s not you."
The words landed like a blade. Sun’s smile turned thin, brittle, but his eyes burned with fury barely leashed.
"Think carefully, Elise," he murmured, his voice low and warning. "I don’t offer twice."
"Good," she shot back. "Because I wouldn’t want you to."
Her tone dismissed him more effectively than any curse could. She turned back to Jae, her body language closing Sun out completely.
He lingered a moment, his jaw tight, before spinning on his heel and storming out. The door slammed behind him, the sound echoing briefly before silence reclaimed the room.
Elise sank back into her chair, her chest tight, her heart still pounding. His words clung to her like oil on water, unwelcome and lingering. Her gaze fell back to Jae, his face calm in rest, untouched by the venom Sun had tried to pour into the room.
Her hand brushed lightly against his again, her voice trembling in a whisper meant for no one but him. "I told him no. Always no."
Hours later, when Jae finally stirred awake, Elise told him everything.
The moment she recounted Sun’s offer, Jae’s crimson eyes burned hotter than any fever. His jaw tightened, his voice a low growl. "He said that?"
Elise nodded, worry flickering across her face. "I told him off, Jae. He has no power over me. But..." She hesitated, sensing the storm gathering in his shoulders. "Don’t do anything reckless. That’s what he wants."
But Jae’s mind was already moving. He couldn’t stand the thought of Sun walking into the infirmary, speaking to Elise like that—as if she were some prize to be bargained for. As if Jae was nothing.
xxxx
The infirmary had been tense that morning. Elise’s rejection of Sun lingered like smoke, invisible but impossible to ignore. Even when she recounted it later, her words stayed with Jae, coiled in the back of his mind. He had listened carefully, not once interrupting, his expression composed, but his body was taut with restrained anger. Beneath the calm face he showed Elise, something burned steady, unwilling to die down.
That afternoon, the academy grounds carried an unusual quiet. The midday heat pressed gently over the courtyards, and most students had either retired to their dormitories or buried themselves in lessons and drills. The faint hum of conversation drifted now and then, but for the most part, the grounds felt subdued, as if the world itself had slowed to rest.
Jae hadn’t intended to wander, but the restlessness inside him made it impossible to stay still. Sun’s words to Elise—his arrogance, his claim, his dismissal—echoed with every step. Jae could see it as clearly as if he were standing in the infirmary again, Sun’s smirk curling when he spoke of Elise like she was some prize, and of Jae like he was nothing. The thought made his jaw clench.
His boots carried him across the outer courtyard. The fountain at its center glittered faintly in the light, water catching the sun in shards of silver and white. The shadows of tall stone arches stretched across the tiles, broken here and there by the sway of banners. He walked without a destination until he noticed her.
Hana.
She was seated at the edge of the fountain, her posture relaxed, her attention half-lost in the ripples of the water. Dark hair tumbled freely down her back, shifting with each passing breeze. Every so often she reached down, letting her fingers skim through the cool surface, breaking the reflection of the afternoon sky. In this moment, away from Sun’s side, away from the expectations that clung to her, she seemed quieter, more human than the polished figure others whispered about.
Jae slowed his pace, studying her with sharp eyes. He knew what people said. Everyone at the academy whispered about her connection to Sun, though they rarely spoke it too loudly. She was always there, in his shadow, close enough that most treated her as an extension of him. But now she was here, alone.
For the first time, she wasn’t framed by Sun’s presence. She wasn’t his shadow.
A smirk curved across Jae’s lips. He didn’t hesitate long.
His steps echoed faintly against the stone tiles, enough to make her head turn. The soft sound of water filled the pause as her gaze met his.
Her surprise was clear. Then, in the space of a breath, her composure returned. Her spine straightened, her expression sharpening into something cautious. "You."
"Me," Jae said easily, his tone steady, unbothered. He carried no sign of the storm beneath his skin. "Didn’t think I’d find you here."
Her lips curved faintly, though her eyes remained guarded. "And why would that matter?"
Jae closed the distance, lowering himself to sit at the fountain’s edge beside her. The stone was warm under the afternoon sun, and the water’s gentle spray brushed the air between them. He leaned back slightly, watching her with that same unhurried confidence.
"Because," he said, letting the word linger, "it means I get to ask you something I should’ve asked a long time ago."