Chapter 35

"Magie, why haven't I seen your brother come to visit you these days? Has he left the capital?"

After the afternoon class ended, Rachei, while tidying up the books on the table, suddenly asked Magie, who was sitting beside her, with a tilted body.

"Ah—" Magie was a bit surprised, turned to look at Rachei, and whispered in confusion, "He's still in the capital. Why are you bringing this up?"

Rachei chuckled with a mischievous smile, "You've been absent-minded these days, so I thought it might have something to do with your brother."

"Not at all," Magie's face turned slightly red as she said softly, "I've just been thinking about the arrangements for the school anniversary recently."

"Oh?" Rachei drew out the word and leaned closer to her face, "Then why do you often suddenly smile to yourself?"

"Rachei, you—"

As if her secret had been exposed, Magie was somewhat shocked and bashful, her round eyes wide open as she looked at Rachei.

"Ha-ha—" Rachei laughed with a hint of pride, "Do you and your brother have some unspoken secrets? Otherwise, why are you acting so strange?"

"Not at all," Magie's hands waved about in a flustered manner, "It's just that studying alone in the capital is very lonely, and I never expected anyone to come and visit me, so that's why—"

"Is that so?" Rachei stared into Magie's eyes with a smile.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed under Rachei's gaze, Magie lowered her head and whispered, "Really."

Rachei shook her head and gently patted Magie's shoulder, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. But if you have any troubles, be sure to tell me. Don't forget that there are people who care about you."

"Thank you, Rachei." Magie lifted her head, her face showing gratitude.

"Yo—"

Avius, from the front row, raised his hand and walked over, greeting, "What are you talking about?"

"It's none of your business," Rachei's face turned cold as she saw Avius and huffed, "You're so busy, if you have time to care about this, you should think more about your club activities."

Hearing the sharpness in Rachei's words, Avius's face darkened, "Rachei, I know I've been distant lately. I apologize—"

"Stop—" Rachei raised her hand to stop Avius, "What do you mean by being distant? Whether you are distant or not has nothing to do with me. It seems you don't need to apologize."

"You!" Avius furrowed his brows, his face tense, and his eyes filled with anger as he looked at Rachei, "Rachei, that's enough!"

"What do you mean by enough? I think you've had enough!" Rachei stood up, her hands slamming the table as she confronted Avius.

The sound of their argument drew the attention of the classmates who had not yet left, and they rushed forward to mediate. Although the relationship between Rachei and Avius was not unfamiliar to the surrounding people, and they often quarreled, this time the situation seemed to be more heated and serious.

"Unreasonable!" Avius, pulled away by the classmates, angrily left.

"Rachei—" Magie, who was stunned by the scene, came to her senses and gently tugged at the dejected Rachei's arm, "Are you okay?"

Rachei lifted her head to look at Magie, a bitter smile on her face, and a tear trickled down the corner of her eye.

Rachei quickly wiped away the tear, took a deep breath, and said to her, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

How could she be fine in this state?

Magie thought to herself, but she couldn't think of any words to comfort her.

"Let's go have lunch together."

Rachei left her seat, and Magie followed closely behind.

On the way.

"Rachei, are you and Avius really okay?" Magie asked cautiously.

"Ha-ha—" Rachei forced a smile and shook her head, "We're fine. You know, we both have quick tempers, but they pass quickly."

"But—" Magie bit her lip lightly, "You've been arguing after just a few words recently, which is really unusual. It's not like the old you two."

Rachei stopped walking, placed her hands on Magie's shoulders, and said seriously, "Magie, I know Avius better than anyone. On the surface, he seems a bit restless, but in reality, he is a man with a very strong sense of self-respect, whether in his career or in love."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Opening her eyes, Rachei continued, "Recently, he was suddenly promoted to a key position in that damned club. He seems to have received unprecedented attention, and all his thoughts are focused there. I don't say anything about it because it's commendable for a man to work hard for a cause. But, what kind of cause is that damned club? And most importantly, it has revealed his true feelings towards me."

"What kind of feelings?" Magie asked, stunned.

She had never seen Rachei like this before.

Rude, serious.

"I've said it before, Avius is a man with a very strong sense of self-respect," Rachei said, breathing heavily, "I thought our ten years of relationship would be enough for him to put aside his pride and treat me differently. Before, he always did."

"Then not anymore?" Magie asked, puzzled.

"Of course not!" Rachei's face turned cold as she laughed, "His pride won't let him bow to a woman, even to a lover of over ten years. Haven't you noticed? His patience with me is getting worse, and he leaves in anger after just a few words."

"It seems so," Magie shrank back, looking at Rachei's rarely seen terrifying expression, "But Rachei, if you say fewer sharp words and offer more encouragement and comfort, maybe your relationship will improve."

"No way!" Rachei turned away, huffed, and said, "Wouldn't that just fulfill his wishes? He wants me to be a submissive lover who follows his every word. Am I supposed to lose my self and let him mold me?"

"This—" Magie covered her mouth, looking incredulous.

"Magie," Rachei shook her head, turned to her again, and said seriously, "Women are not men's subordinates or playthings. We must prove our own value and freedom."

Magie lowered her head in silence, deeply impacted by Rachei's words, as she had never thought about these issues before.

Eldran's history is not lacking in outstanding women, but they are few, more like distant legends, stories.

And in reality, such women are even rarer, or perhaps non-existent.

When such women do appear, people tend to forget their gender, as if they have lost their qualifications as women.

"Rachei, are you and Avius going to keep this stalemate?" Magie, pushing aside the杂念 in her mind, looked up at her.

Rachei sighed, "Because I am also a woman with a strong sense of self-respect, when one of us puts aside that pride, perhaps we can reconcile."

Magie shook her head. She was different from these noble girls, and their different environments and conditions made it hard for their thoughts and values to resonate.

"Magie, why don't you talk about your brother?"

Perhaps the atmosphere was too heavy, Rachei smiled and teased.

"Him?" Magie's hands fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, hesitating whether to confide in Rachei.

When you share someone else's secret, you always want to return a secret to balance the emotional debt.

"It's okay if you don't want to say," seeing Magie's hesitation, Rachei waved her hand and smiled.

"No—" Magie clenched her fists, her face turning red, "I'm just thinking about where to start."

"Then start from when you first met," Rachei suggested with a smile.

"Okay."

Magie calmed down, her eyes drifting to the clear, sunny sky, and she began, "I remember that year, I was only a teenager, living a simple life in Foca Town with my parents. One day, a disease suddenly broke out in the town, infecting many people, including my father. The church personnel and alchemists who rushed to the town were at a loss. My mother knew that my grandfather might be able to treat my father, so she wrote a letter to him for help, but he arrived only after my father had died."

"So you hate your grandfather?" Rachei interjected.

"Yes," Magie nodded, her voice low, "If my grandfather had come in time, my father might not have died."

"What does this have to do with your brother?" Rachei asked, puzzled.

"After my father's death, my mother and I were very sad. To avoid staying in this place of sorrow, my mother sold everything we had and wanted to take me back to her family. On the way back with a caravan, a group of bandits suddenly appeared and killed everyone. When they tried to assault my mother and me, my brother Xaran appeared."

Rachei sighed, pulled Magie into her arms, and stroked her gently. This was the first time she had heard about Magie's past.

It was a heavy and painful memory.

"What happened next?" Rachei asked softly, looking at Magie's tearful eyes.

"Next—" Magie's voice became agitated, "Xaran appeared and cut off the heads of the bandits who were approaching my mother and me. He was very fast, his sword was very fast. In the blink of an eye, he killed all the bandits. I still remember the cruel scene of blood and bodies."

"It seems little Magie deeply admired your brother back then," Rachei chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

She needed to help Magie move away from the painful memories and stir other emotions.

"Yes," Magie nodded, blushing, "My mother and I were terrified, even thinking that Xaran might kill us too, but he didn't. Instead, he safely escorted us back to Foca Town. Although he looked cold, he was really a good person."

"He was very cold?" Rachei, recalling the young man's face, asked curiously.

"Yes," Magie nodded, "His eyes seemed to have lost their color, and he was cold and emotionless."

"But—" Rachei frowned, "Why did he seem warm when I saw him last time?"

Hearing Rachei's words, Magie was a bit at a loss, "I don't know. We haven't seen each other for over three years, maybe something changed."

"I see." Rachei nodded, "So, you and your brother are not really siblings?"

"No," Magie lowered her head, blushing.

Rachei chuckled, "No wonder it seemed a bit off last time."

"Rachei," Magie held her hand, her face pleading, "Please don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry," Rachei patted Magie's head and smiled, "After all, it's our secret."

After lunch, a cool breeze blew.

"Magie, why don't you invite your brother to the school anniversary the day after tomorrow?"

Walking back to the dormitory on the clean stone path, Rachei suddenly looked up at the sky and said.

"Why?" Magie asked, puzzled.

"Ha-ha—"

Rachei laughed and ran a few steps ahead, turning back to tease Magie, "Otherwise, how will you resolve your feelings for him?"

"Rachei!"

A voice of embarrassment and anger echoed through the vibrant and fresh campus.

The girls, each with their own thoughts, pursued their unknown dreams in a daze.

Innocence is a hymn, echoing and dispersing in the youthful campus.

In the depths they have yet to understand, a pebble will be cast into a black whirlpool.

The turbulent waves will become a profound and lasting memory for them.