“What is it, Professor Catherine?”
Fini recognized Catherine; after all, her friend Lorevil pestered this ice-cold professor every single day.
“Where is Lorevil?”
Catherine’s eyes lowered, her tone so cold it almost crystallized into ice shards.
“Oh, her…”
The oblivious Fini scratched her head and spoke the truth. “We finished lunch at the cafeteria together and then split up. She didn’t say where she was going, only that she had matters to handle. I don’t know where she went either.”
“What?!”
Catherine stood at the office door, her ice-blue eyes filled with disbelief. “She actually left?”
The chill surrounding her almost froze the very air.
“Yeah, yeah,” Fini said, shrinking her neck back, intimidated by the heavy pressure radiating from the professor. She nodded quickly. “She left right after eating. She even said… she said she won’t be chasing you anymore. She said she needed to cut her losses.”
It was only then that Fini realized something was off.
Wasn’t it said that Catherine didn’t like Lorevil? She should be happy that the girl wasn’t bothering her anymore.
But this didn’t feel… right.
She decided she would talk to Lorevil about this later.
“Cut her losses?”
Catherine repeated those three words, unconsciously clenching her fists until her nails nearly dug into her palms.
Lorevil…
She had always known how Lorevil felt about her.
Lorevil would arrive at her office every day on time to bring her lunch and expensive blood crystals, and she would occasionally try to please her in a childish manner.
Although Catherine never said anything and often met her with a cold face, she never truly felt disgusted in her heart.
After all, in Holy Blood Academy, Lorevil was the only one who dared to be so shamelessly good to her.
But now, this person who used to revolve around her every day actually said she wanted to cut her losses?
An unprecedented emotion surged into her heart, as if something had suddenly been hollowed out.
“What else did she say?” Catherine asked coldly.
“No… nothing else. She just said she’s buried in trouble right now, the mission is difficult, and chasing you is too much. She said she doesn’t want to be a sucker anymore.”
Fini shuddered and rubbed her arms. “Lorevil even treated me to bloodberry mousse. She said we should get along well from now on and that she won’t spend all her focus revolving around you.”
Catherine’s expression darkened even further, her heart feeling incredibly twisted.
The difficult mission Lorevil mentioned must be Madam Sharon’s request.
She knew a little about Jerwen assigning Lorevil to Seraphina.
But Catherine never expected that this matter would actually cause Lorevil to give up on pursuing her.
‘Could it be that in Lorevil’s heart, I’m not even worth as much as a troublesome mission?’
A nameless fire rose from the depths of her soul. Ignoring Fini, Catherine turned back into her office and slammed the door shut with a loud *thud*.
She walked to her desk. Lunch should have been waiting there, sent by Lorevil, but today there was nothing.
A growl came from Catherine’s stomach, leaving her even more frustrated.
‘If she doesn’t want to chase me, then fine. Who cares?’
Catherine huffed at the empty air.
But in her mind, she kept seeing the way Lorevil looked when she carefully held those blood crystals in the past.
She remembered how the girl looked slightly dejected after being coldly rejected yet still refused to give up, and how Lorevil always looked so incredibly happy every time she saw her.
Those images that used to annoy her were now strikingly clear.
‘On what grounds does she think she can just chase me whenever she wants and give up whenever she wants? What does she take me for?’
Catherine bit her lower lip. She was going to demand an explanation from Lorevil.
But as she reached the door, she hesitated.
‘What am I doing? To take the initiative to seek out a student… that is far too beneath my status.’
A struggle flashed through Catherine’s ice-blue eyes before they slowly grew determined. She clenched her small, neat teeth.
Give up?
Did she agree to that?
—
On the other side, Lorevil had no idea that Catherine’s mental state had completely collapsed.
After leaving the cafeteria, she didn’t return to Madam Sharon’s house or go looking for Mahina. Instead, she headed toward her own manor.
If her fiancée Noxia also had a blackening value, then being away for two consecutive nights would put Lorevil in a truly precarious situation.
Lorevil’s mansion was located on the edge of the noble district in Holy Blood City.
It wasn’t part of the main family estate; she managed it separately.
This was also a form of testing for Lorevil.
As soon as Lorevil reached the entrance, she saw a slender figure standing at the bottom of the steps.
The girl’s hands were restlessly rubbing her skirt, and her eyes were obscured by the shadows of her eyelashes, making her emotions unreadable.
It was Noxia.
The warm wind wrapped around her figure, and her snowy hair fell over her shoulders, giving her a perfectly gentle aura.
‘My wife… Noxia?’
Lorevil felt a sense of closeness. Even though this was her first time meeting the girl, she felt a strange familiarity.
Noxia caught sight of Lorevil. Fear flashed in her eyes, and she timidly shrank back. Her body lurched backward involuntarily, nearly causing her to lose her footing.
Lorevil stepped forward, reaching her fiancée’s side and supporting her back.
“Lorevil, you… you didn’t come home yesterday. I was waiting for you the whole time…”
Noxia spoke tremulously, her eyes panicked as if she didn’t dare to ask more.
“I stayed at a rental building outside,” Lorevil explained briefly.
‘Is this it? Does she finally hate this home so much she doesn’t even want to return?’
The sensitive wife’s eyes gradually grew dim.
It made sense. There was no reason for Lorevil to be with her in the first place; she was only bound by the family’s orders.
Lorevil looked above Noxia’s head.
A heavy dark cloud seemed to be pressing down on her health bar.
Sure enough, her wife Noxia also had a blackening bar.
Lorevil’s heart skipped a beat.
Having gained some experience, Lorevil knew that Noxia must have misunderstood her answer, leading to that oppressive feeling akin to a storm cloud hovering over the city.
Immediately, she softened her voice, trying to make her tone as gentle as possible.
“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Lorevil said calmly. “Holy Blood Academy assigned me a task that required me to stay overnight. I didn’t have time to come back and tell you. It was my fault.”
“It’s not that I dislike you.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Lorevil saw several rays of sunlight pierce through the gaps in the dark clouds, bringing bursts of warmth.
“Really?”
Noxia’s eyes instantly lit up. Her elegant, mature face was filled with trepidation.
“Of course it’s true.”
Looking at her cautious appearance—as if she were terrified of making Lorevil unhappy—a strong surge of guilt welled up in Lorevil’s heart.
The original owner of this body had always been cold to Noxia, even neglecting her. Yet this girl remained devoted, silently enduring all the grievances and anxiety.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. I… I made some of the bloodberry cakes you like. They’re still warm. I’ll go get them for you.”
As Noxia spoke, she turned to run into the house.
“I’ll go with you,” Lorevil said seriously, taking Noxia’s hand.
‘She’s holding my hand…’
Noxia’s eyes spun in dizzying spirals, and only that single thought remained in her mind.