h4Chapter 133: The Woman with Lennon Resigned/h4

    strongi{Elira}/i/strong

    ~**^**~

    "And ESA?" Uncle Marc asked gently. "Are you adjusting well?"

    "Yes. I’m adjusting well," I replied, keeping my tone even. "Thank you for asking."

    "Good." He sighed, the sound full of something like quiet relief. "I owe you an apology, Elira, for not calling until now. I thought it best to give you space, especially knowing how much you endured because of Regina."

    The mention of her name prickled something sharp inside me, but I stayed quiet, my lips pressed together.

    Uncle Marc didn’t push. Instead, his voice softened further. "Tell me, Alpha Cyprus and his family, are they treating you well?"

    "Yes," I said immediately, almost firmly. "They’ve been kind to me."

    "Thank the Moon goddess," he breathed, as though a weight had lifted from his chest. "Then I am d."

    A beat passed before his tone grew steady again. "Save this number, Elira. You can call me whenever you want and ask about anything. Do you understand?"

    The unexpected warmth in his words touched me more than I expected, maybe because it’s been a while since I heard from him.

    My throat tightened, but I nodded instinctively even though he couldn’t see it. "Yes, Uncle. Thank you for calling."

    "Take care of yourself, child," he said softly, before the line clicked dead.

    I stood there for a moment in the middle of the corridor, the faint buzz of the students in the distance pulling me back to reality.

    Slowly, I saved the number, my fingers hesitating for only a second before typing strongiUncle Marc/i./strong

    Then, tucking the phone away, I exhaled deeply and continued on toward the cafeteria, my mind buzzing with questions I wasn’t ready to answer yet.

    ---

    By the time I reached the cafeteria, the noise of chatter and clinking trays filled the air, buzzing like a hive.

    My thoughts still lingered on the unexpected call, Uncle Marc’s voice echoing in my mind, but I pushed them down and grabbed a tray.

    The line was long, but it moved quickly enough. Soon, I had my food and scanned the room.

    Our usual spot by the window was empty. With a small breath of relief, I walked over and set my tray down, sliding into the seat.

    For a moment, I just sat there, fingers curling around the ss of juice, watching the flow of students move in and out.

    It was strange how normal everything looked, how normal it all felt, when just minutes ago I had been speaking to a man who carried both familiarity and unease in equal measure.

    I shook my head faintly, trying not to get lost in it. Just then, a familiar voice called out, bright and cheery. "Elira!"

    I nced up to see Nari weaving her way through the crowd with her tray bnced easily, Juniper, Cambria, and Tamryn following behind her.

    "You saved our table," Nari said with a grateful grin as she slid into the seat across from me. "Perfect timing."

    "Of course," I said softly, returning her smile.

    Cambria set her tray down with a sigh of relief. "This ce is chaos today."

    "Always is on Mondays," Juniper muttered, brushing her hair back as she sat beside me.

    Tamryn didn’t say anything at first, just pulled out her chair and lowered herself into it, her usual calm presence settling into the group.

    As everyone began to settle, Nari leaned forward, her phone clutched like it was treasure. Her eyes gleamed.

    "Elira, you’re going viral." She announced.

    I paused mid-bite, blinking at her. "What?"

    She spun the phone around to show me thement section under the iMoon’s Whisper/i post from this morning.

    "Hundreds ofments. Everyone’s dragging the Student Council, talking about how they abuse their powers. Listen to this one—"

    Then she scrolled quickly and read aloud with dramatic emphasis, "’Finally! Someone is brave enough to expose Kaelis and herpdogs. They think they own ESA, but their time wille.’"

    Cambria whistled low. "That’s bold."

    Nari grinned wickedly. "There’s more. ’Power-drunk royals.’ ’Entitled brats.’ ’Worst leadership in ESA history.’ The students are eating this up."

    Then she looked at me with a kind of giddy pride. "And you, Elira, are at the center of it. Everyone knows your name now."

    I lowered my gaze to my food, not exactly surprised. The stares had been burning into me since morning, like invisible fingers tugging at my every step. Still, hearing it spelled out felt heavier than I expected.

    Before I could respond, Juniper set down her juice with a sudden spark in her eyes. "Speaking of shocking news... did you girls hear that one of the female professors resigned on Friday?"

    That got all of us turning to her. "Who?" I asked quietly.

    "Her name was Professor Marielle," Juniper replied. "She only taught Third Year students. The announcement went out quietly, so most of the first-years don’t know."

    Nari tilted her head. "Marielle? Doesn’t ring a bell."

    Cambria shook her head. "Same here."

    Juniper smirked knowingly, unlocking her phone. "Well, my ss group chat wouldn’t shut up about it. Someone even posted her picture. Want to see?"

    "Of course," Nari said instantly, scooting closer, curiosity alight in her eyes.

    Cambria leaned in too, and I found myself doing the same as Juniper swiped through her gallery until shended on the photo. She turned the screen so we could all see.

    The moment my eyes touched the image, recognition jolted through me like a spark. The professor’s soft features, the elegant fall of her hair, the way her eyes seemed tired even in a still shot—

    It was her. The same woman who had stood with Lennon, the same one who had walked away from him in tears.

    My fingers curled around the edge of my tray as my chest tightened. I had tried not to think too much about that scene, trying to conclude that it might not be what it looked like.

    But seeing her now, her face frozen in a picture, shattered all those flimsy excuses.

    Why had she left?

    What had happened between her and Lennon?

    And why did he look at me with that same warmth, that same gentleness just a week ago, when I couldn’t erase the image of someone else walking away from him broken?

    "Elira, look at her hair," Nari said, tugging my sleeve lightly. "Doesn’t she look more like a model than a professor?"