CHAPTER 93: AMELIA’S TRUST

Chapter 93: Amelia’s Trust

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The air in the academy shifted in small, almost invisible ways, but Arios noticed them. Since the rumors about Amelia had taken firm root, the weight of them could be felt even in the corridors between classes. Students whispered more openly now. When Amelia passed, voices dropped but their eyes followed her, and the distance they kept was more obvious.

Arios hadn’t ignored any of it. He knew how quickly small lies became larger truths in places like this academy, he was no stranger to fake rumours, for he was a victim of one in his past life. That was why he had decided to start his own quiet checks. He couldn’t walk into the middle of the cafeteria and declare Amelia innocent; that would change nothing. He needed certainty, and he needed to know what Amelia herself wasn’t saying.

He started small, speaking casually with a few students who had been present the day Regulus made his "accidental" scene.

"So you were nearby?" Arios asked, leaning against the wall near the practice field after morning drills.

The student he addressed— Gregan, one of the commoners— shifted awkwardly. "Nearby, yeah. But I didn’t see anything. I just heard Regulus complaints afterward."

"What did you hear?"

"Same thing everyone heard," Gregan muttered. "That Amelia cornered him. I mean, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but..." He shrugged, unwilling to commit. "People don’t just say that kind of thing without reason, right?"

Arios didn’t press further. He knew forcing someone would only push them to defend the rumor harder. He thanked Gregan and left.

The next conversation was with a noble girl, Selene Crowndale, in the library.

"Do you believe it?" Arios asked bluntly, his voice low so as not to draw the librarian’s attention.

Selene hesitated. "I don’t know. But Amelia... she is cold and pretty distant. It makes people think the worst of her. If she smiled more often, if she was softer, maybe fewer would believe it."

"That doesn’t answer the question."

Selene looked away. "No. I don’t believe it. But I’m not going to defend her either. I don’t want to be dragged into it."

She’s taking the neutral ground, Arios kept his gaze on Selene Crowndale for a little while, lost in thought.

Then,

Arios left her with that.

Arios’s inquiries had become a gruesome pattern: no one had evidence, only impressions. These impressions built walls around Amelia, making her more isolated in the academy with each passing day. It was just a matter of time until the student council recommended her removal to the academy’s administration if things continued like this.

Late that afternoon, Arios made his way to the alchemy laboratory. He found Amelia there, alone, arranging glass vials in perfect lines. The room smelled of herbs and metal.

"Amelia," Arios began, his voice soft but firm.

She didn’t look up from her work. "What is it, Arios?" she replied, her tone just as soft.

"I’ve been asking around," he said, stepping closer. "Trying to figure out what really happened that day."

Her hands paused their meticulous movements for a brief second before continuing. "And?" she asked, not meeting his gaze.

"There’s nothing solid," Arios said, lowering his voice. "Just Regulus’s words, being passed around and repeated." He moved to stand directly beside her, his hand gently touching her arm. "So, I want to hear it from you. Where were you before the attack? Do you have an alibi?"

Amelia finally looked up, her eyes sharp but clouded with a deep weariness he hadn’t seen before.

"My alibi?" she repeated, her voice a low murmur.

"Yes."

Her lips tightened into a thin line. For a moment, Arios thought she might answer. Then, she simply turned back to her work, picking up another vial with a faint *clink*. "I don’t need to give you one."

"You know they’re going to ask," he pressed gently.

"They can ask all they like," she said, her voice growing colder. "I am not obligated to defend myself against whispers."

Arios studied her carefully, his hand still resting on her arm. "You don’t trust me," he said, his voice flat. It wasn’t a question.

Amelia’s hand stilled again. She let out a short, tired sigh through her nose. "Trust is an expensive currency, Arios. It’s a price I stopped paying a long, long time ago."

He didn’t move for several seconds, the quiet tension in the room almost suffocating. "Then what will you do when the council calls you in?" he asked, his voice now a desperate whisper. "Just stay silent?"

Her expression didn’t change, but the coldness in her tone deepened. "That is my concern, not yours."

The conversation was over. Arios knew pushing her any further would only make her retreat into herself, so he decided to leave the lab quietly, but the pain and weariness in her voice stayed with him, a constant reminder of the walls she had built around her heart.

****

During the evening in the dormitory,

By the time Arios returned to his dorm, the tension of the day weighed on him more than usual. He opened the door to find Lucy and Liza already inside. The two of them had claimed most of his floor with scattered sheets, buckets of water, and small piles of academy uniforms.

"What... is this?" Arios asked flatly.

Lucy looked up from scrubbing a sleeve against the washboard. "Laundry duty. What else?"

Liza sat cross-legged with her own pile, carefully wringing water from a skirt. "We decided your room was bigger, so it made sense."

Arios shut the door behind him, sighing. "So you invaded my space to wash clothes."

"Don’t call it invaded," Lucy protested, splashing water onto the floor in the process. "It’s just... convenient."

"It’s a mess," Arios muttered, stepping carefully around the puddles.

Lucy frowned at her soaking hands. "Do you know how long this takes? Hours. And it’s cold. Why can’t the academy give us proper facilities instead of this nonsense?"

"Because they want us to suffer," Liza said dryly, flicking her damp hair back. "Or because they think hardship builds character. Take your pick."

Lucy groaned loudly. "My fingers are going numb. I hate this. Liza, why are you so calm?"

"Because unlike you, I don’t complain every two seconds."

"That’s because you’re a machine!"

They bickered back and forth, water sloshing as Lucy accidentally tipped her bucket. Arios moved quickly to grab the bucket before it spilled entirely.

"Careful," he said sharply.

"Sorry!" Lucy winced, clutching her sleeve. "See? This is why I hate laundry duty. Everything goes wrong."

Liza smirked faintly. "Or maybe you’re just bad at it."

Lucy flushed. "Say that again!"

Arios rubbed his temples. "Enough. Both of you." He set the bucket back upright. "Just finish it without flooding my room."

The girls fell into silence for a brief moment before Lucy muttered, "You could help, you know."

"I did mine last week," Arios deadpanned. "I think that exempts me from washing socks."

Liza chuckled. "He has a point."

Lucy pouted but went back to scrubbing. The room filled with the sound of water sloshing, fabric wrung out, and their occasional complaints. Despite the mess, there was something strangely grounding about it. A slice of normalcy against the backdrop of rumors and scheming.

When the laundry was finally hung across improvised lines in the dorm, the three of them collapsed on the floor, exhausted. Lucy’s head rested on her folded arms. Liza leaned back against the wall, arms crossed but eyes half-closed.

Arios sat quietly, watching the steam rise from the buckets still half-filled with cloudy water.

Lucy spoke first, her voice muffled. "Do you think it’ll get better? With Amelia?"

Liza opened one eye. "Doubtful. People love a scandal too much."

"But she doesn’t deserve it," Lucy insisted. "She’s strict, but... she’s not what they’re saying."

"Truth rarely matters here," Liza replied. "Only perception."

Arios just stayed silent, but the words stayed with him. Perception. That was exactly what Chase was playing with. And Amelia, by shutting herself away, was letting that perception harden into fact.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The fight ahead wasn’t just about uncovering evidence. It was about breaking walls Amelia herself had built. Walls even she refused to let down.

****

The night came quickly as Arios sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, his eyes staring at the floor. The room was quiet except for the slow, even breaths of Lucy and Liza, both of them asleep on the other side of the mattress. They had sprawled out carelessly, the blankets tangled around their legs, their hair spread across his pillow. It would have been an almost comical sight if his mind weren’t weighed down with heavier thoughts.

The past few days replayed in his head on a loop. Amelia’s name dragged through whispers. The way students had started avoiding her. Chase’s smug face in the distance. Regulus throwing sparks on every rumor. Thier accusations, the silence in classrooms, the way she stood with her shoulders straighter than anyone else but with eyes that carried a fatigue no one else could see.

He quickly clenched his hands.

What can I do to clear her name? he thought. If this continues any further, she’ll be removed. And once the council puts their stamp on it, it’ll be over. She doesn’t deserve any of this. Why was she cornered like this. What those Chase have to gain?

Arios knew Chase Weaverake from the anime. He was the prodigy of Class 1-B, a student from House Weaverake with a close affinity for various advanced elements through the void. As a first-year, he was already cultivating at the late stage of spirit foundation, yet his ego and lustful actions were what brought him down in the eyes of the academy. Someone clearly fit for Class A was reduced to Class B. Arios knew that Chase’s ego had everything to do with all of this.

Then, a soft knock broke the silence. Three quiet knocks against his room door.

Arios straightened, glanced once at Lucy and Liza — both still sound asleep — and got to his feet. He crossed the room silently, and opened the door.

Standing there was Amelia.

Her armor was gone; she was in her academy uniform, but it was rumpled, as if she hadn’t cared enough to smooth it down. Her usually composed face was undone, streaks of tears marking her cheeks. The moment Arios opened the door, she didn’t wait for words — she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.

"I’m so tired, Arios," she whispered, her words filled with pain and exhaustion. "I’ve tried so hard to be strong... but it’s starting to get to me. The whispers, the way they look at me... I can’t do it anymore."

Arios froze for a heartbeat, then slowly closed the door behind them. He held her carefully, then pulled her back just enough to look her in the eye.

"I won’t let them," he said, his voice a low, firm promise. "I will protect you. I will go every mile to prove your innocence. I won’t let them take you away from me."

Her lips trembled, her hands clutching at his shirt like she didn’t want to let go. "I don’t... I don’t know how much longer I can keep standing like this."

"You don’t have to stand alone," Arios replied. His gaze locked with hers, unwavering. The room was still, the only sound the faint rustle of blankets from the bed behind them.

The cold night air caused their bodies to jolt, a shared shiver that pulled them closer. They kept their embrace for a little longer, the silence a comfortable, shared space of trust and understanding. Arios slowly lowered his head, his lips brushing against the delicate skin of her neck, a soft, reassuring kiss that made her whimper.

"Arios..." she murmured, hesitation and longing tangled in her voice. "It’s late... I shouldn’t..."

Arios quickly ran a trail of gentle, lingering kisses from her neck down to the hollow of her collarbone, feeling her body tense beneath his touch, his free hand working her clothes, as he intended to free her of the fabric wraps.

"Arios," she moaned, her voice a hesitant whisper. "It’s late... I can’t... not now."

He didn’t listen. He gripped her tighter, his hands moving to cup her face, his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. He kissed her more, his lips finding hers, his tongue tracing the outline of her mouth. He forced a kiss into her mouth, and she finally succumbed, her body melting against his. He felt her hands come up to clutch at his shirt, her fingers digging into the fabric as she returned his kiss with a newfound passion. Their bodies were a whirlwind of desire and affection that consumed them both.

Amelia slowly parted her lips from his, a string of saliva connecting them both.

Her voice came again, weak but wavering, "Arios... this... we can’t..."

"This is what you need," Arios said. "You have been carrying this burden alone, let me give you what you need."

Amelia didn’t answer. Her silence was all he needed. She had craved his touch every day since the rumors began, needing him to clear her mind of everything that had been going on. She wanted him to fuck her, to clear her mind of everything that had been going on.