CHAPTER 57: PUNISHMENT

"What does he think of himself?" Kevin grumbled as they sat inside the strategy room after dinner.

This was the only place they could relax without worrying about an ambush.

Lizel and Laila were still too tired and bruised to even think about fighting again.

Hearing Kevin’s tone, Natalie raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Kevin let out a frustrated breath. "That idiot William. During Emma’s fight, didn’t you see me getting blocked in the air? That was him." His annoyance was clear to everyone in the room.

"He’s starting to misuse his powers..." Lizel muttered quietly, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Natalie frowned. "You two are wrong about this, actually."

That made Laila raise an eyebrow. The other two looked at Natalie as she continued, "I’m not taking his side, but what he did back then was right, Kevin."

Kevin scoffed. "You mean it was my fault for reacting to the situation? I would’ve done the same for any of you, considering how dangerous things looked."

Natalie nodded calmly. "I get that. And I’m sure William was worried about Emma too. But as a warrior, he chose to respect her fight—and trust her to handle it."

She leaned back against her chair. "Emma isn’t a fragile doll, and neither are we. It’s fine to be protective, but sometimes, you have to trust your comrades."

Kevin went silent, realizing he might’ve overlooked that part.

Lizel lowered her head, thoughtful. Laila crossed her arms and muttered, "You’re not wrong, but William *is* getting a bit full of himself."

Natalie gave a small, wry smile. "You saw his fight too, right? With that kind of power, it’s only natural for someone to get a little proud."

Just then, Natalie noticed Kevin had gone unusually quiet.

She reached out and touched his hand. "Kevin... are you okay?"

"Ah, yeah," he replied with a nod, then asked, "By the way... has anyone seen Emma?"

Lizel hesitated before answering, "She... was punished by the teacher."

Everyone froze. "What?" Laila asked, eyes wide. "For what?"

Lizel sighed. "A sixth-circle spell that puts enough pressure to rupture eardrums and damage internal organs is considered a lethal attack."

Realization hit them all. Even though Emma had kept her control, the spell itself was too dangerous.

Kevin shot up from his seat. "I should go and help her—"

"Wait, Kevin." Laila quickly stopped him. "You’ll get punished too if you interfere. And I’m sure Emma wouldn’t want that."

Kevin stayed still for a moment, then sat back down with a heavy breath. "You’re right... breaking the rules will only make things worse."

...

While what Kevin said was true, helping someone during punishment was considered just as serious an offense—and most students wouldn’t dare defy a teacher.

But that logic didn’t apply to everyone.

"Having fun?" William asked, watching Emma crouched down, pulling weeds from the grass.

The silver-haired girl looked up and smiled faintly. "Well, the breeze is nice."

William folded his arms, frowning slightly. "You know, it’s okay to break the rules sometimes, right?"

Emma hummed, still working. "Yeah, but this counts as good exercise."

For a moment, there was silence. Then William stepped forward, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gently pulled her up.

"Enough work. Go rest on that bench," he said firmly.

Emma blinked in surprise. "But... the weeds—"

"I’ll do the rest," William cut her off, rolling up his sleeves. "And I don’t want to hear any protest."

She stood still, watching him kneel and start pulling the weeds with a serious expression.

Her chest felt warm, a soft smile appearing on her lips. "Is this your way of showing you care about me?" she teased.

William nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

Emma blinked. She hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily.

He looked up at her again. "Why aren’t you healing your fingers? They’re all red—you must be in pain."

Emma sighed. "I’ve used too much aether. My stomach feels weird now."

It was a common side effect after spending too much magical energy—some felt dizzy or lightheaded, others, like Emma, just a little sick.

William sighed and said firmly, "Sit there and don’t move."

Before Emma could ask anything, he disappeared—moving so fast she barely caught a glimpse.

She blinked, tilting her head. "What’s he up to now..." she murmured, but since he’d told her to stay put, she decided to wait.

A few minutes later, he returned—carrying something in both hands.

Emma blinked in surprise. "What’s that... and that?"

William placed a bowl in her lap. "Soup," he said simply. "Drink it. And give me your other hand."

He didn’t wait for her reply. Gently taking her left hand, he began wrapping a bandage after applying ointment to her swollen fingers.

Emma just stared at him, dazed. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had stabbed her two weeks ago.

When he finished, he noticed she still hadn’t touched the spoon.

"Do I need to feed you too?" he asked with a slight frown.

Emma’s smile had faded as she reached out, cupping his cheek with her right hand. "Stop it... before I become addicted to this."

William froze, meeting her eyes. There was hesitation in them—fear, even.

He covered her trembling hand with his own. "Why are you so afraid?"

Emma lowered her gaze, her shoulders softening. "I’ve never loved anyone before," she admitted quietly. "Not once. And now that I have... I’ve fallen so deep it scares me."

Her voice wavered as she went on, "When I see you smiling at someone else, or touching them, it hurts. I know it’s selfish, but I can’t stop it."

She bit her lip, her voice barely above a whisper. "And if you keep being this caring... I don’t know what’ll become of me."

She didn’t want to become a burden so that one day becomes tired of her....but she could barely suppress her feelings when is around.

Emma remained silent, waiting for his words.

But then, his words didn’t reach her.

His lips did.

"...!" Her eyes widened as she realized that she was being kissed.

Emma looked at him wide-eyed, his crimson gaze staring back at him—making her heart drum in her chest.

His one hand held hers while the other one circled around the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

Their lips were intertwined in a beautiful connection. Rather than hunger, the kiss was a promise.

Emma closed her eyes, her focus on the warmth of his lips, his feelings, and his response.

She leaned forward, her arms hugging his neck, and she kissed him back—awkwardly, yes, but she didn’t hold back in relaying her feelings too.

They parted at the same time, the girl’s breathing a little unsteadily as she looked at his burning gaze and heard him say,

"If someone could be this beautiful, then I wouldn’t mind being the reason they lose themselves."