CHAPTER 236: MISUNDERSTANDINGS RESOLVED

Chapter 236

Daphne

A few words from me, and the sentence is reduced to something laughable—community service for the rest of the semester. A couple of hours sweeping leaves, filing records, menial labor.

The professors grumble, but none dare to look me directly in the eyes. Authority, they’d call it. It may be fear who knows.

The little lion is seething two rows away, golden eyes burning holes into my back, jaw tight enough to crack his perfect teeth. I don’t bother sparing him a glance.

They all know I’d laugh while setting this entire building on fire if it amused me. Yet still they shuffle their papers, clear their throats, and pretend to deliberate. Because if there’s one thing everyone understands professors, nobles, even royalty—it’s that you’d rather stand in front of a guillotine than on my bad side.

I wonder why?

Soon the so-called disciplinary little thing is over,it was a waste of my time really.

I step out into the hall. My eyes find her immediately. My little bunny stands there, awkward as ever, ears twitching, hands fumbling with nothing.

Right. Before I left, there was that.

I need to take care of that first.

"Come," I say simply, and she follows, just as she always does.

***

Nima

I trail behind Daphne, my palms clammy. The corridors feel different when I walk them in her shadow. The stares that usually stick to me, the snickers, the whispers—they vanish like smoke.

No one dares look too long when the she is here.

We reach her room. She walks in without hesitation, shrugging off her long coat and tossing it over the back of a chair like she owns the air itself. Which, I suppose, she does.

I close the door behind me.

The silence swells. It feels too loud. Too heavy.

My instincts beg me to run.

But my heart wants to stay. Wants to close the distance, to bury itself in her warmth, her scent, her dangerous hands.

I forget this is how it is in her presence. The conflicting emotions. The way my instincts scream at me to flee, while my heart lurches forward, desperate to close the distance.

The silence stretches, too loud, too heavy. My palms sweat.

"We need to talk," Daphne says finally, her voice even, but softer than usual. She sits on the edge of the bed. I flinch at the sound, like it’s a command and a threat all at once.

Her hand pats the space beside her. A simple gesture. But it feels like stepping into a predator’s den.Technically I am.

Still, I move. Hesitant. Each step slow, measured. I perch next to her, stiff as a board.

"Firstly," she begins, her tone clipped but not unkind, "I apologize for leaving so abruptly. It was something I couldn’t put off."

I nod, fumbling for words. My throat is dry, but I force them out. "It’s okay."

"Right." She exhales, rubbing the back of her neck. Her tail swishes behind her, restless.

Anxious.

My heart stutters. Daphne doesn’t get anxious. If she’s uneasy, then what does that make me?

"About what happened before—" she starts.

"I’m sorry," I blurt, cutting her off. The words tumble out too fast, but I can’t stop them.

Her head turns sharply, ears angling toward me. Golden eyes narrow, but not in anger—more like shock.

"You’re... sorry?"

I nod quickly, twisting the hem of my school uniform skirt in my hands. My ears burn.

"Yeah, I didn’t mean to push you away. Your advances, I mean. It’s just—" I start.

Daphne tilts her head, blinking at me like I’ve said something incomprehensible. Then she cuts me off, sharp but bewildered.

"Wait. Wait

. You think I’m mad because you avoided me?" Her tone carries a faint scoff, like the very idea is absurd.

My chest tightens. "Isn’t it?"

Her tail swishes, the sound sharp against the floor. She exhales slowly, dragging a hand through her hair before fixing me with that golden gaze.

"No. No, little bunny. I’m not angry because you said no." Her voice softens, uncharacteristically careful.

"I’m sorry because I think I’ve been too forceful. Too imposing. I disregarded your emotions."

She leans forward, elbows braced on her knees, ears angling back slightly as though even speaking the words costs her something.

"I understand there’s this ...difference between us," she continues.

Her jaw tightens. "But listen to me—I don’t care if you don’t want to go that way with me. I wouldn’t mind." She glances at me from the corner of her eye, voice dropping low.

"It’s not of major importance."

She exhales, shoulders sinking ever so slightly. "I’m afraid I’ve been coercing you into something you’re uncomfortable with. That thought disgusts me. I don’t want to be that for you, more importantly I don’t want to be that person."

I blink, wide-eyed. Coercing me? No—she’s always overwhelming, yes, but it’s not like that. The very idea makes my chest ache.

"It’s not like that," I blurt, words rushing out before I can think. My ears flatten tight against my skull, shame prickling through me.

"It’s not like that at all."

Her head turns, sharp golden eyes locking onto me. Waiting.

"I didn’t know you felt that way," I whisper. My throat feels dry, but I force the words out anyway.

"I just—" I falter, fumbling for words. My fingers twist in my skirt until the fabric wrinkles. My heart pounds so loud I’m sure she can hear it.

"I’ve never been with someone like that," I finally manage. My voice is soft, trembling, but I don’t stop. "It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s more that... this is the first time I’ve ever felt this way. I don’t know what to do."

Heat floods my face, my chest, all the way to the tips of my ears. I can’t look at her. My hands curl into fists against my knees.

"So I end up... freezing," I admit, voice small. "Because those are new sensations. I guess it’s kind of scary."