CHAPTER 55: THE IMMORTALS [2]

Cedric Rowan was standing in front of me, at a distance, with proper attire, befitting that of a noble young lord.

He had his confident demeanor around him, which he also showed during that fight with that naked vampire.

Now why did I say that he is one of the main villains in this story?

Well, that has something to do with his ideals.

Despite his frank and gullible nature, he is quite a principled man, with his self made ideals, and views of how this world should work.

Typical that of a strong character.

Or should I say the strongest character, in terms of strength alone, currently.

In the novel, he died earlier than Dorian.

Not due to lack of strength, but due to betrayal.

Well, he was planning on a crazy thing to begin with, so naturally, some people would disagree with his ideals.

More like the entire kingdom was against his ideas.

In simpler words, he tried to overthrow the system of monarchy in this kingdom, and turn it into a sort of democratic rule.

So, first of all, he wanted to overthrow the crown itself, which meant an internal revolution.

Finally he was betrayed by his won comrades, and killed.

His entry at the dungeon was unexpected though, he saved our asses, from that naked vampire.

I moved closer to him, Dulhard remained behind.

"What are you doing here?", I asked in a harsh tone, symbolizing Dorian’s nature.

"No respect for a professor, huh?", he smiled gently, taking his hat off.

That’s right, he is also a professor at the Knights’ Academy, for second years.

"I am currently under suspension, so that doesn’t apply to me.", I scoffed.

Cedric chuckled. It was the kind of laugh someone gave when they didn’t take offense, but noted everything.

"I suppose that’s true," he said, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "Still, you should respect wisdom when you see it."

"Please get to the point already, cause I have a lot of thing to do.", I said, sounding irritated.

He saw me coming from the deeper part of the forest, but that’s okay, because, it’s not like people are not entirely allowed to go deeper.

There are some forest borne products like cosmetics and all, due to which, a few people live at the edge of the forest, outside the wall like me too.

So, I am not doing anything illegal here, except one thing, and that is leaving and entering through an illegal gate, though, I doubt he will be able to find any evidence of me doing so.

Furthermore, unlike Monica, he doesn’t have much connection with Dorian, according to the novel.

Thus, I had absolutely no idea as to why is he here.

"You have some great survival skills, despite being a noble, don’t you?", he smiled again, looking at my hut, which was a few miters away from where we were standing.

"What of it? Just tell me what do you need.", I tried raising my voice a little, to see his reaction.

But the fake smile he wore on his face never wavered at all. giving me chills down the spine.

"So impatient, aren’t you? How about we continue our conversation at your little house over there?", he glanced towards the hut.

I didn’t really want to get involved with him, but now that he has seen my hut, it would be difficult to avoid him.

I nodded and we both walked towards it, and took a seat each outside the hut, where I had built a little fireplace.

The hard surface of the rock on which I sat was still a bit warm, which means Cedric was sitting here prior to our arrival.

Cedric and I sat by the dead fireplace, on uneven stone seats outside the hut. The embers had long since died, but the warmth lingered in the rock. A breeze rustled the treetops above us, the forest around still and silent.

\n(o)v.e\l.com

Dulhard remained off to the side, arms crossed, listening in like a suspicious bodyguard who wasn’t paid enough for this.

Cedric tapped his gloved fingers against his knee. "Let me start with the obvious," he said. "The academy has lifted your suspension."

I didn’t respond immediately.

He continued, "The evidence submitted by Monica Croft made it... difficult to deny. It clearly shows that you didn’t attack Laurel Barriston. In fact, you saved her."

I leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "How convenient that truth only matters when someone important says it."

"It matters when someone important can prove it," Cedric corrected. "The vote was unanimous. Not out of sympathy, but out of necessity. Your innocence is no longer in question."

"Then why not restore everything?" I asked flatly.

He exhaled slowly, as if expecting the question. "Because the dormitories, the archives, the alchemy labs—those are facility privileges. They require signed authorizations and security verifications. Which means... paperwork. And more importantly, time."

"Ah, so the great academy forgives me," I said dryly, "but the ink doesn’t."

Cedric gave a half-smile. "More or less."

"I suppose I should feel grateful that they stopped spitting in my food."

He didn’t reply to that. Which was fair.

I stared into the dead firepit for a moment. "So I can attend classes again. But I can’t access the research towers, the dormitory network, or anything useful."

"You’ll have to earn those back," Cedric said simply.

"By doing what? Smiling at the council while they file the right forms?"

He shrugged. "That, or wait until they need you again."

Classic.

Dulhard tilted his head, visibly confused. "Wait... so you’re unsuspended, but still kind of exiled?"

"I’m in a state of legal purgatory," I muttered. "Free to exist. Not free to matter."

Cedric chuckled at that. "You really do have a way with words."

"Not that words helped when they were slandering me."

There was a short silence.

Then Cedric’s gaze drifted upward toward the treetops, as if contemplating whether to say something. When his eyes met mine again, they held a quieter seriousness.

"I came here not just to deliver academy news," he said. "There’s something else I wanted to speak with you about. Off record."

Here it comes.

I raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.

He shifted slightly. "It’s a personal matter. One I’d rather discuss before any... public involvement."

I waited.

Then, as casually as one might suggest a chess match, Cedric said—

"I’d like to propose a marriage agreement."

I blinked.

He finished the sentence without pause.

"Between you and my sister, Alicia Rowan."

The wind stopped.

So did Dulhard, who stared at Cedric like he’d just heard the moon propose to the sun.

I said nothing. The sentence hovered in the air like a sword suspended by thread.

Cedric, of course, wore the same calm smile.

As if this wasn’t the most ridiculous sentence I’d heard all month.

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