CHAPTER - 184

  Narrator: Once they left the laboratory, the group headed toward the cars in a silence thick and reflective.

  Selene walked a few steps behind, a smile still lingering on her lips not just satisfaction, but a thread of unease tightening in her stomach.

  Seated next to Dav in the stillness of the moving car, she watched him from the corner of her eye.

  Arms crossed, lips slightly pressed together, and that analytical gaze full of questions.

  "I did it.. I got my new rank... But he. he's far.

  Too far.

  That aura he gives off.. it can't be human."

  Selene’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to see beneath the skin.

  Dav sat there calmly, one leg crossed over the other, but something about him always seemed.. on edge.

  He turned suddenly, raising an eyebrow with a half-ironic smile.

  "Why are you staring at me so intensely?

  I know you're happy, but there's no need to brag in silence, you know?"

  The joke, paired with that slightly mocking look, nearly broke her train of thought.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "What will you do now? Are we heading straight back to the academy?"

  she asked, trying to mask her curiosity behind a casual tone.

  Her eyes, however, spoke more than her voice.

  Meanwhile, Edmund and Eleanor, seated a bit ahead, tilted their heads slightly, pretending disinterest.

  But their ears, sharp, caught every word.

  Dav scratched the back of his neck, looking thoughtful.

  "Depends. If we don't have any other obligations..

  I might delay the return."

  Selene sat a bit straighter. Her hands, once resting on her knees, slowly interlaced.

  "Then stay. Let's enjoy London a bit, just for today. What do you say?"

  A short silence preceded the answer.

  Dav closed his eyes, nodding slowly.

  "Alright. We'll go back tomorrow."

  Selene's eyes lit up just a little, as if she had won something precious.

  Eleanor and Edmund exchanged a look full of surprise and respect.

  Stefan, beside them, observed with his usual calm composure, almost amused.

  They reached the royal palace in the early afternoon.

  The air was cool, and the veiled but present London sun painted the windows with color.

  Dav, once inside, bent slightly forward, hands on his hips, and sighed.

  "Shit.. I'm exhausted. And now I'm hungry too."

  Edmund approached him with a calm step and a sharp gaze.

  His eyes seemed to scan every cell of the young man.

  For a moment, he seemed about to scold him, but then simply sighed.

  "Tonight there will be a party for Selene. More than a hundred guests.

  Can you, just for one evening, not behave like yourself?"

  The reply came with the usual crooked grin.

  Dav opened his mouth wide, showing his demonic smile, an expression so grotesque it sent shivers down the spine and irritated anyone nearby.

  "Of course not, old man."

  Edmund rolled his eyes and walked off, muttering something under his breath.

  Eleanor drew near, giggling softly, then clung affectionately to his arm.

  That simple gesture softened his face, easing the wrinkles of frustration.

  Selene, noticing the scene, flushed. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then gathered her courage and walked up to Dav, grabbing his arm in a slightly clumsy gesture.

  He froze, surprised.

  "T-This is a royal formality!"

  she stammered, trying to stay composed.

  "The lady enters at the knight's side.. everyone knows that, I believe!"

  Dav stared at her for a second, then gently patted her head, just as he did whenever he wanted to tell her something without words.

  "Like you need a reason to do that.

  You know it well, Sele."

  She lowered her lashes, smiling in silence, and clung to him a little tighter.

  They entered the castle without hurry, leaving behind the weight of the day and savoring the stillness of that shared moment.

  END OF CHAPTER - 184