The thick wooden door shut behind her with a soft *click*, but to Rina, it sounded like a slammed gate locking her in some invisible cage.
She stepped into the corridor, chest rising and falling in tight, erratic breaths. Her heels echoed across the marble, then stopped. She leaned against the cold stone wall, pressing her palm over her heart.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Too *much*.
The silence of the corridor offered a fragile kind of peace—a stillness she could try to control. Here, the only sounds were distant wind rustling through narrow stained-glass windows and the faint dripping of a fountain somewhere in the vast estate. But inside her, a storm churned.
She closed her eyes. *Breathe. Just breathe.*
Why did his smile get under her skin?
Why did his voice feel like a song she couldn't stop listening to, even if it disturbed her?
And why the hell couldn't she speak properly in front of him?
The moment he looked at her with those red eyes—eyes so calm, so politely detached—her mind just *stopped*. Her throat tightened, her words crumbled, and she felt like a porcelain figure on display. She hated it.
Rina gritted her teeth, trying to shove away the heat still blooming across her cheeks.
"I'm not some fragile girl," she whispered to herself. "I'm Rina Amberhart."
The name was supposed to give her strength.
Daughter of Amelia Amberhart.
Ranked second in the entire Academy.
A warrior, a noble, a sorceress of fire.
And yet, the way Jin had looked at her—it was like he *knew* something. Like he could see straight through the carefully stitched mask she wore. That infuriatingly kind smile of his didn't mock her, but it didn't comfort her either. It *studied* her.
Was it curiosity? Control? Or something else?
Her fingers clenched into a fist, nails digging into her palm.
*He was just playing polite. Just being clever.*
But then… why did her heart still race?
She pressed her forehead against the wall, letting the cool stone pull the heat from her skin. *It was fine.* She just needed a few minutes.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
Soft, measured. Not rushed.
Her eyes flew open.
No.
She didn't want to deal with her mother.
And she *definitely* didn't want to deal with—
"Are you alright?"
His voice.
*Of course.* Of course it was *him*.
Rina didn't turn around immediately. She stared ahead, into the candlelit corridor stretching like a tunnel of silence before her.
"I'm fine," she said stiffly, not looking over her shoulder.
More footsteps. He was closer now, but still respectful—always, somehow, careful not to intrude *too* much. Like a shadow that only approached when invited.
"I didn't mean to I embarrassed you," Jin said quietly. "That wasn't my intention."
She finally turned her head. He was about a few steps away, hands relaxed at his sides, expression unreadable. His shirt was still torn open, and she tried very hard *not* to let her eyes drift toward the gleam of sweat along his collarbone.
"You didn't embarrass me," she said.
"Then why did you leave?"
She paused. "Because I needed air."
Jin's lips twitched slightly at the corners—not quite a smirk, not quite a smile.
Rina folded her arms, defensive now. "You smile too much, you know that?"
He blinked, then tilted his head. "Does it bother you?"
"It doesn't feel real."
At that, something flickered across his eyes. A shadow, a quiet shift in the red.
"Real is a difficult thing to be," he said.
They stood in silence again, the corridor holding their breaths for them.
"Why are you really here?" Rina asked suddenly, her voice low.
"You mean in this hallway?"
She narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean."
Jin didn't answer right away. He stepped closer, slow and smooth like a cat. He stopped only when he stood a breath away—close enough that she could feel his warmth, but not close enough to call it *intimate*.
Then, softly, he said, "Because I wanted to see you."
Her heart skipped.
"I wanted to know what kind of girl I'm supposedly promised to," he continued. "And now… I think I'm starting to understand."
She met his gaze, searching for the lie—but it wasn't there. Or maybe it was so well-hidden, she couldn't see it.
"You act like you're being polite," she said slowly, "but you're not. You're testing people. Playing with them. Watching what they do."
His red eyes didn't blink. "And what have I done to you?"
Rina hesitated. "You made me leave."
At that, Jin's expression softened, and for the first time, his smile changed.
Not into something broader—but into something *sad*.
"I don't want you to run from me, Rina."
Her breath caught.
Before she could speak, he turned away and took a step back, creating a polite distance between them again.
"You don't have to like me," he said. "You don't even have to understand me. But you will stand beside me. The sooner we both accept that, the easier this will be."
"You make it sound like a threat."
"No," he said gently. "It's just the truth."
Then, with that same haunting calm, Jin turned to walk back toward the room. As he passed by her, his shoulder nearly brushed hers, but he made sure not to touch her.
And as he disappeared down the corridor, his last words drifted behind him like the whisper of a blade:
*"You're stronger than you think, Rina. But you already know that, don't you?"*
..............
Heat: Thank you very much for reading. Support me with an energy stone if you liked the chapter.
Note: The name Amberhart means = heart of embers. ❤️🔥