Teresa closed her eyes, taking a slow breath to steady herself.

Beside her, Loko hesitated before speaking tentatively.

“Miss… if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”

“Mm.”

Teresa gave a slight nod.

“Bring Shilufei tomorrow. We’ll discuss the election campaign… And from now on, no need to hide your visits to me around her.”

“Wha—”

Loko blinked at Teresa in confusion.

She opened her mouth to ask, then swallowed the words.

Teresa shot her a glance and spoke softly.

“You have every reason to see me. Why hide it? She doesn’t know what we talk about, and the family has no plans to move against her.”

“Just treat her like any other classmate—with a few quirks.”

Loko dipped her head in quiet agreement.

She turned and walked out of the dorm.

Only when the door clicked shut did Teresa spin around, burying her face in the sofa.

A sharp sting hit her nose. Tears welled in her eyes—quickly wiped away by her sleeve.

Somewhere along the way, their bond had shifted—from sharing everything to weaving secrets.

One lie always breeds countless others.

She hid things from Loko… and wasn’t Loko doing the same?

Teresa saw it clearly. Yet pride and guilt kept her silent, letting Loko cling to that fragile, anxious sense of security.

If this continued, would her bond with Loko end up like Haya’s with Eve?

And now—of all times—her father ordered her to send Loko, her most trusted friend, to spy on a stranger… and win Shilufei’s trust.

Every time Teresa recalled Shilufei adjusting Loko’s collar on the first day, gently smoothing her hair—a quiet, intimate gesture—a nameless jealousy twisted deep inside.

Hadn’t her father said the very same words to her?

That night, alone on the living room sofa, Teresa’s shoulders trembled silently.

…

“Back already?”

Shilufei sat in the living room, chin propped in her hand, watching Loko enter. Her gaze drifted to the door.

“Mm. Teresa needed to discuss something with me.”

“Oh?”

Hearing Loko admit it outright, a flicker of surprise flashed in Shilufei’s eyes.

Did she hear right? Loko actually admitted going to see Teresa?

“Eh? But didn’t you say you dislike the York Family? Why visit Teresa?”

Since Loko was being open, Shilufei pressed gently.

“Well…”

Loko scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“It’s about the student council. I mentioned my ideas to Teresa too. She agreed—we’ll finalize the plan tomorrow, all three of us. What do you think, Shilufei?”

“Sure.”

Shilufei nodded.

“But why so late?”

“First time there… got a little lost.”

“So that girl who approached you earlier—Teresa’s aide? You know her?”

“Mm. Her family holds a barony. I’ve seen her at aristocratic gatherings.”

Loko had no reason to hide it. Shilufei would meet these people eventually. Mentioning it now might even seem honest.

“Oh—this weekend’s break. Are you heading home, Shilufei?”

As a boarding school, Traninia Academy granted two days off weekly—but only students from Rickrode or nearby could truly go home. Others just wandered off-campus.

The moment the words left Loko’s mouth, she froze.

Shilufei… didn’t have a home to return to.

Her parents, to protect her, left money and entrusted her to a friend before meeting their fate with resolve.

That was why she came here—to seek revenge.

True to fear, Shilufei’s expression darkened instantly. Though she smoothed her features moments later, her voice turned stiff.

“I… probably won’t go back.”

She stood.

“I’ll rest upstairs. Dinner’s in the kitchen—heat it yourself, Loko.”

“Okay…”

Loko nodded, guilt tightening her throat. She dared not ask further.

Pushing might make Shilufei suspect she’d dug into her past. And honestly—she wasn’t good at comforting people.

Thankfully, dinner was already made. Or she might’ve worried Shilufei slipped something strange into it.

…

Upstairs, Shilufei locked her door, back pressed against the wood, chest heaving.

She’d nearly snapped. Prodding that wound—her most forbidden topic—was almost too much.

But reason won.

Loko couldn’t possibly know the truth. Not even Teresa might.

It was just an innocent question. Loko wasn’t at fault.

A principled person doesn’t take anger out on others.

She sat at her desk, trying to calm herself with textbooks.

Yet Loko’s startled, pitiful expression kept replaying in her mind.

Two hours later, she decided: apologize.

She hurried downstairs.

First floor lights were off. Kitchen empty.

A soft creak from upstairs confirmed Loko was in her room.

Heart pounding, Shilufei rushed up, pushed the door open without knocking—

—and froze.

Loko sat on the bed’s edge, clad only in delicate undergarments.

Her hands fumbled behind her back, unclasping something.

She looked up, eyes wide, staring blankly at the door.

Silence stretched.

Shilufei’s cheeks flushed deep crimson.

Oh no. Now she had *two* things to apologize for.

She slumped against the hallway wall, mind utterly blank.