Chapter 264 Apology

[Raven Larkspur POV.]

Exiting Ren's room, I left him to prepare for the day. The image of his shirtless physique lingered in my mind, leaving me flustered and unable to shake off the embarrassment.

How does someone even achieve such chiseled perfection? It felt as though there wasn't an ounce of fat on him, just pure, lean muscle. I mentally shook my head, my face heating up at the thought.

Descending the stairs, I noticed the other students casting sideways glances at me. No one apart from Mrs. Penny had engaged in conversation with me. Nevertheless, it was somewhat comforting knowing Ren now occupied the dorm we once shared, even if it was Adam's former room.

There was a sense of shared space due to that arrangement.

"Hey there, girl! Met the guy?" Mrs. Penny chimed in cheerfully as she set down food at the table where other juniors had congregated. It brought back memories of my own first year.

I nodded in response, surveying the room before addressing Mrs. Penny, "Can I ask you something?"

Arching an eyebrow, she replied, "Sure, but it better be about that pretty boy upstairs." She chuckled, eliciting a huff from a scrawny guy seated to the left of the dining table.

"How's Ren in his daily life? Like, what does he do when he's in the dorm?" I questioned.

"Hmm... nothing," she answered. "The boy is quite the type. He never leaves his room after four in the evening—there's not a single noise till dinner time. Sometimes he takes his food back to his room to eat. I've tried stopping him, but he seems like the type that doesn't want to listen if it's not..."

"In his benefit or heart," I completed her sentence for her and immediately regretted it.

Mrs. Penny stopped and looked at me, then began chuckling quietly to herself, nodding as if she had understood something.

"W-wha-what?" I stuttered.

"Haha, nothing, girl. You should be attentive about your own changes," she spoke to herself.

I sighed. It's always been like this with Mrs. Penny; she's always been quite odd to talk to, at least for me.

Glancing towards the stairs, it seemed Ren still had plenty of time before getting ready. I left the dorm and headed towards the second-year dormitories.

A few minutes later, I returned to my dorm and found everyone there.

Adam was holding two large trunks, Vexa had a single small suitcase and a satin bag, and Cecelia wasn't around—she might have been with the scumbag first prince, which made me feel sorry for her.

Elsa stood next to Amelia, while Helga stood a bit farther away than usual from Adam. The loss in the match had definitely taken a toll on her.

"Raven!" Helga waved enthusiastically as she spotted me. I smiled back and walked towards them. Adam noticed me and asked worriedly, "Where have you been? I thought I wouldn't be able to see you before leaving."

"Oh, I went to meet Ren," I stated bluntly.

There was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere.

I don't know why, but last night, I had a strange feeling that Ren would visit me. It was odd to think that, but for some reason, I expected him to come so we could spend some time together before he left. However, he didn't show up, and instead, I found myself sitting alone by the window as morning arrived.

Stepping out immediately, I stood in front of his dorm. Thank goodness I did; he was still asleep. Didn't he know everyone would be upset if he was late?

"Listen, Raven," Adam sighed, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I know you became friends with that guy after we left the academy. You might have felt lonely, but do you think he's a good guy to be around?"

Ren... being a good guy?

I don't know why, but I never thought Ren was or would ever be a good person. That much was evident. But...

"He's not a bad guy at all," I explained, perhaps weirdly. "He's not weird in any sense. Rather, he's weirdly normal—"

"That 'weirdly normal' guy put Helga in the infirmary bed for the past three days," Adam's jaw clenched with irritation.

"So did Mary to me and Cecelia. You don't see a problem with that?" I retorted.

Silence took over after I said that—I messed up. I didn't even know why I said something like that. What did it matter? My injuries weren't even close to what Helga and Cecelia had suffered.

For the last few days, I felt a lump in my throat whenever I was around Adam and his friends...my friends, I mean. Nobody ever said anything to Mary for what she did, but the moment Ren... Ren, I mean, did it, he suddenly had a problem with it.

Tud*

The trunks in Adam's hands fell as he bowed his head deeply, surprising me. "I am sorry for what Mary did to you and for not mentioning it to you at all. I am sorry," his voice was sincere.

I stood there, stunned by Adam's unexpected apology. It felt strange yet strangely comforting.

"It's... alright," I stammered, feeling a mix of emotions. "I mean, I understand. It's not like you could have controlled what Mary did."

Adam slowly lifted his head, his expression a mix of remorse and gratitude. "Thank you for understanding, Raven."

Elsa, who had been silently observing, stepped forward. "Hey, let's not linger on this. We've got the Gambit ahead of us, and we need to focus on that."

Amelia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Let's stay positive and make the most out of this opportunity."

"Where's Mary though?" I asked, not holding anything against her. It's just that there's a small part of me that feels like she might not like me.

"In her room. She said she'd be there and come before we leave," answered Elsa.

I still remembered she said the same things Adam did, but for some reason, her intensity made me doubt her words. The gossip about Ren from girls, the professors' occasional jokes about him—it all made him seem like an ideal bad student.

But then, I've seen another side, a kind of controlled madness. When I compared that to what I witnessed in the ring against Helga... Match seemed mild....not in techniques or fight but...just intensity.

I followed everyone as we began towards the academy grounds- I just hope that Ren isn't that last one to arrive.