Chapter 4
Linda heard footsteps quite close by.
She calmly drew the remaining sigils back into her palm and reduced them to ash.
The fire flared briefly, its glow reflected in her eyes. Steady. Detached. Empty of emotion.
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Matthew stepped inside first. He hesitated, then carefully placed a small velvet box on the table, handling it like something fragile.
“Linda,” he said, lowering his voice. “This is for you.”
She didn’t reach for it.
Toney stayed near the doorway, arms folded, watching with thinly veiled contempt.
“You’ve got any idea how much this cost?” he said. “Matthew traded one of his top–tier enchanted relics to some people from Cinnabar Heights to get it. A Fortifying Draught.
“There’s only one out there. It can rebuild your spell circuits, let you use your power again. You won’t be what you used to be, but you won’t be dead weight either.”
In her old life, Matthew had handed her the exact same thing. Less than half a day later, he’d come back for it. She never got the chance to drink it.
Marietta had been training for the Trial Games scheduled a year later. She rushed. She overreached. Her power spiraled out of control and tore through her from the inside, wrecking her foundation.
And the Gilded Core she carried had once belonged to Linda.
That was why Matthew took the Fortifying Draught back.
Back then, it hadn’t stayed in Linda’s possession for even an hour.
A faint, bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Wow. That’s generous. Really. But no. I don’t need it.”
The color drained from Matthew’s face. For an entire year, everything he sent her had come back untouched.
He’d convinced himself she was sulking, throwing a fit, waiting to cool off. Now it was obvious. This wasn’t a phase. It was a line she’d already crossed.
Toney caught it too. His jaw tightened, irritation flashing across his face. “What’s with the attitude, Linda? Who do you think you are, acting like this?
“Do you have any idea how much damage control we’ve had to do this past year because of the mess you made?
“And Matthew most of all. If he hadn’t been covering for Marietta this whole time, do you really think the Barber family would’ve let you walk away breathing?
“You should be thanking us. You don’t get to look at us like we’re the problem.”
Matthew said nothing. He looked at Linda with a mix of hurt and quiet blame, as if she were being childish, as if she were refusing to understand how much she owed them.
Linda let out a soft, humorless laugh. “So I’m the ungrateful one.”
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Chapter 4
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“What else would you call it?” Toney shot back. “You think we’re wrong here? Professor Ferrell made it clear. If you still won’t admit you screwed up, then you stay locked in this place. Forever.”
Linda’s fingers slowly curled against the edge of the table. ‘So the one–year seal was just the beginning, she thought bitterly.
Toney leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping. “Feeling scared yet? If you knew how fear worked, you wouldn’t have pulled that stunt in the first place.
“You should be thanking Marietta. She’s the one who showed mercy. She already spoke to the Professor Ferrell. All you have to do is kneel, admit you were wrong, and mean it. Then you walk out.”
Linda didn’t answer right away. She traced the rim of her cup with slow, deliberate movements, then lifted her gaze to
Matthew.
“Let me ask you something,” she said. “If I take this elixir, are you going to come back later and ask for it again?”
Toney snapped. “Linda, I’m talking to you!”
Matthew frowned, genuinely confused. “Why would I do that? I got it for you. I wouldn’t take it back.”
“Fine,” Linda replied. She picked up the velvet box and put it away.
She stood and headed toward the door.
Neither Matthew nor Toney moved.
Linda stopped, turned back, and looked at them evenly. “So. Aren’t we supposed to do this apology thing?”
Toney stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “You’re serious? What is this, some kind of performance?”
He simply could not bring himself to believe it. Linda was known as the brightest mind Azure Spire had ever produced. Someone like her did not bend easily.
They hadn’t come expecting this. At best, they’d hoped she might crack.
Linda’s eyes flickered with quiet disdain. “You said it yourself. I don’t plan on dying in here. So yeah. I’ll admit it.”
Toney let out a cold laugh. “So that’s all it is. You just want out.”
Linda looked past them, toward the trees beyond the building. “Yeah,” she said, her voice calm. “Freedom’s worth a lot.”
‘But dignity costs even more,’ she added silently. ‘And I’ve already paid enough.”
It was time to go.
She left the grove with Matthew and Toney, the three of them heading toward Marietta’s lakeside residence.
Their presence quickly drew attention. People slowed. Voices dropped. Fingers pointed.
“Isn’t that Linda Barber?”
“That’s her. The one who shattered Marietta’s Gilded Core. No wonder Marietta’s been bedridden for a year.”
“Cruel as hell. Destroying someone’s Core is no different from murder.”
“And she’s still walking around just fine? Why didn’t Coleman kick her out?”
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Chapter 4
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The whispers followed her like shadows.
Matthew leaned closer, his voice low with concern. “Linda, don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
7 think they know exactly what they’re talking about,” Toney said flatly, flicking Linda a sideways glance. “Didn’t she break Marietta’s Gilded Core? That part’s not a lie.”
Linda didn’t react. A year of isolation had sanded her emotions down to something cold and steady. She’d already figured it
OUL
This place was never meant to be her home.
So why waste breath arguing with idiots? she thought.
Marietta’s residence sat on the edge of Misty Lake, a place saturated with water–aligned mana. It used to be Linda’s quarters.
Then, a year ago, Marietta arrived. Exceptional Water Affinity. Fragile body. The elders decided she needed the lake more.
Back then, Linda was still fire–aligned. She gave the place up without a fight.
Looking at it now, I really was too easy to push, Linda thought, a hint of self–mockery in her mind.
“Matthew Marietta ran toward them, skirts flowing, her smile bright and gentle. I heard your voice all the way from the center of the lake.
Matthew’s tense expression finally eased. “How are you feeling lately? Any improvement?”
Toney scoffed. “Wow. You heard him but not me? Guess I’m invisible now.”
Marietta laughed lightly. “I heard both of you. Every word.”
She slipped her arms through theirs and tugged them toward the cottage. “So what did you bring me this time?”
“Completely empty, Matthew said with a smile.
“Oh please, Marietta teased. “You brought concern. That counts for something
Their laughter drifted across the lake, carried by the breeze. It took several seconds before the absence registered.
“Linda” Matthew turned sharply.
Linda hadn’t followed. She stood at the edge of the water, eyes fixed on the cottage at the lake’s center.
The surface rippled. And standing calmly atop the water was another figure.
“Professor Ferrell Shock rippled outward. One by one, everyone nodded.
Everyone except Linda.
She remained standing, lifting her gaze to meet Coleman Ferrell’s.
The pressure in the air thickened, coiling tight around her chest. It took a long moment before she moved at all. Finally, she nodded. “Coleman.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Eyes widened. She had not called him Professor, had not offered any formal respect. She had spoken his name, plain and unfiltered.
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Chapter 4
Coleman’s gaze darkened.
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Inside the cottage, Marietta twisted her fingers together, glancing nervously at the senior figures present. “Actually… there’s no need for an apology. This incident wasn’t entirely Linda’s fault.”
Her father, Boris Barber, slammed his palm against the table.“What do you mean, no apology? Do you have any idea how long it takes to train a Gilded Core?
“And Marietta has a supreme Water Affinity. Even with a replacement Core, she had to take a Transmuting Globule. Do you know what that does long term? Can anyone here guarantee there won’t be consequences?
“If her future growth is compromised, how is the Sanctum supposed to answer for it?”
The room grew suffocatingly still.
Matthew’s face tightened. Even Toney, usually fearless, stayed silent.
The Head Archmage of the High Sanctum of Archmagi finally spoke, voice steady. “There’s no need to escalate this further. Since this occurred under our authority, we will take responsibility for Marietta’s future progression.”
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward Coleman, waiting.
Coleman’s voice broke the silence. “Step forward.”
He didn’t point to anyone in particular, but the weight of his words was undeniable. The pressure in the room was thick, and it was clear–only Linda dared to move forward.
Boris’s lips curled into a mocking grin, his eyes cold with contempt.
Coleman’s gaze sharpened. “Apologize.”
Linda lifted her eyes, expression composed, and looked at Marietta. “I agreed to a sanctioned spar. Every step followed protocol. I don’t see where I crossed a line.”
Marietta’s composure cracked under the attention. “Professor Ferrel, this really isn’t her fault. We arranged the match ourselves. The Core broke because… because I lost control.
“It was my failure. I wasn’t strong enough.”
Boris slammed the table again.
Before anyone could react, a cup shot through the air and struck Linda squarely in the forehead.
Blood spilled down, blurring her right eye.
Coleman’s voice carried a trace of cold amusement. “This time it’s your forehead. Next time, you can choose.”
Linda didn’t wipe the blood away. She lowered her gaze and spoke evenly. “I did nothing wrong. She challenged me. I responded within the rules. Her Core collapsed because her condensation was unstable and fractured on its own.”
Her lips curved faintly. “Don’t try to dump this on me.”
Marietta’s face went white. ‘How… how does she know?‘ she thought, panic rising in her chest.
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Chapter 4
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A sharp inhale rippled through the room. The oppressive atmosphere and Coleman’s darkening expression pushed Matthew forward instinctively.
“Linda,” Matthew called out, his voice sharp.
Linda looked up.
The slap landed hard against her cheek before she could react.
She froze.
Matthew’s voice was icy, each word sharp as a blade. “Linda, don’t try to twist things now. Back in the room, you made it clear. You said you were here to admit you were wrong.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
