Chapter 87: ⁸⁷: shirts...

I was finally able to move my hands. I slowly rubbed my wrists, trying to ease the soreness that had settled there before sinking onto the huge bed, completely exhausted.

I felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from me.

When I finally looked up, Kael was already fully dressed. He gave me one last glance before turning around and walking out of the room without saying a single word.

I immediately sat up, staring after him in disbelief. Why was he behaving so coldly? Had I done something? Or was there something going on inside his head that I simply didn’t understand?

I lowered my gaze, fidgeting with my fingers as I tried to make sense of his strange behavior. But after a few moments, I shook my head.

Why was I even thinking about it so much?

Whatever existed between Kael and me had always been defined by an agreement. He wasn’t obligated to stay beside me afterward, nor was he required to show me any kind of care.

"I should get a shower," I murmured, glancing down at myself. I didn’t even want to look at the state I was in for much longer.

I quickly got up and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. For a few minutes, I simply stood beneath the shower, allowing the warm water to wash over me while I kept my head bowed and my eyes closed. My mind, however, refused to quiet down.

After finally finishing my shower, I stepped in front of the enormous mirror in the bathroom and looked at my reflection. That was when I remembered something important.

I hadn’t brought my clothes into the bedroom. All my belongings were still lying downstairs in the living room where I’d left them after arriving.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. I glanced at myself again before sighing.

"You’ve come so far, Athena." The words escaped me quietly as my eyes moved over the marks of tonight all over me.

My gaze then moved towards my abdomen and I sighed before carefully removing the covers protecting my wounds and placed them on the sink. I would need to clean and treat them again after getting my things.

"Just a little more, Athena." My expression softened as I remembered what grandmother had asked me for."you will know all the things you have to find out."

I then shook my head, deciding to not think about that right now.

My fingers moved instinctively toward the wound on my front. The moment I touched it, a faint sting shot through me, making me wince.

My brows furrowed. "Why does this keep hurting whenever I do anything strenuous?" I stared at the wound for a few seconds, when another thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"But when I’m with Kael..." I stopped. "Why hadn’t I noticed the pain then? Was it because I had been too distracted with him around to pay attention to my injuries? Or was there another reason?"

My gaze slowly lifted toward the mirror. It landed on the purple mark on my neck. I shook my head, deciding I was thinking far too much about something that probably had a perfectly simple explanation.

I grabbed the towel lying beside me and wrapped it securely around myself before stepping out of the bathroom.

The moment I opened the door of my room, I glanced around. For the first time since arriving at the villa, I actually took a moment to look at my surroundings.

The place was surprisingly neat and cozy.

It wasn’t an enormous mansion like the main Dreven estate, but everything about it still screamed luxury. From the sparkling marble floors to the elegant furniture and the enormous windows overlooking the garden outside, there was no doubt whose property this was.

Kael wouldn’t exactly own some shabby little house in the middle of nowhere.

I descended the staircase, keeping one hand on the railing while the towel remained wrapped tightly around me.

My eyes immediately landed on my two suitcases. They were exactly where I had left them earlier. I quickly crossed the room and grabbed both handles, then turned toward the stairs.

That was when I stopped. My gaze instinctively swept across the living room wondering if Kael.was still here or had he already left. He wasn’t anywhere, he had really just left.

I looked toward the dining table. The dishes and glasses we had left there earlier were gone. The table had been wiped clean, everything arranged neatly as if nobody had eaten there at all.

My brows furrowed. Had Kael cleaned it?

I stared at the spotless table for a few seconds before shaking my head. Why was I even wondering about something so insignificant?

I tightened my grip around the suitcase handles. "Whatever," I muttered. I had more important things to worry about.

I had to hurry upstairs with my luggage, change into fresh clothes, dress my wounds properly and finally collapsed onto the bed to get a good sleep to be able to go to the Academy tomorrow.

.....

"Ugh... where is this light coming from?" I groaned and pulled the quilt over my head. The brightness was irritatingly strong.

The window in my room at the packhouse faced west. There was no way sunlight could be pouring into the room this early.

I frowned beneath the blanket before suddenly sitting upright. My eyes widened. This wasn’t the packhouse. For a moment, I simply stared around the unfamiliar room.

Then reality came rushing back. The villa....Kael’s villa.

"Oh." I rubbed my face and reached for my phone from the nightstand. My eyes widened again when I saw the time.

8:00 a.m.

"What?!" I practically jumped out of bed. I had slept far later than usual. Last night’s exhaustion must have completely knocked me out.

I hurried into the bathroom, washed up and got dressed as quickly as I could. Kael had torn my one uniform shirt yesterday, thankfully I had two.

I rushed downstairs, already mentally calculating how much time I had left.

And then I remembered something important. I stopped halfway down the staircase. I would have to make breakfast myself.

"Great." I sighed and descended the remaining steps, already wondering what I could make quickly.

But before I could even reach the kitchen, something on the dining table caught my attention.

There was a parcel sitting there. I frowned...That definitely hadn’t been there last night.

I walked over and picked it up. "What is this?" I opened it and my eyes immediately widened.

"My uniform shirts?" There were several freshly packed shirts inside, neatly folded. I stared at them for a moment before noticing something else beside the parcel.

Food....A proper breakfast, still packed neatly. I blinked. "Food too?" I looked around the empty room and there was nobody.

I looked back at the parcel and looked around in it to see if there was anything else when a card fell from it.