Chapter 333. Give Me a Moment to Gather My Rage

Olivia, who happened to be passing through the courtyard at that exact moment, paused mid-stride.

Her keen eyes swept across the tableau: Kaela in the throes of an existential crisis, Lia wearing the smug grin of a conqueror, Catherine radiating serene amusement, and William looking as though he wished the earth would simply open up and swallow him whole.

She took in the chaos with a single, measured glance, shook her head with obvious amusement, and continued walking without uttering a single word. Her silence spoke volumes: the situation was beyond help, and she had no desire to become part of the wreckage.

Kaela, left alone in the epicenter of the revelation, sat frozen for several heartbeats. Her brain seemed to be firing off sparks like a damaged magical artifact, unable to process the sheer volume of new information.

Finally, the dam broke, and she began firing off questions in a rapid-fire barrage, her voice climbing in pitch with every syllable.

"Okay, fine. Fine! But how long?" Kaela demanded, turning her manic gaze toward the group. "How long has this actually been going on?"

"Is this some recent development, or has this entire... this entire arrangement been happening under my nose this whole time?"

"Instructor Wade!" She grabbed the front of his tunic, though not violently, more like a drowning person grasping for driftwood. "Were you seeing both of them at once this entire time?!"

"Did nobody, not one single person in this entire circle, think to mention that you were playing both sides of the field?"

Her hands released him as she spun toward Catherine, desperation etched into every line of her face. "And vice headmaster, please, I need some sanity here."

"Are you actually fine with this? Genuinely fine? This isn’t some noble sacrifice you’re making out of politeness or duty, is it?"

Catherine let out a soft, melodic laugh that only served to infuriate Kaela further.

"I am genuinely, completely fine with it, Kaela," she said, her voice warm and utterly sincere. "In fact, I encouraged it."

"I care about both of them very much, and seeing them happy brings me peace."

"Why should that be a problem?"

Kaela recoiled as if struck, pressing both palms against her temples as though trying to physically prevent her skull from splitting open.

"That is deeply strange to me," she muttered, her eyes squeezing shut. "But also... somehow makes complete sense the more I think about it. Which is terrifying."

"That is terrifying." She opened one eye to glare at William. "Instructor Wade, say something. Anything. For the love of all that is holy, speak!"

"You’ve just been sitting there looking like someone caught you stealing sacred relics from the temple kitchens."

William cleared his throat roughly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he finally forced his vocal cords to function. "Well..."

"It... it happened somewhat gradually," he managed, his voice still strained with embarrassment. "And it only became official recently."

"I promise you, Kaela, it wasn’t some elaborate, malicious secret kept from you specifically to undermine you."

"It felt pretty secret from where I’m sitting," Kaela snapped, crossing her arms defensively.

"Well, you were busy," Lia interjected, unable to resist twisting the knife just one last time.

She leaned forward, her eyes dancing with triumph. "You were so consumed with competing against me over literally every minor detail of existence that you failed to notice the most significant developments in your own social circle."

"You were hunting monsters while we were making history."

A sound escaped Kaela that was somewhere between a sob and a growl. With a dramatic groan of pure, unadulterated defeat, she flopped backward onto the grass.

She splayed her limbs out, staring up at the blue sky with an expression of theatrical, soul-crushing despair. "This entire world has stopped making sense."

"I win a duel, and somehow that’s less shocking than this."

"Nothing is real. Nothing matters. None of this makes sense anymore."

"To be fair," Ellie offered from the sidelines, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, "you didn’t technically win a duel today."

"That was Lia."

Kaela didn’t even turn her head. "I was speaking generally about my life achievements, Ellie! This is not the time for tactical corrections!"

"It felt like a very specific time to bring it up," Ellie teased, letting out another hiccuping giggle.

"Everything feels like the wrong time," Kaela whispered to the clouds, her voice hollow with defeat, "when your entire understanding of reality has just collapsed into a pile of burnt bread and complicated relationships."

The dam finally broke. The tension that had been coiled like a spring throughout the confrontation snapped as the entire group erupted into genuine, unrestrained laughter.

It was an infectious cascade of giggles from Ellie, a deep chuckle from Catherine, and even William finally letting out a shaky, relieved breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Kaela lay there amidst the chaos, her chest heaving. She wanted to maintain her posture of righteous indignation; she wanted to storm off in a cloud of dramatic fury.

But as she looked at their faces—the genuine warmth in Catherine’s eyes, the smug but fond expression on Lia’s—she felt her defenses crumbling.

Despite the grumbling that continued to bubble in her throat, a small, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, betraying her attempt at anger.

"Fine," she said eventually, sitting up with a long, resigned sigh that seemed to deflate her entire body. "Fine. Congratulations, I suppose."

"Both of you. All three of you."

"Whatever this... complicated, terrifying, nonsensical thing is."

"Thank you," Lia said, grinning widely.

She looked thoroughly satisfied, like a predator who had not only caught its prey but had also convinced the prey to enjoy being caught.

"I hate that you got the better reveal than the job announcement," Kaela muttered, rubbing her face with her hands. "That was supposed to be the big news of the day."

"I know," Lia replied smoothly, tilting her head. "That was precisely the point."

Kaela froze. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Lia, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with an ominous snap.

"You planned this... You planned this entire conversation, didn’t you? The job announcement wasn’t the main event. It was bait."

Lia blinked innocently, though the sparkle in her eyes suggested otherwise. "I have absolutely no idea what you’re implying, Kaela."

"Don’t you ’no idea’ me! You absolutely planned this ambush!" Kaela pointed an accusatory finger. "You waited until we were all relaxed, waited until I was already off balance from the job news, and then you dropped this bomb just to watch me squirm!"

"I suppose we’ll never know for certain," Lia said serenely, crossing her arms with perfect composure.

"You insufferable—!" Kaela grabbed a fistful of grass and flung it at Lia’s face with all the force she could muster.

Lia ducked with practiced ease, the grass scattering harmlessly, which only triggered another round of laughter from the gathered group.

Defeated by both truth and teasing, Kaela flopped back down into the grass. She stared up at the sky as the afternoon light began to soften, casting long, amber shadows across the courtyard.

Her expression was one of profound, theatrical betrayal.

"You know what the worst part is?" Kaela asked the sky, her voice carrying a note of genuine exasperation. "I’m actually happy for you. Genuinely."

"And that makes losing this argument so much worse, because I can’t even be properly mad about it."

"My brain is literally refusing to process anger."

Lia leaned over slightly, peering down at her with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"You could always try being mad about it anyway, just for practice," she offered. "For old times’ sake."

Kaela closed her eyes, letting out one last dramatic groan. "I’m considering it."

"Just... give me a moment to gather my rage."

"I need to summon the energy to be properly offended."

"Take your time," Lia said softly, a smile playing on her lips as she settled in to watch the sunset with her friends.