Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 27: The Ashbourne Heir

Elara:

"How long are you planning to stand there and watch me?" I asked without looking back, and received complete silence in response.

For a moment, I almost wondered whether I’d imagined someone entering the greenhouse. The sound had been so faint that perhaps it had simply been one of the branches shifting in the wind outside. I pondered whether I should turn around and look.

Then, after what felt like ten long seconds, a calm male voice finally broke the quiet. "How did you know I was here?" His tone wasn’t accusing. If anything, it sounded genuinely curious. "And I thought," he continued, "you didn’t have any magic."

So... it was a man.

I brushed a few loose leaves from the rose bush before answering without turning around. "I may have my eyes fixed on these plants here..." I carefully snipped another dried branch. "...but the rest of my senses still work perfectly." I tapped the side of my ear with one finger as I revealed. "You stepped on a dry twig when you came in and it snapped."

There was that silence again as if he stood there studying me.

Before I coukd stop myself, I corrected the second part of what he’d said. "And it’s not that I don’t have magic." I reached for another stem. "My magic is sealed. There’s a difference."

Satisfied with the rose bush, I lowered the gardening scissors before finally turning around. And the words I had been about to say disappeared. Standing several meters away was a young man with long black hair tied neatly behind his head and striking green eyes that watched me with quiet interest.

Esmeray Ashbourne.

For a brief second, I simply stared. Not because I didn’t recognize him. But because I did.

Over the past few days, I’d somehow managed to receive... rather memorable introductions to Reign Valemont, Kairo Greymark, and Alaric Ravenshade. Only one member of their infamous group had remained - House Ashbourne’s heir. Which meant, the man standing before me had to be Esmeray.

My gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than I’d intended.

Great.

Another ridiculously handsome man.

At this point, I was beginning to suspect physical attractiveness was some sort of admission requirement for becoming a future Regent. It honestly felt unfair.

Did every heir in this world have to look like they belonged on the cover of a luxury magazine?

Unlike Reign’s overwhelming confidence, or Kairo’s teasing smiles, or Alaric’s obvious enjoyment whenever someone became the target of his spells, Esmeray felt... different. He seemed quiet and reserved, and there was a calmness about him that strangely reminded me of Lorien.

But after everything that had happened these past few days, I wasn’t foolish enough to lower my guard simply because someone appeared gentle. Appearances clearly meant very little in Starfall. If there was one lesson I’d already learned, it was exactly that.

Realizing I wasn’t going to figure out his intentions by simply staring at him, I turned back toward the roses and picked up my pruning scissors again.

"So..." I clipped another dried stem. "What are you doing here?"

I expected him to answer immediately. Instead, he slowly began walking deeper into the greenhouse and stopped beside a long wooden table covered in pots overflowing with medicinal herbs. Only then did he speak.

"I could ask you the same question."

I frowned slightly. But before I could respond, he continued.

"I have always taken care of this greenhouse." His green eyes swept across the rows of flowers. "Every herb, every tree, every flower, and every plant growing here... is because of me."

I looked around thoughtfully. Then back at him. "You forgot the weeds." The words escaped before I could stop them.

Esmeray blinked. And for a second, he seemed genuinely caught off guard. His eyes slowly wandered toward the countless weeds spreading between several neglected flower beds.

"...I suppose..." He glanced back at me. "...I did."

For one awkward second, neither of us spoke. Then the corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly. It wasn’t a grin, not even a proper smile, but almost like an illusion of a smile.

And somehow without meaning to, I felt my own lips trying to mirror the expression. But before that could happen, I quickly looked away before he noticed and returned my full attention to trimming another rose bush.

Absolutely not.

I wasn’t about to start smiling because one of Reign’s friends happened to possess an actual sense of humor.

The greenhouse fell quiet again. Surprisingly... it wasn’t uncomfortable but felt peaceful. The only sounds were the occasional snip of my scissors, the rustle of leaves, and birds singing somewhere beyond the enchanted glass ceiling.

Across from me, Esmeray quietly began tending to one of the herb beds, removing damaged leaves before carefully loosening the soil around their roots.

Watching him from the corner of my eye, I realized he handled every plant with remarkable care, almost affectionately. He didn’t rush, didn’t simply complete the task, but genuinely seemed to enjoy it.

Maybe this really was his greenhouse.

Several peaceful minutes passed before he finally broke the silence. "You still haven’t answered my question."

I looked up.

"What you are doing here?" He repeated while gently replanting a young herb before brushing the dirt from his hands.

His question made me recall exactly how I ended up in this place, and just thinking about it had a quiet sigh escaping my lips. I placed the scissors down beside the flower bed and straightened slowly. I watched Esmeray work, pondering on how much I wanted to share with this complete stranger.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned on telling anyone about what had happened between Professor Fenrith and me. I barely knew Esmeray, and considering he was one of Reign’s closest friends, I probably shouldn’t have trusted him either.

But then again... who else did I have to talk to? Crazy would probably tell me I deserved it before insulting me for another ten minutes, and every other person in this academy either feared me, hated me, or wanted something from me. At least this quiet man had listened instead of showing me the same attitude as others. Even if he had some hidden motive, I couldn’t really see any harm in telling him. Besides... if I didn’t let some of this frustration out soon, I was afraid I’d end up taking it out on these innocent plants.

So with another soft sigh, I finally answered, "I suppose... you could blame Professor Fenrith."