Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 78: A Light Afternoon

Elara:

Monday became Tuesday. Tuesday became Wednesday. Wednesday became Thursday.

And somehow, Friday arrived without anything happening.

I almost didn’t know whether to celebrate or worry.

That was probably why I immediately agreed when Violet suggested we go winter shopping after classes. The temperature had dropped considerably, and winter had officially settled over the mountains surrounding the academy. I needed warmer clothes anyway, and after spending an entire week buried in books and magical theory, I could use an afternoon away from the academy.

"There are some amazing shops in town," Violet said as we walked toward the academy gates. "And before you ask, no, we are not going anywhere near that place."

I looked at her.

She gave me a knowing grin as she clarified, "The Greymark’s luxury store."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn’t planning to."

"Good." She hooked her arms through mine and Myra’s. "Because I’m still curious."

"Curious about what?" I pretended to not understand.

Her grin became even wider. "You. Greymark. The fact that he apparently keeps finding you alone in the library. The fact that he teaches you illusion magic. The fact that there’s a history between you two related to his store because of which you specified that you don’t plan on shopping from his store. And the fact that you looked suspiciously flustered the last time I mentioned his name."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did." She challenged.

"I was annoyed." I clarified.

"Of course."

I sighed. "Violet."

"Fine, fine. I won’t interrogate you." She paused for barely two seconds. "Yet."

I laughed despite myself and pulled her toward the town road. This time, I made absolutely certain we wouldn’t accidentally walk into any of the stores connected to Reign or his friends. Violet clearly wanted to know what exactly was going on between Kairo and me, but there was nothing to explain. I wasn’t interested in getting involved with any of those men.

I’d had enough trouble already.

"I just don’t want anything to do with them," I finally told her when she asked again. "That’s all."

Violet studied me for a moment before giving me a small, understanding smile. "Fair enough, Princess."

I groaned only to watch her and Myra laugh.

And together, we continued toward the town, completely unaware that the peaceful week I had been enjoying was about to come to an end.

-

By the time we finished shopping, it was already late in the evening, so Violet suggested dinner at a small diner in town.

I agreed mostly because I was hungry, while Myra seemed happy simply to be included. The diner was warm and crowded, filled with students from the academy and locals from the town, and for a while, it felt strangely normal.

We talked about everything except academy politics, assignments, magic, and the people who had made my first month miserable. It was exactly the kind of evening I needed.

And then, Violet’s attention eventually landed on a handsome man sitting several tables away, and from that moment onward, she just couldn’t stop talking about him.

"He’s been looking at me," she whispered for the third time.

I glanced over. The man was indeed attractive, with dark hair, broad shoulders, and an easy smile. "Then go talk to him."

Violet looked scandalized. "Just like that?"

"Yes. Just like that."

She turned toward Myra. "See? Elara understands."

Myra immediately shook her head. "I don’t think she meant for all of us to do it."

"She absolutely did."

I laughed and pushed her shoulder. "Go. Have fun. You deserve it."

Violet, however, refused to leave without dragging us into the same nonsense. She spent the next twenty minutes trying to convince me and Myra that studying and academy drama were slowly turning us into old women.

"You need to relax," she insisted. "Find someone handsome, flirt a little, forget your problems."

Myra turned bright red at the suggestion, and I simply shook my head. "I’d rather go back to the academy."

Myra immediately raised her hand. "I’ll go with you."

Violet looked between us before sighing dramatically. "Fine. Then I’ll come too."

That was when I realized I had to intervene. I pointed toward the man she had been staring at all evening. "Absolutely not. You are staying."

She blinked. "What?"

"You have been looking at him for an hour. Go talk to him."

"But-"

"No." I stood and grabbed my bag. "We are perfectly capable of getting back ourselves."

It took several minutes of arguing, convincing, and me practically pushing her toward the man’s table before she finally gave in. The last thing I saw before leaving was Violet walking toward him with a confident smile that made the two of us laugh under our breaths.

Myra and I stepped outside a few minutes later. It was only a little past ten, and neither of us wanted to spend money on a cab when the academy was only about twenty minutes away. Besides, the walking path through the woods was one of the prettiest parts of the journey.

Warm lanterns lined the road at regular intervals, their soft golden glow spilling across the stone path while tall trees rose on either side, their branches moving gently in the cold night breeze. The mountains were visible beyond the woods, their dark silhouettes disappearing into the night sky.

I had walked this route a few times the past month, and I loved the peacefulness of it. There was something almost magical about being surrounded by nothing but trees and silence after spending an entire day surrounded by people. Myra walked beside me, talking quietly about the shopping we had done, and for several minutes, everything felt completely normal.

Then my instincts screamed.

I stopped so suddenly that Myra nearly walked into me.

"What happened?" she whispered.

I didn’t answer immediately. My eyes swept across the woods. But there was nothing. No movement. No footsteps. Just trees, shadows, and the occasional rustling of leaves. Yet every instinct I’d developed over years of protecting myself told me we weren’t alone.