Chapter 45
Charis
As soon as I saw Darian filling the bathroom doorway, I immediately averted my gaze, looking away from him as if my life depended on it.
Had he figured me out? Was that why he was here?
Peter immediately straightened up and leaned away from me, turning toward Darian with a bright smile spreading across his face. He bowed slightly.
“Your highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Prince Darian p>
Darian didn’t even acknowledge his gesture. His gaze instead flitted between the two of us, taking in the scene. His dark eyes lingered on my trembling form before settling on Peter.
“What are you doing?” Darian asked, staring at Peter pointedly.
“Nothing of concern, Prince,” Peter replied smoothly. “I was just confirming something with Eamon. Nothing serious p>
Darian didn’t respond immediately. His eyes flitted to me again, before he jerked his chin. “Get lost p>
Peter nodded with that same artificial smile and hastened toward the door. “Of course, Your Highness. My apologies for the intrusion p>
He gave me one final glance and hurried out, closing the door behind him. I made to follow, panic already inching up my throat, anything to get me away from Darian, but his voice stopped me.
“Not you p>
I stopped in my tracks, my entire body going rigid with fear. I didn’t dare look at him. I remained by the sink, head still bowed.
He moved to the sink area, towards the farthest side and began washing his hands. The sound of running water filled the tense silence between us, also providing a perfect cover for my thudding heart. When he finished, he moved to the hand dryer.
After that, I heard him coming towards me, and I pressed myself firmly against the edge of the sink counter, keeping my gaze fixed on the tile.
When he reached me, he chuckled; the sound sent shivers down my spine. “Marcus said you were shy. I didn’t believe him p>
No response from me.
I was hoping the scent of the hand wash would mask my own. Darian, more than anyone, knew my scent.
Suddenly, he extended his hand toward me. I looked up to him for the briefest of seconds—long enough to see his expectant expression-he still didn’t recognise me.
I brushed my hands against his fingertips, clutching them daintily.
“I’m Darian Blackmoor. But you already know that, right p>
I nodded and whispered, “Eamon p>
He chuckled again. “Of course. Marcus won’t shut up about you. You’ve somehow become the darling of this year’s batch. I don’t get it, but…here we are p>
He let go of my hand and stepped back a little, assessing me with casual interest.
“Have you accepted his offer to be your mentor yet p>
Before I could answer, he continued speaking.
“You should, you know. You’d have significant advantages with Marcus as your guide through the academy. He has influence, connections, and resources.” His smile grew wider. “Plus, he really likes you. There’s no future with that Winters boy, and Rhett is half-dead p>
“What?” I raised my head in shock, wondering how Kael and Rhett’s names entered the conversation.
“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” he continued, ignoring my confusion as he sighed and moved back toward the sink, leaning against the counter casually.
“Marcus is going through…something,” he said. “We all know he’s confused about what he wants lately. One minute he’s got a new girl on his arm, next thing he wants you. This might be a phase he’s going through, and apparently, he’s into boys now, and he’s fixated on you specifically p>
I found myself feeling bolder now that there was more distance between us. “But I don’t like boys,” I said quietly.
Darian gave me an amused look. “I saw the video of you kissing, Kael Winters. You don’t have to lie p>
“But p>
“It doesn’t matter,” he cut me short with a dismissive roll of his eyes. “When Marcus wants something, he goes after it until he gets it. He specifically asked me to come here today and convince you to accept his mentorship offer. He’s genuinely worried you might reject him because of the Winter’s boy p>
“I think there’s been a mistake about me and Kael. We’re not like that p>
“I don’t want to know,” he said roughly, coming towards me again. This time, he reached into his jacket pocket to withdraw a small velvet bag and held it toward me.
“There’s money in here,” he explained matter-of-factly. “And a gift. Marcus wanted me to give you these as a gesture of his serious intentions. He hopes you’ll give him a real chance p>
I stared at the velvet pouch in stunned silence and refused to reach for it.
“Take it,” Darian said impatiently. “Don’t make this a big deal p>
Without waiting for me to make up my mind, he pressed the bag into my reluctant hands. Our fingertips grazed for a moment, and I swear, I saw him staring at me with confusion. I quickly yanked my hand back, turning away.
“I’m tired of listening to his constant whining about you. Just say yes and put us all out of our misery p>
He straightened his jacket and started walking toward the bathroom door, then pausing to add over his shoulder. “He’s a good man, despite his recent…experimentation. You would lose much more if you don’t get him to your corner. It was nice talking to you, Eamon p>
He muttered and opened the door.
The moment the door closed behind him, I slid down the wall to sit on the cold tile floor, finally releasing the breath I’d been holding throughout the conversation.
What the hell just happened?
He hadn’t recognised me.
Slater could, but Darian didn’t even look twice, except that brief moment when our hands touched.
In any case, my new identity was still holding strong, but it felt like walking on a tightrope over a pit of knives.
The irony of the situation was overwhelming. My former fiancé—well, still my fiancé, nonetheless, the man I’d fled to escape marrying had just tried to convince me to enter into a relationship with his cousin.
Seeing him again…still made me anxious. Not because of what he said, but because of how easily he acted like I was nothing. Like I was just another student, another tool in his cousin’s obsession.
He didn’t recognise my eyes, the tilt of my jaw, not even my voice, which kept slipping from what I hoped sounded masculine to the feminine version. The fact that Darain thought I was a boy—and Marcus was interested in boys for now—added a layer of confusion I had no idea how to go about.
Was Marcus genuinely attracted to my male person, or was there something else going on?
More concerning now was Peter’s interrupted investigation. Did he find out I was a girl? I knew he wouldn’t give up easily, and now I had to worry about him watching me even more closely.
I opened the pouch. A neat roll of cash was in it, with a charm bracelet that looked like pure diamond.
These were girly gifts.
Sighing, I shoved them back inside the pouch, wondering how my life had become more complicated since I ran away from Crestborne.
I should have just stayed back and married Darian.