Chapter 5: A Sorry Won't Heal the Scars

Chapter 5: A Sorry Won’t Heal the Scars

AU ELITES, a group that consists of the ten richest and most powerful families in the whole Stoneheart Kingdom.  

The ten families are the ones sponsoring scholarships to everyone who wanted to study, especially magic, but couldn’t enroll in any school because of financial problems. That is also the reason why never in her life she thought of fighting back or revenging even after everything that the bullies, especially the student council members, did to her. Although she is not capable, at least she never thought of harming them because of her gratefulness. Thinking that way makes her feel like an ingrate.

However, this scene is quite unexpected. Why is the school's third prince extending his hand and offering it as if he is ready to support her to stand? What the heck is happening?

Crostelia was dumbfounded and stared at the hand that was reaching out for a few minutes without moving or doing anything besides from breathing and staring intently at the fair hands of the man that looked as if it was from a woman. His hand looks so smooth as if it never experienced any roughness. His fingers look clean, neat and thin like they were a few white candles she could definitely see lit at a church at the back.

Because of that unexpected action, noise started to rise from the onlookers as if a swarm of bees disturbed in their house. Everyone who is present talked to their friends beside them and criticized the young lady about her ungratefulness towards their prince—especially the women who crazily admired Liev.

However, Crostelia heard none of them as she was busy assessing despite the fear inside her heart: should she accept his hand or not?

If she accepted it, everyone would get mad at her for being closer to their prince. If she did not accept it, she thought everyone would become even madder at her because: who is she to reject a member of Au Elites? Who is she to decline the great Liev’s offer?

She is nothing but a loser. Whatever choice she would choose, she would still end up gathering hate anyway so she should just choose the one that would bring a smile to her lips.

“Uh… Thank you,” she said with her head down as she accepted Liev’s hand that immediately pulled her up to stand.

Like the first time they met, the guy covered her body with his jacket again. However, this time, the difference is, she is now aware and could see the things around her. She wanted to give the jacket back because of her piling up fear and embarrassment but she immediately shut up when the guy whispered something to her ear.

"Don't. Your upper uniform is wet," he said to her that she didn’t immediately understand.

She was already wet so why wouldn’t he take his jacket back before she could ruin it with the liquid that they threw to her?

Crostelia roamed her eyes around in expectation to understand whatever Liev was saying.

Her questions immediately flew away when she saw what he was talking about.

Her eyes widened as soon as her sight looked down and saw the state that she is currently in. Her white blouse is soaked in red that it is already sticking to the bare parts of her skin. An unintentional gasp escaped from her mouth as her face lost all its color because of shock. Things do not look good. Her undergarments are already seen through!

She didn't want the same thing that happened during the first time she saw the twins again to be repeated so she swallowed her embarrassment towards Liev as she properly wore his jacket before she zipped the zipper up to the neckline so that no part of her wet upper body would be shown.

"So, care to tell us what happened?" she heard Liev said that made her raise her head.

With a bright smile, Emily answered, "Nothing serious. She just tripped.” 

Emily spoke sweetly though behind it was a dangerous threat hiding directed to her.

Crostelia flinched and gulped in fear after seeing her smile. 

She is really beautiful but terrifying at the same time. If only she was as good as she looks, then maybe they could have been friends.

Crostelia nodded in the end just so that the incident could finally finish. Aside from that, she couldn’t find any words to refute anymore especially when Willowy protruded her sharpened eyes to her. 

Well, it wasn’t like a Liev MacQuoid would believe her after telling the truth. That is just too impossible. It is his sister that she is opposing so it is really an impossible dream. After all, blood is thicker than water, right?

After hearing her reply, Willowy and Emily smiled wider.

Maybe they were thinking about how pathetic she was, she thought.

On the other side, Liev could only shake his head in shock? Disappointment? Amazement? He didn't exactly know what it was though he felt it when the victim concealed the truth. 

He was there the whole time it was happening. They were behind the other students so they knew everything but she chose to hide it instead of telling him. Well, his sister is really scary so he thought, maybe she was scared of her?

"Did she really just fall by herself?" 

Chase interrupted the princesses’ joyful victory by asking again about the incident. His lips twitched in a playful smirk while playing two small balls in his right hand by rotating them slowly with his slender fingers.

Crostelia raised her head in bewilderment. What are they doing? Are they here to use her again as their toy?!

"Or maybe… You pushed her?" Hunter added before he pushed his glasses up until the frames reached his nasal bridge using his left middle finger. 

Emily lost the color of her face that made her smile look so sour. On the other hand, Willowy only maintained her calm expression with a smile that got even brighter.

"We didn't. Why would we push her, right? It’s not like, we have any motives, do we?" Willowy said as she expressed her usual saint-like smile.

The twins shrugged their shoulders. Only those girls knew the truth about that. Did they really not have any motives when the weakest person in the school that was often labeled as useless is still the prettiest among any of the students including those who are in the student council? Any insecure girl wouldn’t like that and the best examples of the word insecure are them.

"Excuse us," Willowy said as she quickly grabbed her dumbstruck friend's arm to pull them together out of the place that is currently suffocating them.

"Are you really alright?" Hunter asked suspiciously after the two left, which also made Crostelia suspicious.

Why would he ask her about her being?

She forced a smile as she replied.

"Y-Yes.”

"What would you like to eat, then? We'll buy it for you," Chase added, which shocked the whole people at the cafeteria.

Crostelia took a step back in fear that the twins might be planning to do something to her again but Chase only smirked.

"Don't worry. We're not playing with our favorite playmate today,” Chase said, which added more suspicion to Crostelia.

If that is not it then what is it?

"In fact, we're here to apologize for everything we've done. We're really sorry," Hunter said.

“I’m sorry too,” Chase said. Then, the two bowed at her.

Did she hear things right? The twins did really apologize after bullying her for such a long time? What did they plan this time? This is so out of the blue.

"I-It’s fine," she replied with trembling lips and shaking voice.

She was just too afraid that her response would anger them.

"What do you want to eat? We’ll get it for you!” Chase said with enthusiasm that made her jaw drop.

She fell silent as she thought. Can’t they read the room? Can’t they see her acting like a scaredy cat? How could they act normally as if they had never done anything wrong to her? How can they smile carefreely and treat her as if they were friends?

Sure, what they offered was very enticing as she could make a Mugnoson serve her after all the hardships they made her go through. But she never wished to disappear in the world! Based on the heat she was feeling from behind, many pairs of eyes are currently shooting daggers at her—probably the fan girls of the three guys around her.

Aside from that, she is still afraid to be in the same place with the twins that is why it just looks so impossible to eat together with them. Even though her crush was with them, she could still not fight her fear whenever she would see a sight of them. All of the things they did to her in the past was very traumatizing in the first place so how could she just act as if they are best buddies after just an apology that she is not even sure if it was sincere?

"S-Sorry. I-I just suddenly remembered. T-There’s still something I need to do,” she said while her eyes kept glancing around.

"Where are you going?" Hunter asked.

"In the l-library. Please let me go first," she replied while fidgeting her fingers as she immediately ran away.

"What is she going to do in the library during lunch break?" Chase asked with a creased forehead while staring at the figure of the girl who is running away as if a scared rat.

"Maybe she would eat because she went to the library," Hunter replied with sarcasm that made his brother pout his lips. 

"I told you already before. Things won't work immediately. Just think this through, you've bullied her for I don't know how long. Of course, she'll be uncomfortable around you. That won't be immediately erased just after you said sorry," Liev said while shaking his head before lining up to order for his lunch.

SHE DID it! She managed to escape that den of lions. She managed to survive without receiving scratches. They didn't also embarrass her. Maybe she was just too paranoid because of her past but there is still something that up until now doesn’t sit right to her. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was though.

Now, what would she do? She is not hungry yet. Maybe she should just make what she said earlier as an alibi, that was obviously a lie, to become a reality?