Chapter 119: A Sip Of Jealousy
Professor Ana smiled, "That’s what I thought. This potion is perfectly brewed, so it will go to my collection." With that, she moved on to the next group.
During the rest of the class, Ivan remained lost in his thoughts, his gaze distant. When Eve couldn’t keep her curiosity at bay any longer, she raised her hand and gently placed it over his. "Ivan, are you okay?" she asked softly.
He turned his molten red eyes at her, "Hm? Why?"
"You seem a little lost. Is there...anything you want to share?" she asked cautiously, though she could not hide the curiosity in her eyes, and he saw right through it.
"Do you really want to know?" he murmured.
When she nodded like a child, his lips twitched. "But I’m not sure if you’d like to hear about another...woman."
At that, she froze for a moment before furrowing her eyes, "Nice try! You said you were five then. What could a five-year-old possibly do?"
Ivan chuckled softly, drawing the attention of those around them. It was really the first time anyone had heard him chuckle like that, and it was absolutely lethal, mesmerising woman as if a spell had been cast on them.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Damien jumped in, grinning. "Come on, lovebirds, you can argue like children on your way to the next class."
Classes continued like that until lunchtime. Evelyn went with Cece and Edward to collect some notes from one of the professors, while Damien headed to the dining hall with Ivan to wait for them. As they entered the dining hall. Damien went to check the menu, and Ivan made his way to take his usual seat at one of the tables.
When he was alone at the table, with a couple of empty seats around him, he poured himself some blood tea and took a sip. His thoughts drifted back to the glimpse of memory he had seen during potion-making class. He pondered who the woman was; he could only make out the lower half of her face. The woman looked oddly familiar.
Being a pure-blooded vampire, his memories were far sharper than those of other species, which made it all the more perplexing that he couldn’t recall this particular one. He also remembered his father mentioning that he had met Evelyn in the past, but the same issue arose. Every time he tried to recall their meeting, even from childhood, the result was...nothing, like a blank slate.
Lost in his musings, he didn’t realise someone had taken a seat next to him. When he looked up, he was met with the same woman with red hair and light red eyes, smiling at him.
Ivan stared at her with an unreadable expression, and his brows creased faintly with annoyance.
"Your highness," she cooed, tilting her head slightly, "it’s been a while." She fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously and purred, "I saw you sitting alone from far, and I thought...perhaps I could acommp-"
He cut her off with a cold, low voice, "What makes you think I don’t already have company? Or that I need yours?"
Her smile immediately dropped from her face, and she looked around only to find several eyes and ears on them. Some thought that the woman was insane to be playing with fire like this, while other women saw her being desperate and waited for her to be humiliated by the icy prince himself. Though they wished for the woman’s downfall, they waited curiously to see if Prince Ivan was really off the market or did other women still had a chance.
She giggled softly like he had cracked some kind of joke, she said, "Your Highness is always a sharp tongue...Surely you don’t mean that?"
Ivan set his cup down, and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. As attractive as he was, his smile was nothing but that of a cold-blooded man who wouldn’t think twice before ripping her head off her body. "I never waste my words," he said. "So take them as they are." The temperature around him dropped several degrees as he spoke, "Test my patience any longer and you’ll face the consequences."
Leah felt primal fear settle deep within her chest, something she had never felt before. And it wasn’t just her, the students who were watching the show felt a shiver run down their spines and instinctively took a step back. Without another word, Leah scrambled to her feet with her pulse still hammering in her chest.
Just then, Damien approached, having witnessed the entire exchange with an amused expression. Leah was about to leave when she noticed Evelyn entering the dining hall, and a new idea sparked in her mind. If she couldn’t entice Ivan, at least she could create a rift between them.
With that thought alone, she subtly angled her foot against the leg of her chair and stumbled towards Ivan in a dramatic fall, clearly hoping he would catch her.
The entire hall collectively held its breath as they watched the scene unfold.
But Ivan merely shifted slightly back in his chair, his cold eyes moved from the red head woman to the only woman who held his attention at the entrance of the dining hall. Instantly, people noticed the subtle change; his icy gaze softened the moment it fell upon Evelyn.
Leah’s hand caught only air before she fell miserably flat on her face with an ungraceful thud. She stayed on the ground for a moment, too shocked at what had just happened, and it was worsened when Ivan made no attempts to help her up.
Evelyn, on the other hand, was also too stunned to react. Composing herself after a few seconds, she walked elegantly towards Ivan. His intense eyes already locked her, and she slightly narrowed her eyes at him in silent question, ’What was that redhead doing near him in my absence?’ The corner of Ivan’s lips curled up ever so slightly at her questioning eyes.
The stunned group soon gasped before bursting into muffled laughter around the hall as Leah scrambled to rise, her face blotched redder than her hair with her dignity shredded beyond repair.
When Eve reached him, neither of them acknowledged the lying mess on the ground, who quickly straightened and bolted out of the dining hall.
"Done with your work?" Ivan asked as he got up from his seat and offered Eve his hand.
"Yes," she replied softly, placing her hand in his. He guided her to the empty chair beside him and pulled it out for her to sit before taking his own seat. Cece and Edward made their way over to the other side of the table to settle themselves across them. Damien plopped down beside Ivan with a plate of snacks and muttered, "You two really are fly magnets. First, it was Evelyn in the morning, and now you. I swear, peace never lasts when you’re around."
Ivan went back to sipping his tea, but when he felt Eve’s piercing gaze on him. He turned and raised a brow, "Something you want to tell me?"
Clearing her throat, she asked, "Care to explain what happened here?"
He simply replied, "What Damien said."
She sighed softly and began serving herself some lunch from the dishes laid out on the table. The crowd continued to buzz around them, gossiping about what just happened, though the chatter soon faded under the weight of Ivan’s presence.
Cece, who had been quiet, broke her silence, "That woman...I don’t get a very good feeling about her. I sensed a great deal of maliciousness from her..." She glanced towards Eve, "...especially towards you, Evelyn."
Ivan’s eyes darkened. "She can try."
Cece exhaled softly and murmured, "Now that you both are together, I am sure all those crazy ladies who were after you, Ivan, will surely try to target Evelyn now."
Ivan looked at Eve, and when she met his gaze, her eyes flickered golden. "Let them come for me," she said in a calm voice, "I’ll show them who they’re dealing with this time."
With that table trembled lightly, silverware rattling as if the air itself had responded to her words, alerting all three of them, while the other students looked around, thinking if they were being hit by an earthquake.
But this time, instead of stopping her, Ivan’s lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes gleamed with a hint of pride. He leaned closer, brushed his fingers gently along her cheek, and whispered, "Go for it."
Eve, already caught under the spell of his touch, leaned towards him, completely forgetting where they were. Soon, the sound of broken cutlery, chairs toppling with people falling off them, and food splattering sounds echoed in the dining hall, snapping them both out of their reverie.
Cece pressed a hand to her face and sighed, while Edward looked at all the disaster in their wake and muttered under his breath, "Unbelievable."
Damien threw up his hands and exclaimed, "There you go again!"
With that, their day continued.
