Chapter 794: Isolde Thorne (2)
Chapter 794: Isolde Thorne (2)
Isolde waited until they had passed before speaking again."You really must be having a difficult time here," she said.
Liam’s gaze remained forward. "Why?"
"Because you’re a dark mage."
The statement was direct, though her tone stayed calm. There was no pity in it, which made it less irritating than it could have been.
She continued before he answered. "You’ve accomplished things most students here haven’t. Most of your own year certainly haven’t. Some of the third-years haven’t either." Her hazel-green eyes shifted toward him. "I haven’t."
Liam studied her from the corner of his eye.
There it was again. A statement that sounded simple but felt placed. Isolde had not asked him to walk her to her dorm because her shoulder hurt. She had not stretched their conversation because she enjoyed receiving one-word answers. She wanted something, even if that something was only a clearer impression of him.
He had not yet decided whether that made her curious or dangerous.
Possibly both.
"I disagree," Liam said.
"With which part?"
"That I’m having a difficult time."
Isolde looked at him for a moment. "You aren’t?"
"I’m coping fine."
She stared for another second before a soft laugh escaped her. At first it was only a breath of amusement, but it lasted longer than Liam expected. She lowered her head slightly as they walked, smiling to herself as though he had confirmed something she had suspected.
Liam’s eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Nothing."
"You laughed."
"I did."
"Why?"
Isolde’s laughter faded, though the amusement remained in her expression. "You sound just like Percy."
That caught Liam’s attention immediately.
His head turned slightly toward her, his face remaining controlled even as his focus sharpened.
Isolde noticed.
"Percy Granger," she clarified, though she clearly knew clarification was unnecessary. "Recent graduate. Former ranked one. Crescent’s golden prince, depending on who you ask."
Liam said nothing.
Isolde looked ahead again. "He used to say things like that. Not the exact words, but close enough. Whenever someone pointed out that he was carrying too much, dealing with too much, or making things harder than they needed to be, he would say he was managing. Coping fine. Completely in control." Her smile became faintly distant. "He always made it sound like acknowledging difficulty was the same thing as surrendering to it."
Liam listened without appearing to.
"Maybe that’s why he respected you more than he respected me," Isolde continued. "Possibly more than he respected his own sister too."
The statement was light, but not careless.
Liam understood the shape beneath it almost immediately. Something had happened between Isolde and Percy.
Or perhaps nothing had happened, and that was the problem.
There was familiarity in the way she spoke his name, but also distance. No open bitterness. No warmth either. Whatever connection they had shared had left behind enough weight for her to compare Liam to him after only a few minutes of conversation.