Chapter 42: An Unexpected Roommate!
After conducting another thorough examination and asking him countless questions regarding his condition, they finally concluded that his recovery had progressed well enough for him to leave.
Before discharging him, they handed him a small container of medicinal ointment.
"Apply this twice a day."
"It’ll help the remaining scars fade."
"And don’t forget to return to the infirmary one week from now for another check-up."
Ethan thanked everyone sincerely before leaving the infirmary.
His first stop was naturally the dormitory office. After explaining the unfortunate incident involving accidentally locking himself out during the monster attack, the front desk staff quickly issued him a replacement key card.
Problem solved.
Finally...
After what felt like forever...
He was going back to his room. Just thinking about lying down on his own bed again made him feel like crying tears of joy.
He had only taken a few more steps before arriving outside his room. Just as he reached for the door...
He froze.
Voices.
There were voices coming from inside.
His expression immediately stiffened.
Someone...
Someone was inside his room.
His first thought was the academy. Had Principal Ronan finally decided to search his room?
Or worse...
A burglar?
His eyes rapidly swept across the corridor before settling on a wooden mop leaning against the wall.
Without hesitation, he grabbed it. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ethan tightened his grip around the door handle before quietly inserting the keycard.
Beep.
The door unlocked.
He slowly pushed it open.
"Who the hell is in my—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
Ethan’s eyes widened until they were almost comically round as his entire brain froze on the spot.
Standing inside his room...
Was the unmistakable figure of an incredibly well built man.
A very, very naked man.
Ethan’s eyes remained completely frozen
For one dangerously long moment, his brain simply... stopped working.
His eyes unwillingly traveled over the man’s broad shoulders before slowly descending to the powerful chest that looked as though it had been sculpted by the gods themselves. Every defined muscle stood out beneath smooth skin.
Then they were tattoos.
Dark intricate markings curled around his left arm before stretching across his shoulder, climbing over his chest and disappearing beneath the collarbone. More of those mysterious markings continued upward, wrapping around the right side of his neck in elegant yet dangerous patterns that somehow suited the man perfectly.
His golden hair was still damp, tiny droplets of water slipping lazily down his collarbone, framing a perfectly looking face, while those striking crimson eyes watched him with unmistakable amusement.
Then...
His gaze drifted lower.
Far lower than it should have.
The towel hung ridiculously low around the man’s hips, exposing an amount of firm skin that Ethan was absolutely certain should have been illegal. It looked as though the slightest movement would send the towel surrendering completely.
His entire body stiffened.
Right...
He definitely hadn’t meant to stare that long.
A lazy chuckle suddenly echoed through the room. "You know..." the stranger drawled, folding his arms across his chest as an amused smile tugged at his lips. "Barging into someone’s room and openly staring at them while they’re practically naked isn’t exactly what I’d call a good first impression."
Ethan immediately tore his gaze away so quickly that his neck almost hurt.
His ears burned.
Then the man’s smile deepened into something even more shameless. "But..." he continued teasingly, "...if you enjoyed the view that much, I honestly wouldn’t mind stripping the rest away for you."
Ethan nearly choked.
Who...
Who the hell said things like that with a straight face?
He swallowed hard before forcing himself to look literally anywhere else.
That was when he finally noticed the other two people standing several meters away.
A tall man with dark hair stood quietly beside the window, his expression cold and unreadable. His sharp features barely moved, yet the pressure surrounding him made Ethan instinctively straighten his back. Beside him stood a woman with fiery red hair tied into a high ponytail, her equally cold gaze fixed directly on Ethan as though she were evaluating whether he deserved to continue breathing.
Neither of them looked welcoming.
In fact...
Both of them looked ready to bury him.
Ethan’s guard instantly shot up.
And again...
What kind of lunatic casually stood half naked in front of people?
But that wasn’t the biggest issue here. His gaze returned to the blond man.
"...Your room?" Ethan repeated in disbelief. His voice rose another octave. "Your room? Since when did I suddenly have a roommate? Last time I checked this room was assigned to me! And I’m very sure you saw all my belongings when you came in, so what exactly are you doing inside my room?"
The blond man calmly studied Ethan from head to toe before a slow smirk spread across his handsome face.
"Relax, pretty boy."
The nickname rolled off his tongue so naturally that Ethan almost questioned whether he’d heard correctly. Was this maniac nicknaming him?
He leaned casually against the wall as though they weren’t discussing something important at all. "If this room belonged to you before and it was also assigned to me..." he shrugged effortlessly, "...then I suppose we’re roommates now."
Although..." he added thoughtfully, scratching the back of his neck, "I was originally supposed to receive a private room."
His crimson eyes flickered with curiosity. "I’ll look into it later. If the academy made a mistake, then I’ll peacefully remove myself from both your room and your life."
His smile widened.
"But if they didn’t..."
He spread his hands dramatically.
"Congratulations. You now officially have a roommate."
Almost simultaneously, the previously silent pair finally spoke.
"My Lord, you can’t have a roommate."
"That’s impossible. You cannot have a roommate."
The words overlapped almost perfectly.
The blond man’s playful expression disappeared in an instant.
Without saying a single word, he merely turned his head and looked at them.
Just one look.
Yet the atmosphere inside the room changed completely.
The carefree, shameless man Ethan had been talking to only seconds ago suddenly felt like an entirely different person.
Adrien and Riley immediately lowered their heads.
"...Our apologies, my Lord."
The pressure vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. It was as though nothing had happened.
The blond man smiled again, becoming the same shameless person Ethan had first met.
Ethan frowned.
Deeply.
Who exactly...
Were these people?
Every single thing about them screamed that they were anything but ordinary.
And why had that terrifying pressure disappeared so naturally?
And more importantly...
What kind of weird shit had he somehow gotten himself involved in this time? He pointed toward the two silent figures.
"...Who are they?" His expression became increasingly suspicious. "Don’t tell me if we’re roommates, they also live here."
The blond man casually picked up his bed from the chair and slipped it on without the slightest embarrassment. He glanced briefly toward the pair before looking back at Ethan.
"Them?"
"Oh."
"They’re my friends."
He answered so casually that it almost sounded insulting.
"And no."
"They won’t be staying here."
Adrien and Riley both stared at him in complete disbelief.
Friends?
One of them was his most trusted subordinate.
The other was the strategist who had remained by his side for years.
Yet...
Their Lord had just casually reduced them to...
Friends?
The urge to protest almost escaped both of them.
Unfortunately...
The single warning look Zane sent their way immediately buried every complaint before it could leave their mouths.
Satisfied, Zane dusted off his sleeves before speaking again.
"Alright."
"You two."
"Give us some privacy."
"Hah?"
Riley’s eyes widened.
"Privacy? Zane, you’ve completely lost your mind."
Adrien’s expression darkened even further.
"My Lord—"
One glance.
Just one.
Both immediately surrendered.
"...We’ll wait outside."
The pair shot Ethan one final look.
Adrien merely observed him silently.
Riley, however...
She looked ready to skin him alive simply for existing inside the same room as Zane.
Ethan subconsciously shivered.
Right...
Making enemies with terrifying-looking people definitely wasn’t on today’s schedule.
He cleared his throat awkwardly after the door finally clicked shut behind them.
The room instantly became quieter.
His gaze returned to the blond stranger.
"Okay..."
"So who exactly are you?"
"What’s your name?"
"I’m certain I’ve never seen you anywhere around the academy before."
The blond man shrugged.
"I’m Zane."
"You haven’t seen me because..."
"I just transferred here."
He folded his arms before smiling lazily.
"Now."
"Back to you."
"Who are you?"
Ethan rolled his eyes.
What kind of explanation was that?
This man carried himself like someone born with authority, yet his introduction sounded as casual as someone introducing themselves at a grocery store.
"Well..."
"My name is Ethan."
"Ethan Ashford."
For the very first time since they’d met...
The amusement disappeared entirely from Zane’s face.
His crimson eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they locked onto Ethan.
"...Ethan Ashford?"
He repeated the name slowly.
"As in..."
"My cousin’s ex-fiancé?"
"The boy who broke up with my cousin?"