Chapter 50: It Belongs To Me.
Ethan felt his entire body go rigid.
They had found it.
For one terrifying second, he was certain they had somehow discovered Aster’s book, and despite all his efforts to keep his expression under control, his heart was pounding so violently that he was almost convinced everyone in the room could hear it.
Ronan immediately walked over to the man who had called his attention, his expression hardening as he looked down at whatever had been discovered.
"What did you find?"
The man held up a small box, examining it carefully before answering. "This was hidden among his belongings, sir. The box is sealed shut, and we couldn’t open it. It looks as though something might be inside."
Ethan’s stomach dropped.
The box.
Of course they would find the damn box and it had the book inside.
Ronan reached out, apparently intending to examine it himself, but the moment his fingers brushed against its the lock he was zapped.
"Ah!"
Ronan immediately pulled his hand back, his expression darkening as he glared at the box before turning his suspicious gaze towards Ethan.
"What exactly is this?"
Ethan stared at him with what he hoped looked like genuine confusion. "How would I know?"
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Why wouldn’t you?" Ethan snapped, trying desperately not to let the panic building inside him show. "The thing is sealed shut. You just tried opening it yourself and got shocked, so how exactly do you expect me to know what’s inside?"
Ronan’s eyes narrowed.
Ethan quickly shrugged, forcing himself to look as unconcerned as possible. "Maybe it was left behind by the previous occupant of the room."
"The dormitory is newly constructed," Ronan immediately countered. "There was no previous occupant."
Ethan shrugged again. "Then I don’t know what to tell you."
He kept his expression deliberately blank, but inwardly, his mind was racing.
What the hell had happened to the book?
Ever since he had first obtained the box and somehow managed to open it, the seal had never returned. He had been able to open it casually whenever he needed Aster’s book, without any restrictions, so why had it suddenly become sealed again today?
And that wasn’t even the strangest part.
Ethan stared at the box more closely as Ronan held it, his eyes narrowing when he noticed something that made his confusion deepen.
The inscriptions were gone.
The strange markings that had once covered the box, the ones connected to Aster and the mysterious book inside, had completely disappeared.
The box looked ordinary now.
Plain.
Almost as though it had never contained anything special in it in the first place.
Ethan blinked several times.
Was his mind playing tricks on him?
Had he imagined those inscriptions all this time?
No. He was certain they had been there before.
What in the world was happening? He was confused but then again he wasn’t complaining since thankfully it was working in his favor.
Ronan clearly wasn’t buying his explanation, however, because his expression remained suspicious as he turned the box over in his hands.
"Fine," he finally said. "If you don’t know what it is, then I’ll take it with me and have it investigated."
Ethan’s heart nearly stopped.
"What?"
Ronan looked at him calmly. "You heard me. Since the object appears suspicious and you claim you know nothing about it, there is no reason for you to keep it."
Ethan’s mind went completely blank for a moment.
No.
Absolutely not.
Aster’s book was practically his only chance of surviving in this academy, and now Ronan wanted to take it away from him.
He couldn’t let that happen.
But how the hell was he supposed to stop the principal from taking it without making it painfully obvious that the box actually belonged to him?
Ethan opened his mouth, desperately searching for an excuse, but before he could say anything, a familiar voice suddenly drifted into the room.
"Principal, I didn’t know my staying in this school would result in my room being searched and destroyed the moment I stepped out."
Everyone turned and their eyes landed on Zane.
He stood casually leaning on the door his expression calm despite the complete mess the room had been turned into.
When Ronan saw him, his expression immediately changed.
"Lord Valcrest—"
"Zane," Zane corrected smoothly, rolling his eyes "Again? I told you, it’s Zane."
Ronan immediately nodded. "Yes, of course. My apologies."
He glanced around the room before quickly explaining, "This isn’t what it looks like. We only searched Ethan’s side of the room. We didn’t touch your belongings. We wouldn’t dare!"
Zane slowly raised an eyebrow.
"Ethan’s side?" He glanced around at the room that had practically been turned upside down before looking back at Ronan. "So the part of the room that your men just rummaged through, overturned and searched thoroughly is his side?"
Ronan’s expression tightened.
Zane’s gaze then moved towards the box in Ronan’s hand. "And that box belongs to him?"
Ethan stared at Zane.
What? Where was Zane going with this?
Zane casually nodded towards the box. "Well no. The part of the room you just searched is mine and the box belongs to me."
Ethan’s jaw nearly dropped.
This man was lying. He was lying so smoothly that Ethan almost wanted to applaud him.
That was his book. And Zane had just casually claimed it as his own without even blinking.
But why?
Why was Zane even helping him?
Ronan looked genuinely troubled.
He knew.
Ethan could tell from the way the principal’s expression tightened that Ronan knew Zane was lying, or at least strongly suspected it. But that was precisely the problem for Ronan. He couldn’t exactly accuse Zane of lying, especially when Zane was someone powerful enough that he had to treat with obvious caution.
"My apologies," Ronan finally said, forcing his expression back into something respectful. "I wasn’t aware that the box belonged to you."
Zane gave him an easy carefully plastered smile. "Now you are."
Ronan’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
The man was clearly furious, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Zane then turned his attention towards Ethan, studying him for a moment before looking back at Ronan. "So why exactly were you searching Ethan’s room?"
Ronan’s eyes flickered toward Ethan. It’s because Ethan is currently under investigation."
Zane’s brow rose. "Why is that?"
"Because of the incident involving Drey."
Ethan remained silent, watching the exchange carefully.
Zane tilted his head as he smiled "An innocent boy like Ethan is being investigated?"
Ronan let out a short scoff. "Innocent?There’s no way Ethan is innocent."
Zane’s expression changed.
It was subtle, but enough to make Ronan pause.
The playful amusement in Zane’s crimson eyes disappeared for a brief moment, replaced by something colder.
Ronan immediately cleared his throat. "Well, he’s under investigation because he, despite being a low-rank Guide, somehow managed to guide Drey, an S-Class, while he was in the middle of a rampage. How is that even possible?"