Chapter 28: The Puppet’s Strings
The dimly lit history classroom hummed with the monotonous drone of Professor Eldrin’s lecture. Ashen slumped in the back row, his head pillowed on folded arms. Beside him, Sasha Whitehall sat rigidly straight, her quill scratching perfect notes across parchment.
[System: You do realize this is "Great Betrayals in Magical History"? Might be relevant for a professional backstabber like you.]
Ashen ignored the jab, letting his eyelids droop shut.
An hour later, he stirred to find the professor still rambling. The clock taunted him - another sixty minutes of this torture. His gaze slid to Sasha, noticing how her knuckles whitened around her quill.
[System: Bored already? Try not to corrupt the honor student too much.]
Leaning in, Ashen dropped his voice to a murmur. "Hey Sasha. Did you know Eren stalks you?"
The quill snapped in her grip, ink splattering across pristine notes.
"W-What?!"
[System: Oh this should be good.]
Ashen smirked. "Didn’t think someone like him would understand real love, huh? Always ranting about how ’women should know their place.’ That his perfect wife would be an obedient puppet, even if he walked the wrong path." He tilted his head. "Guess you changed him. Or... maybe you’re that puppet he wanted."
Sasha’s expression frosted over. "I don’t care about him. I know exactly what he’s like - that’s why I’d rather die than be bound to him."