Chapter 30: Warming Silence
Maria looked at Silas, visibly befuddled—her golden eyes wide with curiosity as she tried to make sense of his sudden action and the unexpected request to accompany her. They had only just met in passing, nothing more than strangers, and she only knew him through the rumors that buzzed through the academy like static in the air.
"Uhhh... while I don't mind at all," she said slowly, her tone tinged with hesitation, yet open.
She blinked once, then twice, tilting her head just slightly, like a puzzled bird. Her eyes never left his, and when she spoke again, her voice softened into something almost coaxing, oozing with a delicate care and subtle concern that caught him slightly off guard.
"Can I ask why?"
She had fully turned to face him now, hands relaxed at her sides, her expression gentle but inquisitive—like someone trying to read a book written in a foreign language.
Silas hesitated for a heartbeat, his mind scrambling for an excuse. He couldn't just say the truth—that he was lonely, disoriented, and using her as an anchor. It sounded too pathetic, even to himself. He knew Maria's personality from the game well enough to trust she wasn't malicious, but... still. Vulnerability was a currency he couldn't afford to spend carelessly.
"Just... bored, I guess?"
He forced the words out as he lowered his arms, shrugging slightly to sell the casual lie.
Maria let out a soft sigh, her expression shifting again. Her golden pupils locked with his, calm and unblinking, and a small, knowing smile curled at the corners of her lips. There was something oddly maternal in the way she looked at him—gentle, warm, understanding—even though she was noticeably shorter than him, a figure dwarfed in height but not in presence.
"I obviously don't believe you," she said, tilting her head just a little more with a playful smirk, "but it doesn't sound like you mean anything bad by it."
"So why not?"
She turned halfway, then paused again, as if weighing her words.