Chapter 98: Shade’s Stand
Pierre’s forehead creased in confusion. "What makes you say that?"
"Because she doesn’t improve when she’s with you," Shade stated bluntly, his smirk widening, a mischievous gleam in his dark eyes.
Eirin’s eyes widened in alarm, a gasp catching in her throat. Pierre’s mouth hung open in disbelief, his fork clattering against his plate. "What makes you say that? She’s been showing marked improvement!"
"Because she’s been—"
"No!" Eirin cut Shade off sharply, her face flushing with embarrassment, flustered by what he was about to reveal, by the intimate nature of her private training with him. "I’m just..." The hesitation was clear in Eirin’s voice as she glanced at Shade. Once she saw his unrepentant smirk, the triumph in his eyes, she knew there was no way out but to be honest.
Eirin sighed, a sound of resignation, her shoulders slumping. "Shade’s been helping me with my training," she admitted, her voice soft, almost a mumble.
Coleen’s mouth now hung open in genuine shock, a mirror of Pierre’s earlier expression. Trix, ever quick to react, immediately closed Coleen’s mouth with his hand, his eyes gleaming with amused interest as he gazed at the two, a silent question in his gaze.
"And he’s been able to help me improve... quite a lot," Eirin continued, her voice softer now, almost pleading, justifying her decision. "That’s why I was thinking if I could just train with him for now...?"
Shade’s laughter, a rare and startling sound, suddenly filled the room. It was a genuine, unrestrained peal of mirth that left Eirin with her eyes wide open, dumbfounded, as were everyone else in the room. It wasn’t a cynical laugh, or a teasing one, but a pure, unadulterated burst of joy.
Trix, who had been watching the two with such amusement in his eyes, was now left dumbfounded himself. He couldn’t even speak, his jaw slack, as he watched his long-time friend laugh like there was no tomorrow, a sight he had rarely, if ever, witnessed. Shade Cromwell, the perpetually sullen, angry Shade Cromwell, was laughing.