CHAPTER 123: TAMRYN LOST HER COOL

{Elira}

~**^**~

The woman’s sharp eyes flicked toward me, assessing. For a moment I feared she hadn’t heard, but then her expression softened slightly.

"You must be Shaw."

I nodded.

"Two minutes ago," she said briskly, brushing her hands on her apron. "The Professor himself called and said you are no longer assigned to kitchen duty."

Relief loosened the knot in my chest. "Thank you for confirming," I murmured.

I hesitated, then added, "But... my friends are still here, helping. We are to leave together"

The woman tilted her head, studying me for a beat before her lips twitched with the faintest ghost of a smile.

"Fine. Stay here." She waved toward a stool against the wall. "I will call them out."

I murmured my thanks and stepped aside, perching on the stool. My backpack rested against my knees as I let out a long unguarded breath.

A minute later, laughter and familiar voices floated through the kitchen. Then Nari appeared first, strands of hair escaping her ponytail, followed closely by Cambria, Juniper, and Tamryn.

Their faces lit with surprise when they spotted me waiting.

"Elira?" Nari blinked, then frowned. "You are still in uniform? And carrying your backpack?"

Cambria frowned a bit. "Did something happen?"

I stood, nerves fluttering in my chest. "Professor Zenon... lifted my punishment. I don’t have to work in the kitchen anymore."

Juniper’s brows shot up. "Already?"

Tamryn gave a short, knowing hum. "So he summoned you for that."

Nari’s eyes went wide, then she groaned dramatically. "Ugh! So we got stuck chopping onions while you were being rescued by the scariest professor in ESA!"

Despite myself, I laughed softly. "I’m sorry."

Nari pointed a mock-threatening finger at me, but her smile gave her away. "You owe us a big explanation."

---

We left the kitchen together, the cool evening air greeting us as we stepped back into the quieter halls of ESA.

The weight that had sat heavy on me all day was finally gone, and yet, my friends’ curious glances told me the questions were just beginning.

Nari wasted no time. "Okay, spill. How in the Moon’s name did Professor Zenon of all people swoop in and rescue you? That man doesn’t even smile at puppies."

Cambria shot her a look, though her eyes were warm with curiosity too. "Nari’s right, Elira. It’s not like him to interfere in Student Council matters. What exactly happened in that office?"

I slowed my steps, then sighed, clutching the strap of my bag. They weren’t going to let it go unless I told them something.

"He asked why I was exhausted in class today. I had no choice but to tell him the truth—that I was serving punishment for the Student Council."

Juniper’s brows furrowed. "And?"

"And," I continued carefully, "he picked up the phone right in front of me and told someone to summon Princess Kaelis to his office."

Their eyes widened almost in unison.

"He made her sit down," I said, my voice low, almost in awe even now. "And he told her to her face that the punishment was void. That the Council had no right to publicly humiliate me or assign work when I’d already complied. He said if they ever tried it again... he would have them replaced."

For a second, silence reigned. Then Nari let out a shriek of delight so loud it echoed down the hall.

"YES! Finally someone knocked that smug princess off her throne!"

Cambria covered her mouth to hide a laugh, but her eyes sparkled. "I can’t believe he confronted Kaelis directly. That’s... incredible."

Juniper actually smirked, a rare thing. "I wish I’d been there. Just to see the look on her face when he put her in her place."

That image sent Nari into a fit of giggles. "Kaelis probably looked like a cat dunked in cold water! Oh, Elira, you lucky, lucky girl—I would have paid good money to see that."

Their laughter rose, echoing through the corridor. Even Tamryn, usually so quiet, allowed the corners of her lips to curve in a rare smile.

I hadn’t realized I was laughing too until my cheeks ached. The sound burst out of me, bubbling past the tension I’d carried for several hours.

The memory of Kaelis’s glare didn’t sting me anymore instead, it thrilled me.

For the first time since the Council had dragged me into their games, I felt... satisfied.

---

By the time we reached our dorm, the exhaustion of the day caught up to us all at once.

We freshened up quickly, tugging on clean moftis, running combs through our hair.

Nari groaned dramatically as she flopped onto her bed before standing up again.

"I feel like I’ve lived three days in one," she muttered, yawning so wide her jaw cracked.

Juniper rubbed her eyes and tied her hair back. "That’s because we all woke up at dawn. I swear, if I see another potato, I will scream."

Cambria chuckled softly. "At least it’s over."

We left together, yawns following us down the hall, but by the time we entered the cafeteria, the sight that greeted us revived us a little.

Dinner smelled divine—roasted meats, buttered bread, steaming bowls of stew.

Nari’s eyes lit up instantly. "Now this is a reward. A proper feast to crown our victory day!"

We all burst into laughter, shoulders shaking as we grabbed trays and fell in line. I couldn’t help smiling as Nari hummed happily, piling food onto her plate like she hadn’t just spent hours chopping onions.

When we finally carried our trays to our usual table, a few heads turned. Glances lingered. Whispers spread like smoke across the cafeteria.

Normally, it was Nari who would snap first. But tonight, to my shock, it was Tamryn.

She slammed her tray onto the table, her eyes sharp as steel. "What are you all staring at?" she barked, her voice carrying enough force to silence half the room.

The whispers faltered.

"Mind your business," she continued coldly, her fists curling at her sides. "Unless, of course, you wouldd like a taste of my iron knuckles. I’d be proud to serve a suspension after breaking your jaws."

The two girls sitting nearest flinched, grabbed their trays, and scuttled away without a word.

Silence followed. For a moment, no one in the cafeteria dared glance our way again.

Nari leaned over the table, chuckling into her hand. "Easy, Tamryn. You are supposed to scare them, not kill them."

Tamryn sat down smoothly, as though she hadn’t just threatened half the cafeteria into silence.

I blinked at her, my fork halfway to my mouth. It wasn’t like Tamryn at all—she was usually calm, precise, unshaken. But tonight, her composure had cracked, and the edge of something raw and fierce slipped through.

It unsettled me... and yet, in a strange way, it warmed me too.

Because maybe, just maybe, this meant I wasn’t the only one who had grown tired of keeping quiet.

---

By the time we finished dinner, the exhaustion we’d been holding back crept over us again, heavier with every step toward the dormitory.

Once inside, the room filled with the the thump of drawers being opened as everyone gathered their books for evening study.

Juniper stifled a yawn so big her eyes watered. Nari wasn’t any better—she dropped her notebook on her desk and groaned.

"Ugh... we are really going to the study hall? I swear, if I sit too long, I will fall asleep right on the desk."

Cambria adjusted the strap of her satchel, her expression calm but her lips tugged into the faintest smile. "Then I will wake you. Don’t worry."

I shook my head fondly as I rummaged through my drawer. My hand brushed over the hidden stash of chocolate bars I’d been saving, and I grabbed several handfuls.

Turning back, I held them out to the others. "Here," I said. "If anything can keep us awake, it’s sugar."

Their faces lit with surprise.

"Thank you, Elira," Nari said, already tearing one open.

Juniper accepted hers with a muttered "thanks" before biting into it like it was her lifeline.

Even Tamryn raised a brow and accepted the chocolate with a quiet nod of gratitude.

Their little thanks eased something in my chest. I let out a sigh of relief, glad I’d thought to share them.

Books in hand, chocolate bars tucked between fingers and notebooks, we left the dorm together, our footsteps echoing softly down the corridor.

Juniper leaned her head back dramatically as we walked. "I can’t wait until we’re back here again. Straight to bed. I will sleep like the dead."

That earned a round of laughter.

But it was Tamryn who spoke up next, her voice steadier, carrying its usual calm weight. "It won’t be long. Study hours always pass in a blur if you let them."

Something about the certainty in her tone made me smile. Despite the heaviness in our limbs, her words lifted us, turning the slow walk to the study hall into something bearable.