"Don't say it, Miss Everheart… Don't say we can't be together."

"Liam, you know I'm your teacher. The world… it wouldn't understand what we have. The school board, the parents… they'd call it a scandal."

"Since when is truth a scandal? What we feel… It's the most real assignment I've ever been given. You're not just teaching me literature, you're teaching my heart how to beat."

Munch—! Munch—!

"My job is to grade your papers, Liam. Not to be the subject of your… youthful infatuation."

"It's not infatuation! It's destiny! When you analyze Shakespeare's sonnets, I don't hear poetry. I hear you… explaining the blueprint of us."

"So cringe."

Aurelia's brows pinched in a thin line as the words spilled from the television screen, hearing the corny dialogue.

Her hand dug back into the large bowl of popcorn beside her, scooping another fistful. She shoved it in her mouth, puffing her cheeks like a squirrel as she chewed.

Munch—! Munch—!

Her bright blue eyes stayed glued to the television.

'What kind of trash was this?'

A love story between a teacher and her student. A Forbidden Love. It was ridiculous.

And yet… she kept watching.

There was something about the world on the show that drew her in.

A place with no mana and no magic. Just fragile humans living in a peaceful world, building their lives around technology instead of spells and cores.

Without mana in the air, their lives were so short, with an average life expectancy of seventy-five years.

That was it.

To Aurelia, who lived in a world where mana and rank extended life for centuries, this place looked like a glass sphere. It felt so fragile and delicate, like it was always one crack away from shattering.

The show followed Liam, an eighteen-year-old boy hopelessly in love with his thirty-year-old, unmarried, beautiful teacher, Miss Everheart.

A total of a twelve-year age gap. In Liam's world, it was a scandal; something whispered and frowned upon due to their shorter life expectancies.

In Aeveroth, age gaps weren't such a big deal; people lived so long that it barely mattered to them.

But a teacher and student? That was a thick line, even they wouldn't dare to cross it.

The thought alone made her chuckle under her breath.

Munch....

She tossed more popcorn in her mouth.

Honestly, she wasn't watching this because she liked it. It was just… something to pass the time. Entertainment, that was all. Maybe the unusual setup had hooked her a little.

But the dialogue...

"You're just a boy! You have your whole life ahead of you! You'll go to university and meet a nice girl your own age…"

"I don't want a 'nice girl.' I want the woman who makes me feel like every class is a lifetime and every lifetime is too short without her. Age is just a number, Miss Everheart. But my love for you? That's a constant. Like gravity."

Aurelia gagged dramatically, leaning forward on the couch.

"My god, who writes this? The dialogues feel so cringe."

Her stomach twisted as she heard those dialogues; it was so corny that it almost felt like secondhand embarrassment. Yet she couldn't stop watching.

Two hours had passed, two whole hours of this nonsense.

'Why am I still here?'

She wondered, glaring at the screen like it owed her an answer.

Realistically speaking, could something like this even happen?

A student marrying a teacher? In this world, even when huge age gaps were accepted, that bond… it just didn't make sense.

It was just so unrealistic.

"There's no way a teacher and student can fall in love with each other."

She muttered, shaking her head as she reached back into the bowl for another popcorn scoop, only for her fingers to scrape against the cold bottom.

She blinked and looked down.

The bowl was empty.

"When did I eat this much?"

Click—!

The sudden sound of the front door unlocking jolted through the quiet living room.

Aurelia's shoulders stiffened as her eyes darted around the couch.

The remote.

Where was the damn remote?

If Kyle walked in right now and saw her watching this garbage… she'd never hear the end of it, he'd tease her every single day. Every single second. She could already imagine that stupid smirk of his.

Her heart raced as panic twisted in her chest, and the door opened wider.

"I AM HERE!"

The words rang out in a cheerful sing-song tone, followed by a light chuckle that carried from the front door.

Aurelia nearly sagged in relief. Thank the heavens, it wasn't Kyle.

As full of energy as always, a figure stepped into the living room, her long pink hair swaying behind her.

Aurelia's mood dropped like a stone.

"Why are you here?"

She asked flatly. She didn't even try to hide her annoyance.

She had planned a quiet day for herself. A day of rest, no responsibilities, no disturbances.

A rare holiday where she could do absolutely nothing but relax.

But peace, it seemed, wasn't meant for her.

Disturbanc—Seraphina gasped loudly and clutched her chest as if Aurelia's words were an arrow straight through her heart.

"You wound me with those words, Auri. Can't I check on my besti?"

"Haa…"

Aurelia sighed heavily, giving up on the battle before it even began.

There was no winning against Seraphina; arguing with her was like hitting your head against a wall, the wall didn't budge, and you only ended up with a headache.

"Fine. Come take a seat."

Seraphina's expression instantly brightened, her smile blooming again as she practically bounced over to the couch.

Finally, Aurelia spotted the remote wedged deep between the cushions. She snatched it up and pressed pause, stopping the drama on the screen.

Seraphina plopped onto the couch, her skirt fluttering slightly as she leaned forward. Her pink eyes immediately caught the word written in the bottom corner of the paused screen.

Romance was written there in bold letters.

Her lips twitched, and her expression threatened to break into laughter. She glanced sideways at Aurelia, who was already glaring at her defensively.

"A romance drama really?"

Seraphina teased her voice laced with amusement.

Aurelia's face didn't change, but her silence said enough.

Seraphina knew her too well. They had been friends since they were twelve. She knew every little quirk, every habit, every mask Aurelia wore.

And one secret she guarded most carefully—

Romance dramas.

She might act like she was above it all, cold and untouchable, but secretly? She was a romance enthusiast.

Seraphina's grin widened as her pink eyes sparkled with mischief. Even Kyle didn't know this side of Aurelia. If he ever found out…

Seraphina couldn't even imagine the look on his face; he'd never let Aurelia live it down.

That was why Aurelia hadn't rushed to turn the TV off when she recognized Seraphina's voice. At least with her, the damage wasn't as fatal.

Still, Seraphina couldn't resist.

Her gaze softened as it drifted over Aurelia. She was dressed casually, in an oversized dark T-shirt and shorts. The shirt hung loosely on her slim frame, falling past her hips like a dress.

Seraphina tilted her head.

"Did you steal Kyle's T-shirt again?"

Aurelia froze.

"Kuheem… Kuheem…"

She coughed awkwardly, turning her head away, avoiding Seraphina's intense gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

But Seraphina wasn't fooled; her eyes lingered on the shirt, recognizing it immediately.

A strange ache tugged at her chest.

Jealousy.

'I also want to wear Kyle's clothes.'

An uninvited thought came into her mind before she could stop, and her face instantly turned red.

She shook her head furiously, chasing it away. What was she even thinking?

Trying to distract herself, she asked,

"By the way, where is Kyle?"

She craned her neck as she glanced toward the kitchen as if he might suddenly appear holding a tray of drinks.

Aurelia's voice was casual, but there was a faint edge of pride when she replied.

"Oh, Kyle? He's not here. Vice Principal Seris herself took him and Cedric as her disciples. He's training with her now."

Seraphina's lips parted in surprise.

"Oh, that's… that's a great opportunity for him to learn."

But Aurelia didn't miss the subtle shift in her friend's expression. The tiny drop of her shoulders. The smile that dimmed, just for a heartbeat.

Was that a disappointment?

But why was she disappointed?

'Was that because Kyle wasn't here?'

Her mind spun. Now that she thought about it, the two of them were… awfully close. Closer than she had realized.

Her eyes slowly widened, a sudden, dreadful realization dawning on her. It felt like solving an ancient mystery that had been staring at her all along.

Her gaze flicked toward the paused television screen. Liam and Miss Everheart are frozen mid-scene, locked in their scandalous forbidden Romance.

Then her eyes flicked back to Seraphina.

Her pupils shrank.

A horrifying image flashed in her mind: Kyle stood before Seraphina, spouting those unbearably cheesy, cringe-filled lines.

Her expression darkened instantly. Shadows fell across her face as a sharp, cold aura radiated from her.

"I don't approve of this...."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Hm?"

"I don't approve of this marriage…"

"Marriage?"

Aurelia's eyes narrowed, and she clenched her jaw.

"I DON'T APPROVE OF THIS!"

She suddenly snapped as her voice thundered through the room.

"You can't marry Kyle yet. He's too young."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Seraphina's body stiffened, her face flooding with color. The blush climbed her cheeks, blooming all the way to her ears, and painted her skin in the deepest shade of red.

Her mouth opened and closed, opened again like a fish gasping for breath, but no words came out.

Her mind was blank, spinning too fast to catch a thought.

"I'm warning you, Seraphina. If you let him say even one of those cringy drama lines to you, I'll personally drag you away from him."

Her expression hardened even more.

Seraphina finally stammered, voice trembling,

"W-What wh-what... WHAT ARE YOU SAYING YOU IDIOT!"

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