“Oh,” Noah batted his long lashes at him and nervously tucked a strand of that long curly hair behind an ear, “Hi. Are you having lunch?”
“I haven’t yet,” Sila tipped his head suggestively, “Why? Want to get some with me?”
From the corner of his eye checked to make sure Bay was still standing there, internally preening when he saw that he was. This whole show was for the professor, after all. It’d be tediously annoying if the man had left before Sila could get to the good parts.
He’d flirt with the freshman and see if it made Bay jealous, then give it a couple of days, maybe a week. Bay taught two freshmen classes, and Sila knew for a fact that Noah was in one of them. If Noah wasn’t called into his office in that timeframe, then it would seem most likely that Bay only targeted the Shepards that Sila claimed harmed him.
If this part of the experiment went without a hitch, then Sila would complain about something Noah had done in front of Bay. Ideally, the professor would summon Noah then and slip him Abundance like he had both August and Lan.
Aside from the single attempt to prove his grandmother’s innocence, Bay hadn’t done anything else against the Shepards. It seemed like he’d either lost faith in his grandmother or given up. His attraction to Sila was enough to spur him back into action, however, fan those flames back to life within him. That was good. That’s what Sila needed.
When he was ready to finally strike, he wanted to be sure the hidden ace up his sleeve would do what it was supposed to.
“I actually ate already,” Noah said, sounding disappointed before quickly adding, “But I could go with you to the cafeteria!”
“No, it’s fine,” Sila waved him off, keeping the friendly smile in place. “I’m not even hungry. What are you working on?”
“We were assigned a paper on pandaveers in zoology.” Noah frowned when that made Sila laugh. “What?”
“No, nothing.” He shook his head. “I just happen to like those. If you want help—” Before he could finish his sentence, someone was hoisting him out of the bench and shoving him back against the thick wooden beam that held up the roof of the gazebo.
Since Bay would never handle him that way, Sila already knew it wasn’t the professor losing to his secret jealous nature before he even lifted his head to rest his gaze on his accoster.
A man practically as tall as he was held him by the collar. He wasn’t dressed in a school uniform, sporting a crimson corset vest beneath his suit.
Fancy.
Though they’d never interacted before, Kelevra Diar was recognizable, not only because he was the Imperial Prince of Vitality, but because he also happened to be a senior at the Academy. It was rare to find him on this side of town, and on campus no less.
Sila didn’t bother trying to pull away, resting back against the beam as he waited patiently for things to play out. He’d spotted Baikal Void with Rabbit earlier and knew the Brumal Prince wouldn’t stand still if Kelevra tried anything funny in his territory, so there was no real worry there.
Not that Sila was opposed to trying his hand against an Imperial like Diar. It could be fun even. Maybe—
Kelevra blinked, as if seeing him for the first time and stated plainly, “You’re not my flower.”
He’d mistaken Sila for his brother. Which meant he’d come here with the intention of attacking him like he’d just done…It was one thing to mess around with him, but no one touched his twin.
He was in the process of considering the best way to disarm Kelevra in front of all these witnesses when suddenly his brother arrived, shoving the Imperial away before taking the spot between them.
“What the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?” Rin asked.
For a split second, Sila thought the growled words were aimed at him, despite the fact his brother kept his back toward him, but then he realized he was speaking to the Imperial.
That was…Interesting. And bold. Typically, people tiptoed around Kelevra and his Retinue. He’d just heard about their situation, but he wouldn’t have guessed the chemistry was real between them. Observing them now, it was impossible to miss.
Kelevra slipped his hands into the front pockets of his crimson dress pants and glanced between the two of them, gaze lingering a little longer than Sila would have liked, though he was careful to keep his expression impassive.
This wasn’t his problem, it was his brother’s, and as per the rules, he would only involve himself if absolutely necessary.
Actually, the fact Kelevra had thrown him around thinking he was his brother was kind of funny when he thought about it again. Sila may be the more destructive of the two, but Rin was the most volatile.
He smirked behind his brother’s back, thinking of how pissed off he probably was and how that was going to bite the Imperial in the ass.
“He’s not you,” Kelevra said then.
Like a fucking genius.
Real observant this one.
