Malaya stood on the corner of a cobblestoned path, fidgeting with her dress. She wrung her small hands again and again, her anxiety practically spilling out of her like water from a spout.
Her hand reached into her purse, pulling out a small handkerchief and dabbing at her nose and forehead. She never wore makeup, but today she had foolishly gone and tried it. Now she was worried about it smearing down her face.
The weather wasn’t particularly hot, and the sun was about to set, but it might as well have been a sauna around her.
She had never been asked out on a date before, much less by a young man three years younger than she was. She had said yes before she even understood what was happening, and now it was too late to escape.
The thought of disappointing Theron filled her with even more anxiety than she was already drowning in.
Did she like him? Was this love?
Steam came out of her ears, the ridiculous spiral of thoughts almost making her pass out.
A hand caught her as she stumbled back.
“Are you alright?”
Malaya opened her mouth to respond, but nothing but an odd squeak came out. All of a sudden, she wanted to find a place to bury her head, only barely managing to keep her wits about her for long enough to realize Theron’s chest was not the place for that.
With a push, Theron helped Malaya stabilize herself. He glossed over the odd sound she made as though he hadn’t heard anything.
“I’m happy you came to accompany me tonight. Shall we go?” he asked politely.
“Ah, yes. Right.” Malaya looked toward the ground and nodded, tightly holding onto her purse with both hands.
On the way to their destination, maybe because Theron was good enough at making idle chatter to distract her, Malaya managed to forget about her embarrassing display for a moment.
It wasn’t until they had entered the Purple Scale Teahouse and were arranged a place to sit that the gravity began to settle in once again.
Theron asked for a menu as though it was only natural.
“Would you like me to order for you?”
“I…” Malaya didn’t know what to say.
Yes? But that seemed like a very… Wait, weren’t they on a date? Was it natural then? No, but…
Steam came from her ears.
She was doing so well, but then this guy came and asked her such a loaded question.
What was she even doing here? Her marriage wouldn’t be up to her to decide anyway. Her father would probably kill her and Theron just for being here.
And wasn’t it a bit late for a date? The sun was already setting—no, it was set now. Was this what teenagers got up to? It couldn’t be that Theron was expecting something else for tonight, right?
What should she say if he invited her somewhere else?
“My apologies, it seems I overstepped. Here.” Theron waved to a waitress after handing his menu over to Malaya. “Can I have another menu, please?”
Malaya found her breathing returning to normal.
The two of them ordered their food and tea, and soon Malaya found herself forgetting again.
“… I have heard a lot about the Vermouth Earldom. One of our Deans is a Vermouth, if I recall correctly, so I’ve always had quite some respect for them,” Theron said with a smile.
“Ah,” Malaya sighed, “that’s unfortunately not the case. My uncle had his position relieved by the Crown.”
“Oh?” Theron’s brows raised with surprise. “Do you—I probably shouldn’t ask that question, forgive me.”
“It’s not a big deal. My uncle was quite old, and it was about time a new face was given a chance to lead. Former Dean Vermouth was the head of the Military Department, but it’s been a very long time since we’ve had any true elites of the military stream.
“There’s been some unrest recently, and now isn’t the time for a lull like this. There should probably be some pretty big changes in the coming days, mostly to the military stream.”
“I see…” Theron nodded slowly.
“Do you have any thoughts of doing both, Theron?” Malaya took the initiative to ask a question.
Theron was startled. “Both?”
“You already have twelve credits—well, no, you actually have fifteen now, right? As a first year! That’s amazing! I’ve heard of geniuses like you before. There’s one in Main Academy who had thirty-two credits as a first year! Sixteen from the academic stream and sixteen from the military stream!
“I actually think you can do it!”
It took a while for Theron to regain his calm. He didn’t expect Malaya to have such a fiery side to her.
Theron chuckled. “I’m just a Water Mancer. The military stream probably isn’t for me.”
“Ah…” Malaya seemed to realize she had gotten a bit excited. Indeed, it would be tough for a Water Mancer to make a name for themselves in the military stream.
“Is that a dream of yours?” Theron asked.
“This… Well, I’ve thought about it… but I don’t think I’m cut out for fighting either,” Malaya said sheepishly.
“Haha, you must have a lot of faith in me. I appreciate the kind words of encouragement.”
Malaya blushed. “I… about this, Theron… Um… my marriage, you see… I’m not at liberty to… um…”
She had begun to speak before she could think, and now she found herself halfway through without a destination. She knew she had to say the words, but now the embarrassment was overwhelming her again.
As she was stumbling over herself, there was a rustling at the door, a bell at the top of the frame releasing a delicate chime as a group walked in.
Usually, such a thing would be left to a shoddy establishment, but in the Purple Scale Teahouse, it felt like their souls were being tickled.
Sawyer and Yonowai Thistle had appeared.