Chapter Thirteen
Itap away at my laptop, flicking between tabs of Ruby Hall's family directories and my coursework notes.
The smell of coffee and pastries wafts through the café as I scan through profile after profile, searching for any clue that might point to my mother.
My history textbook lies open beside me, demanding equal attention.
A chair scrapes against the floor, and I jerk my head up, tensing until I see Eunho's easy grin as he drops into the seat across from me. His dark hair is artfully tousled and his guard uniform looks perfectly disordered with the top buttons undone, as always.
“Back to use me as your excuse to avoid work?” I tease, closing one of my browser tabs.
“Of course.” He props his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “You're my favorite scapegoat lately. Much better than paperwork.”
“I'm honored.” I roll my eyes, but my lips curve with amusement. “Want to see what's actually keeping me busy?” I turn my history textbook so he can see the chapter on ancient fae migration patterns.
Eunho's handsome face scrunches up like he's tasted something sour. “Oh, seasons, that looks awful.”
“Not the scholarly type?”
“Definitely not.” He grins, running a hand through his hair in a self-deprecating gesture. “It's a good thing I'm rich and pretty, because I hated school.”
I frown, remembering something he'd mentioned before. “But didn't you say you were top of your class?”
“Oh, yeah.” His grin turns mischievous. “But that was mostly just to spite Dohwan. Nothing motivates quite like watching that stuck-up ass grind his teeth every time I scored higher.”
A laugh bursts out of me at his admission.
“Speaking of which…” Eunho leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I heard you landed yourself a new job. Complete with a surly escort?”
“News travels fast.” I take a sip of my coffee. “Yesterday was my first day. And yes, it came with that perpetual grouch obligated to shadow me.”
“How did that go?”
“The job itself is great. I get to work with the fire sprites, which is perfect.” I close my laptop, giving up on research for now. “Dohwan just hovered. All day. Breathing down my neck like I might trip and break my neck or set a wing of Ruby Hall on fire or something.”
“How dedicated.”
“Oh, and I met Ga-in.” I roll my eyes at the memory. “What a treat that was.”
Eunho groans, dropping his head back. “Seasons, that female is insufferable.”
“Right? What's her deal, anyway?” I drum my fingers on the table. “Not get enough attention from mom and dad? Or maybe too much? And why's she so possessive over Dohwan?”
A snort escapes Eunho as he lifts his head. “You didn't know? Ga-in and Dohwan were engaged.”
I blink, my coffee cup freezing halfway to my mouth. “What? But Dohwan said Ga-in wasn't his girlfriend.”
“She's not. Not anymore.” Eunho makes a face. “They broke off the engagement after Dohwan caught her in bed with his older brother.”
“Holy shit.” I set my coffee down hard enough that some sloshes over the rim. “That's super messy.”
“That's one way to put it.” Eunho bounces his knee beside the table. “Though to be fair, I don't think Dohwan liked Ga-in much even before that whole disaster.”
“No?”
“Nah. It's hard to tell because he dislikes everyone. But pretty sure the marriage was arranged for political status. You know how those old bloodline families are.” He waves his hand dismissively.
I tip my head, considering this new information. Fae don't typically get married—they mate. Marriage is a human construct that some of the more traditional families have adopted.
“But he's not mated, right?” I tap my finger against my cup. “Why arrange a marriage at all? Don't fae marriages dissolve if one partner finds their mate, anyway?”
“Yeah, exactly.” Eunho bobs his head. “It's mostly just a formality, a status symbol. Married fae are expected to avoid other females after the ceremony to try preventing any chance of finding their mate. But it usually happens anyway.”
He shrugs, gesturing broadly. “That's why most families don't even bother with marriages anymore. Only the really haughty ones still cling to the tradition.”
“Then what's the point?”
“Bloodlines.” Eunho's expression turns knowing. “Even if the marriage eventually dissolves, there's always the chance of producing highborn children from desired bloodlines first. That's the real goal—continuing those precious noble lineages.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Gross.”
“Welcome to high fae society.” Eunho raises his coffee cup in a mock toast.
I shake my head, pushing my own cup away. “This is exactly why I’ve never wanted anything to do with high fae society. It's exhausting.”
“So why did you decide to move into Halfblood Hall?” Eunho asks, his expression open and curious rather than judgmental. “You could have stayed away from all this.”
I lean back in my chair, considering how to explain.
“For a long time, I thought I could just blend in with humans.
Live a normal life. But then Princess Seoha and Queen Seoyu changed everything for us halfbloods.
They proved we could have real power, that we weren't just…” I wave my hand, searching for the words. “Accidents to be hidden away.”
Eunho nods, staying quiet as I continue.
“But when they both found their mates…” I trace the rim of my coffee cup.
“It made all of us halfbloods realize we could mate too. And that changed everything. The idea that I could build a life with a human man, maybe even fall in love, only to one day randomly encounter my mate and have it all torn apart?” I shake my head. “That's not fair to anyone involved.”
“So you decided to face it head on instead,” Eunho observes.
“Yeah. A normal human life was never really possible for any of us halfbloods. We were just fooling ourselves thinking we could hide forever.” I straighten up, squaring my shoulders. “At least here at Halfblood Hall, we can figure out who we are without pretending to be something we're not.”
Eunho's expression shifts, becoming more serious. “Are you okay with that? The possibility you might have a fae mate? Given your history with fae males?”
I take another sip of coffee to buy myself time, considering his question. “I guess as long as it's not someone like Dohwan, I'll manage.” My lip curls at the thought. “Can you imagine being stuck with that pompous ass for eternity?”
Eunho snorts into his coffee cup. “Funny you mention him. I did wonder why you took him. You could have requested me as your escort.”
“Requested?” I blink, setting my cup down. “I didn't request anyone. He was assigned to me.”
“No…” Eunho's eyes narrow, his head tilting. “That position was open. Dohwan volunteered for it first.”
The words don't compute at first. I open my mouth to argue, to point out that Dohwan himself said—but then I stop, replaying his exact words in my mind.
“He said he didn't want to be here either,” I say slowly, the realization dawning. “But he never actually said he was assigned to me.”
My fingers drum against the table as I think it through. Fae can't lie, but they're masters at twisting words. When Dohwan said he didn't want to be “here,” he could have meant Ruby Hall in general, not specifically escorting me.
I stare at my coffee cup, my jaw clenching tighter with each passing second as the pieces click into place. That arrogant, manipulative bastard. He chose to be my escort, then acted like it was some huge inconvenience thrust upon him.
“Are you telling me,” I say slowly, my voice dropping dangerously low, “that pompous ass deliberately signed up to follow me around and then pretended he was being forced to do it?”
Eunho's eyes dance with amusement. “Looks that way.”
Heat flares under my skin, and I have to consciously prevent my fingers from igniting the coffee cup I'm gripping. The ceramic creaks in protest anyway.
“What kind of game is he playing?” I demand, more to myself than Eunho. “Is this just another way to lord his authority over me? To keep tabs on the untrustworthy halfblood?”
“Could be.” Eunho props his chin on his hand, watching me with undisguised entertainment.
I growl in frustration, slumping back in my chair. “This makes no sense. Why would he purposefully put himself in a position to be around someone he clearly can't stand?”
“Maybe you should ask him.” Eunho's eyes glitter with mischief.
“Oh, I plan to.” I bare my teeth in what could technically be called a smile. “Right after I kick his stuck-up ass for being such a manipulative jerk about it.”