<h4>Chapter 316: 316-Unwanted Kiss</h4>
<strong>Clementine:</strong>
The dinner ended with everyone leaving the dining table. We were told to stay in our rooms, and that food would be brought to us there.
Everyone ate, but I couldn’t. Sebastian finished mine. He said he was always hungry.
They tried to make meugh and distract me, but there was a sadness inside me that I couldn’t shake off.
The way Troy responded to Oriana, and the way she behaved, didn’t seem normal.
No matter how many times we tried to convince ourselves it was, it simply wasn’t.
The weather had grown warmer now, better for us and our movements, but the atmosphere had be darker.
I noticed that many of the squad members were restless after dinner.
My squad didn’t bother me with questions.
They made sure I wasfortable before going to bed. But I had to check on something.
I needed to stay alert, watch my surroundings, and most importantly, follow Zian if I could.
Night was the only time he could sneak out now that everyone had returned.
I wasn’t sure what I was thinking, maybe I truly believed I’d discover something, or at least see Zian. But I was wrong.
A strong hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, yanked me behind a tree, and mmed me against the bark.
I knew right then it wasn’t Zian.
"You know I can easily get out of your grasp, right?" I told Joshua calmly, even though my heart was beating fast.
"I know, I know you can and the fact that you’re not trying makes me wonder why," he stated, releasing my hands the moment I moved as if I were about to pounce on him.
He stepped back slightly, then startedughing at himself.
"You are one naughty girl," he uttered, his eyes lingering on my face as he studied my features.
He ced one hand on the tree bark behind me and leaned closer while I folded my arms across my chest, trying to appear at ease.
"I want to know what your problem is. Is this how you n to move on from Suki? By ming someone else for her death instead of her own actions, her jealousy?" I asked, keeping my voice low, trying to show him that I was unshaken despite everything happening around us.
He puckered his lips and nodded slowly, watching me as if questioning my nerve.
"I just know that you’re the reason she died," he repeated, making me roll my eyes.
"No, she was the reason I was going to die," I replied firmly. "I was badly injured. Ian had two options, either to save her or to save me. The rest was her fault. If you don’t want to believe it, I can’t convince you otherwise."
I kept calm, hoping he’d understand.
"I didn’t n her death. She attacked me, and the oue was her own doing. I had no reason to save her after she tried to kill me. It would’ve been like saving your killer so they could finish the jobter." I kept my tone confident, not lying for the sake of his ego.
"Well, you still had enough time to fight for her," he muttered. "And as for you to say, ’Why would you save someone who tried to kill you?’ —maybe she was scared. Maybe she acted out of emotion."
As he began to make excuses for her, I rolled my eyes again, already sensing his irritation.
"You know what? Go ahead. Try to live your life the best you can. Because soon, I’ll have my chance to take back what was stolen from me," he leaned in and whispered those words against my face.
"You know, I didn’t deserve to have my maid stolen from me. I’ll make sure everyone knows what it feels like to lose the one person they love most," Joshua imed, making me frown. It hinted that he had truly lost his mind.
I guessed he either wasn’t at dinner or hadn’t been paying attention, so I reminded him.
If he was hinting at my squadmates, he was so wrong. They didn’t love me the most.
"The one person they left in the north to die, do you really think you’re doing something, huh?" I asked, watching him furrow his eyebrows at my words. "Oh, right, you don’t know. We were in the north, and they left me there to die, to be crushed by the ogres. Now go ahead, make your ns and convince yourself you’re doing something vengeful, when all you’re really doing is cleaning up others’ messes."
I hissed, watching him tilt his head. His eyes focused on my face, and he began to chuckle.
"You’re really a fascinating one, Clementine and even more confusing, since you didn’t notice the way Troy behaved," he said.
The next thing he did caught mepletely off guard. He leaned in and suddenly brushed his lips against mine.
My eyes widened, and it took me three full seconds to push him away. I had been too stunned to react at first.
The moment I did, I lunged to p him, but he dodged, making me fall to the ground.
That unwanted kiss left me furious.
"Oh," I grunted, pushing myself up, my fists clenched.
"I deserve at least a kiss for the loss you’ve caused me," he replied, smacking his lips. "And you taste so damn good."
His so-calledpliment made my skin crawl. He chuckled and walked away, disappearing from my sight.
Right behind him stood Zian, his mouth slightly open and a venomous smile on his face.
"Wow, Ian would be so happy to find out his lover has moved on, after he took poison for her," Zian stated, making my jaw tighten.
"Bold of you to assume Ian would think negatively of me," I stated confidently. "Ian knows me. We’re much stronger than you think we are."
I wasn’t even worried and that surprised me for a moment.
Was this what it felt like to be in a secure rtionship?
Somehow, I just knew Ian would never hurt me. He would never believe anything bad about me.
"Now tell me, when are you letting Ian walk back into the academy? Because, Zian, my patience is wearing thin and you know me. Once I feel cornered, I go above and beyond for my mission. And Ian isn’t just my mission; he’s my reason to live," I dered, ring him in the eye.
He stood there, staring back at me with almost no intrigue in his eyes.
It was clear he wasn’t happy, and that was confirmed once he started speaking.
"I wonder what Ian has done to deserve so much respect and love," he grunted, rolling his eyes at me.