e-booksonline Chapter 740 168.4 - Jealousy
Chapter 740 168.4 - Jealousy
chapter 740 168.4 - jealousy
sylvie's gaze shifted to irina almost instinctively, her unease giving way to a different kind of curiosity. the faint pinkish hue she saw radiating from irina's emotional palette caught her off guard. it was a color she had never associated with the emberheart prodigy before-soft, warm, and utterly at odds with irina's usual intensity.
'what... is that?"
her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she noticed irina's expression. she was smiling -subtle, almost imperceptible, but undeniably there. and she wasn't smiling at julia or the others. her focus was entirely on astron.
'no way... 'sylvie's chest tightened, her earlier unease replaced by a strange, twisting sensation she couldn't name.
from her vantage point, sylvie could hear julia's voice breaking through the crowd's hushed whispers.
"wait, wait, wait," julia said, her tone teasing but sharp with suspicion. "irina, don't tell me... you knew?"
the rest of the group turned toward irina, their curiosity immediately piqued. ethan, carl, lilia, and lucas all fixed her with questioning stares, but irina didn't flinch under the scrutiny. her composure was as steady as ever, the faint smile lingering on her lips.
"knew what?" irina replied, her tone even, though there was a slight upward lilt in her voice that betrayed her.
julia's eyes lit up like a predator sensing weakness. "oh, you totally knew about this, didn't you? about him-" she gestured dramatically toward astron, still standing near the stage with his unreadable demeanor. "you met him during the break, didn't you?" sylvie's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she listened, her attention darting between irina and astron. julia's accusation hung in the air like a challenge, and for a brief moment, it seemed as though irina might deny it. but then...
"yes," irina said simply, her tone calm and deliberate. "we met during the break." the admission left the group momentarily stunned, julia included. sylvie's breath hitched as she watched irina, her emerald eyes steady and unyielding.
"wait, that's it? you're just admitting it?" julia finally asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
irina shrugged lightly, crossing her arms. "why wouldn't i? is it wrong for us to meet?"
the casual response only seemed to fuel julia's curiosity. she leaned in closer, her expression mischievous. "okay, but now you have to spill. how did this happen? was it planned? or was it one of those 'fate brought us together' moments?"
irina didn't answer immediately, and sylvie caught the faintest flicker of amusement in her eyes before she replied, "no comment."
julia gawked at her, her jaw dropping dramatically. "no comment? oh, come on, irina! you're killing me here."
lilia chuckled softly, her voice carrying a note of amusement. "irina's being unusually tight-lipped. that's got to mean something happened."
"exactly!" julia exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at irina. "you don't just meet astron-this astron-and not have a story to tell."
despite the playful interrogation, irina remained composed, her faint smile never wavering. but to sylvic, it was that same smile-the one directed at astron moments ago that lingered in her mind. the pinkish hue in irina's palette, the softness in her expression, the way her gaze seemed to linger on him longer than it should...
'irina... what's going on with you?' sylvie thought, her unease deepening. for all the changes she had seen in astron, it was irina's reaction to him that unsettled her the
most.
sylvie's chest tightened as her gaze remained fixed on irina. that pink hue, soft and warm, yet so vivid it almost overwhelmed her senses-it wasn't a color she was accustomed to seeing. in fact, she had rarely seen it at all, especially not radiating so strongly from someone like irina.
"because you're acting weird, that's why," jasmine said, her tone teetering between
exasperation and genuine worry. "you've been all quiet and spacey since we got here, and now you're practically burning holes in irina's head with your eyes. did you hear something about her or the others? or did someone say something to you?" sylvie hesitated, caught between denying everything outright and trying to explain without revealing too much. the last thing she wanted was for jasmine to press further-or worse, to turn this into a bigger deal than it already felt.
"it's nothing," sylvie finally said, forcing a small smile she hoped would case jasmine's concern. "i'm just... distracted. that's all."
jasmine raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "distracted? by what? you were fine
until astron showed up."
sylvie's breath hitched, and jasmine's eyes narrowed slightly, her smirk returning with a mischievous edge. "ohhhh, i see," she said, her tone practically dripping with amusement. "is this about him? did he do something? or is it something else
entirely?"
"what? no!" sylvie's cheeks flushed, her voice rising in protest. "it's not like that. it's just... he looks different, that's all. i wasn't expecting it."
"uh-huh," jasmine said, her smirk widening. "sure. you're totally not affected at all.
not even a little."
sylvie groaned, her frustration bubbling to the surface as she shook her head. "jasmine, seriously, drop it. i'm fine. they're fine. everything's fine."
but even as she said the words, sylvie knew they weren't entirely true. everything
wasn't fine. not with astron, not with irina, and certainly not with the strange,
unsettled feeling gnawing at her chest.
jasmine gave her a long, searching look before finally sighing and throwing her hands
up in mock surrender. "fine, fine. i'll let it go-for now. but don't think i'm not keeping an eye on you, sylvie. something's up, and i'm going to figure it out eventually." sylvie offered a faint, grateful smile, though her thoughts were still far from settled. as jasmine turned her attention back to the murmuring crowd, sylvie glanced at irina one last time, her mind swirling with questions she couldn't yet answer.
'what are you feeling, irina? and why does it feel like everything's about to change?'
it was weird....
everything.....
creak!
but just then sylvie's thoughts were forced to return to reality...since the headmaster made his appearance.