Chapter 96. A Human Magnet for Every Dangerous Woman in This Academy
"Selena," William said, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. "Didn’t expect to see you out here."
"Shouldn’t you be buried under a mountain of ancient manuscripts?"
"I like watching people work, William... It’s very informative," Selena chuckled.
"Watching bodies move, watching tension build..." Her gaze drifted deliberately toward Catherine, lingering just long enough to be provocative.
A knowing, razor-sharp smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Speaking of informative, I couldn’t help but notice you two seem considerably closer than the last time I saw you together..."
"Something changed recently, Vice Headmaster?"
Catherine’s spine straightened almost imperceptibly. The casual warmth she had shown moments before vanished as her professional composure snapped back into place with the practiced speed of a seasoned soldier.
"We’ve been working on some administrative matters, Selena... Nothing more."
"Mm. Administrative matters." Selena’s smile widened, savoring the defensive edge in Catherine’s voice. "Is that what we’re calling it these days?"
"Is that what passes for paperwork now?"
"I don’t know what you’re implying," Catherine said, her voice clipped, though the slight tension in her jaw betrayed her.
"I’m not implying anything... I’m simply observing." Selena pushed off the fence, sauntering toward them with the lazy grace of a predator who had already won. "I’m observing that you’re standing considerably closer to Instructor Wade than professional distance typically requires."
"And I’m observing that you both share that specific, slightly smug glow, the kind that only comes from people who’ve had a very good few weeks... It’s sweet, honestly," Selena chuckled. "I approve."
"There’s nothing to approve of," Catherine snapped, a flush creeping up her neck that no amount of knightly discipline could suppress.
"Of course there isn’t." Selena’s gaze slid over to William, appraising him with an unhurried, shameless intensity that made the air feel suddenly charged. "And you, Instructor William Wade?"
"Anything to add, or are you also sticking to the administrative matters story?"
William raised his hands in mock surrender. "I’m staying out of this one... I value my survival."
"Wise man." Selena’s smile turned conspiratorial. "For what it’s worth, I did have my money on the two of you eventually."
"Ellie owes me a favor now, actually... She insisted you’d both dance around it for another month at least."
Catherine froze, her eyes widening in genuine shock.
"You made a wager," she started, somewhere between horrified indignation and reluctant amusement, "about my personal life?!"
"Everyone made a wager, Vice Headmaster..." Selena laughed. "Let’s be honest, it’s the most interesting thing happening at this academy since the Reaver incident."
Selena shifted the stack of books under her arm. "You should be flattered... People care enough to bet on your happiness."
"That is not the framing I would have chosen," Catherine muttered, though the murderous edge in her voice had softened into something more self-conscious.
"It rarely is when I’m involved," Selena offered a mock bow. "Well, don’t let me interrupt."
"Carry on with your administrative matters."
As Selena sauntered off, she passed a small cluster of students who had been pretending to clean up their equipment but were clearly eavesdropping with rapt attention.
A few yards away, behind a conveniently placed equipment rack, a tactical briefing of a different sort was taking place.
"See? I told you!" Kaela whispered urgently, her eyes wide as she watched Selena walk away. "I knew she’d call them out!"
"Did you see the Vice Headmaster’s face?! She turned redder than an ember strike!"
"It’s obvious," Lia whispered back, though her tone was more clinical, as if she were analyzing a phenomenon. "The statistical probability of that being ’administrative’ is less than zero point three percent."
Ellie nodded vigorously, leaning in so close her forehead almost touched Lia’s. "I told Instructor Ashbourne that she was right!"
"I even tried to warn her that Instructor Catherine would try to play it cool, but you can’t hide that kind of energy."
Clara, who had been silently observing with a mischievous glint in her eyes, leaned into the circle, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial murmur. "Honestly, it’s getting ridiculous at this point."
"What do you mean?" Kaela asked.
Clara glanced toward William, then back to the girls, a grin spreading across her face. "Have you noticed the pattern?"
"First it was Mrs. Catherine... Then Mrs. Olivia practically tripped over herself every time he walked past... And now Mrs. Selena is openly hunting him down."
The four girls shared a synchronized gasp.
"He’s literally a magnet," Kaela hissed, shaking her head in disbelief. "A human magnet for every dangerous woman in this academy."
"How does he even survive a Tuesday without someone trying to claim him?"
"It’s not just luck," Lia whispered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "There must be some kind of passive gravitational pull."
"An unconscious aura of... competence and brooding mystery."
"Or maybe," Ellie suggested with a giggle, "he’s just that good."
"Shh! Here he comes!" Kaela warned, and in an instant, the four of them scattered in different directions, suddenly very interested in their water bottles and practice swords, leaving the space behind the rack silent and suspiciously empty.
William glanced towards his students, just to be surprised with how they reacted. ’Ah shit... here we go again...’
"Administrative matters," Kaela repeated, her voice carrying that singsong quality that made William know he was in immediate danger.
A wicked, razor-sharp grin split her face as she turned toward the other girls, her eyes dancing with mischief. "That’s what we’re calling it now, right?"
"Should I start referring to dinner dates as ’emergency strategy briefings’?"
"Not one word, Kaela," William warned, though the stern edge of his voice was undermined by the way his own lips twitched.
"I didn’t say anything!" Kaela protested immediately, throwing her hands up in mock innocence. "I’m just... speculating on vocabulary."
"You were about to make a very loud... very public implication," William countered, stepping forward to close the distance before she could launch into a full monologue.
"I was absolutely about to, yes! And I would have been brilliant at it, too!" she shot back, undeterred.
William took a deep breath, scanning the courtyard. He could see Lia pretending to examine a chipped practice sword with the intensity of a surgeon, Ellie biting her lip to suppress a giggle, and Clara already scribbling something in a notebook that almost certainly wasn’t tactical notes.
The entire training ground was vibrating with suppressed laughter and gossipy energy.
"Alright, enough," William commanded, though there was no real heat in it.
He turned his attention to the students, but he could feel their eyes not on his sword but on the situation. "If you all have this much energy to spare for interrogation and speculation, then you clearly haven’t pushed yourselves hard enough today."
"Is that because we’re distracted by your... magnetic field, Instructor?" Kaela asked, tilting her head with undisguised amusement. "I think we should add ’Magnetism Studies’ to the curriculum... Very important for survival."
"The only thing you need to study right now is your footwork," William said, pointing toward the center circle.
"Oh, come on," Ellie chimed in, emboldened by the group dynamic. "Even Selena noticed."
"And she’s the hardest person to impress in this entire castle!"
"You’re like a walking phenomenon, Instructor Wade. First the vice headmaster, then Olivia, now Selena... at this rate, we’ll need to install protective wards around you just to keep the faculty from fighting over you."
"A phenomenon?" William muttered to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
’I came here to teach combat, not to become a subject of academic study.’
"I am not a phenomenon! I am an instructor... Now, get in formation before I assign extra laps."
"Extra laps won’t make us forget what we saw!" Kaela called out as she jogged toward the circle, shouting loud enough for Catherine to hear. "We’re just concerned about your safety, Instructor!"
"The administrative paperwork must be exhausting!"
Catherine’s head snapped toward them, her expression one of controlled mortification, while Lia simply sighed, though her lips quirked upward.
William looked up at the sky as if asking for patience. He could feel the eyes of every woman in the vicinity: Catherine’s flustered gaze, Selena’s amused observation from afar, and the relentless, teasing scrutiny of his students.
He was a man who had faced demons, soldiers, and monsters without breaking a sweat, but this relentless social siege was proving to be a far more dangerous battlefield.
"Back to work!" he barked, but even as he swung his practice sword into a defensive stance, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t just teaching them how to fight; he was teaching them exactly how to dismantle his dignity, one "administrative matter" at a time.
With a frustrated huff that was half laugh and half groan, he redirected their attention back to the familiar, comfortable rhythm of steel and sweat, letting the moment’s light embarrassment fade into the background of an otherwise ordinary, chaotic afternoon.