Chapter 174: 174. William and Tamasya (Valentines day special)

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Morning arrived.

There was silence in the infirmary as if nothing dramatic had happened last night that had woken the whole academy in panic.

The professors had finally concluded that William required nothing more than rest. They had checked his pulse twice more than necessary.

Wardens lingered longer than their actual shifts near the infirmary wing, and then gradually, one by one, they left him alone while increasing security around the entire perimeter.

The security had tightened so much that it was as if he were a sensitive asset that could be attacked at any time.

When the corridor outside finally fell quiet and everyone left the room, William opened his eyes.

Faint golden light filtered through the tall windows. He pushed himself up slowly, letting the blanket slide from his shoulders, and turned his gaze toward the couch near the far wall where a black cat sat quietly.

Catching his gaze, Tamasya turned back to her original form. She remained seated without saying anything.

She had taken her human form again, though her posture was nothing like the composed, untouchable master he knew.

She sat with her back straight, but her fingers were intertwined tightly in her lap, reflecting her nervousness, as though she were bracing herself against some unseen verdict.

“Master,” William called, his voice hoarse and dry from the deliberate mana exhaustion he had staged. “You almost killed me,” he said as he looked at her intently with a subtle smile on his face.

She flinched.

“I am sorry,” she replied awkwardly, avoiding his eyes for a second. “Please do not tell Andrea. She is going to kill me.”

William let out a low chuckle as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “No worries. Although I think I will have to cook up a lot of lies to hide this.”

She gave a hollow laugh in return, but it faded almost immediately.

Silence followed her hollow expression.

William stood up, took a deep breath, and walked slowly toward the small balcony attached to the infirmary room. He removed the blinds and pushed the glass door open before stepping outside, allowing the morning sunlight to fall over his face and body.

He closed his eyes as sunlight kissed his face.

The warmth soaked into his skin, dissolving the last traces of fatigue he had forced upon himself. His body had already healed completely, but his mind was far from calm.

He leaned against the railing, resting his weight slightly forward, and looked back through the open doorway.

Inside, Tamasya’s figure seemed frozen as she indulged herself in her own mess of thoughts.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

Does she have any idea about the mess she has made? Thoughts about her are drilling into my mind like a curse I cannot silence, William thought.

Inside, Tamasya lowered her gaze slightly.

Does he even know what I am going through?

The silence stretched, tightening the air between them.

William inhaled deeply, steadying himself before speaking. “Umm… Master, are you upset about something?”

It was meant to lighten the mood. Instead, it made everything worse.

Tamasya’s brows drew together, and the expression that surfaced on her face made William’s chest tighten.

There was something in her eyes, something fragile, something broken, an expression he had never once seen on her before.

She was one of the most powerful beings in the world, yet right now she looked as though she was standing at the edge of some terrifying decision.

Her jaw clenched, stopping her from pouring out her feelings.

She could not say it.

How could she possibly say it?

If she spoke the truth, it would sound absurd. She would look perverted and shameless.

The age gap between them was so vast that even entertaining certain thoughts felt like a violation of the natural order. Five thousand years of difference did not disappear simply because her heart had begun misbehaving.

Even thinking about expressing affection toward her own disciple made her feel exposed and foolish.

And then there was Seraphine.

The memory of William’s voice when he had spoken about that elven girl resurfaced sharply. The softness and quiet certainty she had heard, she had craved something like that from him so much.

It had felt like watching someone casually plant flowers over the garden she had been secretly nurturing for herself.

Her mind even made scenarios of how it would sound if William ever said something about her to someone else. Then came the realization that something like that might never happen for her.

Her hands tightened further. Was she destined to remain lonely forever? Was the curse her mother had placed on her finally taking effect? Would she remain alone forever?

Her breathing slowed as she struggled not to unravel.

William noticed everything.

He noticed the trembling in her fingers, the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes seemed restless.

Meanwhile, inside his own chest, thoughts collided like reckless waves.

She was his master.

She was thousands of years older.

She was someone he respected, admired, trusted beyond reason.

And yet, when he saw her like this, something fierce and protective rose within him, something far from disciple like.

Tamasya’s hands began to tremble subtly.

In her mind, she imagined two outcomes. In one, she confessed and ruined everything, and William looked at her with disgust. In the other, she stayed silent forever and watched him build a life with someone else.

Both futures made her shiver.

In her years of isolation, training alone, she had unknowingly developed the habit of daydreaming. From the point when William saved her from that loneliness, her habit of daydreaming had found a good subject to keep her occupied.

She had daydreamed her whole future with him until he had broken everything with a few words. Now those thoughts felt like a trap she had built herself.

What do I do?

Shadow’s voice tried to reach her, but it faded into the noise of her spiraling mind.

She imagined William calling her shameless. Imagined him stepping back in disappointment. Imagined losing even the closeness they already had.

Her knees drew slightly inward without her realizing. She did not notice that her eyes had grown red and moist.

She did not notice that William had already stepped back inside.

She only felt it when a warm touch interrupted the chaos.

Her head turned.

William was sitting beside her on the couch.

One of her hands had been gently lifted and was now resting in his grasp. His thumb rubbed slowly across the back of her hand, as though trying to warm it.

“Master, you are shivering,” he said softly. “Are you tired?”

She blinked, dragged back to the present.

Before she could respond, he lifted his hand and pressed it against her cheek and then her forehead, as if checking for a temperature. The gesture was absurd. A being like Tamasya did not catch fevers.

But poor William needed something to do.

His own heart was racing dangerously, and his natural actor talent was the only thing preventing his face from betraying his unease.

“I think you are exhausted,” he continued gently. “You need sleep.”

Then, before she could argue, he shifted closer.

“Here. Keep your head on my lap.”

Tamasya paused for a moment and chuckled. “I am not a child,” she said, but her voice came out heavy as though she had just cried her heart out, which she had not. William did not know that.

His heart tightened as he thought he had made her cry.

He did not let her protest and closed the distance, gently guiding her down so that her head rested on his lap. “Just sleep. I do not want you shivering when you wake up,” he spoke in a concerned voice.

He did not let her protest further. He guided her until her head rested against his lap.

“Just sleep,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos in his mind. “I do not want you shivering when you wake up.”

Her body stiffened.

Tamasya tensed and remained lying in that position while William gently patted her head with warm hands.

Arrrrrgghhh this is so awkward. Why did I do this? Shiiitt. How will I match her gaze from now on? She is my master for fuck’s sake.

[tsk, just mate and finish. What is with all this old school teen style romance between you two]

Fck. Shut up. Do not call it romance. (┬┬﹏┬┬) (┬┬﹏┬┬) (┬┬﹏┬┬)

“Shut up,” William screamed internally. “Do not call it romance.”

Meanwhile, Tamasya’s thoughts were no less chaotic.

Is he looking at me right now? Am I blushing? Of course I am blushing. What will he think if he sees me blushing?

She kept her eyes closed tightly, as though that could conceal the redness creeping across her cheeks.

She did not hate the feeling. That was the problem. She liked the warmth beneath her head. She liked the slow rhythm of his breathing. She liked the absurd, ordinary intimacy of it.

It felt like something from another lifetime.

William, meanwhile, kept asking himself why he was acting so weird.

Tamasya wondered why her heart refused to calm down.

Both of them kept asking themselves the same question in different words.

Why?

Why did this feel dangerous and comforting at the same time?

Why did it feel wrong yet right?

Why did their hearts beat as though they had run miles when all they had done was sit close?

Both of them kept asking the whys. Both kept searching for the cause of their wildly beating hearts. Both kept wondering why they felt what they felt.

Neither had answers.

Everything felt too fast, sudden, and abrupt.

But that was the nature of infatuation. It did not ask permission. It did not check ages, titles, or logic. It simply happened.

Out of nowhere.

For reasons no one could properly explain.

For someone you never expected.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep