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Chapter 9: A Name on the Wind

ผู้เขียน: Angel
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-05-25 20:46:50

As I approach the English building, footsteps echoing across the sunlit cobblestones, a voice cuts through the morning haze.

“Jude!”

I turn instinctively.

Lea is jogging up the path behind me, one hand raised in a wave, the other holding something small and brightly wrapped. Her dark curls bounce with each step, cheeks flushed from the effort. She slows as she reaches me, catching her breath.

“I was hoping I’d find you,” she says, offering the little box. “Happy birthday.”

I blink at it, stunned. “You remembered?”

“Of course,” she says, giving me a look like I’ve asked the dumbest question imaginable.

I take the gift with a quiet “Thanks.” The wrapping crinkles under my fingers as I start to open it, but she stops me with a light touch.

“Not now. Open it when you’re alone.”

I nod, folding the box into my palm. A weird warmth blooms in my chest. “Thanks again.”

She studies me for a beat, then her eyes gleam with mischief. “So... who put up that banner in the Commons?”

I cringe. “Don’t
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