ECLIPSE BORN のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

{Ava’s POV}“You’re a walking plague.”I had come looking for Prince Liam peacefully. I wanted to discuss how I would return his claw points, so I thought I had heard those words wrongly until he spoke again. “Since you set foot on the Academy grounds, you’ve been nothing but trouble to me!” Prince Liam harshly poured out words again and I tensed due to his volume. This was not how I expected this meeting to go.I just stared while he angrily paced closer to me, still talking and with every word he let out, I realized that this was reality and felt stings in my chest. “I decided to flow with the rules despite how annoying they were. I wanted to settle things the right way so that I can finally be free from you but then it feels like the more I try, the more you find new ways to torture and trap me!” He voiced again.“I—”He cut me off mercilessly. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. It’s obvious that you plan to ruin me so just stop pretending— I know it already. But I w

{Ava’s POV}The air at dawn had a bite to it—cold, restless, alive.Moonspire’s training grounds, usually filled with the sounds of drills and laughter, were hollow this morning. Fog rolled over the short grass plain in silver waves, swallowing the torches around and muting the early birdsong. I was a bit nervous. I study my surroundings whenever I am. Edna wrapped her cloak tighter around herself now and muttered, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”She had been muttering that since we left the lodge.Eunice, on the other hand, was practically trembling—not from fear, but excitement. “This is crazy. The Prince is going to fight you, Ava. Do you realize how iconic this is?” She told me and she sounded this odd because she clearly was one of those females who had an insane crush on Prince Liam. Plus she had missed the first two times I battled against the Prince.I didn’t reply to her. She had made it clear from the start that she was weird, so I wasn’t shocked by her state

Ava’s POV}The next morning smelled like burnt pine and fog. A strange mix for dawn—warm but restless.In truth, I was the one restless.I made my way to the Meadow Patch again, the same field that had started to feel like neutral ground between Prince Liam and me. I don’t know if I should say our names together like that. Dew brushed against my bare feet as I paced now, and the distant clang of claws sparring in the general field echoed faintly. It felt too early but I was getting used to the hour. But then there was a friend of mine who wasn’t. “You’re going back there?” She asked me now, her tone a bit thick as she trailed beside me, having caught up with me. “Yes.”“By this time?”“Yes. He wants this time.”“And it’s an everyday thing now?”“Yes, Edna.”She had groaned so dramatically I almost laughed. “I’m convinced you like him.”That made me grow a serious expression. “That is highly unlikely.”“Uh-huh,” she’d muttered, “That’s exactly what people say before they start exch

{Ava’s POV}Some mornings feel ordinary.This one didn’t.There was something about the air this morning—thick, restless, like the world itself was waiting for something to happen. The smell of pine mixed with the faint aroma of bread from the lodge kitchens filled my nose, while Combatants were beginning their drills in the far field, their shouts rising like scattered choruses.I sat by the open window, towel over my shoulders, staring at the distant hills where the mist still clung to the treetops.My arms ached from yesterday’s training with Prince Liam— though, honestly, I’d never admit that to him.Edna sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at me. However, I didn’t notice until she spoke. “You’re humming,” she said.I turned halfway. “I’m what?”“You’re humming, Ava. People hum when they’re in love or when they’re hiding something.”I looked at her. “Maybe I’m both.” I decided to give her the answer she wanted. She narrowed her eyes, lips curling into a slow, knowing smile. “You

{Ava’s POV}The Royal Palace rose out of the horizon like it had been carved straight from the core of the earth.Silver towers. Wide balconies shaped like crescents. Long bridges of pale stone arching over running water that glowed faintly under the early dawn. Everything felt colder here; cleaner, sharper— grander. Nothing like the rugged stone, dirt paths, and pine-musk air of the Reigns.Edna stood at my side, mouth wide open. “Ava,” she whispered. “If I die here, bury me somewhere expensive. This place deserves a piece of me.”“I’ll push you into the fountain instead,” I whispered back.She elbowed me, smiling nervously.Prince Liam walked ahead of us, shoulders squared, posture clipped and tight. He hadn’t said much since we crossed the Palace gates, but based on how tense he looked, I assumed being summoned home unexpectedly wasn’t his idea of a pleasant return.Royal guards lined the walkway as if carved from stone with their eyes shifting only slightly when we passed. Their co