exposed

"Hey, don't call me Lunette, okay? It'll arise suspicion among the other academy students," Cior said, narrowing her eyes at Mateo.

"Okay, okay," Mateo replied, holding up his hands in mock surrender. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he leaned forward. "I just like calling you Lunette because your reaction is so cute." Without warning, he reached out and pulled her cheeks.

"Stop it!" she protested, her voice muffled as she batted his hands away, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

Mateo chuckled, leaning back with a playful expression. "You're too much sometimes. Honestly, I wish you were just mine."

"Dream on," she shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she teleported out of his room in a flash, leaving him sitting there alone.

Mateo sighed, looking at the empty space where she'd stood a moment ago. "That girl," he muttered to himself, a small, amused smile tugging at his lips.

Later

"Hey, sweetheart, why don't you come on a date with me?" Ziven said, leaning casually against the doorway, his grin wide and confident.

Cior raised an eyebrow, not looking up from her book. "What is wrong with you? I have a fiancé, and I'm straight," she replied flatly.

Ziven chuckled, leaning closer. "Half lie, half truth. You may be straight, but you don't have a fiancé."

"Do you forget Lunette, and only half a month ago, you were saying that my heart belongs to every girl?" Cior shot back, crossing her arms with a smirk.

Ziven's grin grew even wider. "Lunette means you, oh yes, my darling. My heart only belongs to you."

Cior froze for a second, her expression shifting. "Wait a minute... You two found out that I'm Lunette?"

Ziven shrugged nonchalantly. "It was easy peasy."

Cior's eyes narrowed. "Plz, my god, let me have a moment of peace," she groaned, leaning back in her chair, feeling the weight of the chaos around her.

Ziven laughed, clearly unfazed. "Peace? Who needs that when you've got me?"

Cior just sighed dramatically. "I need a vacation from all of you."

Cior stood in front of the group, arms crossed, as she teleported them all into a private room of a fancy restaurant. The walls were adorned with golden chandeliers, and the atmosphere was unexpectedly serious, given the group of chaos-loving boys.

"Alright, so you all now know my secret," Cior said, her voice deadpan as she looked at the group, a mix of confusion, curiosity, and surprise plastered on their faces.

Each of the boys exchanged glances, the silence hanging heavy in the air.

"Wait, so you're telling me this bunch of boys knows it too?" Amaias said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as he gestured to the group, who all looked just as baffled.

"Yes, Amaias," Cior replied with an exaggerated sigh, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Wait, when did you find out?" Arven asked, his voice laced with confusion as he shot a glance at the others.

"I was first. But she made me forget," Mateo chimed in, looking more annoyed than surprised as he glanced at Cior. "Nice way to mess with my memories, by the way."

Ziven grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "Oh, well, I just put a wig on her, and boom, I found out." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if discovering someone's biggest secret was as simple as that.

Cior stared at him, completely deadpan. "Oh, wow, Ziven, you're a genius."

Ziven smirked, clearly proud of himself. "I know, right?"

Cior leaned back in her chair, looking like she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. "I swear, I need a vacation from all of you."

Arven, looking utterly baffled, shook his head. "This is... too much."

Amaias leaned in, his arms crossed. "So what now? Do we all just go on pretending we didn't find out?"

Cior threw her hands up in exasperation. "Honestly, at this point, I don't even know anymore. This is my life now. Welcome to the madness."

Ziven laughed, leaning back in his chair. "I like the madness. It's fun."

Cior let out a dramatic groan, closing her eyes. "Someone please, make it stop."

Cior looked around at the group of boys, her gaze serious as she spoke, "Guys, y'know, if you tell anyone else, I'm out of school. You won't see me again."

Mateo, looking earnest, gave a reassuring nod. "We won't say a single thing, I promise."

Arven leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "But, mind telling us why you're in a male academy when you're... well, clearly not male?"

Cior let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. It was the question she'd been dreading. The truth was, the secret was too complicated, but she owed it to them, especially now that they all knew who she really was.

With a resigned sigh, she started the story, her voice soft but steady. "I was born to Kieran, my biological father. He gave me to the Count family for protection, you know, because of all the enemies he had. But... the Count family was killed. Before my father could get to me, I was kidnapped and subjected to some pretty twisted experiments."

The boys exchanged looks, shocked by the weight of what Cior was saying.

"It took Kieran two years to find me. He rescued me when I was five. But, the experiments... they changed me. I wasn't just a normal girl anymore." Cior's voice faltered for a moment, but she steadied herself and continued, "So, he decided to hide my identity, make sure no one knew about me. That's when I became Lunette, the girl you all know from the academy. I'm here because I need to figure out who did all of that to me and my family. To find out who my real enemies are, who's behind the attacks on my father, and why they want to hurt us."

There was a pause. The weight of Cior's words hung in the air. Mateo was the first to speak, his expression a mix of concern and understanding. "That's... a lot to take in, Cior. But we'll help you, whatever it takes."

Ziven raised an eyebrow. "So that means you're basically undercover here?"

"Yeah, something like that," Cior said, a small, bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. "I had to keep a low profile to stay hidden, so this academy was the perfect cover. Everyone thought I was just a guy with some weird circumstances, and it worked."

Arven, ever the logical one, looked thoughtful. "That makes sense now. All the secrecy, all the mystery. But why the whole 'male' thing? Wasn't that... risky?"

Cior shrugged. "Honestly? It was the best option. Being a girl would've drawn too much attention. Besides, the whole 'disguise' thing helps me stay under the radar, especially since no one knows my true identity. Kieran... he made sure to keep me safe, but I had to live like this to keep that safety."

Amaias, who had been quiet, spoke up with a quiet intensity, "I get it now. But we're with you, Cior. If you need help, we'll be there."

Cior looked around at the group of boys, her heart full of gratitude despite everything. "Thanks, guys. But remember—this stays between us. I'm trusting you with this secret, and I won't be able to stay here if it gets out."

The boys all nodded in agreement, the weight of the promise clear in their eyes.

"Don't worry," Ziven said with a smirk, "your secret's safe with us... unless you mess with my hair again. Then we'll talk."

Cior rolled her eyes but smiled. "Deal."

Arven, ever serious, added, "We'll keep it quiet. You're one of us now, Lunette—or Cior, whatever you prefer."

Cior let out a long breath, the burden of the secret a little lighter now that she had told them. "Thanks. Really."