Chapter 41: The Candle, The Breakdown & The Unintentional Language Reveal

Chapter 41: The Candle, The Breakdown & The Unintentional Language Reveal

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Zyrenia walked through the dormitory halls, candle in hand, her expression tense, but composed.

The scent was already filling the air.

She didn't need guidance.

She could smell the room.

Even among the mingled scents of students, food, ink, and parchment—one door stood out.

A room that did not smell like a person.

No sweat, no breath, no lingering blood.

Just wax, wood, and faint trails of burned wicks.

It was oddly soothing.

Normally, places with too many humans overwhelmed her.

Too many mingled scents, too many clashing aromas.

But here...

It was just candles.

She stopped in front of the door.

Raised a fist.

Knocked.

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Jessica opened the door with mild irritation, expecting another envoy summons.

Instead—

She saw a ten-year-old vampire girl standing there, holding a candle.

Jessica blinked.

Zyrenia's fangs were no longer bared, but her posture was tense.

Before Jessica could even ask, Zyrenia held out the candle.

"Here is the consultation fee."

Jessica stared.

Then stared harder.

Then, looked over her shoulder at Tobias, who was sitting at her desk, also staring.

Jessica slowly took the candle.

She turned it over in her hands, sniffed it.

It was actually really nice.

"...Huh."

Tobias leaned forward. "Are we just accepting vampire bribes now?"

Jessica gave him a flat look. "Shut up, Tobias."

She turned back to Zyrenia.

"...Uh, come in, I guess?"

Zyrenia stepped inside.

Her first observation?

The scents in the room were thick enough to completely mask any organic trace.

For the first time since arriving at this damn academy, she couldn't smell human blood.

It was... strangely comforting.

Jessica tilted her head at the candle, noticing the incense sticks melted into the wax.

"Huh," she said, running her thumb over the surface. "Multiple lighting points. You can burn different combinations."

Zyrenia watched her carefully.

Jessica, without thinking, added absently—

"Oh. I can't sculpt this."

It was meant to be an absentminded thought.

Just a casual comment.

But to Zyrenia—after everything today—it was the final straw.

Her breathing hitched.

Her eyes welled up.

And then, before Jessica even had time to react—

Zyrenia fell to her knees and started crying.

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Jessica immediately panicked.

Tobias shot up from his seat.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Jessica flung her arms out. "I DON'T KNOW!"

Zyrenia covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

Jessica knelt down immediately, grabbing her shoulders.

And then—without thinking—

She spoke.

But not in the human tongue.

Not in the language Tobias understood.

But in something older.

Something she had no business knowing.

"No, no. Don't cry, little girl."

The words left her mouth before she even processed them.

And Zyrenia responded in the same tongue without thinking.

"I ruined the fee."

Jessica hugged her gently, pulling her closer.

She didn't even think about how strange it was to understand.

She just reacted.

She pressed her forehead lightly against Zyrenia's and said, softly, "No, you didn't. The candle is great as it is."

Zyrenia hiccuped, still sniffling.

Jessica smiled faintly.

"And the incense sticks were really thoughtful," she murmured. "They smell wonderful."

Zyrenia sniffled.

For a moment, she just stayed there, curled against Jessica's warmth, absorbing the words.

Her fingers curled into Jessica's sleeve.

Her breathing slowed.

The weight of the day, the emotions she had been fighting back for hours, all collapsed into that one, small moment of comfort.

Jessica held her a little closer, rubbing her back softly.

Tobias, standing off to the side, had gone completely still.

He had heard it.

That language—**whatever it was—**it wasn't human.

But Tobias, instead of calling it out, said nothing.

Instead, he turned away, crossing his arms.

Ignoring it was better for her.

⸻

Zyrenia was still emotionally overwhelmed.

But now... now there was something else.

Jessica Moran—a human noble girl, a tactician of absurd skill, someone who should have no connection to her people—

Had just spoken to her in the ancient tongue of her ancestors.

Flawlessly.

And even worse—Zyrenia didn't even notice.

Jessica had spoken as if it were her first language.

Her words carried no human accent.

She did not stumble.

She did not pause.

She did not hesitate.

She had switched between languages without thought.

And now—she had already switched back.

Jessica, still completely unaware, patted her head.

"There, see?" she said. "No need to cry. I like the candle. It smells nice."

Zyrenia blinked.

Jessica offered a small smile.

"...Want to light it?"

Zyrenia swallowed.

By the time she had calmed down, Jessica had reverted to speaking in the human tongue.

Zyrenia didn't even notice when it happened.

Jessica just switched back seamlessly.

As if it had never happened.

As if it had been completely natural.

And that—that terrified Tobias more than anything else.

"...Okay," Zyrenia finally whispered.

She reached for the candle.

Jessica smiled, lighting the incense stick embedded in the wax.

A warm, comforting scent drifted through the air.

Zyrenia breathed it in.

And for now—no one said anything about what had just happened.