Chapter:0.139 drunk part I

The first thing Jin noticed was the sound.

A high, slurred wail echoing through the academy's quiet gardens, followed by the unmistakable crash of something fragile meeting the stone path. He stood still for a moment, one leather-gloved hand pinching the bridge of his nose, as the distant sound of glass shattering joined the chaos. A sigh followed, slow and exasperated, escaping his lips like smoke in winter air.

Of course.

Leona.

She was dancing—if one could call it that. A clumsy, weaving sway, her arms thrown around like ribbons caught in the wind. One hand gripped an almost-empty bottle of liquor; the other, disturbingly, held the academy's stray golden retriever, which looked both terrified and resigned.

[Note: The little puppy is a magical animal] 

Her white hair—normally immaculate—was a mess of disobedient curls, tangled and spilling over her face. Her cheeks were flushed deep crimson, her pale skin glowing with the warmth of intoxication. Her eyes—usually sharp, cerulean and cold—were now bleary and unfocused, as if she were trying to squint her way back into reality. Her uniform shirt was misbuttoned, half untucked, and her boots were completely missing.

Jien leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching this unfolding disaster with all the serenity of a man who had seen the world burn… and couldn't be bothered anymore.

He glanced at his watch.

"Should I call Lilia?" 

He tried Ethan next.

Then realized—he had neither of their contact details.

"Brilliant," he muttered, before letting out another sigh and swiping through his holo-interface.

He paused on a name he had tried very, very hard not to press.

**Rena Amberheart.**

Wife. Fiancée. Political alliance. Fire-breathing goddess with gold eyes and a right hook that could level buildings.

"Damn it," he muttered. "She's training."

But the garden was steadily descending into madness, and Leona had just begun to sing—loudly, and off-key.

He tapped the call icon.

Jin laughed, "Well, I have no choice, my dear wife." 

---

**Elsewhere — Academy Training Halls**

Mana pulsed like a second heartbeat beneath Rena's skin.

She sat in stillness, a pillar of discipline in the center of the training chamber, her breath slow and even. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale again. The crimson-gold aura of phoenix mana shimmered around her form, not quite flame, not quite light—more like a halo clinging to muscle and bone.

Her hair, that wild red cascade, floated gently in the air around her shoulders, reacting to each shift of her mana. Her skin glistened faintly with the heat of concentration. Even the heavy training uniform, thick with layered enchantments and weighted fabric, seemed molded to her form now—less of a burden, more of a promise.

She was getting better.

Faster.

Stronger.

Naoko had told her to empty her thoughts.

Sion had demanded she sever emotion from action.

And for the last hour, Rina had done just that.

Her mana obeyed like a tide. She moved it from her core to her limbs, from fingertips to ankles, guiding it in slow, balanced flows. She could feel the blessings of her bloodline—the phoenix within—stirring at the edge of awareness, feeding her heat, power, memory.

Then—

A vibration at her wrist.

She ignored it.

Another.

Persistent.

Her golden eyes opened, glowing faintly, annoyed.

She glanced.

Her heart skipped.

**Jin.**

Why was he calling? He knew she was in training. Had something happened? Was he hurt?

Conflicting instincts warred inside her. Pride told her to ignore it. Worry said otherwise.

She hesitated. Too long.

Then pressed accept.

"What is it, Jin?" she snapped, breath still steady but lips trembling. "You know I'm in the middle of training. Is something wrong?"

She bit her lower lip as the words escaped, embarrassed by how quickly she picked up. Her cheeks flushed a faint rose, and the mana around her flickered like embarrassed flame.

On the other end, his voice came smooth, low, and full of that familiar mocking warmth.

"Forgive me, my dearest wife," he said, the sarcasm coating his words like silk, "but might I request your divine presence in the academy gardens? A… small situation has arisen."

The location ping followed.

Rena stared at it. Close. Five minutes.

Too close to ignore.

She sighed, cutting the line. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath.

She stood, the weight of her training suit dragging slightly at her limbs—but her mana adapted, coiled tighter around her like a second skin. The aura flared briefly, a burning red-gold, before settling into a subtle shimmer.

Then she walked.

---

**Academy Corridors**

She didn't run.

Rina never ran.

She walked, measured, graceful, and powerful—each step melting the air around her like coals against snow. Students parted as she passed, like waves before a prow. Whispers followed in her wake. Her eyes were forward, focused. Her face unreadable. A queen walking to war.

But inside—

Her heart was racing.

What was so urgent? Was he hurt? Was it a prank? Was he finally deciding to be a husband instead of a devil?

Then she saw him.

Jin, draped in shadows as always. Black-on-black: coat, gloves, shirt, boots. His hair fell in elegant disarray, bangs sweeping over one eye like an unfinished painting. His crimson gaze caught hers the moment she entered the garden, and—of course—he smiled.

A slow, smug, irritating smile.

"Ah, wife," he said, voice dry. "Welcome to the theater. Feast your eyes upon the historical disaster your beloved friend has decided to produce this evening."

Rena blinked—once.

Then turned.

And froze.

..... 

Heat: Thank you so much for reading. 

I copied this link from my phone, not from my PC this time. 

👇

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1Tpo0sWCa3Y3y9Uip1cjU0GRQByxT5IhK