Extra's Ascent

Chapter 138 138: Edward, Oh Edward...

"How dare that ruffian!" Selina spat through clenched teeth, her shoes striking the pavement with fury as she stormed ahead. Her fury simmered beneath every step, each word laced with venom as she marched beside Edward, nostrils flaring.

"Selina, you need to breathe. Don't let him get under your skin," Edward offered, his voice even but cautious like a man walking a tightrope over fire.

"Easy for you to say!" she snapped, not sparing him even a sideways glance. "Did you not witness the way that vermin taunted me?! By the LORD's, if Fiona hadn't been standing there, I would've ripped that arrogant mongrel to shreds!"

To Selina, Aldrich was less than nothing, a stain on the fabric of nobility. A man with neither the pedigree nor the prestige to justify the gall he displayed. The very notion that he had the audacity to speak to her not only without reverence but with mockery was, in her eyes, a travesty of cosmic proportions.

And in her mind, Fiona bore the blame.

Had it not been for Fiona's reckless decision to associate with that wretch, to date someone so beneath her stature, Aldrich would never have presumed he had the right to even breathe the same air as Selina Von Degure.

This... this whole disgraceful encounter was the consequence of that misguided relationship.

"Do you realize," Edward began, trying again, "that he holds the same class rank as we do? That alone gives him a certain level of justification—

"It gives him nothing!" Selina's voice pierced the air like a whip. Her tone halted Edward's argument before it could build momentum. "He's only ranked equally because those in charge have failed to recognize the one factor that matters most, lineage!"

In her ideal world, meritocracy had no place. Talents? Potential? Laughable. As far as she was concerned, power should be an inherited privilege, not something scraped together by commoners with grit and stubbornness.

Status, true status ought to be the compass guiding one's place in the world.

A system that dared to elevate someone like Aldrich whose very name carried no weight was fundamentally broken.

"And you," she continued, rounding on Edward now, her eyes flashing like lightning behind a storm. "Why were you silent while that fool hurled insult after insult at me? You stood there, stood there! while I was humiliated!"

To be fair, she had a point.

While Aldrich fired verbal daggers, Edward had simply stood rooted, neither defending nor diffusing. For someone who claimed devotion, his silence had been... deafening.

But truth be told, Edward's inaction hadn't stemmed from confusion, nor fear.

It had come from somewhere far more complicated.

"I—" he hesitated, already knowing how inadequate the words would sound. "I wasn't sure what to say."

Selina's eyes narrowed. "How about something like: 'Don't speak to my fiancée that way!' Or maybe: 'You'll watch your tongue around her, peasant!' Anything, anything, Ed! But no, you just stood there and let me look like a desperate fool in front of her and that pathetic excuse of a boyfriend!"

Her fury wasn't merely about Aldrich's provocations, it was about Edward's failure to match her outrage, to validate her status through his defense.

And Edward knew it.

He had seen the hurt buried behind her outrage, the vulnerability she never showed unless cornered.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers at last. "I understand now. I should've stepped in."

He was telling the truth at least in part. He did feel guilt, but not for the reasons Selina imagined.

Because behind his apology, another truth gnawed at him.

The truth that he hadn't spoken because he couldn't. Because every time he stood across from Fiona, words evaporated into thin air. Because her laughter and her presence was enough to twist his heart in ways Selina never could.

How could he admit that? How could he possibly tell her that he was in love with someone else, her best friend of all people.

Selina glared at him, voice trembling with rage. "Not your place? Not your place?! You are my fiancé, Edward. You had every right. No, you had a duty to defend me! Don't insult me further with that cowardly excuse."

Edward felt the air tighten around them. If this continued, it would spiral into something far worse than a public quarrel. He needed to defuse it, fast.

"Selina, please. Don't let this situation ruin the rest of the day," he urged, his tone patient but firm. "We came here to relax, to escape the tension building up before the upcoming exam. Let's not allow that trash to dictate our mood."

He wasn't wrong.

Today was supposed to be a day off, a rare moment of reprieve. Just like Dante and several others, they had seized the opportunity to break from the grueling preparation, to breathe and find joy outside the battlefield of academia and rankings.

That their paths had crossed with Fiona and Aldrich was mere chance.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

"You think I don't want to stay calm?" Selina hissed, slowing her pace. "You think I enjoy being riled up like this?"

Her fists clenched at her sides, nails digging into flesh.

"But that lowlife, he dared... he dared to speak to me as if we were equals. As if my status, my heritage, meant nothing."

There was no mistaking the pain in her voice.

This wasn't just about a bruised ego, it was about the very foundation of who she believed herself to be.

"Mark my words, Edward," she continued, her voice low and dangerous. "One day, I'll seize him by the throat. I'll raise him high and squeeze until he understands, until he knows exactly who he's dealing with."

And the terrifying part?

Edward didn't doubt it.

Selina Von Degure was not known for idle threats. When she vowed vengeance, it was only a matter of when, not if.

Strangely enough, he found himself unconcerned.

In fact, a part of him welcomed the idea. Aldrich's disappearance would make things simpler. It would mean Fiona would finally be free of him.

And then maybe, just maybe he could fill that void.

"I don't question your resolve," Edward said, his voice calm. "But for now, just for today, let's push those thoughts aside. Let's enjoy ourselves like normal people would."

Selina blinked, as if surprised by his tone. She stared at him for a moment, then softened. Just a little.

"Fun? Hah." Her lips curved upward, though not from amusement. There was cunning in her expression now, a silent promise written in the glint of her eyes.

"Yes," she said slowly, reaching for his hand. "Let's have fun. After all, I have every intention of making use of the opportunity granted to me by the exam grouping results."

Edward took her hand, though the look she gave him sent a chill crawling up his spine.

That smile...

It wasn't born of joy. It was born of strategy.

Whatever plans were brewing behind those pretty eyes, Edward had the good sense not to ask. He simply tucked the unease away and followed her lead, praying that for today at least he could keep pretending that everything was fine.

That his thoughts weren't elsewhere. That his heart wasn't already spoken for.

And above all... that Selina wouldn't find out.