After my arm exploded and having it healed by Sylvia, we all decided that that was enough training for the day. I parted ways from Sylvia and my mom as I figured that I would make good on my self-promise to see what was wrong with Ren. I offered for Sylvia to join me, but she declined as she wanted to shower and see how Mila was doing.

Well, that was what she said, but I had a feeling that she just didn’t want to see Lauren, which was fine. I understand that those two don’t get along, but they’ve seemed better these last few months, so that’s good.

I also figured that since I was in the area, I would take this time to drop by our old room. Well, it wasn’t really an old room, as we would be moving back into it shortly. It just felt like it had been forever since we checked in on it.

I got to the top of the stairs and looked down the hall at the twin’s room. Two royal Praetorian Guards stood watch outside their door in their red and gold armor, their red cloaks connected to their golden pauldron. Both guards had a rectangular shield and a short spear, as well as a sword of their choice.

It used to be that I couldn’t breathe without having one of these guys glaring at me from behind. Whenever Lauren or Ren was around, there was bound to be at least one of them. But now that Ren had been coming to train with us with her father, a Praetorian Guard was rather redundant. So I hadn’t been in contact with them much.

But if I had to guess, King Maxwell probably just ordered them to stop following him. I could see that happening.

I had never fought one of them before nor had I seen them in action. But from what I could tell just from my Soul Sight alone, they were all very strong. At the very least, they were Sapphire or Ruby-ranked adventurers just based on that alone.

One of the guard’s eyes flicked to me the second I walked into the hallway. He glared at me from behind his gold and red face mask, but oddly enough, he stopped and continued to stare forward. For a moment, I was genuinely confused as I’ve had a few run-ins with those guys before.

I understood their curt behavior and always chalked it up to them just doing their job, so I never held it against any of them. But I did do my fair share of mental complaining. However, now they recognized me as being somewhat trustworthy. It could be due to my status as a knight or my being close to the king.

Either way, I shrugged them off and waltzed over to the giant metal door that was guarding my room. I inserted the key, and with a single turn, the silent mechanisms began working, and the metal door became weightless as it swung open with ease.

I shut the door and scrutinized the room. I looked for any signs of intruders, but there were none as far as I could see. The room looked exactly as we had left it last. If not far dirtier than before.

I wiped a single finger across the kitchen counter and collected a thick layer of fluffy gray dust. I winced slightly at the sight while letting out a deep sigh. It was pretty disgusting.

“Maybe I should have accepted Bowen’s offer having a maid come to—”

Wait, why would I want that?

I used to be pretty big on cleaning myself. I always cleaned up around my family home in Syn’nari, and during my time here in this room, I spent many hours cleaning the place to a spotless degree. Living in filth was just unacceptable. I had toiled away in such places enough as a slave and had no intentions of going back to such a lifestyle.

Perhaps living with my family and Bowen’s maids doing all the cleaning for these last few months has made me forget that. I didn’t like having people clean for me, even if it was just their job. Well, that’s fine.

Before we move in, we can clean the place together. It would be fun to watch Mila wipe things down. Maybe I can get her an adorable little apron or something? That would be cute. One for Sylvia too.

I had to stop myself from cleaning right now, so I just tossed my clothes off and hopped into the shower to cleanse myself of the morning’s dirt and grime. I would have felt bad if I had just walked into Ren and Luren’s room, all dirty. I even left a few changes of clothes here, just in case.

The only bad thing is, I don’t have any winter clothes here. Well, whatever, it’s not that cold. I can survive a quick walk back to my parents.

I dried my hair and put it up into a bun before I walked across the hall. The two Praetorian Guards gave me questioning glances from their narrowed eyes. “Good morning. I would like to speak with Ren if she is home.”

The two guards looked at each other and nodded, only to step away from the door slightly. That was by far the most effortless interaction I have had with them. But something caught my attention.

I pressed the small button adjacent to the door. It worked as a small doorbell that allowed those inside the soundproofing walls to know people were outside.

Suddenly the door flung open, and a very angry-looking Lauren glared at me. Her hair was not done at all, and she looked as if she had just woken up. Lauren was wearing a cute red night dress with a fluffy white jacket over it. She looked ready to yell at me, but the second our eyes met, her anger evaporated from her expression.

“Oh, Kaladin…good morning,” she muttered to herself. She looked down at her clothes and gave me a meek smile as she blushed slightly. “Ah, I’m sorry…I wasn’t expecting any more guests this morning, so I went back to sleep.”

More guests?

“It’s okay. I understand that I’m dropping by unexpectedly, so please don’t worry,” I told her. I gave her another once over and grinned to myself. “Besides, this is quite the outfit. Should I consider myself lucky to see it? Or is it one of those things I should forget about?”

Lauren clenched her fist as her face reddened more. “You…are lucky it’s early in the morning and that this was a surprise.” Lauren sighed deeply. “To think you, of all people, would tease me. You are getting too bold, Kaladin.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “Well, what do you want? Oh, are you here to perhaps see me? You know you can visit me whenever you like. Even after hours,” she said as she looked up at me with big eyes.

The Praetorian Guards shifted nervously next to me, and I had to admit that Lauren could be…alluring when she wanted to be. But I swallowed any nervousness that may have come as I understood that she was just trying to get back at me for my teasing.

“I’m actually here to see Ren. She didn’t show up this morning, and she never told me that she was going to miss training. I felt that it was odd, so I just wanted to see if something was wrong,” I explained.

Lauren puffed her cheeks out at me. “Really? Here I was, thinking that maybe you had a change of heart. I guess I just have to work harder. It’s a shame I’ve been so busy.” She sighed, but I didn’t miss the grin she tried hiding as she motioned for me to come in. “Well, come ask her yourself. She is home.”

I nodded quickly and walked into the spacious room. Just with a glance, I could tell that Lauren and Ren’s room was far more extensive than mine. The kitchen and dining room alone were as big as our entire shared living space, minus the bathroom and private bedrooms.

I even counted four more doors than our room had, which was mind-boggling. I guess this entire wing of the building was their room. Bowen said that our room was their prototype, and now I understand why—this place was the final product.

The main entrance was far grander than ours. Two black and gray speckled columns flanked the sides, and the floor was made out of the same material. But it was only for the immediate entrance because after that was a sea of grayish-white plush carpet.

The furniture was also a league above ours with its soft red silky appearance and golden trim. White fur rugs were below an elegant glass coffee table that had gold accents. Hanging on the walls were various paintings and even family portraits of the royal family, excluding a certain prince.

It looked as if Lauren and Ren favored more gray in this room’s construction than black. There were tones of gray, white, red, and gold, with only some of the marble being black.

“Well, stop gawking and take your shoes off. We don’t want to dirty the carpet,” Lauren said, urging me forward.

I obliged and set my shoes on a rack. The moment my bare feet touched the soft carpet, they curled to get a feel. It was a soothing feeling that slipped in between my toes. It was truly divine.

The large gray stone fireplace crackled as it heated the room. With a single glance, I could tell that it was expertly crafted. Cut into the stone was the symbol of the royal family. The Gryphon looked so life-like there was a vague sense that it would crawl out at me.

I marveled at the massive dining table. Ours was fit for ten people, but this gray and white table could easily fit fifteen guests with elbow room. Honestly, this room was something else. If I once considered my room to be a mini-royal palace, then this was a fully-fledged royal palace.

“You seem amazed, like some country bumpkin. Is it really that impressive?” Lauren mused out loud.

“Of course it is. You know what our room looks like. Just compare it to that,” I told her.

Lauren put a finger to her chin and nodded. “I guess if you put it that way, I understand.”

Sigh…Humans are amazing. They can just adapt to any situation or place. I guess if you woke up and this was your home, you would get used to it eventually, just like how I got used to living in the other place.

“Ren’s room is the last door on the right. Just give it a knock,” Lauren said as she plopped down on the couch.

I walked over to the door and gave it a few light knocks just in case she was sleeping. I heard Lauren sigh from behind me. “Put more force into it, Kaladin. Soundproofing, remember?”

Ah, that’s true, I suppose.

“And Ren won’t care if it’s you being loud,” Lauren mumbled quietly to herself.

I gave the door a more forceful knock and waited for a response. I heard the door unlock, and it slowly creaked open. I knew Ren was standing before me, but my eyes were blinded by the brightness. It felt as if I had been flash banged by pastel colors of pink, blue, and green.

The morning light seeped in through the window and illuminated the massive room. Ren’s room was at least twice the size of my room here in the dorms. And its decor was in stark contrast to just about every established norm I had seen so far in Luminar.

I was baffled at the sight of shelves filled with small plates and cute little dolls. Some were animals, and others were knights or even just average-looking people like a farmer. But the dolls seemed… familiar in a way. They all seemed to be handcrafted to a high degree.

They sort of look like Mila’s doll. Huh.

I finally looked down to find a stunned Ren wearing a light pink nightgown that was slipping off her shoulders. Her strawberry-blonde hair was a ball of curls. Ren’s jaw was hanging so low I thought she might have dislocated it. Her sky-blue eyes were shaking in her skull as she let out a weird noise that sounded almost like a gasp and a moan of surprise mixed into one. To say the least, she clearly hadn’t been expecting me.

“Ka—Kaladin?!” Ren blurted out.

“Uh, good morning?” I said back with an awkward smile.

Ren didn’t even respond to me as she took one big step back and slammed the door on me. I just shrugged and turned to the girl laughing on the couch. Lauren was doubled over, holding her stomach and groaning from laughing so hard.

I was about to say something to her when the door behind me burst open, and a pink square pillow came flying out at Mach 2 and smacked Lauren straight in the face. It was just a pillow, but it still had enough force to knock Lauren over onto her back, eliciting a hilarious manly grunt from her.

I wanted to commend Ren on her toss, but the door had already been slammed shut once more. I just scratched the back of my head and decided to wait for Ren to get ready on her own.

“What was that fo—damn she left,” Lauren pouted.

“I think you had that one coming,” I told her as I sat down in a chair.

Wow, even the chairs are more comfortable than ours.

“I thought it was only fair that Ren felt a bit of embarrassment,” she said while crossing her arms. “Besides, I had to get back at her just a little bit.”

“Oh? What for—”

My words were interrupted by Ren’s door being flung open again and the thunderous steps of a furious person. She wasted no time in leaping at her sister with a light blue jacket on and a new pastel green pillow in hand.

“You! I can’t believe you let him in! Why didn’t you say anything to me?! You knew I was still sleeping!” Ren shouted as she smacked her sister in the head with the pillow.

“What! It wasn’t a big deal! It’s not like you were naked or something!” Lauren said in defense as she picked up her pillow and started fighting back.

Ren snuck a glance at me, and I just shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Her jaw dropped, and she instantly whipped a pillow at me. I caught it with one hand and placed it on my lap. “You! I told you to forget about that! Don’t bring it up, please!”

“What? It’s just the three of us. Nothing to be ashamed about,” I said.

Lauren started giggling to herself as she wormed her way out from underneath her sister. “Yeah! You heard him. It’s not a big deal at all!”

Ren pressed her sister’s head into the couch and glared at me with flushed cheeks. “I can’t believe you two! You are doing this on purpose! I’m going to banish you! Exiled to…somewhere!”

“Then I’ll just un-exile him,” Lauren giggled.

“Then I’ll exile you!” Ren snapped back.

“You can’t do that to your future queen!” Lauren argued.

“How about I just commit regicide now and get it out of the way!” Ren hissed at her sister.

“Yeah?! I’d like to see you try!” Lauren yelled.

I just watched as the two sisters proceeded to wrestle each other. It was quite the spectacle that not many people could imagine ever witnessing. However, it was sort of endearing to watch.

Ren may have been embarrassed and maybe a bit angry at her sister, but the two were laughing the entire time they fought each other. It was a relief to see that both of them were on good terms, and despite everything that had happened in the last year, they were still able to smile and be themselves. There was also comfort in knowing that nothing was wrong with Ren, or so it seemed.

Lauren was the first to show signs of getting tired, huffing, and puffing while even sweating a bit. Her stamina was abysmal and entirely lacking compared to her sister. I had extended the offer to train Lauren just like Ren, but she politely declined.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but laugh, not at Lauren struggling or anything but just the both of them. Suddenly they both stopped and gawked at me with the same wide-eyed expression. It then reminded me that these two were indeed twins. I also hadn’t expected my laugh to be so…uh, loud.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “You can keep fighting if you want.”

“No…it’s just…it’s been a long time since I heard you laugh like that,” Ren mumbled.

“Yeah, same. That sounded really genuine. Is that how you are supposed to sound?” Lauren asked with genuine curiosity.

I scratched my head and shrugged. “No idea,” I said as I stood up from the couch.

“Where are you going? Why are you leaving so soon? You just got here?” Lauren asked me.

“I came to check in on Ren, and she seems to be doing fine,” I explained.

Ren looked at me in pure surprise once more. I looked to Lauren for an explanation, and she sighed. “What are you surprised about? Normally it’s us checking in on you. This is the first time you’ve come to see how we were doing of your own free will.”

Oh, is that the case…well, I can’t refute that. This might actually be the first time I’ve done something like this. And these two always did check on me when I was injured and stuff. I guess I felt somewhat bad for that.

Ren meekly shied away. “Oh, I’m sorry for not telling you… I woke up feeling sick and got healed this morning. But, the doctor told me to rest since I still felt groggy,” she mumbled.

“Nothing to worry about. School is starting soon, so it’s important that you rest. I’ll see you in the morning if you are feeling better, Ren,” I said as I put my shoes on. “And I’ll see you later, Lauren.”

Lauren smiled and waved at me. “See you at school, Kaladin.”

“Bye, Kaladin,” Ren mumbled meekly.

—

I left the sisters and made my way to the cafeteria at school to get a late breakfast. With the new school year around the corner, the staff was slowly starting to trickle in. Forward University had been quiet these last few months, but now people were bustling about. A few people greeted me, but no one I was close with.

I quickly ate my breakfast in the cafeteria and then made my way back home. I still needed to see Cerila, and I also figured I would put my plan of cleaning our dorm room into motion. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day. Whenever it was, it had to be done before we moved in.

Huh, I should have asked Ren if she had any aprons. She probably had a few. I never expected her to be into that kind of style. But I guess deep down, she is an ordinary girl, so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.

The first person to greet me at the door was Dad. He just happened to have been heading out, it seemed.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Oh, just going to see Bowen for a little bit. It’s nothing special, but he asked if I could meet him in his office,” Dad explained.

“I see…well, have you seen Cerila by chance? She didn’t wake up for training today.”

Dad arched an eyebrow and scratched his chin. “Huh, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her at all today. She wasn’t at breakfast, and Doctor Jacobs was there…” he trailed off.

If I knew that, I would have brought her some food from school.

“I’ll go check her room then. Say hi to Bowen for me,” I said with a slight wave.

Dad waved back, and we parted ways. I made my way upstairs to Cerila’s room and gave the door a hard knock. I was hoping she would feel the door banging if she was awake since it’s not like she would hear it. I waited a moment, and a slight tinge of fear crept up on me.

Wait, nobody has seen her all morning…that’s not like her at all. If she is in her room…something might have happened to her! What if she slipped and hit her head?!

I opened the door carefully just in case she was in front of it, but the silent room was pitch black with the curtains drawn shut. I gave the hot air a sniff just in case there was blood, but a sickly sweet smell assaulted my senses. I stepped in, confused, and immediately regretted it.

After another deep breath, my head started spinning violently. I dropped to my knees and put a hand on my sweating forehead. The scent was so overwhelming it made me nauseous, and in a matter of moments, my thundering heart felt as if it would explode out from my chest.

What…is wrong with me? My head…everything is so…cloudy…I…don’t even know…

I heard a noise like somebody had landed on the floor and barely managed to raise my head to see a tall figure. Cerila was crouching low to the floor, and her swirling amber eyes shined from the light from the hallway. But there was something different about her.

Her chest was rising and falling quickly, and her eyes were bloodshot. Despite the room only being a little too hot, she was completely drenched in sweat. Her thin tank top and shorts were not spared either.

I tried to say something to her, but my mouth was salivating, and I had to swallow. I felt so excited. It was sickening. Like I was going to be lost in this aroma forever. Or until I drowned in it. And no matter how much I argued with myself to run, I just couldn’t get to my feet.

No, I don’t want to run….or…do I? Am I in danger? I—

My body reacted on its own, and I immediately sensed a spell core coming at me. I formed a gravity spell and diverted the spell to the side. A gust of wind blew to my left, destroying a cabinet.

Huh? Did…did Cerila just attack me?