NOVPUBA while later...
Bang!
"What's going on in here? I heard we heard a scream... Oh my!" Hope exclaimed after budging into Jade's room with Elsa behind her.
They were talking about some random stuff in the kitchen when they heard Jade scream. They immediately rushed over. After all, something that could make Jade scream in fear like that had to be extraordinary. So, they rushed to help.
The sight that met them, however, was more shocking than they could have imagined. Jade was sniffling on her bed while Emily quietly looked on.
The smell of something burning was prominent in the room. It was also obvious to them what got burned... Which was Jade's hair. That's right, Emily had burnt off some of Jade's hair.
It wasn't done in an ugly way. She just burnt away some of its length. Leaving it rather short but looking smart. Nothing else was burnt. It was rather easy for Emily to do. Which didn't seem too bad, right?... Wrong! That's one of the worst things she could have done to Jade.
Jade loved her long hair like she would a sister. She would always groom it any chance she got. The only reason she didn't brag about it openly was because the others also had great long hair.
"Sniff, sniff. I... Can't believe you actually did that!" Jade spoke in between her sobs.
"I can't believe you did that either. Now we're even. I have someone else to deal with..." Emily replied unmoved.
She then left the room. Hope and Elsa immediately got out of the way. They didn't want any part of the current Emily. They didn't even know why she was angry. So it would be unfair to get caught up in something they knew nothing about.
As for Jade... They knew her well enough to guess that she probably deserved it. Her reaction also proved that she knew she deserved it. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so easily bullied.
The two looked at each other while thinking. They wanted to follow Emily,
who had just entered Muku's room without knocking. However, they immediately gave up on that idea after looking at Jade. They headed downstairs instead.
Layla, Chloe and Freya also heard the commotion. However, unlike Hope and Elsa. They knew that it was probably nothing serious since they couldn't sense any enemies having entered the mansion. For that reason, they didn't bother to go check it out.
Layla and Chloe were focused on improving their strength. Freya was still scared that she might have been discovered before. So, she decided to stay away for a bit.
If she really was discovered. She was too scared to even face them. Maybe they would forgive her through pity after seeing her meekness, right? Well, she hoped so, at least.
As for Audrey, she was still out cold. It seemed the intense activity took a lot more out of her than expected.
.....
In Muku's room...
"I know you're awake... Get up, I want to talk," Emily spoke in a gentle voice just after entering Muku's room.
Her demeanour wasn't as dark as it was with Jade. Maybe taking care of Jade and the crying session helped.
Not to mention that what happened wasn't exactly unacceptable to her. She was just overwhelmed by frustration from losing the chance to be first. So she was mostly okay after venting a little.
As for giving Jade a fiery haircut? Well... That was mostly her being petty because Jade also beat her to the punch. Only if she had been a bit bolder in the past.
"... What is it?" Muku spoke in a tired voice. Not even bothering to open his eyes.
Emily could tell that he was feeling mentally drained. It seemed despite doing what he did with Audrey and not regretting it. It still weighed on his mind.
"...." Emily looked at him for a moment without saying anything. She then walked over to his bed with a resolute expression on his face.
Without saying anything, she then got onto his bed. Then into his blanket. She continued to quietly hug him beneath the covers. Her head lay on his chest.
Muku's eyes instantly snapped open. His mind got even more chaotic. He was wondering what the hell had gotten over the girls recently. Were they trying to give him a heart attack or something??
"What are you doing?!" He exclamation while trying to get out of Emily's hug. However, he would have to hurt her a little to do that. Which he wasn't willing to do.
If his mind hadn't been chaotic and groggy. She definitely wouldn't have been able to even hug him like that. She was lucky to catch him in that state like Jade did. It was like they could tell when they would be successful in their sudden attacks.
"I know what you did yesterday..." Emily spoke one sentence calmly.
She had gotten so comfortable lying next to him that she had closed her eyes. She even sounded a lot more relaxed.
Hearing her statement. Muku instantly cooled down. He stopped struggling and just stiffly lay there. His mind was blank. Basically, giving up on thinking of anything.
It seemed he used up all his luck when he bagged Audrey. To the point that he got unlucky afterwards... Which was understandable considering how top tier in everything Audrey was...
Still, he couldn't help but curse Jade in his mind. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she promised him her silence. Even stealing some benefits. Yet she had already sold him out to Emily. Why did he trust that idiot anyway??
As for how he knew it was definitely Jade who sold him out? Well, Emily was the type to immediately look into this type of thing after finding out. And, Jade just let out a scream a while back. So it was pretty obvious what took place.
He would also bet that Jade's actions played a big part in Emily's realisation. Even before she was told anything. Which was completely true. Without Jade's behaviour, Emily wouldn't have come to that conclusion just because Muku and Audrey were missing from breakfast.
However, Jade was a different story. It was basically guaranteed that something was going on if Jade was missing during meal time...
"What do you mean?" Muku asked, trying to keep calm.
"You know your heart has already sold you out, right?... Anyway, let's stay like this for a little longer, then talk," Emily spoke calmly again.
Muku panicked even more. Did she intentionally lie on his chest to hear his heartbeat? And she said it matter-of-factly. Not giving him a chance to defend himself. How overbearing! Why does it seem like his knowledge of the girls was constantly getting proven wrong?
Jade was supposed to be too brash to even think of blackmailing him. Yet she had done so twice!. Emily was supposed to be too nice to manipulate someone's actions with her words. Yet she was doing it!
Even Chloe practically threw him under the bus with her father before! He couldn't help but gulp thinking about Layla... What would she do when she finds out?!
The two stayed like that for close to an hour. Muku was restless throughout the whole process. However, Emily was clearly enjoying it. She even took a short nap to prove it. Though honestly, despite everything. Muku didn't hate the experience.
"Okay, now we can talk. I will not hold what you did against you. It was bound to happen. However, you'll have to make it up to me for breaking your promise," Emily spoke soon after waking up.
"What do you have in mind?" Muku asked tensely. He was hoping she wouldn't mess around with him like Jade did.
"Oh, nothing too serious. Just this... From now on, I can come to sleep here whenever I want. I promise not to do anything else. Of course, you're free to refuse. I'll just be disappointed and nothing more. I'll take it as having loved the wrong man. Someone unwilling to take responsibility for his actions," Emily spoke calmly.
However, her statements were quite loaded. She spoke her desires. Expressed her love and indirectly left Muku with no other option but to accept. After all, she has questioned his core values. It was hard to even recognise her as the same, extremely kind Emily he knew. The girl lying on his chest seemed way darker.
It was clear to see that while she said she forgave him. She was still pissed off. So while she was trying to let it go, a little malice still slipped through. It was completely understandable, though. She was the one who liked him first, before everyone else, after all.
Hell, she fell in love at first sight. So, knowing that those who came after her were advancing further than her. Taking away some important times was rather annoying.
"Fine... As long as you don't do anything else. Like you said, I messed up. So, I should take responsibility," Muku replied in a defeated tone.
Even if he knew what she was doing. He could only give in to her. It wasn't anything unreasonable anyway. It could cause some problems, but it was something he would deal with when the time came.
"Good", Emily only said one word. Muku could hear the happiness in her voice, though.
Which was correct. Emily was smiling brightly away from his sight. The way she looked at the incident changed as well. It no longer seemed so bad in her head.
After all, without it. Who knows when she would have been able to fulfil this dream of hers...
