Avoid The Lead, No Matter What!

14. Living Life

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At present, Celia's cheeks were flushed, as she recalled the dance with Taze.

Despite her expertise, she had stumbled at least twice that night! And each time, Taze had sent her an amused smirk!

"Little Miss, you've not learned to dance in twenty-six lifetimes?" He teased, then twirled her and caught her in a dip.

"You clearly didn't avoid me, so don't blame me for taking liberties." And he kissed her knuckles again, sending a current up her arm, which spread into many little pleasant jolts, and she could only flush some more as he pulled her back up and whispered in her ear:

"Careful! If you turn any redder, your eyes will get lost in your face!"

'Damn him!' Celia thought, biting her lower lip.

He knew exactly what effect he had on her!

After the dance, Taze guided her back to her father, who hastily accepted her hand and tugged her behind him.

"You highness, I'm more than flattered that you admire my daughter..." He said with a slight bow, but Taze raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Scarlett, you don't have to pretend! Rumours that I'm sick and dying have surely spread everywhere, so no father would want his daughter with me."

Celia's heart suddenly sank down to its lowest depths. Surrounded by the warm haze of the dance, she had forgotten Taze was dying...

And at present, she suddenly felt panicked, wondering how she could change his fate.

'Especially now that- !'

Especially now that her emotions were growing out of control!

It was funny...

She had been swept up in feelings the instant she met Taze all those years ago, but she had written him off as a strange person to avoid, especially because every bit of his identity clashed with her goals!

He was related to Vitav.

He was the Crown Prince.

He had a suspicious alter ego!

But as Celia grew, her feelings only grew in intensity, despite her attempts to shove them away.

She had sought to live a quiet, hidden, and somewhat bland life in the Academy, but Taze had drawn out her anger, laughter, anxiety, pity, worry, jealousy, sadness, determination, and more recently, desire...

A loud explosion pulled Celia sharply from her thoughts, and glanced down to see a burning mass on the floor before her.

She had zoned out and exploded the dummy she was supposed to be 'healing'!

"Celia Scarlett!" The teacher's loud voice rang through the classroom. He was a balding elf in his sixties, called Dr. Wilder, and he was one of the top Healing Mages in Luxia.

"With your talent, an ill person would prefer treatment from a toddler!!"

There was laughter around the class, and Celia flushed.

'Hmph! Consider yourself lucky that I'm hiding my strength! Why else would I be in this outdated class?!'

The Class was teaching them how to cure an advanced case of Curse Magic, but in Celia's previous lives, she had found a more efficient technique, when she was eighteen, and this one was rendered obsolete.

But Celia dutifully replaced the dummy and drew a magic circle around it.

~"Oye! Were you distracted by 'Princely' thoughts?!"~ A mischievous voice drew Celia's attention toward the back of the class, where a petite young lady, with brown curly hair and gray eyes, was looking at her.

She was Carla Winters, Celia's only friend at the Academy.

~"Be quiet, if you're going to tease me!"~ Celia replied. ~"Will you be responsible if this new dummy also loses its life?!"~

~"Why should I?! I'm not the one who's daydreaming about a certain person!"~

Celia merely shook her head.

Celia had confided a lot, without confiding a lot.

At the very least, Carla knew Celia feared her sixteenth birthday, and how some unknown prince might come and find her!

But though skeptical, Carla always offered comforting words like: "Don't you worry! Just teach me some curse magic, and I'll deal with him that day!"

Or,

"Leave it to me! I'm confident that I can give him at least one black eye! I'll ask one of the boys to do it!"

Of course Carla had frozen in shock during the ball, when the Prince in question actually arrived, but when Vitav first extended his hand to Celia, Carla nearly stepped forward.

But Celia had seen her and sent a slight shake of her head. ~"Don't! He's not nice."~ She had warned. ~"Don't worry, I have a plan!"~ She added, sounding more determined than she felt.

Still, Carla had carefully watched them dance, using her targeted boundary technique, and she only let up when Taze showed up to sweep Celia away...

At present, Celia watched as Carla perfectly executed the Blessing spell on the dummy, and she smiled.

The bite of betrayal was extremely painful, and she had tasted it many times, from her first tutor, to Novia, to Vitav.

By all logic, she should avoid as many close relationships as possible, but her lives had also taught her something else.

Avoidance didn't stop fate.

She wouldn't lay down and accept death, but she would no longer avoid fate to the point of not living life!

'Who knows, I might be luckier in this lifetime...'

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