Transmigrated as an Extra: Awakening of The Ex‐Class'

I was surprised to see the princess here. Although I knew she’d enrolled at Nova, I hadn’t had the chance to greet her until now. Still, seeing her among the students, so calm and approachable, felt... pleasant. Perhaps that’s why, without realizing it, a soft smile crept onto my face.

"Hey, Cyan," Erwing called from the table next to me, "you can go now. Enjoy the festival for a few hours and leave this to us."

I turned to him, a little surprised. I assumed he’d noticed I’d skipped lunch. Maybe he was feeling a little preoccupied, which I appreciated, though he’d never admit it out loud. I nodded.

"Thanks, Erwing," I said, and he just raised an eyebrow as if to say, "Don’t come back until you’re satisfied."

I walked to the back of the classroom, careful not to disturb the atmosphere at the tables my classmates were serving. At the back, a pair of curtains separated a small makeshift dressing room. I took off my butler suit, which, while comfortable, was not very practical for navigating the school—well, at least not for me. I didn’t want to attract attention. I put my school uniform back on. Once ready, I left the classroom.

"What took you so long?"

A female voice took me by surprise. Her tone was soft, but it contained a hint of nobility, confident, almost defiant, that I would recognize anywhere. I turned toward the hallway, and there she was: Amelia.

Her eyes, a deep red almost like two burning embers, bored into mine. Apparently, she’d also found time to enjoy the festival. She was wearing her usual uniform, although the bow on her blouse was slightly loose and a few strands of her hair fell untidily over her forehead. Still, she looked perfect... as always.

"Were you waiting for me?" I asked, confused.

Amelia frowned in irritation. Casia could hear her smacking her tongue. Soon, she crossed her arms, and for a moment, a line of annoyance crossed her face. But before I could ask more, she lowered her gaze just a little... although her face wasn’t visible due to the mist seeping into the hallway, for some reason she looked like a depressed little thing to me.

"Did you forget our promise?" she said, not looking at me directly.

"Promise?"

I blinked a few times, trying to remember. What promise? Did I tell her I’d get her something from the candy stand? Or...?

And then, all of a sudden, a memory came back to me:

Some time ago, during one of my nighttime workouts, I ran into her by chance. It was quite late, past midnight, a time when most students were already in their dorms. The school hallways were empty, dimly lit by the lanterns that floated gently over the crystal sconces on the walls. A cold wind blew through the windows, and the silence of the place was only interrupted by the distant crunch of my footsteps against the floor.

I had gone out to move around a bit, as I had been accustomed to doing since I came into this world. I moved silently, almost by instinct, until I saw her.

Amelia was there, alone in one of the north wing corridors, walking slowly, seemingly aimless. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, her steps slower than usual. At first, I thought she hadn’t seen me and considered simply continuing on my way, without disturbing her. She didn’t seem to want company, and although our relationship had improved over time, she was still difficult to read.

But then, our eyes met.

It only took a second. She stopped, surprised, and so did I. There was something in her gaze... a slight reddish hue that contrasted with her usual paleness. I immediately frowned, worried. Was she sick? A cold, perhaps? What was she doing out so late, alone, looking like that?

She immediately lowered her gaze and tried to cover half her face with her hand, as if trying to hide. I didn’t understand why. I approached cautiously, not wanting to scare her.

Amelia was always a proud person. She didn’t like to appear vulnerable, not even in front of her father, much less in front of others. Perhaps that’s why I hesitated before speaking to her, and also the way she tried to hug herself, as if she were holding back something—cold, perhaps? Just thinking about it made me feel a pang in my chest. Looking at her that way reminded me of... me. Maybe not the me now, but the me from my previous world.

I stopped a few steps away from her, and trying to sound as natural as possible, I spoke to her:

"Amelia... are you okay?"

It took her a few minutes to respond. She kept her gaze fixed on her feet, and for a second I thought she might look a little cute. "Wait, I’m thinking. Concentrate, Cyan. This isn’t the time for that."

"Oh... yes," she finally said, her voice lower than usual.

She didn’t sound entirely convinced, and neither was I. I examined her; she didn’t seem to have a fever, but the slight flush on her cheeks was still there. And although her eyes avoided mine, her breathing was somewhat irregular.

I leaned a little closer, softening my tone:

"If you keep this up... you could get really sick. It’s cold tonight." freёweɓnovel.com

She didn’t say a word. She barely moved. She only shrank a little more, as if my words had hit her harder than she intended.

For a few seconds, I stood there, waiting for her to say something else. Something that would give me a clue as to what was really going on. But no complaints came, no excuses.

Just that silence... and the feeling that, for some reason, she felt more exposed than she wanted to admit.

I, of course, assumed it was all due to a bad cold, because I couldn’t explain this strange behavior otherwise. It wasn’t unusual this time of year either. Another thought that briefly crossed my mind was that she might be embarrassed at being seen like that by me. Although I quickly dismissed it, it was Amelia we were talking about. It wasn’t for nothing that the students called her the Ice Princess, even though her primary element was fire.

I looked at her again with some concern. She was wearing only her white uniform shirt and black skirt. She didn’t seem to have her coat on, and with that cold wind blowing through the halls, anyone could get sick. Especially someone who insisted on not taking care of themselves.

Without thinking twice, I took off the jacket I was wearing and approached her. Gently, I slipped it over her shoulders. For a moment, she didn’t move. She stood still, as if the gesture had taken her by surprise.

Then she raised her face.

Like the first time, our eyes met at close range, closer than I had anticipated. I could hear her breathing, slow, held, as if she too were trying to process that moment. Her eyes, that deep red like a faint fire, seemed to glow with a mixture of shame, vulnerability... and something else. Something that made me forget the cold, the place, even my thoughts for a second.

I felt caught in her flow, as if those eyes could read everything, even the deepest part of my soul.

"Cyan..." she whispered.

Her voice was barely a thread, soft, almost trembling, but enough to bring me back to reality.

"Oh, sorry," I murmured, taking a step back awkwardly, feeling the heat rise up my neck.

But before I could move far enough, a warm hand closed around my wrist.

"Wait..." she said softly.

I stopped all my movements, my body even seemed to freeze. I felt the breathing in my chest begin to quicken. I turned very slowly toward her, her warm hand holding me gently, though I couldn’t stop its slight tremors. Her gaze no longer avoided mine. Instead, it seemed to challenge me, as if searching for something.

"Oh... really?" I asked, although my face seemed the same as always, calm and serene. Inside, it clearly wasn’t; my chest began to pound wildly, but I didn’t know what the reason could be.

"Maybe it’s some kind of arrhythmia scam. I should get checked later," I thought.

There were a few seconds of silence between us. Only the distant whisper of the wind seeping through some crack and the strong beat of my own heart could be heard. Then, without looking away, she murmured:

"Could you... go out with me?"

For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard it correctly. But she repeated it again... Her voice, although soft, was clear enough that I couldn’t pretend I had imagined it.

I froze, surprised. I never expected to receive this kind of attention from her... much less at a time like this. But there she was. Looking at me with a mixture of nervousness and determination, still covered in my jacket, under the soft light of the night hallways.

And for the first time since I came into this world, I didn’t know how to respond...