[Serena's POV:]

'Mmm..where am… Ah! '

Thanks to the fact that my lower jaw was sore like a cold stone, my yelp never left my mouth or I would have disturbed someone's sleep.

My drowsiness was exhausted in an instant upon seeing his face some inches apart from mine. The distance was so thin that I was able to feel our breath clashing near my face.

I no longer had track of time when I fell asleep, since this place was as dark as ever. No source of illumination or any windows at all.

The last thing I could remember before falling into a comfortable slumber was when I was pulled from my place and the President was pulling my top hurried-

'Wait… '

A shiver ran down my spine as I glanced down somehow while being tightly embraced, and found my bare body which was only covered with my underwear, being pressed against the President.

And not only that, even he was bare from his upper body as we sat at the place with no practical space left between us at all.

President's strong arms were holding my waist so firmly that it made me slightly embarrassed. I mean, I never had let anyone get so intimate with me in the past. Not to talk about a person of the opposite sex…

It was true that at some point I was prepared to sleep with this man under unfavorable circumstances but at that time, I felt nothing but disgusted by Seth's behavior.

But now it feels different…

His protective embrace which only was limited to providing me with warmth made me feel….being needed by someone.

I get this feeling while being Aru-kun but with him, it generally seems, I am reaching out to a little brother whom I have to take care of. A person whom I have to keep pushing further and see succeed in life. I don't what people call this feeling but I am very much fond of Aru-kun.

But the President is different.

I know I haven't spent much time with him, but Seth gives me the vibe of a reliant man. A man whom I can depend upon without caring about consequences.

Like he could protect me from any possible danger as long as I remain by his side. Despite being a disgrace in his eyes I had a feeling that if asked sweetly, the President would let me depend on him.

So was I betraying Aru-kun while feeling in such a way toward the President?

Maybe I was but at the moment, I just want to indulge in this warmth and enjoy the peaceful moment which I might never be able to earn again.

__________..

It's been eight hours since the door of the vault closed off and five hours since the core of the Temple was shut down temporarily.

Naturally, the first of the people who arrived from the first Crown entrance were the stationed guards and Team B who safely secured the other part of the core.

The conversation of what and how things ended up like this was continuing but a single person remained the same at her place wordlessly.

Arata tried to persuade Anabelle to have some rest while he watched over the wall, which he practically knew was useless, but Arata got bluntly rejected with the warning stuck to it.

'Mind your business. Don't add up more reasons for me to end your life right here and right now.'

Arata was a persistent guy who couldn't see people around him in pain but with Anabelle, he knew that she might kill him if Arata persisted more than necessary.

Every living being has the urge to save their life from their potential demise. And Arata could feel that chill from the girl who has continuously fascinated him.

The way Anabelle was showing concern for Seth and the fluctuation in her emotions indicated how protective she was of the man.

Arata was by no means pleased with such discovery but the thought of being showered with Anabelle's undivided attention in the future made him smile like a fool.

Arata knew that the path of switching Anabelle's affection toward himself would be tough but Arata never liked anything easily served as well.

'I just have to get closer to her… '

(Scene Break)

Things started to turn out rather grave when suddenly a certain white-haired elderly wizard along with a team of five senior professors of Pristine Academy entered the Temple.

The atmosphere went slightly colder than before as the expression on the Headmaster's face was anything but elated at the moment.

The students of both teams stood at their places with their heads slightly leaned, especially Group A. Even Arata was no different as the foreign pressure from the school head's gaze made it even tough to breathe properly.

"Professor Cedric. I am expecting a good reason for why two of our students got isolated in the Treasury even though I primarily thought of you as a responsible addition to the Team."

Cedric's face was pale ever since he heard the Headmaster was arriving. More than Seth's safety it was true Cedric feared losing his job in the Academy.

Under the gazes of tens of people, Cedric bowed his head at a complete ninety-degree angle before proceeding with his excuse.

"I apologize for what has caused and I take full responsibility for it. But it was the Headmaster who decided to let the students make their own decisions in the Temple, which led to what we are facing now."

Arata raised his brows in astonishment upon witnessing how sly of a teacher, Cedric in actuality is. He simply delegated the blame to the Headmaster and Arata while pretending to be guilty.

The old wizard already heard what had happened in the Temple and how despite Seth's rejection, the students persisted to enter the Vault which ended up with their current situation.

Hearing the shameless man forcing the blame on Rowell(Headmaster), the latter party gritted his teeth in frustration. But instead of assessing the matter any further, he had to declare a piece of information first.

A notice which made Cedric fear his job no longer but rather scared about his well-being…

"From here on, no one from either team is allowed to leave the Temple until the final investigation is not attained. And for the job, Duchess Valarie is herself arriving… "

°_________________°

A/N: - Here comes the son-con. Well, I will increase the length of the chapters from now on as per readers' demand.