Chapter 3 : The Diamond + 

Chapter 3 : The Diamond + 

If Sylvia's arrival had been like a storm sweeping across the academy, my presence had always been the calm sky above it. + 

Everyone knew my name before I ever introduced myself. + 

"Kael Veylen, he's unbelievable." + 

"He's top of his class again." + 

"Did you hear? He's the heir to Veylen Corporations. He doesn't even need to try." + 

It was always like that. I didn't have to walk into a room to be noticed; people noticed me anyway. In fencing, my opponents bowed before even raising their swords. On the piano, my performances filled auditoriums. At parties, girls whispered, boys envied, professors praised. + 

A diamond — brilliant, flawless, untouchable. + 

But diamonds are cold. + 

What no one saw was the exhaustion. The endless expectations. The weight of a future I never asked for pressing on my shoulders. Being admired was easy. Being known was impossible. + 

And then there was her. + 

Sylvia never looked at me like the others did. She never whispered my name like a title. When she sat by my side, fumbling on the piano keys, she laughed at her own mistakes and scolded me for smiling too much at her struggles. + 

"You make it look too easy," she pouted once, failing a chord again. + 

"That's because you're overthinking," I said gently. + 

"You sound like a teacher." + 

"Maybe I'm a good one," I teased. + 

She rolled her eyes, but there was no envy in them. No awe. Only honesty. + 

And for me, that was everything. + 

One afternoon, after fencing practice, I caught sight of Sylvia in the stands. She had come to watch, but unlike the others, she wasn't clapping or calling my name. She was simply watching, chin resting on her hand, a quiet smile curving her lips. + 

That smile made my chest ache more than any applause ever could. + 

The truth was simple, though I couldn't admitit: + 

For the first time in my life, I wished to be more than the diamond. + 

I wished to be hers + 