A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 139 | December 12th | Dancing With Madness

Timeline - December 12th | ( 18 Days later)

Eko had finally unpacked the last few items from her bags and boxes, which had been cluttering the bedroom since Matthew asked her to move in with him permanently a few weeks ago. After burying what she could of Madison and saying goodbye to the last piece of her family, the girls had stayed with her to mourn. Then, she spent several days hunting wild youmas to calm the turmoil inside her before making her way back home.

Just days later, Matthew casually dropped the bombshell while packing for another round of meetings. Kissing her goodbye, he nonchalantly suggested she should stay, pack her things from the dormitory, and settle in while he was away. There was nowhere else she wanted to be; he loved her, and she loved him. Moving in together felt like a natural next step.

The idea had never occurred to her, but since they were practically living together already, moving her belongings seemed like the next logical step. When he asked her, she couldn't deny how happy it made her feel.

Now, as she placed the last photograph of them in its spot, Eko took a moment to survey the bedroom. The room felt more like home than ever, filled with their intertwined belongings. She smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. Moving in together was a big step, but it felt right. It felt like the beginning of something more.

On that Sunday afternoon, Eko busied herself with the remaining boxes that Matthew had never unpacked since moving into the headmaster's office. She had been rearranging items between the office and their bedroom, attempting to impose some order on the chaos.

The cramped space presented its own challenges, and finding a place for even half of their belongings was proving difficult. Still, she took pleasure in the process, finding satisfaction in each small victory of organization.

Annoyingly, the clothes in the room were still not packed away as neatly as she wanted. More than half of her wardrobe remained in her old dormitory. Matthew's wardrobe overshadowed hers, and their ensuite bathroom was crammed with her things. The hallway and office were strewn with weapons, and the office, now far from the pristine state Cid had left it in, felt impossible to clean up to his minimalistic standard.

She missed the luxury of her royal life, where space was ample and servants handled the details. Right now, she could use about five extra hands to tackle the chaos, especially her unruly wardrobe.

As she navigated through the bedroom, a grin appeared on her lips at a thought that struck her. Surely, she could find a cadet willing to take on the task. The newcomers would go to great lengths to impress their headmaster.

With a knowing smile, she recalled certain individuals who would eagerly take up the challenge. With that in mind, she left the bedroom and made her way down the corridor, where combat weapons were scattered. Stepping over one that needed cleaning, it was clear the boys had dumped their gear and run once again.

In addition to the weapons cluttering the office, tablets projected construction plans and defense strategies they had been diligently developing. The plans featured designs for weapons approved for the SIO system, focusing on the mechanics of the SIO prototype still in the office. The confidentiality of these fabrications was paramount, especially since they were linked to one of their spare crystals. Such sensitive information was too dangerous to be freely accessible.

"Now, where was that box?" Eko muttered to herself, searching for her shoes. When the box remained elusive, she began moving between the two rooms, and a new idea began to crystallize in her mind.

The topic had barely been broached since Cid's departure, but it was Mya who reignited the conversation. During a recent coffee catch-up, Mya had skillfully steered their discussion away from Eko's concerns about Matthew's chronic lack of sleep and his incessant catnapping problems, redirecting it toward Sawyer and then to Richie. It seemed that Mya had been grappling with mild panic attacks ever since the tsunami, a turmoil that stirred a whirlwind of emotions within her.