Winter Ball: The Northern Academy

Chapter 2.3. The Winter Ball.

Pulling her thin coat tightly around her, the dark-haired mage quickly approached the entrance to the Academy.

Guests arrived at the central gates, so Sky was waiting for his Amatrix at the entrance by the dormitory, which was only used by students.

"What happened? You're alone?" the light-haired boy asked, scanning the area with a cold look from his blue eyes. "I promised Max I'd get Aurora to the hall while he meets his parents."

"We had a fight, Sky. If you want, you can wait for her yourself. I'm going inside; it's too cold today," Kami muttered, and in an instant, she found herself in the strong embrace of the blond.

"Wait for me at the entrance to the hall. I'll introduce you to my father; he already knows about the mark. And don't sulk, my Amatrix; you two will make up. She just doesn't understand what our connection means. Aurora will grow up and realize how wrong she was to judge your choice. That girl grew up in a completely different world," the dragon whispered, breathing warm air over his beloved's neck.

Kami sighed and reluctantly freed herself from the boy's arms, trudging towards the massive doors.

Meanwhile, Aurora was walking slowly along the snowy path. Kamilla had pouted again. They had been constantly fighting for a month now, ever since that evening when Sky had marked her neighbor as his chosen one, officially confirming her status.

The snow crunched beneath her uncomfortable shoes, and the girl tightly clutched her purse containing the artifact gifted by Maximilian. Stubborn as he was, he had managed to obtain the rare device. As she stroked the soft fur, Aurora found herself increasingly recalling the gray-eyed dragon.

The first winter ball—she had dreamed of this event since childhood. Who would have thought that the pretentious black dragon, feared by human mages, would bring her dream to life.

Without an invitation from Maximilian, she wouldn't have bothered dressing up. Aurora would have been just another observer of the year's main celebration. Now, with one of the most sought-after suitors of the Academy, she could feel the magical atmosphere and maybe even dance.

The young mage adored dancing, but balls were not held in her village, and her family was never invited to the dragons' receptions.

The only time little Ava had seen a ball was that one occasion when she had visited the palace. The emperor presented her father with a commendation for his significant contribution to the development of magical science.

That day, the young lady was allowed to witness the emperor dance with his favorite. From that moment on, listening to her mother's stories, Aurora envisioned herself twirling around a beautiful hall in a magnificent ball gown.

Exactly like the one the insufferable dragon had gifted her. Memories of Maximilian sent thrilling shivers down her spine—whether from fear or excitement, she couldn't tell.

"Finally! I was just about to come looking for you, Ava," Sky said loudly, pulling the girl out of her childhood memories.

Aurora looked up, surprised, and glanced around.

"Sky?"

"Come on, hurry up, or I'll freeze! Kamilla already went inside; she said you two had another fight. Perfect timing," the blond dragon said, darting over to Aurora and quickly grabbing her hand, tugging her toward the entrance of the main building of the Academy.

As she continued to look around, the girl barely managed to keep up with the young man's long strides.

"I don't understand why you waited for me. Did something happen?"

"Everything's fine; Max is meeting his parents. He asked me to take you to the hall," the boy muttered, sidestepping students he encountered along the way.

Sky rushed ahead as if he feared Kamilla would change her mind and run away. His hand was burning hot, betraying his nervousness.

Students from the domestic faculty literally jumped out of the way of the running dragon, who resembled a flying wardrobe. If someone happened to get underfoot, Sky would trample the poor soul without noticing.

"Wait, Skylar! If you're in such a hurry to get to Kamilla, I can walk there myself. It's just a couple of flights left. Just let me go! You'll break my arm or give me bruises. I'm wearing heels!" Aurora tried to slow him down, but it seemed the dragon didn't hear her plea at all.

His blue eyes were wide, and his nostrils flared with tension.

After another turn, Aurora got her long dress tangled around her feet and fell to her knees.

Had it not been for the collective "OHH" from the passing students, Sky might have dragged her along without a second thought.

Cursing under his breath, the nervous boy tried to help his fallen companion, but she only hit his outstretched hand with her handbag.