Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

"Cut it out. Germaine's watching," Caitlyn muttered, cheeks slightly flushed.
Leon pretended not to hear and didn't let go.
If Germaine could cling to her all day, why couldn't he just hold her hand for a while?
Caitlyn bit her lip and gave him a long, helpless stare.
She wanted to yank her hand away, but after all of Germaine's hypnotic "you're the most important person in his world" nonsense, she was afraid it might shatter his fragile little heart...
'So cheesy,' she thought. 'That manipulative Germaine is always brainwashing me with this crap.'
"If you pinch me again, I swear I'll pull away," Caitlyn hissed, voice tight with embarrassment as her blush deepened.
"Wasn't on purpose. Someone almost bumped into you just now," Leon lied without batting an eye.
Total lie. He did it on purpose.
The more he thought about her hand in his, the better he felt. So of course, he gave it a little squeeze.
Thankfully, by the time they were in line for food, he needed both hands for the tray.
Even when carrying one-handed, Caitlyn refused to let him grab her again.
'Stupid man,' she thought. 'He's just like Germaine—always scheming how to take advantage of me.'
If he didn't still owe her money, she'd have smacked him into next week already.
Germaine followed behind them, smiling like she'd won the lottery from the moment they walked in.
Even when they sat down, that same smile stayed frozen on her face.
Caitlyn squirmed, visibly irritated.
"Can you not stare at me like that? It's disgusting."
Germaine's smile finally cracked. She pouted dramatically. "How can you say a girl's smile is disgusting? That really hurts, Caitlyn."
"Well, it makes me uncomfortable."
Rude as it was, Caitlyn didn't feel like sugarcoating.
Still, Germaine decided to let it slide—today's sugar hit was too sweet to fuss over petty words.
Across from them, Leon was devouring his food like a starving beast.
The cafeteria was packed, and the food here really was cheap and good.
"Hey, isn't that Professor Morrow and her assistant hubby?"
"Shh! You wanna get smacked? She doesn't like the word 'hubby.' They're just doing their cute couple act."
"Please, it's so loud in here, there's no way she heard us," another girl giggled. "Besides, look at her face—she's not even mad."
"Wonder how Leon managed to calm her down."
"Bet he paid some serious 'love tax' last night," said a cool, low voice from the corner.
Everyone froze and turned to the speaker in shock.
The girl had long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, a perfect heart-shaped face, and a chilly, unreadable expression.
Olivia's face flushed red as she leaned in and whispered, "Niamh... when did you become such a seasoned flirt?"
"Seriously... you startled me," another girl chimed in, cheeks turning pink.
For girls who'd never dated, this topic was dangerously spicy.
Niamh Carter glanced over and replied flatly, "Just... more experienced."
That only made the other two freeze even harder.
"Experienced?" Olivia echoed, voice small.
Niamh blinked, realizing the misunderstanding. She blushed faintly and added quickly, "I meant online. I read a lot."
"Thank god..." Olivia clutched her chest, visibly relieved.
Helena Winters piped up, "Wanna go sit with them?"
"I don't know... won't Professor Morrow be upset?" Olivia hesitated.
"Oh, come on. She's actually pretty nice during class, right? I don't think she's as scary as she looks."
"You literally got yelled at today," Olivia said flatly.
"That was barely a warning! You scared?"
Olivia turned to Niamh. "What do you think?"
"Whatever," Niamh replied, classic deadpan.
For someone who just made a rated-R comment, she sure snapped back into ice queen mode fast.
"Professor Morrow! What a coincidence. Mind if we sit with you?"
Caitlyn had already noticed them whispering for a while. She gave a nod and said coolly, "Suit yourselves."
The three girls moved to sit down—but when they saw the empty seat next to Leon, they all paused.
Eyes met. No one dared move.
Finally, Helena looked at Caitlyn and said, "Professor Morrow... maybe you'd rather sit there?"
"Leon's not gonna bite. Why are you all so scared of him?" Caitlyn asked, exasperated.
Leon was still happily focused on his food. Zero interest in the conversation.
The girls exchanged awkward glances.
Scared of Leon? No. They were scared of Caitlyn.
Germaine covered her mouth, face turning red from stifled laughter.
Caitlyn's expression froze. 'Why is everyone acting like Leon belongs to me?'
They were just friends. Pure and simple.
In the end, they shoved Niamh into the seat beside Leon.
She was the best choice—expressionless and unreadable, even if she was secretly terrified.
Leaving the seat empty on purpose would've been too obvious... and might've gotten them actually smacked.
Leon glanced at Caitlyn. Her face was unreadable, totally unfazed.
He scrunched his nose, let out a little grunt, and returned to devouring his food.
"Germaine, fancy seeing you here," Olivia said suddenly.
Germaine composed herself, smiled politely. "Olivia, how's your injury?"
"Much better, thanks to you," Olivia said with quiet gratitude.
"If anything still feels off, just come find me."
"I'll probably keep bothering you," Olivia admitted with a sheepish smile.
Helena blinked, curious. "Wait, you two know each other?"
"Yeah, during a combat training class, I got injured. Germaine helped treat it."
"Oh! Right, wasn't that when you got into a fight with—"
"Isaac," Niamh cut in, flat as ever.
Leon finally looked up, intrigued. "Wasn't he your class's deputy rep? Were you two fighting over the captain spot?"
Olivia winced. "It was just a normal spar."
Helena snorted. "Leon, you don't get it—those two have been at each other's throats since day one.
She's the daughter of a Human Alliance war hero. He's from a major Demon family. They can't stand each other. These 'friendly duels' happen all the time."
A strange silence settled over the table.
Germaine's lips curled again, eyes flicking between Olivia and Niamh.
That dynamic... that rivalry... Why did it feel so familiar?