Slowly, evening began to fall.

  The sunlight faded away, and a soft layer of mist settled over everything. The chilly breeze rustled through the leaves, and the distant sky turned pale gray.

  After a while, school was dismissed. One by one, the students started heading home. But Mayya was still in the classroom, quietly working on her homework, while Haarun sat silently at his desk, gazing out the window.

  Usually, Mayya always looked sad or anxious — but today, there was a calm, gentle smile on her face.

  Because after a long time, she had finally found a friend again. She had started to trust someone again. And most importantly — those three girls hadn’t come to school today. Haarun glanced at her and said softly:— “Looks like you still have a lot left to do. I’ll say it again—let me help you a little.”

  Mayya lowered her head with a small smile and replied:— “No, thanks. I’ll finish it myself. Besides, you’ve already helped me enough for today.”

  Hearing her reply, Haarun turned back toward the window and thought to himself:— “Shizqar trusts me quite a bit now… but not enough to talk to me casually just yet.”

  A few minutes later, Mayya finally finished her work. Seeing that, Haarun quietly got up and left the classroom.

  Mayya followed him outside. By the time they stepped out, evening had fully arrived. The mist had grown thicker, wrapping the surroundings in a hazy glow.

  After walking for a short while, Haarun noticed his driver waiting near the school gate with the car. In a calm tone, he said:— “I should get going now. You should be careful on your way home.”

  Mayya nodded gently and replied:— “Don’t worry. My apartment isn’t far from here.”

  Hearing that, Haarun said nothing more and walked toward his car. Mayya, too, quietly went her own way. And just like that, a week passed by.

  By now, a natural friendship had formed between Mayya and Haarun. Mayya spoke freely with him now — no longer quiet, no longer afraid.

  She was starting to regain the confidence she’d lost. She was learning to smile again, to be happy again. And since those three girls still hadn’t returned to school, Mayya had been submitting her homework regularly.

  Looking at her now, anyone could tell — It felt as if Mayya Shizqar had begun a new chapter of her life. After a week-long break, those three girls finally returned to school.

  Once again, the city was blanketed in thick winter fog. One after another, cars stopped in front of the school gate as students stepped out and slowly made their way inside.

  As usual, Mayya had arrived early that morning. A little later, the three girls walked down the corridor toward their classroom. With a mischievous grin, Jalezar said:— “Nothing beats the fun of taking a special school permit just to go on a trip.”

  Faiha smirked, her tone dripping with disdain:— “You’re right. And I’m sure that Shizqar must’ve had a great time without us around. Guess we’ll have to ‘teach’ her a new lesson today.”

  When the three of them entered the classroom, they saw Mayya sitting quietly at her desk, reading by herself. Seeing her so calm and alone, they hurried toward her desk. Faiha spoke in a cold, sharp voice:— “Well, look at you — sitting here all peaceful and comfortable.”

  Mayya flinched at the sound of her voice. The old fear returned to her eyes instantly. Just then, a few more students entered the classroom and took their seats.

  Mayya didn’t say a word. Faiha raised her voice again, this time louder and harsher:— “You’d better tell us if you’ve made our notes for the week or not.”

  Her loud tone drew the attention of the entire class. And at that very moment, Haarun walked in.

  When he saw the three girls standing beside Mayya’s desk, his expression immediately turned serious. Mayya looked up at him anxiously, their eyes meeting for a brief second. Haarun gave a subtle nod, signaling her with his eyes:— “Now.”

  Understanding his signal, Mayya took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Then, in a trembling voice, she said:— “I… I’m not going to listen to you anymore. And I’m not doing your homework ever again.”

  The three girls froze for a second, then their faces twisted in anger. Faiha snapped furiously:— “What did you just say to me?”

  Before anyone could react, she raised her hand to strike Mayya. The whole class turned their attention toward them. Seeing Faiha’s hand rise, Mayya shut her eyes tightly and lowered her head in fear.

  Mayya realized that Faiha hadn’t hit her. So she slowly raised her head — and saw Haarun holding Faiha’s wrist, stopping her mid-strike. Shaking with anger, Faiha shouted:— “Who do you think you are? Why did you grab my hand?”

  Haarun replied in a calm, steady voice:— “I’m Shizqar’s friend. But unlike you, I’m not a fake one.”

  Faiha jerked her hand free and snarled:— “Oh, really? Then I’ll deal with you first.”

  Now, every pair of eyes in the classroom was fixed on them. Faiha lunged toward Haarun to slap him — but just before she could, Mayya stepped forward, blocked her hand, and struck her across the face with a hard slap.

  The sound echoed through the classroom. Everyone froze in shock. Faiha’s eyes widened, her cheek flushed bright red. Burning with anger, Mayya said in a deep, fierce voice:— “If you ever try to touch Inazum again, I’ll break your hand.”

  Seeing this furious side of Mayya, not just Faiha but her friends Afiya and Ayira also trembled in fear. The terror was clear in their eyes. At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Haarun’s lips as he thought to himself:— “I never knew this girl had such fire hidden inside her.”

  Before Mayya could say another word, Haarun spoke again — calmly, yet with quiet authority:— “I needed them to know who I am. Once they hear my status, they’ll keep their mouths shut.”

  The classroom fell completely silent. Everyone stared at him. He took a step forward, his voice firm and confident:— “I’m not from a low royal family like you. I come from a Mid Royal family.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The entire room went dead still. Everyone was stunned — even Mayya looked at him in disbelief. After all, Mid Royals were extremely rare in their school. For the first time, Haarun used his status — not for pride, but to protect someone.

  Haarun turned to the entire class and said in a calm, commanding voice:— “Whatever happened in this classroom today — no one will speak a word of it to anyone. Otherwise, there could be serious consequences. Now, everyone, go back to your seats.”

  Everyone understood exactly what he meant. Quietly, they all returned to their seats. The three girls sat down with their heads lowered in shame. Even Mayya and Haarun went back to their places. After sitting down, Mayya said softly:— “Thank you… for everything you did.”

  Haarun gave a faint smile and replied:— “No need to thank me.”

  Soon, evening began to fall. All the students had already gone home, and as usual, only Mayya and Haarun remained at school till the end. Outside the gate, Haarun’s driver was waiting with the car — just like always.

  As they reached the driver, Haarun turned to Mayya and said in a straightforward tone:— “If you’d like, I can drop you off at your apartment.”

  Hearing that, Mayya replied gently:— “No thanks,”

  and began walking away slowly. Haarun stood there for a moment, lost in thought, then stopped her and said to his driver:— “Bring the car and follow me.”

  Then he walked up to Mayya. In a calm voice, Mayya asked:— “What is it? Why did you come after me again?”

  With a small grin and a teasing tone, Haarun said:— “I thought, maybe I could at least walk you to your apartment. And don’t you dare say no this time.”

  Mayya didn’t reply — she simply gave him a sweet, quiet smile. Then the two of them walked together, while Haarun’s car slowly followed behind.

  And just like that, two more weeks went by. Now, almost every day after school, Haarun walks Mayya home to her apartment. Mayya now submits her homework regularly. Seeing her so focused and disciplined, even the teachers seem pleased.

  It feels as though — Mayya has finally, truly been set free. Now, the cold and fog had begun to fade, and a sense of normal rhythm had returned to everyone’s lives.

  In the classroom, students were sitting in their seats, chatting and laughing with one another. Just then, the teacher walked in and greeted the class with a cheerful:— “Good morning.”

  All the students stood up from their seats and replied respectfully:— “Good morning, Sir.”

  After everyone sat down, the teacher said in a clear, straightforward tone:— “Before we begin today’s lesson, I’d like to inform you that we have a new student joining our class.”

  Saying this, he turned toward the door and called the new student inside. The boy walked in slowly. After he entered, the teacher wrote his name on the smartboard:— Rayn Taqeesh.

  Rayn’s hair fell slightly over his forehead; his eyes were calm and expressionless, and his face bore a quiet, composed look.

  As Rayn glanced around, he noticed there weren’t too many students in the class. Some sat by the windows, some at the back — a few seats near the front and middle were still empty. The teacher said gently:— “You may sit wherever you like.”

  Without saying a word, Rayn walked over and took a seat by the window — right in front of Haarun. The teacher told everyone to take out their books. Following his instructions, the students opened their books — except for Rayn, who simply sat still, his calm eyes fixed on the window outside.

  Days passed, and soon the exam period arrived. As the exams began, silence seemed to blanket the area for nearly three kilometers around — no sound except for the scratching of pens and the rustle of paper. Everyone was focused on their work, all but a few students who couldn’t hide their nervousness.

  Just like that, the next day’s exams went by as well. And a few days later, the result day finally came. For the first-year students, the teachers themselves brought the result papers to class.

  Within a short while, they handed out the sheets to everyone. As soon as the results were distributed, the entire class turned their eyes toward Mayya in surprise. Because in her first exam, she had failed — but this time, she came third in the class!

  A quiet, radiant smile lit up Mayya’s face — as if she had finally discovered her own success. After receiving their papers, the classroom filled with chatter and laughter.

  Haarun and Mayya were sitting a little apart from the rest. Haarun smiled playfully and said:— “Congratulations, Shizqar! You really surprised everyone today.”

  Mayya smiled back and replied:— “Thank you, Inazum! You did great too—you ranked fifth.”

  Then she glanced at Rayn and said softly:— “Actually, it’s not me who surprised everyone. It’s this boy. He hasn’t even been here that long, and he still ranked fourth.”

  At that moment, Rayn was sitting quietly at his desk, staring out the window. Hearing Mayya’s words, Haarun didn’t say anything — he simply stood up and started walking toward Rayn. Mayya tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen, so she followed him. Reaching Rayn’s desk, Haarun said in a light, teasing tone:— “Congratulations, Taqeesh! You came in fourth.”

  Rayn slowly turned his head toward Haarun. There was no surprise in his eyes — his face was completely calm. In a cold, detached voice, he said:— “Did you come all the way here just to say that?”

  Hearing that, Haarun and Mayya quietly went back to their seats. Then Haarun chuckled and said in a playful tone:— “You really are something else! Always so quiet — no smile, no words. Even after ranking fourth, you act like you just failed!”

  Hearing Haarun’s words, Rayn replied in a calm, cold tone:— “What am I supposed to do with the happiness of coming fourth? Who am I supposed to show it to?”

  Haarun chuckled lightly and said in a playful tone:— “Oh, come on! Who shows off happiness like that? I mean—you’d tell your family, or show it to your friends!”

  Rayn looked toward the window and said quietly:— “I’ll inform my family, of course. And as for friends… I don’t have any.”

  Haarun smiled again and teased:— “What do you mean, you don’t have any friends? You have us!”

  Then he turned to Mayya and said directly:— “Right, Shizqar? Don’t you agree?”

  Mayya was caught off guard by Haarun’s sudden words — she hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded in agreement. Rayn looked at Haarun, his eyes narrowing slightly as he asked in a serious tone:— “Why do you want to be my friend? What do you gain from being friends with me?”

  Hearing that, Haarun gave a small, puzzled laugh and replied:— “Why does there have to be gain or loss in friendship? I didn’t know it worked like a business deal.”

  For a moment, Rayn stayed silent, his eyes closed, as if deep in thought. Then, in a calm voice, he said:— “All right, I’ll be your friend. But I have a few questions — Will you be able to answer them?”

  Rayn’s words made Mayya look at him in surprise, and she glanced at Haarun, thinking to herself:— ‘Inazum really does know how to make people open up to him so quickly…’

  Haarun smiled brightly and said:— “Of course! Ask me anything— I’ll answer all your questions.”

  Rayn let out a quiet sigh and asked in a calm voice:— “Tell me about the rules of this school. Ever since I got here, I’ve noticed that everyone just sits wherever they want. And there don’t seem to be many students here either. Besides, everything I’d heard about this school’s exams — none of it seems to match what I’ve actually seen.”

  Mayya and Haarun listened closely to what Rayn said. After thinking for a moment, Haarun replied:— “That’s a good question. First of all, first-year students here get a lot of leniency.”

  Then, after a brief pause, Haarun continued in a calm tone:— “Meaning, students can sit wherever they like.

  And as for the low number of students — it’s because only a few people ever get admitted here. Even then, only those who ranked in the top ten in their middle schools.”

  By the time Haarun finished speaking, it became clear that the classroom was now almost empty — only the three of them were left. Silence filled the air, and a cool breeze drifted in through the open window.

  Haarun spoke again, his tone even and composed:— “And about the exams — you mentioned that earlier. Did you know that Lumnynara High doesn’t just have three or four exams, but ten in total? And each one is harder than the last. The real challenge begins in the second year.”

  As soon as Haarun finished, the classroom fell silent once more. After a few moments, Rayn stood up from his seat and said quietly:— “Thank you for explaining all that. I think it’s time we head home now.”

  Saying that, Rayn closed the window and walked out of the classroom. Haarun and Mayya followed him out of the school. After walking for a while, Haarun asked playfully:— “So, Taqeesh — Silver Days start tomorrow. What are you planning to do during the break?”

  Rayn stayed silent for a moment, then replied in a calm tone:— “Not much. I’ll just go back to my hometown.”