Saga of Atlantis
Chapter 170 Struggle

[Are you for real, Eden?]

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I walked through the hallway after my encounter with Grace.

[You are taking advantage of her by kissing her too much.]

"And that's called love," I mumbled as I reached the management committee office.

[If my memory serves me right, it's called sexual harassment.]

"Yeah, your memory is bad," I replied. Just as I was about to open the door, I looked to my side.

There, with an angry look on her face, Grace was walking towards me.

"Ahh, fuck," I cursed. Opening the door, I quickly entered and slammed it shut behind me.

"Eden?" As soon as I entered, Evelyn's startled voice made me look at her.

With her were two more girls sitting, one of them the girl I knew from before.

"Shhh." Placing a finger on my lips, I signaled for her to keep quiet as I walked and sat on the chair beside her.

"What are you doin—" As I reached for one of her cakes, she tried to snatch it back.

But the clicking sound of the door opening made her look toward it.

With a cold look on her face, Grace entered the room, her eyes wandering around before fixing on me.

"Eden." Before she could say anything else, I stood up and placed the cake pudding close to her mouth.

"....."

[You think that will work?]

"Ahem, what are you guys doing?" Evelyn asked, looking at both of us in amusement, but Grace quickly backed away.

"I have done all the budget preparation for the arrival of the crown Prince," Grace said as she placed her books on the table and took the seat beside Evelyn.

"That's good. And what about the timing? Have you come up with something?" Evelyn asked, looking at her.

"I will think about it," Grace replied as I took a seat beside her.

"Hmm, good," Evelyn replied as she snatched back the pudding I had.

"Evelyn," Grace called her as she looked at her, "don't you have a class?"

"Hahaha," she let out an awkward laugh as she took another spoonful of pudding, eating it. "Classes are every day; you can't do anything about it."

"Take your class, Evelyn," Grace said firmly, not ready to receive a rejection.

"But—"

"Evelyn," Grace interrupted again before she could reply, "take your class."

"Leave it, Grace. Don't let Big Sister—"

"Eden," I was interrupted as well, "you need to join the class as well."

"Big Sister, Evelyn, you should go," I quickly changed sides, looking sternly at her.

"Fine," pouting, she stood up, and so did both of her friends.

Reaching the door, she once again looked at us. "If you guys are going to do anything weird, make sure not to disturb the contents of the table."

"What do you mean—"

"I understand, Grace. You can have your time," smirking, she interrupted before she walked out of the room. "Hope you guys have a good time."

"Did she jus—"

"Yep, she misunderstood," I replied, nodding my head.

"Argh, it's all because of you!" She shouted, slamming the table.

"Yeah how am I—"

"What was that?" Grabbing me by my collar, she made me look at her. "Why did you confess all of a sudden?"

"Well, about tha—"

"That too out of nowhere!" Her angry huff brushed against my skin as she glared at me.

"And what's your rep—"

"No." Removing her hands from my collar, she replied firmly. "You had your chance; you rejected me. Now don't come back as if nothing happened."

"So... What do you want?" I asked, pulling my chair closer to her. "What can I do to get my chance back?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head.

"Grace," I said, gently grabbing her chin to make her look at me. "I can and I will help you if you need anything, so I'll ask you again: What do you want?"

"Why did you change so much, Eden?" She whispered, her eyes searching mine. "Why are you coming back to me?"

"Let's just say... I never wanted to leave you, but things happened," I replied, uncertain of my own reasons for returning to her.

Was it our past relationship?

Or was it something else?

After overcoming my obsession with Angilina and looking at things more clearly, it was easy to see that Grace was much better and more genuine towards me than Angilina ever was.

But still, I chose Angilina.

Why?

I didn't know.

"I... I've said it once, Eden," she whispered again, leaning in so her forehead touched mine. "Please don't give me hope... that we could be something."

"What do you want, Grace?" I whispered back. "I will help you, just ask me."

"I... I want to know what happened to my mother," she whispered, finally opening up, her eyes closed as her forehead rested against mine. "I want to know what happened that day."

I didn't reply, simply letting her express herself.

"I want to know what happened to you," she continued. "I want to know where you were the whole month after my mother died."

"Grace—"

"Where were you when I needed you the most, Eden?" She whispered again, cutting me off.

"I will help you," I replied, avoiding her questions. "I will help you with whatever you want."

"Just so you know, Eden," she leaned back, her eyes meeting mine, "if she really is the one that was the reason for my mother's demise, then I will kill her."

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I simply looked at her without replying.

"I will not stop... no matter who comes in between," she said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "Not even you."

With a sigh, I leaned back in the chair.

So, the time has come, huh?

I need to choose between Angilina and Grace.

Between the [Main Heroine] and the [Villainess].

And after all that has happened, I would be an idiot to think too much about it.

With another sigh, I leaned forward again, looking at her sincerely. "I promise, Grace, whatever you do after knowing the truth, I will not stop you."

She blankly looked at me for a moment before letting out a weak chuckle. "You surely have changed, Eden."

"For the better, I guess," I replied with a shrug.

"So, how will you help me?" She asked, curious. "Or were all those empty words?"

"For starters, we need to work on your bloodline," I replied, meeting her gaze. "And we are going to do exactly that next weekend."

"How?"

"I'll tell you later. For now..." I spread my arms wide.

"What?"

"Consider it an advance payment for helping you," I replied, keeping my hands spread.

"No—."

"Oh, come on," I said as she tried to move away, quickly catching her in my arms and giving her a tight hug.

At first, she froze in place, but as reason returned, a blush crept onto her face.

"That's not nice, Eden," she whispered, still attempting to move away.

"Everything is going to be fine, Grace," I mumbled, feeling her struggles slowly cease as I kissed her head. "Everything will be fine."

"That's sexual harassment," she whispered, closing her eyes and melting into my arms.

[I told you.]

'Shut up.'