Atticus's laughter echoed through the small space, intensifying the crimson hue on Zoey's cheeks.

Turning to face him with a fierce stare, Zoey's expression seemed to convey a silent threat, as though she wanted nothing more than to murder him.

Noticing her reaction, Atticus raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop, pfft," he chuckled one last time before wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Your reactions are just so cute."

Zoey responded with a cute "Hmph!" before turning away, her arms crossed defensively across her chest.

Observing her adorable display, Atticus shook his head slightly with a smile, his attention shifting to the array of food before them.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he inquired, nudging one of the containers closer to her.

"I'm not hungry," Zoey replied curtly, still avoiding his gaze as she stubbornly maintained her brooding posture.

Despite her words, it was obvious from her subtle glances that she wasn't truly angry with him.

Chuckling softly, Atticus was about to speak when suddenly, the flask beside Zoey tilted to the side precariously.

Reacting instinctively, both Atticus and Zoey reached out simultaneously to prevent it from falling. Bit in the process, their hands met.

Zoey withdrew her hand quickly, her face flushing crimson once more as she glanced away, caught off guard by the unexpected contact.

Atticus also stared at the spot where their hands had touched, momentarily surprised by the brief contact.

He had always had to brace himself anytime he wanted to either hear her speak or make any sort of contact with her but he had obviously been caught off guard.

An awkward silence enveloped the space once more, broken only by the incessant petite noise reverberating in Zoey's mind.

'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' Lumindra's relentless chanting echoed in Zoey's head, intensifying her embarrassment.

'Lumi! Shut up!' Zoey screamed inwardly, but her protests only seemed to encourage Lumindra further.

'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!'

Seeing Zoey's completely crimson face, Atticus smiled, completely amused by her reaction.

'I should break the silence,' Atticus pondered, realizing they had been quiet for quite some time. He wanted to start some kind of conversation, but

'What the hell do I say?' Atticus lamented inwardly, struggling to conjure even a single coherent thought.

'High intelligence my ass,' he grumbled inwardly, feeling completely stumped.

Atticus pondered for a moment, then with a deep, quiet sigh, he decided to ask the first question that popped into his mind a decision he immediately regretted.

"So, how are you liking the academy so far?"

'Shit,' Atticus cursed inwardly, wishing he could turn back time and stop himself from uttering such a clich question.

But to his surprise, Zoey snapped out of her thoughts, turning to face him with a faint blush still lingering on her cheeks as she responded.

"It's fine, but... I just wish we could finish it sooner," she admitted, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness.

Atticus noticed the shift in tone and decided treaded carefully. This was their first time talking together, and although Zoey's cute reactions to him so far had all been positive things, Atticus still thought it best to tread carefully.

"If I'm not prying too much, could I ask why?"

Zoey hesitated briefly, as if considering whether to respond or not. "You don't have to" Atticus began, but she interrupted him with a small smile, "It's fine. The reason is simple actually. I want to join the war."

Although Zoey spoke with a smile, Atticus could sense the determination underlying her words.

Noticing Atticus's silent scrutiny, Zoey continued, "You're wondering why I want to join the war?"

Atticus nodded.

"Honestly... I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's not for some noble reason. Thousands of people are dying, many children are becoming orphans every day, and between you and me, while it's all incredibly sad, I... don't care about all of that."

Zoey paused for a moment before adding, "While all these things are tragic, I just can't seem to muster enough empathy to go out of my way to help them. I guess you could call me apathetic," she concluded with a slight chuckle.

"The reason is simple: Eldoralth is my home, and a bunch of blue-skinned bastards suddenly appeared one day intending to take my home from me?" Zoey's tone turned resolute as she emphasized her point.

Zoey's intense gaze shifted to find Atticus silently regarding her, his expression unreadable.

"Ha, I was speaking too much, right?" Zoey chuckled awkwardly, her eyes fixed on Atticus's quiet form.

'Did I overshare?' she worriedly pondered.

'No, no. It's good you said it now! The earlier, the better, Zoey. Let's just wait and see how he would react,' Lumindra reassured her.

If Atticus had to be honest, he hadn't been expecting things to get so serious. It was as though the cute romantic atmosphere suddenly transformed, becoming serious in an instant.

Despite his intelligence failing him when he wanted to talk to Zoey, Atticus was truly smart. Zoey didn't even need to say it directly; he could already take the hint.

The question he had asked was, why. Zoey didn't need to add all these extra details. She could've just said she wanted to protect her home, but instead, she had shared those details with him.

It was obvious; she was subtly trying to let him know from the beginning, this is the real her.

Atticus's neutral expression softened into a smile. "I see," he nodded.

Gazing at Zoey's slightly anxious expression, Atticus decided to offer the best response he could offer in this situation: the truth. He also decided to be real.

"I'm not disappointed though. It's normal for you to want to get stronger to protect your interests. I'm probably even worse than you in this case, haha," he chuckled.

Hearing Atticus' words, Zoey's anxious expression disappeared as she smiled. It was obvious she was satisfied with his response.

With a captivating smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts, Zoey listened to Atticus continue speaking without saying a word.

"I don't care about people outside my circle, and I really hate it when people"