Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

Jullie didn't know why she was reacting this way.

It wasn't the first time she sucked his blood...but yes, it was the first time she was nearly naked when they were involved in the act.

And then...when their eyes met, it was as if the world around them faded away. Everything else disappeared, and in that quiet moment, Jullie could only see him—could only feel him. Her heart slowed, yet pounded all at once, as if time itself paused just for them.

Her heart rate elevated to the point where she could feel her fingers trembling. Her mind failed to reason with her actions. Her urges...the ones she has started to feel for Alex recently, started to command her body.

And before she knew it, she was inches away from...kissing him.

Kissing her own student! How shameless it was!

'Why am I feeling like this? I am no young maiden to possess these kinds of thoughts ...' Jullie was ashamed of her thoughts and her childish behavior.

She has been avoiding Alex as if he had committed a crime even though he had nothing to do with what happened.

It was she who asked for his blood when she wasn't properly dressed and even strangled his lap. She even gave him a hint of her feelings that have been going haywire these days.

And after all that, she was ignoring Alex like he did something wrong.

'I need to talk to him....'

....

They were in the carriage, traveling towards the Capital of Grimland where the fairyland was situated.

It was the destination Celestria selected. A place where she went with her parents when she was young. And now, she wants to show that special place to Alex as well.

In a way, these people were fulfilling their wishes before the trials since no one knows what might happen afterward.

In the carriage, Natasha and Alice were sleeping while hugging each other. Celestria was also fast asleep while leaning her head on Alex's shoulder.

Rebecca was also sleeping with her head leaning against the backrest. She seemed quite tired earlier.

Sarah was also leaning her head down and a soft frown on her face—presumably, asleep.

The only ones who were awake were Jullie and her ex-student.

Alex was currently reading a book. The cover title read 'The Beautiful Lies'.

It was a fictional story about three brothers who went on an adventure and met some circumstances that separated them. Further, they were met by situations that forced them to lie, and unknowingly, they saved each other's lives.

Jullie has read the story before.

Seeing Alex reading it silently without showing any sign of boredom, Jullie decided not to disturb him.

'I will talk to him later ...' She inwardly decided, when suddenly,

"Mister, the horses need a few hours of rest."

Hearing the voice of the carriage driver, everyone in the carriage woke up, except for Alice. Considering the heavy dose of meat she had for dinner, no wonder she was sleeping so soundly.

"Are we there?" Celestria asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes.

Alex smiled at the adorable creature before he softly whispered, "Not yet."

He rested the book on the seat before stepping out of the carriage.

Approaching the carriage driver, who was stretching his back, Alex asked, "How many hours do you need?"

"Five hours, at least. There are chances of injury if I keep pushing 'em." He rubbed the mane of the horse as he said so.

Alex nodded as he looked around. There was grassland on both sides but no town anywhere around.

"Can you sleep inside the carriage or do you require a tent for yourself?" Alex suggested, which, actually, took the carriage driver by surprise

After all, no one actually cares so much about them generally.

With a chuckle, he said, "I can sleep in the carriage, thank you."

Alex nodded as he took out a packet from his inventory and handed it to the man, "Eat this and recharge yourself. I will wake you up in five hours."

The driver was rendered speechless but he took the sandwich and gave a faint nod.

Alex climbed the carriage and told them, "We need to stay here for a few hours before continuing the journey. Only come out when I call you."

Celestria was already half asleep so she just hummed and laid down on the seat.

Natasha just snuggled closer to Alice and didn't respond.

Rebecca never actually woke up, it seems.

Sarah, despite having her eyes barely open, suggested, "Do you want my help?"

Alex shook his head, "I got this."

Jullie, however, got up and said, "I am not sleepy, so I can help."

Alex parted his lips...seemingly wanting to say something, but then he decided not to.

He just gave her a nod and jumped out of the carriage before extending his hand to the lady.

"Thank you," She said with a soft expression before the duo advanced toward the clearing.

Alex took out the tent canvas and nails.

"Lend me a hammer," Jullie demanded as she picked four nails.

Alex handed her a hammer and he took one for himself.

They worked on their specific tents in silence.

There were no farms nearby, which meant there wasn't a town in sight either. The forest lay about a twenty-minute walk from here, so it wasn't exactly safe. But then again, they were all superhumans—except for the driver—so they could handle themselves if anything happened.

Alex had enough food and water stored in his inventory to last the group an entire week. So, staying at this random spot for the night wasn't a problem at all.

While Jullie was hammering the nail into the ground, which was moist enough to not crack, she heard Alex asking, "Are you ignoring me?"

Jullie paused for a moment, her eyes widening slightly...is it about time they talk about it?

'I am really not prepared ...' Even though she had previously decided to clear things up, now that he had initiated the conversation, she wanted to run away.

But she knew running away wouldn't solve things and she would only make things awkward by ignoring him further.

That's why she said, "I...feel guilty. In my eyes you are still my student...and I was about to do something so inapp-"

"Am I really just your student, Jullie."

Her heart skipped a beat, hearing him not calling her Professor.

She turned towards him slowly and found Alex also not working. Rather, he was looking at her.

Jullie parted her lips but then she closed them...unsure what to say.

Alex heaved a sigh and helped her, "I am aware that my blood and our bond have influenced your feelings, and unless one of us dies, which won't happen most likely, this feeling will only grow. We can't live separately either since you need me and I also won't ever abandon you."

Locking his hand in front of him, Alex asked, "So, considering all that, what choices do we have? Suppress our feelings and keep ignoring each other...or...?"

Jullie took a strong gulp and bit her lip.

She thought for a moment...about everything he said. None of his words were refutable, and suppressing her feelings was no longer an option. Otherwise, she would do something that she did today in the tent.

"...even if I want to have a relationship with you...what about your feelings...and the other three? Will they accept me?"

The other three were quite close to him, but Jullie had a teacher-student relationship with Alex until recently. Suddenly, growing close to him would surely not be acceptable to others.

"Convincing them is on me. And by now, they must also have realized that there is something going on."

Alex was ushered by Sarah and Celestria to talk things out with the Professor, and it wasn't like they were unaware of her situation.

That's why, he assured her.

However, seeing the hesitation on her face, Alex suggested, "If you want you can take some time to think about this. There is no rush about it."

Alex just doesn't want Jullie to live under guilt and ignore others.

He wants her to be happy. Just like she used to be when she was teaching in the academy.

Jullie approached Alex slowly and asked him, "Will that be alright if I don't come with you all to the fairyland?"

Alex was taken aback by that question...however, a few moments later he realized why she said that.

She wanted to have some alone time to think about this. Well, this was about her life and she has all the right to carefully consider everything.

Alex softly nodded, "It's okay, Jullie...you can do whatever you want."

The violet-haired smiled warmly—touched by the fact that he respected her decision.

Extending her hand to hold his, she softly said, "I want some time to collect my thoughts and make a decision that I won't regret."

Alex squeezed her hand and whispered back, "Don't worry, I will wait for you."

The duo kept looking at each other for a few moments before Jullie stepped away, their connected hands detaching, and the woman disappeared in the shadows.

Alex heaved a sigh as he looked at his hand and said, "Although I said that....I really didn't want you to go...."

°°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.