But he couldn’t. Arthur hadn’t mentioned anything about what had happened in the past few days. He didn’t want Ashley to worry. They chatted casually for a while until Ashley suddenly asked, "What happened to the corner of your eye?" Arthur froze. Even after trying to hide it, she still noticed. Meeting Ashley’s steady gaze, he quickly laughed it off, scratching his head awkwardly. "Oh, this? I accidentally hit the corner of a table yesterday." Ashley eyed him suspiciously, concern written all over her face. "Really? Are you hiding something from me?" she asked, her voice sharp and knowing. Arthur’s heart skipped a beat. Ashley’s intuition was always spot-on. He hurriedly waved it off. "I swear, it’s just a little bruise. It’ll be gone in a couple of days." Then, without giving her a chance to press further, he quickly changed the subject. "How’s school been? Everything going well at Skyward?" Just as he expected, Ashley’s attention shifted. Her brows furrowed slightly—so quickly that most people wouldn’t have noticed—but Arthur did. "I’m fine," Ashley said lightly. "Everyone at Skyward has been nice to me." Her words were natural, but something felt off. Arthur frowned. "What happened? Did someone bully you?" Ashley stiffened. She quickly shook her head. "Of course not. Who would dare bully me? If anything, I’d be the one bullying them." Her tone was lighthearted, as if nothing was wrong. But Arthur wasn’t convinced.A flicker of concern flashed in his eyes as he said, "Ashley, I’m your fiancé. If someone’s giving you trouble, you have to tell me. Don’t just keep it to yourself, okay?" The word fiancé hit Ashley like a punch to the heart. For a moment, she almost burst into tears. She quickly lowered her head, hiding her face from the screen. Arthur’s expression darkened. "Ashley, what’s going on? Are you hiding something from me?" "N-no, of course not!" Ashley stammered. "I just dropped something—I was picking it up." When she looked back up, Arthur wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but her eyes seemed slightly red. He studied her face carefully, trying to catch any clue. Ashley felt flustered under his gaze and quickly said, "I have class soon. Let’s video call again tonight, okay?" Arthur pressed his lips together, still unconvinced. Something was definitely wrong. Ashley waved her hand. "Alright, I’m hanging up now!" Before ending the call, she blew him a sweet kiss, just like she always did. Arthur sat in place, staring at his phone, unable to shake the feeling in his gut. Something was going on. Someone must have been making things difficult for her at school. His chest tightened with anxiety. He wanted nothing more than to fly to her side and find out who was causing her trouble. But right now, he was still entangled with Solivair. He couldn’t let Ashley get dragged into his mess. What should he do? Ashley was a special admissions student under Skyward Academy’s top professors. If someone was daring to target her, then this wasn’t something that Mr. Devon could fix.Arthur understood that girls often faced jealousy and petty schemes. Ashley was stunningly beautiful—Was that the reason she was being targeted? His instincts told him that Ashley had been upset for at least a moment during their call. What should he do? … At Skyward Academy, Ashley had just ended the video call when she finally let out the sobs she had been holding back. She was always strong. No matter what hateful words people threw at her, she had never shed a single tear. But Arthur’s concern… that broke her. Ever since she started at Skyward, whispers and gossip had followed her everywhere. She tried to ignore them, focusing on her studies instead. But sometimes, she had to attend public lectures and interact with different people. Every time, she shut down any snide remarks with a sharp comeback. But even so, the words cut deeper and deeper over time. There were moments when she wanted nothing more than to call Arthur, to pour out all her frustrations and sadness. But they were at different schools. She didn’t want to burden him with her problems. At some point, crying herself out, Ashley drifted into sleep. When she woke up, the afternoon had already passed. Checking the time, she realized she had to leave soon for a public lecture. A well-known professor was giving a talk at Skyward Academy today, covering concepts she hadn’t fully grasped yet. It was important for her academic research. Ashley wiped away the last traces of tears, steadied herself, and stepped out of her dorm.