Thora tipped her head slightly and urged, "Are you coming or not?" "Coming," Lance replied. It was not a meal rush, so the cafeteria was almost empty. Thora took her tray and sat across from Lance, glanced at the meat on her plate, then at Lance, who was, as usual, flicking vegetables off his tray. She said nothing. She moved a few pieces of her meat into a small bowl and slid it across to him. She had deliberately taken extra meat, since she knew Lance liked it. To her, it meant nothing and barely crossed her mind. After pushing the bowl over, she focused on her own food. She had used her abilities during the interrogation and spent a lot of mental energy, and eating would help restore it. Lance's fork paused in midair. His eyes dropped to the bowl, and his tone turned playful and teasing. "You're being unusually kind. You sure you're not trying to charm me?" Thora frowned, swallowed, and replied coolly, "Your imagination is more overworked than your body." Then she reached out, pulled the bowl back, and said, "Privilege revoked." Lance said nothing. In truth, Thora would have done the same for anyone. Lance had once mentioned he liked meat, and she simply remembered it. As she ate, she found him a little pitiful. If that was his one simple pleasure, letting him enjoy it cost her nothing. Lance said, "Ash, I have a question." "Go ahead." Lance rested his chin in one hand and stared at Thora without blinking. At the last second, he changed his wording. "After we leave Blue Star Military Academy, does that mean we can only stand as enemies?" Thora's gaze stilled. Two seconds later, she looked straight at him, her voice flat and impersonal. "I'm a soldier. Following orders is a soldier's duty." Lance smiled, a spark lighting his blue eyes, sharp and eager. "Is that so? I'm actually looking forward to crossing blades with you." Meeting like that on the battlefield was the kind of thing that set blood racing. Thora looked at Lance and knew one thing clearly, she could not bring herself to hate him. Even if one day they stood opposed, she would not despise him. If she had not been recruited by the Astralis Military, her path might have mirrored Lance's, a mercenary proving her existence by leaving marks behind. For a brief moment, she felt that they were alike. And yet they were completely different. The instant they chose their paths, they were destined to walk in opposite directions. Their only similarity was reason, a cold and precise rationality that others mistook for indifference. Thora had faced many adversaries and respected more than a few. But timing, allegiance, and circumstance kept her from ever standing beside them. She still believed this, enemies on the battlefield were not forbidden from being friends. Her expression grew solemn as she said, low and firm, "My mission is to protect my empire and its people. Anything that threatens the Astralis Empire or its citizens will be eliminated by me." When she first arrived in this era, she felt no sense of belonging. Back then, even if Astralis were destroyed, she would not have hesitated. Even joining Wolffang was merely a way to prove she existed. But two years in Wolffang changed her. Darius's guardianship of Astralis, Hugo's loyalty to the empire, and every mission that saved Astralis civilians, the tears, the trust, all of it sank into her. At some point, Wolffang became the empire's most secretive unit, a force feared by the outside world. Like any true army, Wolffang became a shield for Astralis's people. She had not started with lofty ideals, but once that burden settled on her shoulders, it became a duty she had to fulfill. "But what if your country betrays you? Your superiors, everyone you trust, what if they turn on you?" Lance pressed, danger flashing in his eyes.Thora set down her cutlery, straightened her back, met his gaze, and said firmly, "If that day comes," her eyes hardened, "I'll take off this uniform and settle everything by my own rules." A light flared in Lance's blue eyes. He suddenly wanted to know who she would become once she shed the uniform and its weight. His expression darkened, and he said nothing more. He pulled the bowl of meat back and said lightly, "Once you give something away, you don't take it back." He smiled briefly, then ate in silence. They spoke no more and simply finished their food. As time passed, more people entered the cafeteria, and the meal drew to a close. Thora noticed Lance's tray was nearly untouched, except for the small bowl of meat, scraped clean. He dabbed his mouth neatly with a napkin, then looked at Thora and said abruptly, "People with secrets tend to be favored by fate. Ash, you're fortunate. You were chosen." Thora did not understand. A trace of confusion crossed her eyes. Lance had no intention of explaining. He adjusted his clothes, stood, and left the cafeteria. A slip of paper drifted from him and landed right in front of Thora. He walked away as if it meant nothing, did not look back, and vanished into the crowd. Thora frowned, picked up the paper, and turned it over, her expression shifting as her eyes sharpened. It was a photograph of a man. He resembled her current appearance by more than 80 percent, especially the eyes, nearly identical. Was this the person Lance said looked like her? And was this his true objective at Blue Star Military Academy?Thora clenched the photo as Lance's words echoed in her mind. He had seen through her secret too, hadn't he?