Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

"Ugh...."

Cain's entire body ached as he slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him was the familiar ceiling of his dorm room.

How did he end up here? His forehead throbbed as the memories came rushing back.

"That's right. I was sparring with Jayden. I won didn't I? Doesn't feel like I won..."

He mused to himself as he lay there unmoving. The experience had humbled him too. He may have climbed out of the abyss using his Blink Skill, but it didn't mean he was overly strong.

It wasn't that long ago that he had been the weakest student. But now he had gone to toe with the instructor and his grades top student without losing too badly.

Cain continued to stare at the ceiling. The familiar sight brought a strange sense of comfort, even though every muscle in his body screamed at him. He had clearly overdone it. Again.

But it was worth it.

He had stood his ground against Jayden. Maybe he hadn't walked away completely victorious, but he also hadn't crumpled like paper. That had to count for something.

His thoughts drifted toward his next step. More training. Smarter training. He couldn't just rely on raw talent or that one flashy escape trick. He needed—

"Hey, kid."

Cain blinked.

Gaius's voice echoed in his mind, casual and lazy, with a hint of suppressed amusement.

"You planning to move today or are you just gonna keep pretending that's not happening?"

Cain frowned as if to ask him What are you talking about?

"Your arm."

Cain shifted slightly, and that's when he noticed it. His right arm wasn't responding. It felt stiff. Heavy, even. Like something was pinning it in place.

For a second, he thought it might be a lingering injury. Maybe he'd torn something during the fight. Maybe he had collapsed on it weird and cut off circulation.

"You really don't get it, do you," Gaius drawled, voice practically trembling with amusement.

Cain's brow furrowed. "What are you going on about?"

"Just look to your right."

Still groggy, Cain turned his head slowly.

His breath caught in his throat.

Jayden.

Fast asleep.

On his arm.

She was curled up against his side, her hair slightly tousled and a calm expression on her face, like she hadn't just spent the previous day trying to cave in his ribs. Her head rested on his bicep, one hand lightly gripping the fabric of her shirt. Only, it wasn't her shirt.

It was his.

The old shirt that had once been in his wardrobe now hung loosely over her frame, falling to mid-thigh, revealing long, bare legs tangled lightly in the sheets.

Cain's eyes moved lower.

Panties. Pastel pink. That was it. That was all she was wearing beneath his shirt.

His brain stopped functioning.

Every possible thought, every question, every reaction tried to rush forward at once, jamming together and leaving him in total silence. He could feel her breathing against his arm, soft and slow. She looked completely at peace. As if this was her bed. As if he was the guest.

Cain stared at her in stunned disbelief.

"I... what..." His voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

Gaius's laughter echoed in his head, sharp and unfiltered now. Clearly his mentor knew what had happened but was letting him squirm.

Cain slowly turned his gaze back to the ceiling, his eyes wide, his heart pounding.

"Why is she in my bed," he whispered.

"Well she did say she would give you a present if you managed to land hit. Newsflash kid. She is the present~!"

Cain's face turned red.

"No. No, no, no, that can't be it," he muttered, his voice cracking.

He could barely process what he was seeing. Jayden, the academy's golden girl, was in his bed, wrapped in his shirt, wearing nothing but panties. And now Gaius was suggesting this was intentional?

He clutched at the first explanation that came to mind.

"Maybe she got lost on her way back to her dorm?"

"In your shirt?"

Cain winced.

Maybe she got cold."

"Sure, and while freezing, she thought, 'You know what would help? Cain's arm. Let me just borrow that for the night.' Come on, kid. Connect the dots."

Cain's hands twitched, instinct screaming at him to move, to sit up, to slide out of bed and get as far from this situation as possible.

But Jayden was still asleep, still breathing softly against his arm. Her hair brushed against his skin with every exhale, and her body was so close that he could feel her warmth through the thin fabric.

He was trapped.

"I don't even remember how I got back here," he whispered. "I blacked out after the fight."

Cain groaned and tried to lift his free hand to cover his face, only to freeze again as Jayden stirred.

She shifted, stretching slightly before snuggling back in closer, her leg brushing against his beneath the sheets. Her grip on his shirt tightened, and her breath warmed the inside of his arm.

Cain stopped breathing.

Gaius whistled in his mind. "That's a bold move for someone unconscious. Maybe you should be the one asking her what happened."

Cain swallowed hard. "What do I even say?"

"Start with 'Good morning,'" Gaius said with a smirk. "See where it goes from there."

Cain's heart hammered in his chest. He had no idea how to handle this. Jayden was asleep and completely at ease, and here he was frozen, caught in a situation he never imagined.

He stared at the ceiling again, hoping the moment would pass without incident.

But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.

As if on cue, Jayden's jade like eyes fluttered open with Cain staring awkwardly at him. However she appeared to be unfazed as she let out a small but adorable yawn and then rubbed her eyes with one hand.

"Good Morning".... she mumbled softly as if what she was doing was totally normal.

Gaius' laughter grew louder as he realized what Jayden had done and it was even funnier than he thought it was going to be.