After the intetle, Cir began her slow and arduous trek towards the exit, i oing with her familia.

  However, she had severely uimated the extent of the damage her body had sustained.

  As she staggered forward, leaning heavily on her spear for support, the full impact of the fight suddenly hit her like a tidal wave.

  A heavy sense of drowsiness came, her vision blurred even more, her muscles ached with searing pain, and the sharp sting of the cw wound to her side and various cuts and bruises that she hadn’t even been aware about became more pronounced.

  ‘No, I ’t fall here,’ Cir thought desperately, struggling to remain upright.

  But her body was betraying her, her vision growing increasingly hazy, her legs trembling with the effort of holding her weight.

  Just as she was about to colpse onto the hard ground, someone swiftly caught her, supp her weakened frame.

  At first, Cir thought it must be Draco, but upon taking a closer whiff, she realized the familiar st beloo someone else.

  "It's okay, Cir. You've done enough. You rest now, I am here to help." a soothing voice said, and Cir found herself being effortlessly swept off her feet and cradled in a warm, secure embrace.

  "Michalis," she murmured, immediately reizing the voice.

  "Hmm," Michalis hummed in aowledgment, slowly making his way towards the others who were waiting.

  "W-What are you doing?" Cir asked, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and exhaustion.

  "As you see, I'm carrying you," Michalis replied, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.

  "But does it have to be like this?" Cir questioned, feeling self-scious about being carried in su intimate manner, especially with the others present, including Draco.

  "It was the quickest and most effit way to get you to safety," Michalis expined.

  "And besides, it's not that bad, is it?" he added, a hint of shyness creeping into his voice.

  Cir couldn't help but admit, even if only to herself, that being cradled in Michalis's strong, protective embrace didn't feel entirely unpleasant.

  If only it were Draco carrying her, she mused wistfully.

  With a resigned sigh, Cir allowed herself to rex, adjusting her body to settle more fortably in Michalis's arms.

  'I wonder if Draco will get jealous seeing us like this,' she thought, a flicker of guilt passing through her mind.

  Michalis, perceiving Cir's growing acceptance of the situation, took it as a positive sign, a glimmer of hope that perhaps their retionship was evolving beyond the boundaries of just family.

  Meanwhile, Draco observed the se unfold from afar, his brows furrowed due to airely different .

  ‘Ugh, that look painful’ Draco thought while iing Cir’s wounds from afar.

  Like everyone else, her fight had brought her close to the jaws of death several times but somehow she made it through, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to watch it.

  Draco's attention was soon diverted by the versation unfoldiween Nikoos, Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasileios, who had also taken note of the unusual sight before them.

  "Is what I'm seeing real, or is this some kind of illusion?" Vasileios asked, his gaze fixed on Michalis and Cir.

  "Hmm, I hought Michalis had it in him," Nikoos added, nodding in agreement.

  "Hey, let him be. You know how he feels about her," Dimitra interjected.

  "Even though his timing is questionable, sidering Cir's current state, it's not a bad move. But doing it when Draii is close could nullify his effort" she added thoughtfully.

  "True, too bad Vasiliki isn't awake to see this. We would have gotten to see something more iing," Eleni mused, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  "Ugh, I already imagihe chaos," Vasileios groaned, imagining the se.

  Sensing Draco's i in their versation, Nikoos turo him, curious to gauge his rea.

  "By the way, Draii, what do you think of all this?" he asked.

  Draco's brow furrowed as he pted the situation, his gaze shiftiween Michalis and Cir, and the surrounding familia members.

  On one hand, he couldn't really say that he didn’t feel anything at the sight of Cir being carried so intimately.

  But oher hand, he reized that Michalis truly cared for Cir and that his as, though perhaps ill-timed, were driven by genuine .

  ‘Hmm, how do I truly feel about this?’ Draco pondered briefly, his brow furrowing slightly.

  He was aware that the current him didn't see Cir in su intimate manner, but reasohat the future him might feel differently.

  ‘Ugh, isn't that a horribly selfish way of thinking?’ Draco chastised himself, shaking his head.

  After a moment of thoughtful sideration, Draco sighed a Nikoos's inquiring gaze.

  "The current me does not view her in that light, so if she develops feelings for Michalis, I am genuinely alright with that. But we are still quite very young, so who say what the future may hold?" Draco replied holy, his tone measured and sincere.

  Nikoos nodded, a knowing smile tugging at the ers of his lips.

  ‘Well, I wasn't expeg such a fht answer, but it was far more insightful than I had anticipated,’ he mused inwardly, impressed by Draco's self-awareness aional maturity.

  The others all nodded in uanding, reizing the wisdom in his words.

  None of them could truly predict the twists and turns that fate had in store for them.

  As Michalis tinued his steady trek towards the exit, Cir couldn't help but feel a sense of flig emotions.

  Part of her wished Draco was the one holding her, but another part of her couldn't deny the fort and security she felt in Michalis's arms.

  Perhaps, in time, she would have the opportunity to explore the depth of her feelings for both boys, but for now, she would simply allow herself to rest and recuperate, trusting that her familia would be there to support her every step of the way.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  It didn't take long for Michalis to carefully carry Cir to where the others were waiting.

  As Michalis approached, Cir's sensitive nose quickly picked up on Draco's familiar st, realizing he was very close.

  " you put me down now?" Cir asked Michalis shyly, feeling even more self-scious being carried so intimately directly in front of Draco.

  "Sure," Michalis replied, gently l Cir down directly in front of Draco, occasionally gng up to gauge the tter's expression.

  "You did a good job, Michalis," Draco praised with a bright smile.

  However, both Michalis and Cir immediately frowned, interpreting Draco's words in differeive ways.

  Michalis felt that Draco did not see him as a rival in vying for Cir's affe, while Cir believed Draply did not care whether she was with another man.

  "Huh, did I say something wrong?" Draco asked, notig their odd reas.

  Eleni, the iion, inwardly sighed.

  'Ugh, Draii, that was one of the worst things you could have said in that situation.' she thought.

  Dimitra, Nikoos, and Vasileios, oher hand, decided to look clueless about the dynamifolding before them.

  "No, Draii, you didn't say anything wrong," Michalis replied, walking away to joihers.

  'I o try harder,' he thought, gng at Cir's expression.

  Cir ched her fist, her thoughts rag.

  'I thought things had been going well after what happened during Eleni's treatment, but I guess it was just my hopeful imagination. Have I not been putting enough effort.' she wondered.

  Draco, perplexed by their reas, didn't dwell on it for long, deg to focus on the more pressing matters at hand.

  "Alright, let's immediately get started on your treatment, is what I would like to say, but I'll need a bit of assistance," he said to Cir.

  "Huh, why?" Cir asked, puzzled by his request.

  "Well, I'll have to remove your armour to treat the worst injuries, and you'll be exposed," Draco expined hesitantly.

  "Why are you treating me differently? You didn't care about such things wheing Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasiliki, so why am I getting special treatment?" Cir asked, beginning to feel irritated.

  'Ugh, she makes a fair point,' Draco thought.

  "Sorry if I made you feel that way. I just thought you would prefer it that way," he replied.

  Draco subsciously viewed Cir as a sort of step-sister, while his actual step-siblings as his real ones.

  Over time, this had bee a fixed mi, causing a subtle differen treatment from the others.

  This uional distin had partly given Cir the impression that she held a special p his heart.

  Perhaps due to the collision of both her curreeriorating physical aal state, Cir realized that this hadn’t been the case.

  "Hahahaha, so that's how it is," Cir ughed crazily, clutg her painful wound.

  "What do you mean?" Draco asked, fused by her swingiions.

  "I'm an outsider after all," Cir muttered, suddenly breaking down into tears.

  Immediately, Eleni, Michalis, Dimitra, Nikoos, and Vasileios all frowheir expressions darkening at Cir's words, realizing the depth of her emotional turmoil.

  They had been listening to the versation and didn't like where it was heading.

  The tension in the air alpable, as the group found themselves caught in the midst of a burgeoning flict.

  Dracled to uand the source of Cir's distress, but try as he might, he could not dis what he had done wrong to elicit such a stroion from her.

  With a resigned sigh, he khat this issue would have to be addressed, but not here, not now.

  "Sigh, let's deal with this whe back to the surface," Draco said, his voice tinged with weariness.

  Reag out, he attempted to gently grab Cir's arm, hoping to provide some form of fort.

  "Let me heal you for now." he said.

  However, Cir recoiled from his touch, her eyes bzing with a mix of anger and frustration.

  "Don't touch me!" she yelled, stumbling backward and tumbling to the ground.

  Michalis wanted nothing more than to rush to Cir's aid, but Nikoos swiftly intercepted him, holding him babsp;

  "Why do I have to deal with suonsense right now?" Draco wondered aloud, his expression turning cold and unreadable as he watched Cir struggle to her feet.

  Unwilling to let the situatioe further, Draco took a firm stanbsp;

  "I don't know what is going on in your head right now, but I don't pn to deal with any nonsense now. So I am going to knock you out and heal you, we talk when we are on the surface," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

  Draco wasted no time, swiftly knog Cir unscious before she could protest.

  Michalis, visibly distressed, opened his mouth to speak, but Draco raised a hand to silence him.

  "Do you wao knock you out too?" he threatened, his tone brooking nument.

  Vasileios cautioned Michalis, "Not now, Michalis. 't you see how angry and disappointed he looks?" Michalis relutly fell silent, his gaze fixed on Cir's motionless form.

  Without further ado, Draco set to work, stripping Cir of her armour and tending to her wounds.

  The group watched in silehe air heavy with unspokeions and uainty.

  What had transpired between Drad Cir, and where would this lead them? The tension alpable, and the resolution seemed far from certain.

  Draco's brow furrowed with tration as he meticulously teo Cir's injuries, his previous frustration now tempered by a sense of duty.

  He khat this was not the time for emotional outbursts, but rather a time fmatic a.

  Once Cir was stable, he would have to front the underlying issues that had caused this rift.

  For now, his focus remained on ensuring her well-being, even if it meaing aside his owions.