Chapter Thirteen
Years Later
Years passed quietly.
Childhood softened into youth.
The small trio that once walked to school every morning had slowly become four.
Alice, who once stood at the edge of their circle, now walked comfortably within it.
Noah still topped most semesters.
Alice still followed closely behind.
Jack balanced charm with capability.
Clare remained steady — thoughtful, observant, quietly strong.
The school halls that once felt large now felt small.
People often said,
"If you see one of them, the others won't be far."
They had become inseparable.
At least, that's how it looked from outside.
In another town in France—
A young man named Xavier Matthew packed his books carefully into a wooden trunk.
He had grown taller than most his age, his expression calm but distant.
When he was five, tragedy had rewritten his life.
His parents — once wealthy landowners — had died in an accident that people still spoke about in lowered voices.
After their death, relatives circled like vultures.
Inheritance papers disappeared.
Legal claims were twisted.
His uncle fought for years in court to reclaim what was rightfully Xavier's.
But influence and greed were stronger.
They lost.
Since then, Xavier had lived quietly with his uncle — a respected professor of herbal medicine.
His uncle believed in patience.
Xavier believed in justice.
When his uncle received a transfer to a new town — Noah's town — everything shifted.
A new beginning.
Xavier made a decision.
He applied for law school at the same university where his uncle would now teach.
If the law had failed him once—
He would learn it himself.
Meanwhile, in Europe—
Daniel Wilson stood in the royal study, speaking calmly to his parents.
"I wish to study law in France."
The king looked at him carefully.
"Why France?"
Daniel paused only briefly.
"It is one of the strongest legal institutions. And… it will broaden diplomatic understanding."
King Charles studied his son's expression.
He saw determination.
Not childish longing.
Not impulse.
Growth.
After a moment, the king nodded.
"You may go."
Elza, now older and sharper-eyed, watched silently from the doorway.
She said nothing.
But she understood more than she showed.
And so—
As a new academic year approached in France—
Several paths began moving toward the same place.
Noah, Clare, Jack, and Alice prepared for university life.
Xavier arrived with quiet resolve.
Daniel prepared to leave Europe for France.
None of them knew that the balance they had built over the years was about to shift.
Because university is not like school.
Friendships stretch. Ambitions sharpen. Past wounds resurface.
And sometimes—
Old connections return when least expected.