Now that all the festivals were over, the school began its 40-day summer vacation.

  Everyone had scattered to different places to spend their holidays — some to the cool mountain hill stations, some to beaches by the sea, and others to foreign countries for trips.

  Meanwhile, Rayn was still in his hometown, delaying his return. Haarun and Mayya hadn’t gone anywhere for vacation, but they had started spending a lot of time together.

  Sometimes at cafés, sometimes at the city park — and slowly, their friendship grew deeper. A whole month passed just like that.

  Today, Haarun had brought Mayya to his house. They were now standing in front of it — and Mayya’s eyes widened in awe. Because Haarun’s house looked like a royal palace from an ancient dynasty.

  A tall iron gate stood before them, engraved with a royal emblem, surrounded by tiny blue gemstones that shimmered subtly in the sunlight.

  Beneath their feet stretched a polished white marble path, reflecting the morning light in soft glimmers.

  All around lay a vast courtyard — on both sides bloomed rows of roses, lilies, tulips, and cherry blossoms.

  The air carried the sweet fragrance of flowers, and the gentle mist from the fountains spread a cool, soothing calm.

  In the center stood two grand fountains, their streams of water rising high, catching the sunlight in a way that formed tiny rainbows. Beside them stood two white marble statues, regal and still.

  The main palace itself was three stories tall, crowned by a blue glass dome that gleamed under the sun.

  Large arched windows framed with golden carvings and the walls’ soft blend of white and pastel blue gave the palace a serene, royal grace.

  Everywhere — the neatly trimmed trees, the flowerbeds, the symmetry — everything was arranged with perfect precision, as if crafted by the hands of an artist. Staring in wonder, Mayya whispered:— “This looks like an actual royal palace…”

  To which Haarun replied calmly:— “That’s because… I am a Royal.”

  Then, the two of them slowly stepped inside the palace. The moment they entered, Mayya froze in astonishment.

  The grand hall was a silent exhibition of royalty — the floor patterned with black and white marble, and dozens of chandeliers hanging from above, filling the room with a warm, golden glow.

  To the right, a wide marble staircase curved upward, its railings carved with intricate designs, and at its base stood a massive vase filled with fresh roses and lilies.

  Several maids moved quietly about — one cleaning the floor, another arranging the tables, another replacing flowers. The faint scent of perfume lingered in the air, blending with an atmosphere of serene, royal silence.

  Mayya was busy looking around, taking in every corner of the palace’s grand interior — when suddenly, a young woman began descending the staircase.

  Her attire radiated royal elegance, and a confident smile played on her lips. When she reached the bottom, she walked straight toward Haarun.

  Seeing her, Mayya paused for a moment in surprise. Haarun greeted her in a calm, straightforward tone:— “Good morning, sister-in-law.”

  The young woman — Haarun’s sister-in-law — furrowed her brows and replied in a slightly teasing yet sharp tone:— “Keep your good morning to yourself. First, tell me — who is this girl with you?”

  Haarun quickly answered, sounding a bit flustered:— “This is my friend, Mayya Shizqar.”

  The moment she heard that, a mischievous smile spread across her face. Then, in a playful tone, she said:— “Well, well… looks like the little boy has grown up quite a bit.”

  Haarun, now visibly embarrassed, replied hurriedly with mild irritation:— “Sister-in-law, it’s not what you think.”

  She laughed again, clearly enjoying teasing him, while Mayya — still unsure how to react — stayed silent. After a short while, the three of them went to sit on the living room sofa.

  Haarun’s sister-in-law turned to Mayya with a gentle tone and said:— “I can tell all this must have confused you a bit. Let me clear that up — I’m Haarun’s sister-in-law. My name is Amira Aev Inazum.”

  Hearing that, Mayya replied softly and respectfully:— “It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.”

  Amira asked Mayya in an excited tone:— “So… Shizqar, may I know how exactly you and Haarun became friends?”

  Hearing that, Mayya smiled softly and began to speak — telling how, once upon a time, she had become completely alone, and how Haarun had stepped in and made her his friend.

  After listening to everything, Amira looked at Haarun with a teasing grin and said:— “Well, I never knew you had such a side, Haarun! I always thought you were only good at joking around and annoying your big brother.”

  Haarun sighed and replied with mild annoyance:— “Sister-in-law, now you’re the one teasing me… I’ll go complain to big brother.”

  Amira laughed out loud, then said in a playful tone:— “Alright then, you complain to your big brother — and I’ll complain to my big brother. Because you don’t know — your big brother may not fear anyone else, but he’s absolutely terrified of mine.”

  No sooner had she finished speaking than a deep, teasing voice came from behind them:— “Go ahead, tell them! Shout it out for everyone to hear!”

  Amira turned around and saw Haarun’s big brother standing there. Her face instantly lit up with joy. She quickly got up from the sofa and ran straight toward him, then hugged him tightly, saying with cheerful affection:—“You’re finally here! I missed you so much!”

  Haarun’s big brother looked quite a lot like Haarun — only more handsome, with a naturally serious expression on his face.

  Meanwhile, Mayya stood there, a little confused by the whole scene. Noticing her confusion, Haarun said in a calm voice:— (“This is my big brother — he’s eight years older than me. His name is Haseer Aev Inazum.

  He might look serious on the outside, but he’s actually very caring. And my sister-in-law — well, she’s always playful… even more than I am.”)

  Then Haarun smiled lightly at Mayya and added:— “The two of them are complete opposites — like fire and water. But still, they’re perfect for each other.”

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  Mayya understood exactly what he meant. She smiled faintly, looking at the couple with warmth. Just then, Haseer spoke in a slightly stern voice:— “What are you doing? There are teenagers here, you know.”

  Amira stayed silent for a moment, then curved her lips into a mischievous smile and said teasingly:— “Oh! You know, you look even cuter when you’re angry.”

  Hearing Amira’s words, Haseer’s cheeks turned slightly red. In a tone mixed with mild irritation, he said:— “I am not cute…”

  But Amira didn’t stop laughing; she kept teasing him just the same. Watching their playful banter, Mayya couldn’t help but smile softly.

  However, the moment her smile faded, she suddenly noticed — Haarun, Haseer, and Amira were all looking directly at her.

  Realizing that everyone’s eyes were on her at once, Mayya’s face instantly flushed red with embarrassment. Her cheeks grew warm, and a shy sweetness spread across her expression.

  She quickly covered her face with her hands, while Amira and Haseer exchanged a knowing, amused smile. Meanwhile, Haarun was struggling hard to keep himself from bursting into laughter.

  After a while, Haarun and Mayya came out of the palace. Haarun was completely in chill mode, but Mayya was still blushing a little.

  And just like that, ten more days passed. During those ten days, Haarun and Mayya started spending even more time together.

  Sometimes they went to Mayya’s house, and sometimes to Haarun’s. Mayya’s family had begun to really like Haarun — especially her little brother, Aman.

  On the other hand, Haarun’s sister-in-law, Amira, had also grown quite close to Mayya, sharing jokes and playful banter.

  And so, the days went by peacefully. On the eleventh day, school started again. The summer vacation was over, and Rayn had also returned from his hometown.

  A few days after classes resumed — Rayn, Haarun, Mayya, and the rest of their classmates were all sitting together, laughing and chatting. Haarun was teasing Rayn about something, and Mayya was laughing along with them.

  In the middle of that laughter, Mayya thought to herself:— “Haarun’s calling him by his first name now… I never imagined they’d become this close, just by talking over the phone, and…”

  Before she could finish the thought, the teacher walked into the classroom. Everyone immediately stood up and greeted:— “Good morning, Sir.”

  The teacher returned the greeting and said:— “Alright, students, before we begin today’s class, I have an announcement — a new student has transferred to our class today.”

  Hearing that, one of the students groaned in annoyance:— “Ugh… another new student…”

  The teacher then called the new student in. The door opened — and in walked a tall girl with soft pink hair. The whole class stared at her in surprise — especially the boys.

  But Rayn and Haarun sat quietly, completely unfazed, as if nothing unusual had happened. The teacher pointed to the Screen board where the girl’s name was written — Yuqeen Aev Hanabirah.

  The teacher asked Yuqeen to sit wherever she liked. Following his words, Yuqeen quietly walked to a seat by the window and sat down. Her seat was right in front of Rayn.

  Yuqeen sat silently, gazing out the window — there was no smile or trace of joy on her face; only a quiet sadness and a deep emptiness in her eyes.

  Most of the students in the class now had their eyes on her. Seeing her expression, Haarun thought to himself:— “I remember… Rayn used to be just like her in the beginning.”

  Some of the students began whispering among themselves while glancing at Yuqeen. Before long, the lunch break began.

  Many students headed toward the cafeteria, but Yuqeen stayed in her seat, still looking out the window. Rayn also sat quietly for a while, staring outside.

  Then, as Haarun and Mayya approached the classroom door, Haarun called out cheerfully:— “Hey, Rayn!”

  Hearing Haarun’s voice, Rayn turned and walked toward them. As he left the classroom, Yuqeen glanced once toward the door — there was no emotion in her eyes, only a silent, hollow emptiness.

  Evening time.

  Clouds had just begun to gather in the sky, yet the faint traces of sunlight were still visible on the horizon.

  After school ended, all the students started returning home in their cars. But today, Rayn, Haarun, and Mayya were walking together along their way home.

  As usual, following Haarun’s instructions, his driver drove slowly behind them. While chatting, Haarun asked in a playful tone:— “Hey Rayn… you never told us where you live now.”

  Rayn replied in a straightforward voice:— “I live in an apartment, right at the edge of the city.”

  Hearing that, Mayya exclaimed in surprise:— “What! At the edge of the city? Then it must be really tiring for you to come all the way here every day!”

  Rayn nodded calmly and said:— “Yeah, you’re right. That’s why I’m looking for an apartment somewhere near the school… but I haven’t found one yet.”

  After a while, Mayya reached her apartment and went inside. Haarun got into his car and headed home, while Rayn quietly walked toward his own apartment.

  A few days later…

  Before class started one morning, a boy from the class suddenly gathered his courage and proposed to Yuqeen in front of everyone.

  The entire class turned their attention toward them. The boy was quite handsome, so he thought Yuqeen might actually say yes.

  But without a moment’s hesitation, Yuqeen rejected him outright. From then on, every now and then, someone or another would propose to Yuqeen. And within just a few days, she became famous throughout the school.

  Not only was she beautiful, but she was also the top student in academics, So now, almost every day, some boy or another would come forward with a proposal. And just like that, a whole month passed. Soon, the exam season arrived again.

  As always, the three kilometers surrounding the school sank into a deep, focused silence. After two days of exams came the results day — and once again, everyone was left stunned.

  Because Yuqeen Aev Hanabirah, who had joined the school just a month ago, had surpassed even the Year President and secured the top rank.

  Afternoon.

  After the results were announced most of the students had already gone home. A few others were still wandering around inside the school.

  So now only a few students remained in the classroom. Rayn, Haarun and Mayya were sitting a little apart from their desks, chatting.

  Yuqeen sat quietly at her desk, staring out the window — she showed no interest in what anyone was doing.

  Rayn, Haarun and Mayya were engrossed in conversation. While they talked, Haarun glanced toward Yuqeen and said softly to Rayn:— “Rayn, look at Hanabirah… I think she’s just like you.”

  Hearing that, Rayn replied in a cold tone:— “What do you mean by that?”

  Before Haarun could answer, Mayya interjected:— “Haarun means that at first you were also quiet like her — you didn’t talk much to anyone.”

  Rayn fell silent for a moment after hearing Mayya. Just then Haarun looked out the window and calmly said:— “Never mind that — go look outside for a moment.”

  They both looked out the window and saw dense, dark clouds gathering in the sky. Haarun said softly again:— “The weather report says there will be heavy rain today.”

  Mayya smiled faintly and cheerfully said:— “And this rain will be the first shower of the monsoon.”

  As soon as she said that, Haarun, in a bit of a chill mood, said:— “Did you two bring umbrellas? Otherwise you’ll get soaked on the way home.”

  Mayya said she’d brought one, and Rayn merely nodded in agreement:— “yes.”

  After a while Haarun said plainly:— “I’m stepping out of class for a bit. Are either of you coming?”

  Mayya agreed at once, but Rayn refused.So Mayya and Haarun left the classroom together, while Rayn stayed behind at his desk, quietly staring out the window.

  While they were walking, Haarun got a phone call. After speaking for a bit on the phone, Haarun told Mayya in a calm voice:— “My driver’s stuck in traffic, so he’ll be late. And it looks like the rain will start any minute now.”

  On hearing that, Mayya was silent for a moment, then suddenly hurriedly said:— “Haarun, you stay right here — I’ll be back in a flash!”

  Then she ran quickly back into the classroom.Inside the classroom she grabbed her umbrella from her bag in a hurry and went straight to Rayn, saying quickly:— “Please — can you hold this umbrella for me?”

  Rayn asked calmly:— “Why are you giving me the umbrella?”

  Mayya, still in a rush, replied:— “I’ll tell you later! Just take the umbrella now, and after the two of us leave, please go home…”

  Rayn understood what was going on in Mayya’s mind. He smiled faintly, took the umbrella, and said plainly:— “Just so you know — if you lose this umbrella, don’t blame me.”

  Mayya smiled weakly and hurried off. A short while later Haarun and Mayya returned. They saw that only Rayn remained in the classroom.

  Haarun went up to Rayn and said matter-of-factly:— “We want to go home now. Come on, you’re coming with us, right?”

  Rayn replied calmly:— “I’m not going now. You two go.”

  Haarun said flatly:— “All right… then the two of us will stay here.”

  No sooner had he finished than Rayn, his voice edged with mild anger, said:— “If you’re going to go, shall I kick you out?”

  Haarun pretended to be frightened and said:— “All right, brother, all right… then you stay here on your own!”

  Haseer Aev Inazum’s photo link:-

  Amira Aev Inazum’s photo link:-