The next morning.

Sigh... Academy again.

Stepping through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Academy premises, the familiar hum of murmurs and excited voices immediately flooded my ears.

"Wow, it’s been so long, everyone!" "Tell me about it! I missed you guys!"

Academy cadets in their pristine uniforms were gathered in groups, greeting each other warmly after the break.

’Ugh, back here again,’ I thought, adjusting my collar.

The impossibly long month-long break had finally ended. Looking back, I honestly couldn’t believe what had transpired in a mere four weeks. Surviving a massive terror attack orchestrated by Marquess Vance, getting trapped in the ancient Aethelgard ruins in the desert, defending the northern borders against a monster horde... all of that, just in one month.

"Kael!" "Bordon!"

A loud, obnoxious greeting broke my train of thought. Up ahead, Kael and Bordon high-fived and hugged tightly like brothers reuniting after years apart. Nearby, Elisha and Mariella were happily chatting about their respective holidays.

’Their faces—especially Kael’s—I really have to see them again?’ I sighed inwardly.

Honestly, after everything I had been through, I no longer held any strong feelings of animosity toward Elisha, Bordon, Mariella, or even the Princess. They were just people caught up in the plot.

But Kael? The so-called protagonist? I still couldn’t stand the guy. His sheer presence just rubbed me the wrong way.

Ignoring the noisy protagonist party, I walked into the main building and headed straight for our classroom.

As usual, I took my designated seat in the back row, right next to the window.

Ariana isn’t here yet...? I wondered, resting my chin on my hand as I looked around the filling classroom.

Well, there was still some time before the bell rang.

I didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, the door opened, and a familiar head of beautiful ivory hair caught my eye. Ariana spotted me instantly, her face lighting up with a bright, breathtaking smile as she practically skipped over to the back row.

"Lucien!" she beamed, taking the seat right beside me. She leaned in close, wrapping her arms around my neck in a quick, affectionate hug that carried her signature sweet scent of vanilla and alchemical herbs.

"I missed you," I smiled genuinely, lightly brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Did you enjoy your time resting at home?" she asked, her violet eyes sparkling. "You promised you wouldn’t do anything dangerous this time and just relax at the estate."

I stiffened. A cold sweat instantly broke out on my back.

Resting at home? Right. I hadn’t actually spent a single day resting at the Ashborne estate. I had run off to the frozen hellscape of the northern borders the very next day, fought an ancient Dryad boss, nearly got killed by the First Gun Master, and coughed up enough blood to fill a bucket.

But I absolutely could not tell her that now. If she found out I had lied to her and gone straight into another death trap, she was going to blow a gasket.

"Ah... you know how it is. Same old, same old," I laughed awkwardly, gently shifting in my seat to change the topic. "Just read some books, practiced a bit. Anyway, how was your vacation? Did your family—"

Before I could successfully deflect, the classroom door opened again.

The ambient temperature in the room seemed to physically drop by a few degrees. A signature, icy but regal presence washed over the cadets.

Princess Celestia had arrived.

The casual chatter died down as the surrounding nobles immediately straightened up, bowing their heads in respect.

"Welcome back, Princess!" "How have you been, Your Highness?"

Celestia offered polite, measured nods to the nobles. As she walked further in, the rest of the protagonist party—Kael, Elisha, Bordon, and Mariella—immediately gathered around her.

"Princess Celestia! Did you have a peaceful vacation?" Elisha asked warmly, stepping up with a bright smile.

"It was eventful, but restful enough. Thank you, Elisha," Celestia replied, her usual cold demeanor softening into a genuine, friendly smile for her close companions.

"It’s good to have you back," Kael added with a nod, while Bordon and Mariella echoed the sentiment. They stood near the front row, fully expecting her to take her usual prestigious seat beside them.

But to everyone’s absolute shock, Celestia didn’t sit down.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with her friends, her ice-blue eyes scanned the room, locked onto me, and she began walking straight toward the back of the class.

The room went dead silent. Kael, Elisha, and the others blinked in profound confusion as they watched the untouchable Ice Princess stop directly opposite the back row desk shared by Ariana and me.

"Can I sit here?" Celestia asked calmly, gesturing to the empty chair in front of us.

Before I could even process the absurdity of the situation, Ariana moved. Her protective instincts flared instantly.

"There are no seats left in this row, Princess," Ariana answered flatly, her tone polite but laced with a lethal amount of territorial warning. "Why don’t you go to your usual seat in the front?"

Celestia blinked, and then a faint, teasing smirk touched the princess’s lips.

"Oh, is it?" Celestia replied smoothly, resting a hand on my desk. "No need to be so guarded, Ariana. I’m not going to steal your boyfriend."

Ariana’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I just came to say hi to Cadet Lucien," Celestia continued, turning her icy gaze entirely to me. "It has been a few days since we last met, after all."

The entire classroom inhaled a collective, sharp breath.

Celestia leaned forward slightly. "How have you been, Cadet Lucien? I sincerely hope nothing else significant happened at the borders after my departure."

Silence.

A pin could have dropped and echoed like a cannon blast.

Slowly, agonizingly, Ariana turned her head toward me. All the warmth, love, and light had completely vanished from her beautiful face. She looked at me with utterly dead, hollow eyes.

The borders? Her gaze practically screamed. If you don’t give me a proper explanation right this second, you are a dead man.

And it wasn’t just Ariana.

A few rows ahead, Kael, Elisha, and the rest of the protagonist party were completely stupefied by the sudden development. Their jaws were slack. What the hell was going on? Why was Princess Celestia talking so casually to the academy’s notorious former trash? And what the hell were they doing together at the borders?!

I gulped audibly, feeling the terrifying, piercing pressure of Ariana’s glare burning a hole through the side of my skull.

"H-Haha..." I laughed awkwardly under Ariana’s piercing gaze, waving my hands in a desperate attempt at damage control. "Nothing happened, Princess. Everything was perfectly normal. Very peaceful."

"It’s good to hear," Celestia said, completely ignoring my visible panic. She straightened up, smoothing her skirt. "Class will start soon. Let’s talk at lunch, Lucien."

And without waiting for a reply, the Princess turned gracefully and walked back to her designated seat at the front of the room, rejoining a very bewildered protagonist party.

I was left sitting in the back row, completely exposed, utterly trapped under Ariana’s terrifying, shadow-cast smile.