The silence in the back row was absolutely suffocating.

Ariana didn’t yell. She didn’t cause a scene. She simply rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head, and offered me a smile so terrifyingly sweet it made the fine hairs on my arms stand straight up.

"Lucien," Ariana whispered, her voice like spun silk wrapped tightly around a razor blade. "Care to explain?"

"It’s really not what it sounded like," I started, keeping my voice in a low, desperate whisper. "It was a massive coincidence."

"A coincidence," she repeated, her smile never reaching her violet eyes. "You told me you were going to stay at the Ashborne estate. You promised me you would rest your mana circuits after the ruins. But instead, you went to the Northern Borders? The absolute most dangerous, monster-infested wasteland in the entire Empire? And you were there with her?"

"I went to Winterguard for a change of pace! Just some fresh air!" I defended myself frantically. "Princess Celestia just happened to be there on an official Royal inspection with her sister. I barely even spoke to her until the end of the trip! I swear on my life."

Ariana’s eyes narrowed, dissecting every micro-expression on my face. She knew me way too well to buy the ’fresh air’ excuse.

"Did you fight?" she asked softly. Her tone instantly shifted from jealous suspicion to a genuine, deep-seated worry.

I hesitated for a fraction of a second. "...Maybe just a little bit."

Ariana let out a long, heavy sigh. She reached under the desk and pinched my thigh. Hard.

"Ouch!" I flinched, biting my tongue to keep from shouting in the middle of the classroom.

"You promised," Ariana muttered. Her eyes softened as she grabbed my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine and squeezing tightly. "You always do this, Lucien. You push yourself until you bleed, and you hide it from everyone. If you came back hurt again..."

"I’m perfectly fine, Ari. I promise," I said, gently squeezing her hand back. "No major injuries this time. Just a lot of snow and annoying beasts."

I conveniently left out the part where I coughed up a liter of blood and suffered a 50% physical debuff for three days. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me.

Ariana stared into my eyes for a moment longer before finally letting out a defeated breath. The terrifying aura vanished, replaced by her usual warmth. But then she shot a quick, icy glare toward the front of the classroom where Celestia was sitting.

"I believe you," Ariana murmured, leaning her head against my shoulder. "But I’m coming with you to lunch. I don’t trust her."

"I wouldn’t have it any other way," I agreed instantly.

The heavy oak door slammed open. The instructor strode in, carrying a stack of thick textbooks and radiating an aura of strict military discipline. "Take your seats and quiet down! The holiday is over, cadets. I expect your minds to be sharp and focused."

I let out a quiet, massive exhale of relief. Saved by the bell.

Ariana was forced to turn her attention to the front, but she shot me one last, highly concerning look. We are not done, her eyes promised.

*****

The morning classes passed by in an agonizing blur. I couldn’t focus on magical theory or history; my mind was entirely preoccupied with how I was going to survive the upcoming lunch hour.

When the midday bell finally rang, signaling the start of the lunch break, I immediately stood up. I planned to make a swift tactical retreat to the library and hide.

Grab.

Ariana’s fingers clamped onto the back of my uniform collar with the grip of a vice.

"Where do you think you’re going?" she asked, a sweet, dangerous smile blooming on her face. "Didn’t the Princess invite you to lunch? It would be terribly rude to keep royalty waiting. Let’s go."

I am going to die, I thought miserably.

With Ariana practically marching me at gunpoint, we headed toward the grand cafeteria.

The Academy’s cafeteria was built like a luxury banquet hall, complete with crystal chandeliers and long, polished mahogany tables. Usually, the social hierarchy dictated where everyone sat. The Royal faction and top-ranking nobles took the center, while everyone else filtered out to the edges.

As we walked in, it wasn’t hard to spot Celestia.

She was sitting at one of the prime tables near the tall glass windows. But she wasn’t alone. Kael, Elisha, Bordon, and Mariella were sitting with her.

The protagonist party.

Seeing them—and particularly seeing Kael’s face—made my mood immediately sour, like I had just bitten into a rotten lemon.

Kael and I were at war. Our last meeting after the Marquess Vance terrorist incident had not ended on a good note. He had his shiny, self-righteous protagonist ideals, and I had my brutal, survival-first pragmatism. We were like oil and water. Even though my relationship with the rest of his party had eased a bit over the past few months—mostly because they couldn’t deny that I kept saving people—I still held a massive grudge. I had absolutely zero desire to interact with them. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Ariana and I stopped at the edge of their table. The casual chatter among the group died instantly.

"I didn’t expect you to bring an audience, Princess," I said flatly, shoving my hands into my pockets.

Celestia looked up, entirely unbothered by my tone. "They insisted on joining me. Why don’t you and Ariana take a seat? There is plenty of room."

"I’ll pass," I replied, my voice dropping a degree. "I am not fond of your company. If you have something to say to me, just say it."

The temperature at the table plummeted. Everyone froze, feeling the sudden, suffocating tension in the air.

While the protagonist party no longer held blind, seething prejudice against me after the recent incidents, my blatant disrespect still caught them entirely off guard.

"Cadet Lucien, isn’t it a bit too rude to say something like that?" Elisha spoke up, her brow furrowing in polite disapproval. "The Princess is just inviting you to share a meal with us."

"Yeah," Mariella interjected, crossing her arms defensively. "How rude can you be? She’s trying to be nice, and you speak to her like that?"

I didn’t even look at Elisha or Mariella. I didn’t spare a single glance at Kael, whose jaw was clenching. I just kept my eyes locked entirely on Celestia, waiting for her to speak.

Celestia stared back at me for a long moment, reading the absolute refusal in my posture.

"Very well, Cadet Lucien. I can’t just force you to have lunch with us," Celestia said smoothly, setting her silverware down. "I simply wanted to pass along a message. My sister asked me to inform you that she will be visiting your estate tonight."

I froze. My heart completely stopped in my chest.

Princess Rumina? Visiting my house? Tonight?!

"Excuse me?" I choked out, my stoic facade shattering instantly.

"She has some... unfinished business to discuss with you regarding the Northern Borders," Celestia added, her ice-blue eyes gleaming with a faint, mocking amusement. "I highly suggest you prepare some good tea. Have a good afternoon, Lucien."

I stood there, completely paralyzed, staring at her.

What the fuck.