"Kael, that's it! Long break!" I yanked my brother's sleeve the second the bell rang. "Get your ass up, we're going on an information hunt."

  Kael sighed, but obediently closed his notebook. We stepped out into the corridor and fairly quickly intercepted those two "red-eyes." They were walking proudly, as if they were strolling down a palace carpet rather than the swaying floors of the Academy.

  "Hello," Kael began, engaging his "perfect gentleman" mode. "Our introductions this morning were a bit rushed. Please forgive my little sister for her... specific temperament." "It's fine," replied the taller one, Lianel. Her gaze was like steel. "We are used to all sorts of people."

  "You came from a kingdom where only humans live, correct?" Kael continued, smoothly approaching the topic. "I imagine everything here must seem wild and unfamiliar to you?"

  I couldn't take it anymore. This diplomatic dance was starting to piss me off. "Oh, come on, Kael! Why are you beating around the bush so much? Are we going to talk about the weather until evening?"

  I stepped forward and stared at the princesses. "Long story short. Tell us about that guy who came with you. The one in the mask. Who is he?"

  The princesses cast a synchronized sideways glance at me. A shadow of tension flickered in their eyes. We headed toward the cafeteria, and Lianel began speaking—evenly, rehearsed, boring: "Oh, you mean Greg... He is our distant relative. A poor, weak, pathetic orphan. Our father, out of his boundless kindness of heart, decided to give him a chance at an education. Essentially, he is just here under our guardianship."

  I listened to this nonsense and barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Kael, on the other hand, simply laughed brightly. "You know," he said, and notes appeared in his voice that made the princesses flinch noticeably. "It is difficult to hide things in our world. When people lie, their bodies begin to emit a specific scent. They start moving slightly differently, their heart rhythm changes..."

  He paused, sweeping a piercing gaze over the girls. "You are playing your parts beautifully, I admit. Masterfully. But your cover story smells so strongly that I can smell it from the other side of the floor."

  The princesses fell silent. They exchanged a quick, anxious look.

  "Anyway," Kael smiled again, diffusing the tension. "Everyone has their secrets. We won't press the issue."

  We entered the cafeteria and took an empty table. I saw Lianel and Alexia still digesting my brother's words. "Relative," "pathetic"... yeah, right. I saw his "emptiness." Pathetic people don't know how to perfectly erase their presence like that.

  I began scanning the hall with my eyes. We finally sat down. Today for dinner they were serving "Cheese Balls." A local delicacy with a catch: you have to eat them hot, that's when they are divine, but after being reheated, the balls turn into unstable landmines. At any moment, such a ball could detonate right in your mouth or on your plate, splattering your neighbors with hot cheese. A pure game of luck.

  I cautiously poked my dinner with a fork, expecting a trick, and returned to the interrogation. "Listen," I looked the princesses dead in the eye. "Why does he wear the mask anyway? It's inconvenient."

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  The red-haired one—Lianel—elegantly popped a piece of cheese into her mouth (she got lucky, it didn't explode) and squinted. "And why exactly are you so interested in him, Alastia? By the way, we never officially introduced ourselves. I am Lianel, this is my sister Alexia." "And I'm Alastia," I said. "And I'm just curious. In our world, masks are worn either by those who have something to hide, or by those who have nothing to show."

  Kael immediately chimed in with his signature politeness. He started an endless, drawn-out conversation: asking how they liked our country, what it was like living only among humans, began describing the architectural quirks of the Academy... Typical Kael. Trying to lull their vigilance with chatter.

  But our main target—their "distant relative"—was nowhere to be seen in the cafeteria. "Listen, is your ward... is he even going to show up?" I asked when Kael paused to take a sip of juice. "We don't know," Alexia shrugged. "Maybe he got lost. Or fell asleep in a corridor somewhere."

  I felt irritation boiling up inside me. "Oh, come on, Kael!" I turned to my brother. "Wrap it up. They are useless. Stop talking to them, they aren't going to say anything worthwhile anyway."

  Kael slowly turned his head to me. His gaze turned stern. "Alastia, we are actually having a polite conversation. Learn to show some patience." "Oh, shut up!" I slammed my fork down on the plate with a clatter. "Are you doing this again?"

  My brother ignored my outburst and, as if nothing had happened, continued discussing the library archives with Alexia. Traitor. An absolute traitor. Left me alone to battle boredom and exploding cheese while he enjoys the princesses' attention.

  I leaned back in my chair and started angrily chewing my cheese ball. "Got lost," yeah right.

  "Brother... Bro... Kael!" I called him in a whisper, then louder, but he was completely drowning in his polite inquiries. "KAEL!" "What, Alastia?" he reluctantly turned to me, still maintaining that "diplomatic" half-smile on his face.

  I didn't answer with words. I simply pointed an expressive finger at his plate, right at the most suspicious and hottest cheese ball. I channeled a tiny pulse of mana into the gesture.

  BANG!

  The landmine worked perfectly. Hot cheese erupted in a spectacular fountain right into Kael's face, and a couple of stray drops flew over to the princesses, landing on their immaculate collars.

  "BWA-HA-HA-HA!" I nearly slid under the table in delight. "Well, brother? Talked a bit too much! Dropped your guard in enemy territory!"

  Kael froze, blinking rapidly. Cheese was slowly sliding down his nose. He quickly grabbed a napkin and frantically began wiping himself off, turning red to the roots of his hair. "Forgive me..." he muttered, addressing the princesses. "A thousand apologies... My sister is not in the best of moods today."

  "It's perfectly fine," Lianel replied, carefully picking the drop of cheese off her sleeve. She looked at me, and a strange expression flickered in her eyes. "You and he are actually somewhat similar. You both love causing chaos out of nowhere."

  I instantly stopped laughing. Similar to that guy in the mask? Well, alright. I could even take that as a compliment.

  "Alright," Lianel stood up, straightening her uniform. "Classes will be starting soon. We must go."

  "Let's go, Alastia," Kael had finally cleaned himself up, though he now looked like a man who had survived an assassination attempt. "We have Biology now."

  I groaned, dragging my feet after him. "Damn it! These classes again... How much more of this? I just survived an hour and a half of pure boredom." "And I still need to check your homework," Kael reminded me as we walked out into the corridor. "Oh, come on. You know I barely do it." "Barely?" he raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You just copy off me all the time."

  I proudly raised my chin: "Copying is hard work too, brother! It is the strategic selection of the correct information source. Not to mention, you have to manage to steal your notebook discreetly so you don't start lecturing me about morality. That requires stealth skills!"

  Kael just sighed. We walked down the corridor, which had suddenly decided that we needed to walk uphill and began tilting upwards.